LightMapr – weather and light for photography on a map
LightMapr shows on a map where and when conditions are good for a photo subject: sky glow, golden clouds, blue hour, starry sky, fog, glassy water and more. It is based on freely usable weather models of the German Weather Service (DWD), which LightMapr scores by photographic criteria.
Who is LightMapr for?
For everyone who plans sunrises, afterglow, twilight or clear nights: landscape, nature, astro and drone photography. Instead of a weather report for a single place, the map shows at a glance where the chances are best.
What does the map show?
Photo subjects with a score
- Sky glow
- Chance of colourfully lit clouds at twilight: clouds as a canvas, a free light path to the sun, dry.
- Starry sky
- Chance of night-sky photos: a dark sky, few clouds, little moonlight, clear air.
- Water reflection
- Chance of mirror-smooth water: little wind and gusts, no rain, enough light. Larger bodies of water only (grid about 2 km).
- Sunrise/sunset
- Quality of sunrise and sunset: free light path to the sun, cloud cover, fog. Pick morning or evening with the time buttons.
- Golden clouds
- Chance of golden-lit clouds shortly after sunrise or before sunset: a suitable amount of cloud, a free light path, dry.
- Structured sky
- Chance of a sky with visible cloud structure: several cloud layers, varied cover, dry.
- Photo contrast
- How distinct are light and shadow: direct to diffuse light, sun height, fog, cloud cover.
- Blue hour
- Twilight with the sun 4° to 8° below the horizon: few clouds, no rain, no fog.
- Fog
- Tendency towards fog near the ground (an index, not a probability). “Visibility” assigns the cloud water of the lowest model layer to classes.
- Hoarfrost & frost
- Hoarfrost index from frost, the gap between air temperature and dew point, and light wind (experimental). “Temperature” shows the air temperature at 2 m.
Weather and light
- Sun/Moon path
- Calculated course of the sun and the moon at the crosshair or pin: direction, height, rise and set times, moon phase. No weather data.
- Clouds
- Cloud cover of the model in percent, in total or by height level.
- Rain
- Precipitation rate of the model in mm per hour (mean of the preceding hour); logarithmic scale.
- Wind - drone weather
- Wind at 10 m in m/s, gusts, or an index for drone flights built from gusts, wind, rain, temperature and visibility. The index is experimental and no flight clearance.
- Light pollution
- Artificial light at night from satellite imagery (Black Marble, an archive image), over a dark map with roads and place names: dark areas suit night-sky photos, bright spots are cities and industry. Valid regardless of the time.
How LightMapr works
- Weather data: the forecast models ICON-D2 (about 2 km, Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and ICON-EU (about 6.5 km, Europe) of the German Weather Service, plus observed thunderstorm cells from KONRAD3D and the European radar network EUMETNET OPERA.
- Scoring: depending on the subject, LightMapr combines cloud layers, the free light path to the sun, rain, wind, fog, moonlight and other quantities into a number from 0 to 100 and colours it in five levels.
- Time: day and moment (sunrise, sunset, blue hour), an hourly slider up to 72 hours ahead, nights for the starry sky and a 48-hour path of sun and moon.
- Place: with the crosshair in the middle of the map or a pin you set, LightMapr shows the direction of sun and moon, rise and set times and the score of every subject for that spot, each with an explanation of the partial values.
- Calculated in advance: a server fetches the model data regularly and renders the images; the browser only loads finished images and never talks to the German Weather Service.
How reliable are the scores?
The scores are tendencies from model calculations, not promises. Subjects marked “experimental” rest on weights with a technical rationale and have not yet been checked against observations.
If a data source is missing, the map says “not available” and why; no values are made up. LightMapr is not a weather or severe-weather warning: for mountain tours, water sports and thunderstorms, official warnings apply.
Frequently asked questions
- Which area does the map cover?
- Mainland Europe including the Mediterranean islands up to 70.5 °N; Germany, Austria and Switzerland with a finer grid.
- How up to date is the data?
- The time of the last calculation is shown at the bottom of the map (“Updated: calculated … ago”). The weather models are recalculated several times a day; the map takes over a new run as soon as the server has processed it.
- Do I need an account?
- No. The map runs in your browser, without login, without tracking cookies and without advertising. Settings such as language and appearance stay in your browser only.
- Which languages does LightMapr offer?
- German and English. The language follows your browser language and can be changed in the settings.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. The map is built for phones, tablets and computers and can also be operated with the keyboard.
Sources and licences
Weather data: German Weather Service (open data, GeoNutzV). Radar: EUMETNET OPERA. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). All sources, licences and notes on modifications are in the dialog: Sources and licences.