Solar Coaster
iOS Universel / Education
Solar Coaster provides accurate position, time, motion and eclipse information for Earth's nearest star, Sol, our Sun, and nearest celestial body, Luna, our Moon. Information includes 3D movement graphs, upcoming eclipses and their circumstances, rise and set times, positions, distances and velocities, moon phase, illumination and crescent rotation.
Solar Coaster automatically updates its state every minute, or you can examine minutes randomly. The simulation uses a local horizontal coordinate system when displaying information, which essentially means that your current position is the center of the Universe and all calculated values are relative to you. Sun and Moon positions are also available in equatorial coordinates.
Solar Coaster stores enough onboard astronomical data to keep it running through the year 2100 AD, which means that all calculations can be performed locally without the need of a network connection — useful while in the wild chasing an eclipse. Algorithms are accurate at all longitudes, and latitudes between -61° south and +60° north (roughly speaking, locations outside the Polar regions). Of course, you must have Location Services enabled and allow Solar Coaster to access your position for accurate simulation results, and to properly detect eclipses visible at your location. You can also allow Notification Center to keep you informed when those eclipses will occur.
Quoi de neuf dans la dernière version ?
- 3D visualization that compares the Sun and Moon position tracks in altitude-azimuth-time space.
- New Sun and Moon metrics: right ascension, declination, maximum altitude.
- Dynamic backgrounds that vary lighting as a function of the time of day.
- Improved UI.
- Unified Settings.
- Bug fixes, miscellaneous improvements and internal modernization.
- Remove Today Extension.
- Refresh documentation.
- Update for iOS 18.5.
