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Rule Moonlight

Moonlight Forecast for US Southwest

Southwest, United States

Moonlight photography in the Southwest. Monument Valley buttes, Delicate Arch, and canyon country under full moon with Bortle 1 skies.

90 matching opportunities in the 14-day forecast.

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in America/Phoenix

First upcoming window

Brilliant Moonlight (high)

Death Valley

Thu, Oct 22 · 23:00–04:00 · 5h window

Medium confidence

65%

🌕Moon Illumination91.2%

☁️Total Cloud Coverage0%

Brilliant Moonlight (high)

Sedona

Thu, Oct 22 · 23:00–03:00

🌕Moon Illumination:91.2%

Medium

Brilliant Moonlight (high)

Bryce Canyon

Thu, Oct 22 · 23:00–03:00

🌕Moon Illumination:91.2%

Medium

Brilliant Moonlight (high)

Joshua Tree

Thu, Oct 22 · 23:00–03:00

🌕Moon Illumination:91.2%

Medium

Brilliant Moonlight (high)

Big Bend

Thu, Oct 22 · 23:00–01:00

🌕Moon Illumination:91.2%

Medium

Brilliant Moonlight (high)

Monument Valley

Thu, Oct 22 · 23:00–03:00

🌕Moon Illumination:91.2%

Medium

Brilliant Moonlight

Grand Canyon

Fri, Oct 23 · 24:00–03:00

🌕Moon Illumination:91.2%

Medium

+43 more windows in the next 14 days

Location status

0 of 10 locations matching now

Monument Valley

Monument Valley’s isolated sandstone buttes rise above open desert, offering clean silhouettes, layered mesas and long shadows across the red valley floor.

Oljato-Monument Valley, Utah, United States

Next opportunity in ~42m

10 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon’s dense hoodoos form intricate patterns below the rim, with winter snow occasionally separating orange spires into graphic layers.

Bryce, Arizona, United States

Blocked by: Moon Altitude

Next opportunity in ~42m

10 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Arches

Arches pairs freestanding sandstone arches with fins, balanced rocks and distant La Sal peaks, ideal for framed desert views and night-sky silhouettes.

Moab, Utah, United States

Blocked by: Total Cloud Coverage too high (95%, ≤ 40.0%)

Next opportunity in ~19h 42m

7 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon layers cliffs, temples and the Colorado River into immense depth, with changing light revealing successive bands of rock and atmosphere.

Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States

Next opportunity in ~1h 42m

10 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Death Valley

Death Valley offers salt polygons, alluvial fans, dunes and eroded badlands, with winter bringing milder conditions and occasional cloud texture.

Furnace Creek, California, United States

Next opportunity in ~42m

13 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree combines branching desert trees with rounded granite boulders, open washes and mountain silhouettes for strong foreground-led night scenes.

Twentynine Palms, California, United States

Next opportunity in ~42m

11 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

White Sands

White Sands presents repeating gypsum dunes, wind-carved ripples and sparse yucca, with low light defining curves and blue-hour shadows.

Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States

Next opportunity in ~3 days 21h

4 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Sedona

Sedona’s red sandstone towers rise above juniper-covered slopes, creating bold color contrast, framed canyon views and layered desert ridgelines.

Sedona, Arizona, United States

Next opportunity in ~42m

8 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef combines the Waterpocket Fold, pale domes, orchards and narrow canyons, with rock layers and cottonwoods supplying scale and contrast.

Torrey, Utah, United States

Next opportunity in ~2h 42m

11 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

Big Bend

Big Bend frames the Chisos Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert and Rio Grande canyons in broad layers, with spring wildflowers appearing in favorable years.

Terlingua, Texas, United States

Next opportunity in ~42m

6 opportunities in the 14-day forecast

What's blocking opportunities

95-hour forecast horizon; times in America/Phoenix.

Top 5 blocking conditions across 2 of 10 locations

Some blocked

Most blocked

21 Wed

22 Thu

23 Fri

24 Sat

25 Sun

24

06

12

18

24

06

12

18

24

06

12

18

24

06

12

18

Moon Altitude (≥ 15.0°)

61% blocked

Precipitation Chance (≤ 15.0%)

46% blocked

Day/Night Period (Night)

42% blocked

Total Cloud Coverage (≤ 40.0%)

36% blocked

Visibility (≥ 8000.0m)

5% 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.

This forecast tracks exceptional moonlight photography conditions across the American Southwest. We combine moon phase, lunar elevation, cloud cover, and atmospheric transparency to predict when desert landscapes will glow under full moon illumination.

The Southwest's combination of dark skies, high desert elevation, and dry air creates moonlight conditions rivaling anywhere on Earth. Many Southwest locations hold Bortle Class 1 dark sky ratings, meaning moonlight illuminates the landscape without light pollution competition. The region's iconic rock formations take on otherworldly character under lunar illumination.

What makes the Southwest special for moonlight photography:

Bortle 1 darkness - Among the darkest skies in North America mean brilliant moonlight contrast
Iconic silhouettes - Monument Valley's buttes, Delicate Arch, and canyon country create dramatic moonlit compositions
High elevation advantage - Many locations above 5,000 feet mean moonlight passes through less atmosphere
Dry desert air - Low humidity provides exceptional clarity for moonlit landscapes

Monument Valley's sandstone buttes become ghostly sentinels under full moon, casting long shadows across the desert floor. Delicate Arch near Moab offers one of photography's most iconic moonrise opportunities. The vast canyon country provides endless opportunities for silhouetted rock formations against moonlit skies. Even under full moon, the Milky Way remains visible at these dark locations—particularly from high-elevation spots like Bryce Canyon at 8,000 feet. Plan moonrise timing carefully for compositions that capture both lunar illumination and twilight color.

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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