Data sources

The Star Window Data Sources page explains which verified source roles support public results, what geographic or astronomy scope each role covers, how freshness is communicated, and which inputs are unavailable. A provider is named only when the current production contract confirms it. Source transparency explains where evidence comes from; it does not turn a forecast into a guarantee or an access, safety, or imaging claim.

A source is listed for the role it actually performs in the public product. Star Window does not imply that every result uses the same source or turn source freshness into a promise about update cadence. Unconfirmed source roles and unsupported inputs remain unavailable.

Forecast source details

Forecast freshness: Forecast updated Aug 26

The forecast is built from nightly sky conditions, state-level rankings, and location-level timing signals. The generated timestamp shown on forecast pages is the operational freshness reference.

National Weather Service

Role: U.S. weather source and operational cross-check where usable numeric coverage is available.

Used for: Supported hourly temperature, precipitation probability, humidity, dew point, and wind inputs.

Scope: U.S. forecast-grid records near the supported forecast area.

Freshness: The rendered result owns its current freshness status; no fixed provider cadence is promised here.

Not used for: Measured seeing, validated transparency, or complete numeric cloud-layer coverage in the current adapter.

Official source

Open-Meteo

Role: Normalized hourly model inputs used by supported coordinate and seven-night forecast records.

Used for: Total and layered cloud cover, visibility when supplied, humidity, dew point, and related weather fields.

Scope: Model-grid estimates for a supported coordinate, with resolution varying by selected model.

Freshness: Each public result exposes its own generated time and availability state.

Not used for: Measured seeing, a validated public transparency score, current public smoke/haze advice, access, or safety.

Official source

Skyfield and JPL DE421

Role: Observer-based Sun, Moon, twilight, and supported target geometry.

Used for: Supported altitude, timing, and Moon-interference calculations in the public astronomy contract.

Scope: The observer or forecast coordinate attached to the rendered result.

Freshness: Astronomy results are generated with the dated forecast artifact.

Not used for: Weather, local horizon obstruction, access, routing, or imaging suitability.

Skyfield and JPL ephemerides

NASA and meteor organizations

Role: Controlling or corroborating event dates, eclipse safety, and meteor activity windows.

Used for: Source-backed public event records with a verification date.

Scope: The specific event record; local geometry appears only when the local product contract supports it.

Freshness: Event records carry their own source-review date and lifecycle state.

Not used for: A guaranteed local viewing result or one nationwide exact observing window.

NASA Science and International Meteor Organization

Cadence and forecast horizon

• Tonight decisions use the newest successful nightly dataset.
• Hourly weather inputs cover the near-term decision window; the seven-day strip is planning guidance, not equal-confidence execution advice.
• Conditions can change after generation, especially when storms form quickly or the supported forecast is near its horizon.
• Curated destination pages use the current coordinate forecast for their named map point when the artifact passes verification. If that coordinate artifact is unavailable or stale, the destination forecast fails closed instead of substituting statewide weather.

Quality safeguards

• Score consistency checks are smoothed before public presentation.
• Backup forecast mode is clearly labeled when live rows are unavailable.
• Core pages keep useful planning guidance even when fresh data is limited.
• Forecast accuracy metrics come from the same trust and reliability system shown on the Trust page.
• Provider-comparison research stays private until its separate validation and release gate passes.

Verified outcome coverage: Pending

Evaluated rows: Pending

Data source questions