We don't control weather... just expertly predict it
IS YOUR SKY GOING TO BE CLOUDY TONIGHT OR TOMORROW NIGHT?
This 72-hr weather forecast is made for astronomers by the astronomer Attilla Danko. We rely on it because it's ALMOST never wrong.
If you're not sure how to read this, click on the chart for detailed instructions. But basically, for the non-astronomer, the red lines mark midnight, and the more darker blue squares you see... the better!
For the incredulous "Sky Watchers," who can also find us on a map, here's a multi-spectrum satellite loop from GOES-16. Though its geostationary orbit isn't directly above the DRO (though we did ask nicely) it's close enough to prove helpful, in gleaning future cloud behavior. Go to GOES-16 data as managed by the College of DuPage.
Cloudy Sky Cancellation Policy
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The Weather is Different Here...
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Here. cloudy days are fairly common, but cloudy nights are rare. Therefore daytime weather has little bearing on what will happen later at night. So, we follow the 30/70 rule:
If during the 3-hr course of a Telescope Tour, the sky never gets better than 30% clear (NWS definition of "Mostly Cloudy") for at least 30 minutes, we offer 79% REFUNDS. When we are sure it will be too cloudy, we will call/text and email to alert you of cancellation. Otherwise, when it is too close to call, you are still obligated to attend so as to earn your refund. We'll still offer the multimedia show while we wait for sky to clear. So at worst, you get a fun show with a 79% refund. At best the sky will clear, and all will rejoice. If additionally, you purchase Alternative Night Insurance and fulfill the alternative night(s) booking agreement (see below), you will get 94% refund of your tour tickets, when the sky remains more than 30% cloudy on your intended AND your booked alternate night(s). |
Folks like to brag about their rapidly changing weather. In reality few places rival the clearing speed of the Colorado Plateau. The time-lapse above goes from 100% overcast, with lightning, to 100% clear in 90 minutes!
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The bottom line is: Trust us! Since we run a weather dependent business, we have to be both VERY good at predicting our local weather, and generous when we're wrong. If we weren't, we would have already gone out of business, long ago. :-)
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