Astronomy alerts in Forecast Bar, in short
- Event types
- Lunar eclipses, solar eclipses, supermoons, and solstices and equinoxes — each independently switchable.
- Locality
- Solar eclipse alerts are filtered to events actually visible from your location, rather than every eclipse on Earth.
- Lead time
- You choose how far ahead of the event the notification arrives.
- Cloud check
- Because it's a weather app, the hourly cloud cover forecast for the event window is right there.
- Eclipse planning
- For a solar eclipse, the practical question is cloud: Forecast Bar's hourly cloud cover forecast and the satellite layer on its radar map show whether a viewing spot will actually have clear sky during the eclipse window.
- Also included
- Moonrise, moonset, sunrise, sunset, first and last light, and total daylight as data points.
- Stargazing Conditions
- Separately from the alerts, Forecast Bar rates tonight's sky for stargazing — Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor — and names the best window, from cloud, moonlight, how dark the sky gets and your local light pollution.
- Plan
- Astronomy alerts are part of Forecast Bar Gold on iOS and Pro on Mac.
Five kinds of sky event, each with its own switch.
Turn on only the ones you'd actually get out of bed for.
Lunar eclipses
Blood moons and lunar eclipse events, with the timing for your location.
Solar eclipses
Filtered to eclipses actually visible from where you are — not a global list.
Supermoons
When the full moon is at its closest, appearing larger and brighter than usual.
Solstices & equinoxes
Summer and winter solstices, spring and autumn equinoxes.
An eclipse alert is only useful if the sky is clear.
Dedicated astronomy apps will tell you an eclipse is happening. They won't tell you whether you'll see it. Forecast Bar has the hourly cloud cover, the radar, and the humidity for the event window sitting in the same app as the alert.
- Hourly cloud cover through the event window
- Radar and satellite to see whether it's clearing
- Moonrise, moonset, and moon phase alongside
- First light and last light for planning around twilight
Five kinds of event, five separate switches.
Astronomy alerts are not one setting. Lunar eclipses, solar eclipses, supermoons, solstices and equinoxes, and the aurora forecast each have their own switch, so you can keep the eclipse alerts and drop the solstice ones without losing the rest.
- Lunar eclipses — blood moons and lunar eclipse events
- Solar eclipses — filtered to ones visible from your location
- Supermoons, solstices and equinoxes
- Aurora forecast — northern lights visibility
Stargazing Conditions names the best window, not just a rating.
Open the Stargazing Conditions data point and the night is scored hour by hour from cloud cover, moonlight, how dark the sky actually gets where you are, and your local light pollution. The best window is called out at the top, and you can drag across the chart to compare one hour against another before you go outside.
- Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor for tonight
- The best window to be outside, to the half hour
- An hourly quality chart you can scrub through
- Moon illumination and cloud cover beside the rating
Questions about astronomy alerts
What astronomy alerts does Forecast Bar offer?
Will I get alerted about eclipses I can't actually see?
How far in advance do astronomy alerts arrive?
Does Forecast Bar show moon phases?
Can Forecast Bar tell me whether tonight is good for stargazing?
Can Forecast Bar help me plan for a total solar eclipse?
How much does Forecast Bar cost?
Be the one who knew about it in advance.
Try astronomy alerts with a free trial week.
Free to download; live weather requires a subscription, and every subscription includes a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS.
More from Forecast Bar
Astronomy calendar & night sky
Discover eclipses, meteor showers, Moon phases and planetary events, with viewing guides and a local night-sky outlook.
Aurora & northern lights alerts
A visibility score for your exact location, and a push notification when it crosses your threshold.
Sunset & sunrise quality forecast
A 0–10 score for tonight's sunset, the golden-light window, and an alert when a good one is coming.
Alerts that matter
The whole alert lineup in one place — severe weather, nowcasts, and custom thresholds.