Photographing the Milky Way takes a lot of planning and timing. Milky Way Tonight handles all of that for you in an easy to understand way.
Open the app and the first thing you see is Tonight at a Glance: a plain-language summary of whether tonight is worth going out. It tells you when the Galactic Core rises and peaks, when the moon sets, what the cloud cover looks like, and how dark your skies are on the Bortle scale (light pollution levels)
If tonight is a bust, it tells you the next clear window so you can start planning ahead.
Below that is a 7-day forecast strip that color-codes each night by visibility quality and highlights the best opportunity in the week. Tap any day for a full breakdown.
When you're ready to find a location, the Dark Sky Finder searches for darker skies near you, ranked by light pollution, cloud cover, and driving distance together. You'll find darker spots on a map and the best realistic option for tonight.
The Composition Planner lets you visualize where the Milky Way arc will be positioned relative to a location before you ever leave home. See the galactic core position, plan your foreground, and show up knowing exactly what shot you're going for.
Sky View not only opens a star map using your phone's compass, but with access to your camera the AR mode allows for real-time planning. Point it at the sky, the horizon or directly at your foreground to see exactly where and when the stars align over your composition. It's a powerful tool for scouting compositions in the field and knowing exactly when you need to be shooting.
Core Alignment: While using Sky View, tap anywhere on screen to see exactly if & when the Milky Way Core will align above that foreground; the next time and for the rest of the season. The ultimate composition planner.
H-Alpha boost mode shifts the overlay to highlight nebula and emission regions. Perfect for astro modified cameras.
The visibility calendar is your personal Milky Way calendar, built off your exact location. It maps out every night of the year so you can plan shoots weeks or months in advance. Save any night to My MW Nights to add notes, see the sky conditions, and keep all your plans in one place.
The NPF calculator helps you dial in the sharpest possible stars for your specific camera and lens combination, so you know the longest exposure you can shoot without trailing.
When you're in the field, Dark Adaptation Mode tints and dims your screen red so your night vision stays intact.
For anyone new to this type of photography, the Getting Started guide walks through the entire workflow from scratch, including how to read the data in the app, what gear settings to use, and how to actually find the Milky Way once you're in the field.
Built by landscape astrophotographer Jack Fusco (@jackfusco).
FEATURES
- Tonight at a Glance: galactic core rise, peak, and window times for your location. Full nightly and core specific cloud forecasts
- Nightly quality ratings: Excellent, Good, Brief, Limited, and Blocked with plain-language explanations
- Next clear window: see exactly how many nights until conditions improve
- 7-day Milky Way and cloud forecast strip
- Dark Sky Finder: ranked by light pollution, cloud cover, and driving distance
Bortle class and SQM ratings for any location
- Composition Planner: visualize the galactic arc over your planned foreground
- Sky View AR: live star map with camera overlay using your phone's compass
- Monthly visibility calendar built from your exact location
- Core Alignment - See exactly when the MW will line up over any foreground.
- My MW Nights: save shooting nights with notes and sky data
- NPF calculator: find the sharpest exposure time for your camera and lens
- Dark Adaptation Mode: red screen tint to protect your night vision in the field
- Offline support: cached forecast data available without a connection
- Getting Started guide written for complete beginners
No account required, no ads, no tracking
Finally, the ultimate astrophotography planning app!
Jason Richardson photography
Bravo! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I’ve followed the work of Milky Way Tonight’s developer, Jack Fusco, since the very beginning and was fortunate enough to be one of his first followers on social media. Watching his journey as a photographer has been inspiring, but what he’s accomplished with this app is on another level.The lens exposurecalculators and AR planning tools alone have been incredibly helpful for me. What makes this app special is that it feels like more than just software—it’s over a decade of real-world experience, struggles, lessons learned, and hard-earned successes distilled into a tool that anyone can use.Milky Way photography has always involved a lot of guesswork, trial and error, and missed opportunities. This app removes so much of that uncertainty and gives photographers the confidence to plan more effectively and spend more time creating.You can tell this wasn’t built by someone guessing what photographers need. It was built by a photographer who has spent years in the field chasing conditions, solving problems, and refining his craft. Jack’s passion for astrophotography and commitment to helping others succeed shine through in every part of the app.An incredible achievement and an easy 5-star recommendation for anyone interested in photographing the night sky.
Developer Response
Thank you so much, Jason! I sincerely appreciate your kind words and all of your support, both now and throughout the past years. While working on the app, I really wanted to find a balance of something that would be just as helpful to someone starting out as someone who has spent years doing it. Your review feels incredibly validating and I can't tell you how much it's appreciated. Being out under the night sky is such a special experience and being able to capture it feels special every time. I hope it will become a staple in your planning tool kit and helps you find yourself under clear, dark skies soon. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful review and for all of your kind words. - Jack
Reach for the stars!
madmax9119
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Milky Way Tonight is an excellent app for anyone interested in stargazing and astrophotography. It takes the guesswork out of finding the Milky Way by showing the best times and locations for viewing based on your area. The interface is clean, easy to use, and provides accurate information that helps maximize your chances of seeing the night sky at its best.Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer, this app makes planning a Milky Way outing simple and enjoyable. I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite astronomy apps. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the stars!
Developer Response
Thank you so much for such thoughtful review! Helping people find their way under the stars to experience the beauty of the night sky has long been a goal of mine. I'm so glad to hear how excited you are about the app. I know there are no shortage of both astronomy and photography apps, so I really appreciate you giving it a chance. I hope it helps you find your way under the stars and I can't wait to share everything I have planned! Thank you again! - Jack
Download this to plan your night sky adventures!
shortonideasnj
I first encountered Jack’s photography and talents when I stumbled across his Ted Talk years ago. I’ve been following him on Instagram ever since and many of my family members have his work hanging in their houses.This app is functional, clearly laid out, and a perfect tool for planning a shoot or just simply witnessing the awesome beauty of the night sky. 10/10!
Developer Response
Thank you so much for the kind words and for following along all this way! I'm so glad to hear my work has been helping you and your family enjoy the night sky. My main hope for this app was for it to find the balance between simple and powerful so it could help people enjoy their time under the stars. I appreciate you checking it out and I'm so glad you've been enjoying it so far. I hope you'll find yourself under clear, dark skies soon! Thank you again! - Jack
My new favorite Milky Way app!
Jc2727
Finally an app that pulls everything together in one easy to use interface! Love how well thought out this app is and all the awesome features. It makes planning Milky Way shots so much easier and saves you cash by not needing to purchase 5 different apps to do same thing this 1 app can do. Great work!
- Added ability to scale text size
- Added ability to Export Saved MW Night
- Improved forecasting accuracy
- Improved accuracy of Milky Way visibility windows and countdown timers at northern latitudes (48°N+).
- Increase contrast of Milky Way in AR mode during the day
- Corrected "Visibility Calendar" display width issue on devices
- Shifted "Good" color on calendar view to a more distinct hue
- Updated NPF Calculator Camera Database - Newly released cameras + User Requested
- Update Exposure Calculator Description to better reflect tool
Version 1.1.0
The developer, Chasing Starlight LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
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