Dark Sky Meter

As seen on BBC, CBS, Scientific American and more!

Category	Price	Seller	Device
Utilities	$1.99	DDQ	iPhone

The Dark Sky Meter measures the artificial sky brightness in two simple steps. Just cover the camera and aim to the point right above your head. The output is the same as a commercial Sky Quality Meter...
But at a fraction of the price! The app can submit your measurements to the International Dark Sky Association.
This app works fine on iPhone 4S or higher.

Attention: if the app crashes at startup: please give the camera access to the app! It can be done using settings-->privacy--> camera.

But there is more:
- Real Time Map view: view your recent dark Sky Measurements and those of others nearby or world wide!
- Cloud prediction clock. Shows cloudyness for the next 4 days.

The app was tested world wide and is supported by the International Dark Sky Association.

Reviews

Thought it was reliable but I was wrong
Canon Fan

I used to use this app reliably with my old iPhone 5s, and the results agreed well with a dedicated sky meter costing $300. But now, using an iPhone 11 Pro, the results are WAY OFF. I took both iPhones out, side by side, the 5s gave a reading of 19.45 (correct), while the iPhone 11 Pro gave a reading of 17.58 (WRONG!). Can’t trust this app anymore.

Not measuring correctly w iPhone 11 Pro
tbob32

I used this app for years in my backyard with an iPhone 6 Plus, getting readings between 19.35 and 19.5 which seemed to agree with what was visible in the sky. Since getting an iPhone 11 Pro I get readings around 17.30. The light in my backyard did not change that much in a week. Update 12/28/21: After getting the update I was back to readings around 19.5. I received an actual SQM meter as a Christmas gift. It shows a reading of 18.44. So while the app is back to its old readings they appear to be on the optimistic side.

Doesn’t work
Gorseman1534753

In Tekapo dark sky reserve one of the dark places in the world and app registered the sky as brightly lit when there is virtually no artificial light.

App gives unreliable readings, website is poor
Mark_Mark

I had used this at home in Bortle class 6 area and the readings seemed reasonable. Then I took it to a dark site, listed as one of the darkest areas in the continental US. I got multiple failures from the app, and finally it gave me a reading of bright suburban sky. At this point I gave up. I do not believe this app is trustworthy

Not working well for me
MStrickl

I have an iPhone 6. It's not working well for me. It constantly says "It's not dark yet", and under the "readings" tab none of my previous readings are listed.

Worst app ever
AmericanoInDeutschland

The app seems to be designed for iPhone 1 The camera area displayed on screen is just 1 x 1 pixel dimension, developer of this app, haven't you heard about AutoLayout? The operations that go to networks don't seem to work. Are you using http only traffic? That doesn't work anymore in latest iOS versions. I cannot even switch the camera to decide if I want to use front or back camera. It would be so much easier to use the front camera, face the phone flat to the surface and follow the instructions.

Where's the cloud prediction in this update?
JIZZnixnix

This update doesn't have the cloud prediction.

Measure the Night Dky
Palomar Skies

Dark Sky Meter is the first app for iPhone to allow users to accurately measure the brightness of the night sky. Amateur astronomers and dark sky advocates are likely familiar with the Sky Quality Meter (SQM) device. This app gives you an SQM in your phone and for the 4S and 5 gives very accurate results without having to buy an SQM. The app is well worth the purchase price.

Unreliable SQM
lsfinn

I've tried (on an iPhone 4) the app at two sites. Both were urban/suburban transition. At one I got a reading of 19.8 while the sky had a NELM of 4.2; at the other, with a NELM of 4.5 (and a bright 1st quarter moon) it gave a a reading of 23.8(!). I don't expect much for 0.99$, but these readings are so far from reality that I must recommend against.