Rule Dark Skies

Dark Skies Forecast for Dolomites

South Tyrol, Italy

Astrophotography in the Dolomites. Plan dark, clear skies over Tre Cime, Passo Giau, and Cinque Torri with lunar conditions included.

29 matching opportunities in the 14-day forecast.

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in Europe/Rome

First upcoming window

Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)

Passo Giau

Sat, Oct 10 · 05:00–05:41 · 1h window

Medium confidence

64%

🌛Moon Altitude-20.6°

☁️Total Cloud Coverage0%

Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)

Cinque Torri

Sat, Oct 10 · 05:00–05:41

🌛Moon Altitude:-20.6°

Medium

Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)

Lago di Carezza

Sun, Oct 11 · 20:14–23:00

🌛Moon Altitude:-34.8--14.6°

Low

Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)

Passo Rolle

Sun, Oct 11 · 21:00–05:45

🌛Moon Altitude:-61.1--24.9°

Low

Good Dark Skies

Lago di Braies

Sun, Oct 11 · 23:00–24:00

🌛Moon Altitude:-44.6°

Low

Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)

Cinque Torri

Mon, Oct 12 · 01:00–04:00

🌛Moon Altitude:-60.9--58.1°

Low

Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)

Passo Giau

Mon, Oct 12 · 01:00–04:00

🌛Moon Altitude:-60.9--58.1°

Low

+22 more windows in the next 14 days

Location status

0 of 10 locations matching now

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Not matching

Tre Cime’s three sheer limestone towers dominate scree slopes and alpine huts, forming bold silhouettes and repeating layers through the surrounding saddles.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Veneto, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (89%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~5 days 4h

1 opportunity in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Seceda

Not matching

Seceda’s sharply tilted ridgeline rises above green alpine meadows, with limestone teeth, footpaths and distant peaks creating strong diagonal compositions.

Urtijëi, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (93%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~4 days 10h

2 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Alpe di Siusi

Not matching

Alpe di Siusi spreads rolling meadows, hay barns and tracks beneath Sassolungo and Sciliar, with summer flowers and winter snow simplifying its curves.

Siusi, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~4 days 10h

5 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Lago di Braies

Not matching

Lago di Braies pairs turquoise water and timber boats with the Seekofel wall, while shoreline rocks and forest reflections create balanced foreground layers.

Braies, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~4 days 7h

3 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Val di Funes

Not matching

Val di Funes frames the small Santa Maddalena churches against Odle limestone peaks, with meadows, farmhouses and larch woods building pastoral depth.

Kastelruth, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~4 days 10h

2 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Passo Giau

Not matching

Passo Giau offers open views of Ra Gusela and surrounding massifs, where winding roads, meadow slopes and isolated huts provide scale beneath jagged peaks.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~2 days 13h

3 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Cinque Torri

Not matching

Cinque Torri’s freestanding rock towers rise above Falzarego’s meadows and scree, allowing layered silhouettes framed by distant Dolomite ranges.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~2 days 13h

3 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Lago di Carezza

Not matching

Lago di Carezza reflects the Latemar towers beyond dense spruce forest, with emerald water, shoreline logs and autumn larches adding color and texture.

Carezza, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~4 days 5h

5 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Not matching

Cortina d’Ampezzo is ringed by pale limestone groups, combining town architecture, larch-covered slopes and accessible valley views toward high peaks.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~4 days 9h

2 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

Passo Rolle

Not matching

Passo Rolle frames the sharp Cimon della Pala above alpine pasture, huts and forest, with snowfields or summer grass defining the mountain’s steep profile.

Passo Rolle, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (100%, ≤ 20.0%)

Next opportunity in ~4 days 5h

3 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

View forecast

What's blocking opportunities

95-hour forecast horizon; times in Europe/Rome.

Top 5 blocking conditions across 10 of 10 locations

Some blocked

Most blocked

6 Tue

7 Wed

8 Thu

9 Fri

10 Sat

Total Cloud Coverage (≤ 20.0%)

92% blocked

Astronomical Night (Any)

62% blocked

Moon Altitude (≤ 10.0°)

41% blocked

Precipitation Chance (≤ 10.0%)

38% blocked

Visibility (≥ 12000.0m)

18% blocked

How to read: Each row shows when a condition blocks opportunities. Stronger red means more locations are affected. These are the top 5 conditions preventing matches across the 95-hour forecast.

Astrophotography in the Dolomites. Plan dark, clear skies over Tre Cime, Passo Giau, and Cinque Torri with lunar conditions included.

This rule looks for true astronomical night, cloud cover no higher than 20%, visibility of at least 12 km, precipitation probability no higher than 10%, and either Moon illumination no higher than 35% or Moon altitude no higher than 10°. It does not calculate Galactic Centre or Milky Way core altitude; check a sky planner for the subject's position.

Tre Cime, Cinque Torri, and Passo Giau provide recognizable limestone foregrounds under dark mountain skies. Moonless summer and early-autumn nights can show the Milky Way core, while snow or moonlight can make foregrounds legible at the cost of fainter stars. Dry post-frontal air is preferable to hazy valley conditions, but nearby refuges, roads, and Cortina contribute local light.

The forecast combines darkness, lunar illumination, cloud, and transparency; it cannot predict headlamps, hut lighting, or cloud forming on a single summit. High roads and lifts are seasonal, temperatures drop sharply after sunset, and exposed passes are unsafe in thunderstorms. Verify access before departure and choose established roadside or hut-area compositions rather than crossing unfamiliar terrain in darkness.

How this forecast is made

Opportunities are threshold-based signals: PhotoWeather checks whether forecast conditions match the rules for a photography scenario. They are planning guidance, not guarantees. Forecasts can change as new model runs arrive, and confidence generally decreases farther into the forecast horizon, so recheck conditions before travelling.

The weather forecast foundation comes through Open-Meteo , which aggregates models from weather agencies. PhotoWeather applies condition-specific thresholds and derived calculations; not every condition uses every model or data input.

How opportunities work → Weather data sources →

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