Sunset quality forecasting

Forget temperature and rain weather forecasts. I want to know when the sunset will look really good in a picture. Good thing SunsetWx now exists. It predicts “sunset quality” based on a mix of meteorlogical factors.

[A]s a landscape photographer, there are certain variables I look for each evening before making the decision to take time out of my day and photograph the sunset. The most important factor I look for is sky cover, and more specifically, the existence of high clouds over the area. High clouds not only provide moisture to refract the sunlight, their ‘wispy’ formation also provides “texture” to the sky and are high enough in the atmosphere for the sun to scatter light below. Think of these as a movie theatre screen, in which light can be projected upon.

[via Slate]