A good astronomy forecast is not only the one that tells you when to set up. It is also the one that tells you when not to spend time packing gear, cooling a telescope, driving to a site, or repeatedly checking cloud maps.
If your trial falls during a poor weather spell, you may receive mostly No-Go alerts. That does not mean MySkyDome is inactive. It means it is monitoring your sky and warning you when conditions are not worth acting on.
What Go, Conditional Go, and No-Go mean
MySkyDome compresses the night into a practical decision first, then gives the details that explain it. The goal is to answer the question observers actually have before dark: should I prepare tonight, adapt the plan, or save the effort?
Conditions look worth planning around. A Go email means there is a meaningful observing window for your site, with the report showing timing, forecast constraints, and targets or target classes that fit the night.
The night may be useful, but only with limits. The workable window might be short, the Moon may shape the target choice, clouds may improve or return, or the forecast may favor brighter targets, Moon, planets, calibration, or preparation instead of a fragile deep-sky plan.
The sky is likely not worth your time. Cloud, moonlight, seeing, transparency, wind, precipitation risk, target timing, or a combination of constraints leave no meaningful path to a worthwhile session.
Cloudy during your trial?
If your trial happens to fall during a cloudy spell, you may receive mostly or only No-Go alerts. That does not mean the service is doing nothing. It means the sky has not offered a night worth acting on yet.
This is one of the reasons MySkyDome exists. A No-Go alert protects your time by making the decision early, before setup work starts. When conditions improve, a Go or Conditional Go email will show the difference: the report will identify the usable window, the most relevant constraints, and the plan that fits those conditions.
Why No-Go is not a failed forecast
Normal weather apps often reduce the evening to icons such as clear, partly cloudy, or rain. Astronomy is more sensitive than that. A night can look clear in a general forecast and still be weak for observing because of bright moonlight, poor seeing, low transparency, wind, haze, target altitude, or bad timing during astronomical darkness.
No-Go means MySkyDome found that the likely return is lower than the setup cost. For visual observers, that may save a disappointing session. For astrophotographers, it may save hours of unusable data.
How to read a Conditional Go email
Conditional Go is the email to read carefully. It usually means there is something useful in the night, but not enough for a simple full-confidence plan. The value is in the conditions and timing: when the sky is usable, what kind of target is realistic, and what should wait.
A Conditional Go night may reward a smaller plan. You might use a short clear window, choose a brighter or Moon-tolerant target, image the Moon or planets, test equipment, or prepare for a better night instead of forcing a faint galaxy through poor transparency.
What to watch for during the trial
During the trial, compare each email with what you would have done without it. Did it stop you from setting up into a poor night? Did it highlight a short window you might have missed? Did it steer you away from a target that was technically visible but badly matched to the Moon, clouds, or timing?
The first Go alert is useful, but the No-Go and Conditional Go alerts are part of the same product. Together, they show whether MySkyDome is making the observing decision easier.
FAQ
Why did I only receive No-Go emails?
Your trial may have started during poor observing weather. MySkyDome is still checking your site; it is telling you the conditions are not worth acting on yet.
Does No-Go mean the forecast failed?
No. No-Go means the forecast is finding that the night is unlikely to reward the setup, travel, or imaging time.
What happens when the sky improves?
You will see a different kind of email. Go and Conditional Go reports explain the usable window, the key constraints, and the plan that fits the night.
Is Conditional Go good or bad?
It is useful but limited. Treat it as a night for an adapted plan, a shorter session, a brighter target, lunar or planetary work, or preparation when a full deep-sky session is not well supported.
Is this different from a normal weather forecast?
Yes. MySkyDome focuses on observing conditions: astronomical darkness, cloud timing, seeing, transparency, Moon constraints, target fit, and your saved site.
A trial is about decisions, not only clear skies
The best trial outcome is not receiving only Go emails. It is learning whether MySkyDome helps you make better observing decisions. Sometimes that means setting up. Sometimes it means adapting. Sometimes it means saving the night for something else.