{ "$schema": "https://ontarionightsky.com/schemas/near-snapshot.v1.json", "version": "1.0", "generatedAt": "2026-08-15T02:05:10.583Z", "snapshotMeta": { "schemaVersion": "1.0", "tieBreakVersion": "2.0.0", "metricsVersion": "1.2.0", "ladder": [ "verdictRank (desc)", "windowHours (desc)", "windowMeanCloudPct (asc)", "tonightMinCloudPct (asc)", "tonightMeanCloudPct (asc)", "bortle (asc — darker wins)", "distanceKm (asc)" ], "changelog": [ { "version": "1.2.0", "date": "2026-04-26", "type": "metrics", "summary": "Added `tieBreakComparisons[]` to each item: per-step a/b values, equality flag, winner, and `decidedBy` marker for the rule that broke the tie." }, { "version": "2.0.0", "date": "2026-04-26", "type": "tieBreak", "summary": "Replaced verdict+distance-only ranking with 7-level ladder (verdict, window length, window cloud, min/mean cloud, bortle, distance)." }, { "version": "1.1.0", "date": "2026-04-26", "type": "metrics", "summary": "Added per-site `tieBreak` block (windowHours, windowMeanCloudPct, tonightMinCloudPct, tonightMeanCloudPct, bortle) for transparency." }, { "version": "1.0.0", "date": "2026-04-25", "type": "schema", "summary": "Initial near-snapshot.v1 schema with bestTonight + closestSites[]." } ], "docs": "https://ontarionightsky.com/llms.txt" }, "city": { "id": "salt-lake-city", "name": "Salt Lake City", "region": "Wasatch Front, UT", "lat": 40.7608, "lon": -111.891, "population": 1300000 }, "page": { "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/near/salt-lake-city/", "html": "https://ontarionightsky.com/near/salt-lake-city/", "json": "https://ontarionightsky.com/near/salt-lake-city/snapshot.json" }, "tieBreakLadder": [ "verdictRank (desc)", "windowHours (desc)", "windowMeanCloudPct (asc)", "tonightMinCloudPct (asc)", "tonightMeanCloudPct (asc)", "bortle (asc — darker wins)", "distanceKm (asc)" ], "bestTonight": { "siteId": "weber-county-north-fork-park", "name": "North Fork Park", "distanceKm": 62.1, "bortle": 3, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/weber-county-north-fork-park/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=weber-county-north-fork-park", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:27", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:27", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:36", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Fair", "verdictReason": "Short 3h window, otherwise mean cloud 71%. Worth a look if you're nearby.", "confidence": "Medium", "meanCloudPct": 71, "minCloudPct": 7, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-15T02:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T04:00:00.000Z", "hours": 3, "meanCloudPct": 8 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Fair", "verdictRank": 3, "windowHours": 3, "windowMeanCloudPct": 8, "tonightMinCloudPct": 7, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 71, "bortle": 3, "distanceKm": 62.1 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "antelope-island-sp", "vsName": "Antelope Island", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 3, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 3, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 8, "b": 12, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 7, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 71, "b": 66, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 62.1, "b": 34.1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "city-of-rocks-nr", "vsName": "City of Rocks", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 0, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 8, "b": null, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 7, "b": 76, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 71, "b": 97, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 62.1, "b": 211, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "dinosaur-nm", "vsName": "Dinosaur NM", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 0, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 8, "b": null, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 7, "b": 81, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 71, "b": 98, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 62.1, "b": 264.2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, "closestSites": [ { "rank": 1, "siteId": "antelope-island-sp", "name": "Antelope Island", "region": "Great Salt Lake, UT", "bortle": 4, "lat": 40.9505, "lon": -112.21, "distanceKm": 34.1, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/antelope-island-sp/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=antelope-island-sp", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/antelope-island-sp.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:28", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:28", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:39", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Fair", "verdictReason": "Short 3h window, otherwise mean cloud 66%. Worth a look if you're nearby.", "confidence": "Medium", "meanCloudPct": 66, "minCloudPct": 2, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-15T01:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T03:00:00.000Z", "hours": 3, "meanCloudPct": 12 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Fair", "verdictRank": 3, "windowHours": 3, "windowMeanCloudPct": 12, "tonightMinCloudPct": 2, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 66, "bortle": 4, "distanceKm": 34.1 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "weber-county-north-fork-park", "vsName": "North Fork Park", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 3, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 3, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 12, "b": 8, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 7, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 66, "b": 71, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 4, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 34.1, "b": 62.1, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "city-of-rocks-nr", "vsName": "City of Rocks", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 0, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 12, "b": null, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 76, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 66, "b": 97, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 4, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 34.1, "b": 211, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "dinosaur-nm", "vsName": "Dinosaur NM", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 0, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 12, "b": null, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 81, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 66, "b": 98, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 4, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 34.1, "b": 264.2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, { "rank": 2, "siteId": "weber-county-north-fork-park", "name": "North Fork Park", "region": "Northern UT", "bortle": 3, "lat": 41.3167, "lon": -111.8167, "distanceKm": 62.1, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/weber-county-north-fork-park/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=weber-county-north-fork-park", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/weber-county-north-fork-park.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:27", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:27", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:36", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Fair", "verdictReason": "Short 3h window, otherwise mean cloud 71%. Worth a look if you're nearby.", "confidence": "Medium", "meanCloudPct": 71, "minCloudPct": 7, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-15T02:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T04:00:00.000Z", "hours": 3, "meanCloudPct": 8 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Fair", "verdictRank": 3, "windowHours": 3, "windowMeanCloudPct": 8, "tonightMinCloudPct": 7, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 71, "bortle": 3, "distanceKm": 62.1 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "antelope-island-sp", "vsName": "Antelope Island", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 3, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 3, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 8, "b": 12, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 7, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 71, "b": 66, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 62.1, "b": 34.1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "city-of-rocks-nr", "vsName": "City of Rocks", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 0, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 8, "b": null, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 7, "b": 76, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 71, "b": 97, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 62.1, "b": 211, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "dinosaur-nm", "vsName": "Dinosaur NM", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 3, "b": 0, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 8, "b": null, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 7, "b": 81, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 71, "b": 98, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 62.1, "b": 264.2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, { "rank": 3, "siteId": "city-of-rocks-nr", "name": "City of Rocks", "region": "Southern ID", "bortle": 2, "lat": 42.0764, "lon": -113.7147, "distanceKm": 211, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/city-of-rocks-nr/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=city-of-rocks-nr", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/city-of-rocks-nr.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:36", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:36", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:42", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "No-go", "verdictReason": "Overcast: mean cloud 97%, minimum 76%. Sit this one out.", "confidence": "High", "meanCloudPct": 97, "minCloudPct": 76, "bestWindow": null }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "No-go", "verdictRank": 1, "windowHours": 0, "windowMeanCloudPct": null, "tonightMinCloudPct": 76, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 97, "bortle": 2, "distanceKm": 211 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "antelope-island-sp", "vsName": "Antelope Island", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 1, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 0, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": null, "b": 12, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 76, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 97, "b": 66, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 211, "b": 34.1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "weber-county-north-fork-park", "vsName": "North Fork Park", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 1, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 0, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": null, "b": 8, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 76, "b": 7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 97, "b": 71, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 211, "b": 62.1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "dinosaur-nm", "vsName": "Dinosaur NM", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": null, "b": null, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 76, "b": 81, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 97, "b": 98, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 2, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 211, "b": 264.2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, { "rank": 4, "siteId": "dinosaur-nm", "name": "Dinosaur NM", "region": "UT/CO", "bortle": 2, "lat": 40.44, "lon": -108.79, "distanceKm": 264.2, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/dinosaur-nm/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=dinosaur-nm", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/dinosaur-nm.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:14", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:14", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:26", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "No-go", "verdictReason": "Overcast: mean cloud 98%, minimum 81%. Sit this one out.", "confidence": "High", "meanCloudPct": 98, "minCloudPct": 81, "bestWindow": null }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "No-go", "verdictRank": 1, "windowHours": 0, "windowMeanCloudPct": null, "tonightMinCloudPct": 81, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 98, "bortle": 2, "distanceKm": 264.2 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "antelope-island-sp", "vsName": "Antelope Island", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 1, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 0, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": null, "b": 12, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 81, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 98, "b": 66, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 264.2, "b": 34.1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "weber-county-north-fork-park", "vsName": "North Fork Park", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 1, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 0, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": null, "b": 8, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 81, "b": 7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 98, "b": 71, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 264.2, "b": 62.1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "city-of-rocks-nr", "vsName": "City of Rocks", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": null, "b": null, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 81, "b": 76, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 98, "b": 97, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 2, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 264.2, "b": 211, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] } ], "attribution": { "source": "Ontario Night Sky", "license": "CC-BY-4.0 — please link back to https://ontarionightsky.com", "data": { "weather": "Open-Meteo (cloud, smoke, moon, AQI)", "aurora": "NOAA SWPC" } } }