{ "$schema": "https://ontarionightsky.com/schemas/near-snapshot.v1.json", "version": "1.0", "generatedAt": "2026-08-15T02:05:10.519Z", "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": "seattle", "name": "Seattle", "region": "Puget Sound, WA", "lat": 47.6062, "lon": -122.3321, "population": 4000000 }, "page": { "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/near/seattle/", "html": "https://ontarionightsky.com/near/seattle/", "json": "https://ontarionightsky.com/near/seattle/snapshot.json" }, "tieBreakLadder": [ "verdictRank (desc)", "windowHours (desc)", "windowMeanCloudPct (asc)", "tonightMinCloudPct (asc)", "tonightMeanCloudPct (asc)", "bortle (asc — darker wins)", "distanceKm (asc)" ], "bestTonight": { "siteId": "north-cascades-np", "name": "North Cascades", "distanceKm": 147.8, "bortle": 2, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/north-cascades-np/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=north-cascades-np", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:21", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:21", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T05:58", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Excellent", "verdictReason": "7h of clear sky (≤30% cloud) during tonight's astronomical night, mean cloud 11%.", "confidence": "High", "meanCloudPct": 11, "minCloudPct": 0, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-14T21:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T03:00:00.000Z", "hours": 7, "meanCloudPct": 1 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Excellent", "verdictRank": 5, "windowHours": 7, "windowMeanCloudPct": 1, "tonightMinCloudPct": 0, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 11, "bortle": 2, "distanceKm": 147.8 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "olympic-np", "vsName": "Olympic NP", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 11, "b": 32, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 147.8, "b": 97.7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "cattle-point-star-park", "vsName": "Cattle Point", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 11, "b": 45, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 6, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 147.8, "b": 116.8, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "mcdonald-park", "vsName": "McDonald Park", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 5, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 7, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 11, "b": 30, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 147.8, "b": 163, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, "closestSites": [ { "rank": 1, "siteId": "olympic-np", "name": "Olympic NP", "region": "NW WA", "bortle": 3, "lat": 47.8021, "lon": -123.6044, "distanceKm": 97.7, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/olympic-np/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=olympic-np", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/olympic-np.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:29", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:29", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:10", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Good", "verdictReason": "5h clear window during astronomical night, mean cloud 32%.", "confidence": "High", "meanCloudPct": 32, "minCloudPct": 0, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-14T21:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T01:00:00.000Z", "hours": 5, "meanCloudPct": 2 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Good", "verdictRank": 4, "windowHours": 5, "windowMeanCloudPct": 2, "tonightMinCloudPct": 0, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 32, "bortle": 3, "distanceKm": 97.7 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "cattle-point-star-park", "vsName": "Cattle Point", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 4, "b": 4, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 5, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 32, "b": 45, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 6, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 97.7, "b": 116.8, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "north-cascades-np", "vsName": "North Cascades", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 4, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 32, "b": 11, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 97.7, "b": 147.8, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "mcdonald-park", "vsName": "McDonald Park", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 4, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 1, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 32, "b": 30, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 3, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 97.7, "b": 163, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, { "rank": 2, "siteId": "cattle-point-star-park", "name": "Cattle Point", "region": "Victoria, BC", "bortle": 6, "lat": 48.438, "lon": -123.2914, "distanceKm": 116.8, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/cattle-point-star-park/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=cattle-point-star-park", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/cattle-point-star-park.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:29", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:29", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:07", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Good", "verdictReason": "5h clear window during astronomical night, mean cloud 45%.", "confidence": "High", "meanCloudPct": 45, "minCloudPct": 0, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-14T21:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T01:00:00.000Z", "hours": 5, "meanCloudPct": 1 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Good", "verdictRank": 4, "windowHours": 5, "windowMeanCloudPct": 1, "tonightMinCloudPct": 0, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 45, "bortle": 6, "distanceKm": 116.8 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "olympic-np", "vsName": "Olympic NP", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 4, "b": 4, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 5, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 45, "b": 32, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 6, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 116.8, "b": 97.7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "north-cascades-np", "vsName": "North Cascades", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 4, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 45, "b": 11, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 6, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 116.8, "b": 147.8, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "mcdonald-park", "vsName": "McDonald Park", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 4, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 45, "b": 30, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 6, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 116.8, "b": 163, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, { "rank": 3, "siteId": "north-cascades-np", "name": "North Cascades", "region": "Northern WA", "bortle": 2, "lat": 48.7, "lon": -121.2, "distanceKm": 147.8, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/north-cascades-np/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=north-cascades-np", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/north-cascades-np.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:21", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:21", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T05:58", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Excellent", "verdictReason": "7h of clear sky (≤30% cloud) during tonight's astronomical night, mean cloud 11%.", "confidence": "High", "meanCloudPct": 11, "minCloudPct": 0, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-14T21:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T03:00:00.000Z", "hours": 7, "meanCloudPct": 1 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Excellent", "verdictRank": 5, "windowHours": 7, "windowMeanCloudPct": 1, "tonightMinCloudPct": 0, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 11, "bortle": 2, "distanceKm": 147.8 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "olympic-np", "vsName": "Olympic NP", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 11, "b": 32, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 147.8, "b": 97.7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "cattle-point-star-park", "vsName": "Cattle Point", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 11, "b": 45, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 6, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 147.8, "b": 116.8, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "mcdonald-park", "vsName": "McDonald Park", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 5, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 7, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 11, "b": 30, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 2, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 147.8, "b": 163, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false } ] } ] }, { "rank": 4, "siteId": "mcdonald-park", "name": "McDonald Park", "region": "Abbotsford, BC", "bortle": 5, "lat": 49.05, "lon": -121.95, "distanceKm": 163, "url": "https://ontarionightsky.com/site/mcdonald-park/", "forecastUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=mcdonald-park", "snapshotUrl": "https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/mcdonald-park.snapshot.json", "tonight": { "date": "2026-08-14T20:25", "nightStartIso": "2026-08-14T20:25", "nightEndIso": "2026-08-15T06:00", "moonPhase": "New moon", "moonIlluminationPct": 2, "verdict": "Excellent", "verdictReason": "7h of clear sky (≤30% cloud) during tonight's astronomical night, mean cloud 30%.", "confidence": "High", "meanCloudPct": 30, "minCloudPct": 0, "bestWindow": { "startIso": "2026-08-14T21:00:00.000Z", "endIso": "2026-08-15T03:00:00.000Z", "hours": 7, "meanCloudPct": 1 } }, "tieBreak": { "verdict": "Excellent", "verdictRank": 5, "windowHours": 7, "windowMeanCloudPct": 1, "tonightMinCloudPct": 0, "tonightMeanCloudPct": 30, "bortle": 5, "distanceKm": 163 }, "tieBreakComparisons": [ { "vsSiteId": "olympic-np", "vsName": "Olympic NP", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 30, "b": 32, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 5, "b": 3, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 163, "b": 97.7, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "cattle-point-star-park", "vsName": "Cattle Point", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 4, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 5, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 30, "b": 45, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 5, "b": 6, "equal": false, "winner": "a", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 163, "b": 116.8, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false } ] }, { "vsSiteId": "north-cascades-np", "vsName": "North Cascades", "steps": [ { "field": "verdictRank", "direction": "desc", "a": 5, "b": 5, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowHours", "direction": "desc", "a": 7, "b": 7, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "windowMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 1, "b": 1, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMinCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 0, "b": 0, "equal": true, "winner": null, "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "tonightMeanCloudPct", "direction": "asc", "a": 30, "b": 11, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": true }, { "field": "bortle", "direction": "asc", "a": 5, "b": 2, "equal": false, "winner": "b", "decidedBy": false }, { "field": "distanceKm", "direction": "asc", "a": 163, "b": 147.8, "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" } } }