{
  "updated_at": "2026-10-26T10:58:33.409+00:00",
  "stale": true,
  "night_of": "2026-10-26",
  "moon": {
    "phase": 0.511,
    "illumination": 1,
    "phase_name": "Full moon"
  },
  "darkness": {
    "ends": "2026-10-27T06:01:00.000Z",
    "starts": "2026-10-26T19:42:00.000Z"
  },
  "verdict": {
    "level": "poor",
    "label": "Poor",
    "answer": "Stargazing tonight looks poor across Madeira: the clearest option is Fanal laurel forest with about 54% cloud after 22:00.",
    "detail": "The moon is 100% lit, bright enough to drown out the Milky Way, stick to planets, the moon itself and bright clusters. Fanal laurel forest is a Bortle 2 site at 1150 m.",
    "best_spot": "fanal"
  },
  "spots": [
    {
      "slug": "paul-da-serra",
      "name": "Paul da Serra plateau",
      "area": "Central-west Madeira",
      "lat": 32.7514,
      "lng": -17.0742,
      "altitude_m": 1450,
      "bortle": 2,
      "viirs_artificial_brightness_ucd_m2": 40,
      "limiting_magnitude": 6.8,
      "access": "ER110 road, wide gravel pull-offs; 45 min from Funchal",
      "note": "The darkest easily-drivable sky on the island. Open moorland with a clean horizon in every direction and almost no light domes except a faint glow south-east over Funchal.",
      "conditions": {
        "slug": "paul-da-serra",
        "humidity_pct": 94,
        "high_cloud_pct": 59,
        "best_hour_local": "2026-10-27T01:00",
        "best_hour_cloud_pct": 32,
        "cloud_cover_night_pct": 74
      },
      "score_tonight": 0
    },
    {
      "slug": "pico-do-areeiro",
      "name": "Pico do Areeiro",
      "area": "Central massif",
      "lat": 32.7356,
      "lng": -16.9289,
      "altitude_m": 1818,
      "bortle": 3,
      "viirs_artificial_brightness_ucd_m2": 95,
      "limiting_magnitude": 6.5,
      "access": "Paved road to the summit car park; 40 min from Funchal",
      "note": "Highest road-accessible point in Madeira and usually above the cloud inversion. Funchal's light dome sits low to the south, so face north for the darkest sky.",
      "conditions": {
        "slug": "pico-do-areeiro",
        "humidity_pct": 94,
        "high_cloud_pct": 59,
        "best_hour_local": "2026-10-27T01:00",
        "best_hour_cloud_pct": 32,
        "cloud_cover_night_pct": 74
      },
      "score_tonight": 0
    },
    {
      "slug": "fanal",
      "name": "Fanal laurel forest",
      "area": "North-west, Porto Moniz council",
      "lat": 32.8106,
      "lng": -17.1436,
      "altitude_m": 1150,
      "bortle": 2,
      "viirs_artificial_brightness_ucd_m2": 55,
      "limiting_magnitude": 6.7,
      "access": "ER209 off the Paul da Serra road; unlit forestry car park",
      "note": "Very dark, but the most fog-prone site on this list, the same moisture that makes the ancient til trees photogenic ruins the seeing on maybe half of all nights.",
      "conditions": {
        "slug": "fanal",
        "humidity_pct": 93,
        "high_cloud_pct": 28,
        "best_hour_local": "2026-10-27T00:00",
        "best_hour_cloud_pct": 5,
        "cloud_cover_night_pct": 54
      },
      "score_tonight": 7
    },
    {
      "slug": "achada-do-teixeira",
      "name": "Achada do Teixeira",
      "area": "Above Santana, north coast",
      "lat": 32.7581,
      "lng": -16.9186,
      "altitude_m": 1592,
      "bortle": 2,
      "viirs_artificial_brightness_ucd_m2": 60,
      "limiting_magnitude": 6.7,
      "access": "Sealed road from Santana to the Pico Ruivo trailhead car park",
      "note": "North-facing, so the Funchal light dome is fully blocked by the ridge. Best site on the island for northern-sky and aurora-adjacent airglow photography.",
      "conditions": {
        "slug": "achada-do-teixeira",
        "humidity_pct": 94,
        "high_cloud_pct": 59,
        "best_hour_local": "2026-10-27T01:00",
        "best_hour_cloud_pct": 32,
        "cloud_cover_night_pct": 74
      },
      "score_tonight": 0
    },
    {
      "slug": "ponta-do-pargo",
      "name": "Ponta do Pargo lighthouse cliffs",
      "area": "Western tip",
      "lat": 32.8114,
      "lng": -17.2617,
      "altitude_m": 312,
      "bortle": 3,
      "viirs_artificial_brightness_ucd_m2": 120,
      "limiting_magnitude": 6.3,
      "access": "Drive to the lighthouse, park and walk 200 m clear of the beam",
      "note": "Sea-level horizon over 270°, which makes it the best spot for low southern objects and for catching the Milky Way core setting into the Atlantic.",
      "conditions": {
        "slug": "ponta-do-pargo",
        "humidity_pct": 83,
        "high_cloud_pct": 32,
        "best_hour_local": "2026-10-27T02:00",
        "best_hour_cloud_pct": 28,
        "cloud_cover_night_pct": 55
      },
      "score_tonight": 0
    },
    {
      "slug": "pico-do-facho-porto-santo",
      "name": "Pico do Facho, Porto Santo",
      "area": "Porto Santo island",
      "lat": 33.0836,
      "lng": -16.3025,
      "altitude_m": 517,
      "bortle": 3,
      "viirs_artificial_brightness_ucd_m2": 110,
      "limiting_magnitude": 6.4,
      "access": "Narrow paved road to the summit viewpoint",
      "note": "Porto Santo is drier and far less cloudy than Madeira, so clear-night odds are the best in the archipelago even though the sky is slightly brighter.",
      "conditions": {
        "slug": "pico-do-facho-porto-santo",
        "humidity_pct": 79,
        "high_cloud_pct": 21,
        "best_hour_local": "2026-10-27T00:00",
        "best_hour_cloud_pct": 32,
        "cloud_cover_night_pct": 59
      },
      "score_tonight": 0
    }
  ],
  "source": {
    "url": "https://open-meteo.com/en/docs",
    "name": "Open-Meteo cloud & sun forecast",
    "license": "CC-BY 4.0"
  },
  "night_lights": {
    "url": "https://eogdata.mines.edu/products/vnl/",
    "name": "VIIRS DNB night lights / World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness"
  }
}