# OwlPlot: Astro Photo Planner — Golden hour, Milky Way, Aurora > Photography conditions score, timing, and weather data for photographers. (iPhone/iPad app by BOBBY JOSE.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owlplot-astro-photo-planner/id6758051045 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [BOBBY JOSE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1835817404) - Category: Photo & Video, Weather - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 22 MB - Released: 2026-01-26 - Data updated: 2026-09-09 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owlplot-astro-photo-planner/id6758051045/reviews.md ## What is OwlPlot? Plan the shot before you drive. OwlPlot tells you when the light will be right, where the sun and moon will be standing, and whether tonight is worth staying up for. Free, with no account and no ads, and the astronomy works with no signal at all. KNOW WHEN TO GO • Golden hour and blue hour, morning and evening, to the minute • Sunrise, sunset, solar noon and every twilight phase • Moonrise, moonset, phase and illumination • A 0-100 score for right now, from cloud, rain, visibility and wind • The coming nights ranked, so you can pick the good one FOR THE MILKY WAY • When the galactic core rises, where it will be, and how high it gets • Astronomical darkness — when the sky is genuinely dark, not just dim • Moon interference, because a bright moon ends the session • Bortle sky darkness estimated for every spot you save, from satellite light-pollution data, so you know what you are working with • Seeing and transparency worked out from the forecast model POINT YOUR PHONE AT THE SKY • AR view places the sun, moon, planets and the Milky Way on the real scene • Scrub forward or back twelve hours and watch the arcs move • Draw your lens's field of view on the sky before you unpack the bag • Plan a panorama: overlap, frame count, sweep WORK OUT THE SHOT • Tonight's Recipe — ISO, aperture and shutter for what is actually up • NPF and 500-rule star trails, ND filters, timelapse intervals • Hyperfocal, depth of field and focus stacking • Moon framing: how big the moon really is at your focal length LINE IT UP • Alignment planner: the next 30 days of the sun or moon behind a landmark • Shot plans with a leave-by time, calendar export and a reminder • Eclipses for two years, ISS passes, meteor shower peaks ON YOUR WRIST AND HOME SCREEN • Apple Watch app and complications with the next event • Widgets in three sizes with a live countdown • Live Activities on the Lock Screen through golden and blue hour ON THE COAST • Swell height, period and direction, with wind read against the beach • Tide state and water temperature from the nearest reporting buoy • Ten-day outlook, day and hour picking BUILT FOR THE DARK • Night vision turns the whole screen red so a glance at your phone does not cost you the half hour your eyes spent adapting • Dark throughout, with extra dimming below the system minimum HONEST BY DEFAULT • Free. No account, no ads, no subscription • Sun, moon and Milky Way maths runs on your device and works offline • When the weather service is unavailable, OwlPlot says so rather than showing you yesterday's numbers as if they were today's Weather by Open-Meteo. Light pollution from VIIRS / Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines. Sky darkness is an estimate and you can override it on any location. ## Key features - Photography conditions score - Smart shooting tips - Precise sunrise/sunset timing - Moonrise/moonset and phase - Detailed weather conditions - Save favorite locations - Dark interface for low light ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owlplot-astro-photo-planner/id6758051045/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Robbie *2026-01-26* Owlplot is a game changer for photography planning. I get exactly what I need—cloud coverage, visibility, and timing—without clutter or confusion. Whether it’s astrophotography or golden hour, I know before I go. **Developer response:** Really appreciate this! Knowing the conditions before you head out is exactly what I built OwlPlot for. Thanks for the thoughtful feedback! ## Frequently asked questions about OwlPlot ### What is the photography score in Owlplot? The photography score is an instant 0-100 rating indicating current conditions for photography. It considers cloud cover, precipitation, visibility, and wind to help you know when conditions are ideal. ### Does Owlplot offer predictions for golden hour? Yes, Owlplot provides precise timing for golden hour and blue hour windows. It also offers smart tips like "Golden hour in 45 min — perfect conditions!" based on your location and current weather. ### What weather details does Owlplot provide? Owlplot includes cloud cover percentage, precipitation chance, visibility distance, and wind speed. This detailed information helps photographers make informed decisions about their shoots. ### Can I save my favorite photography spots in Owlplot? Yes, Owlplot allows you to save your favorite photography spots for quick access. Recently visited locations are also remembered automatically for convenience. ### Is Owlplot suitable for use in low light conditions? Absolutely. Owlplot features a dark interface specifically designed for use at dawn and dusk, making it easier to view and operate in low-light environments. ### Does Owlplot require an account to use? No, Owlplot does not require an account to use. All calculations are performed on-device using proven astronomical algorithms, ensuring privacy and immediate access. ### What devices is Owlplot available on? Owlplot is available on iPhone and iPad, indicated by its support for these devices. It is designed for users who need photography planning tools on the go. ### How often is Owlplot updated? The latest version of Owlplot is 1.11.0, last updated on February 22, 2026. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.19.8 — 2026-09-09 Your night, as a run sheet. • Run sheet on every shot plan: the outing as a timeline, before you leave, set up, twilight, the dark window, wrap, back home, each with tonight's clock times and the lines that matter with a tick. Every line carries a number, a time, the lens in your bag, a Field Guide card or a check to pass before you move on: a star is a dot at 100%, the histogram hump is in the left third, the highlight alert is on before the aurora clips. • Field mode: the sheet full screen, red on black for dark-adapted eyes, following the clock with a countdown to the next cue, tick targets sized for a cold thumb, and the screen kept awake. • Which lens: every night plan says which of your saved lenses to take, with the NPF shutter for each. • Your own lines: add a line to every plan of a target, "bring the star tracker", and it comes back on the next one. • Phase cues: a notification as twilight ends and before the moon rises, and the whole sheet in the calendar entry. • Six more plan targets: star trails, deep sky, aurora, meteor shower, comet, day to night. • Past plans keep their sheet, show how many lines you ticked and which checks you skipped. • AR Sky at night: Calibrate now offers Polaris on moonless nights, the camera runs at a night exposure after dark so the horizon and the brighter stars show, and a warning tells you when a car or a tripod head is bending the field the compass reads. • The Milky Way, painted: a cloudy, warm band with the real bright stars on it, in place of the stripe and the galaxy picture. • Fixed: AR Sky could drift to the wrong side of the sky after a few minutes on a dark site. It now checks itself against the motion sensors and re-seeds. ### 1.19.6 — 2026-09-07 UI Fixes ### 1.19.5 — 2026-09-05 Meet the Field Guide: 65 cards of photography rules, recipes and plain explanations, from Sunny 16 to the 500 rule to reading a histogram. The numbers are live. The reciprocal and 500 rule cards use your camera and lens, Looney 11 uses tonight's moon, Sunny 16 highlights the row for the cloud cover outside right now. The tab opens on Tonight: the card that matters for the sky in front of you. Make any card yours. Copy it, put your own ISO, safety factor or constant in it, add notes. The original stays. Each deck has a three-question quiz. My lens. Add the lenses in your bag, unbranded, from a list of common shapes or your own numbers, and set the one in hand with two rings you turn under a drawing of the lens. Every calculator and rule card opens on that focal length and aperture. Tonight's Card is on Today, in Spotlight and on a home screen widget. Every calculator ends with the cards that explain its number. The Field Guide is one of the default tabs. AR Sky now lives under Settings and can be put back on the bar from there. Settings is regrouped into short sections. ### 1.19.0 — 2026-09-03 Bug fixes ### 1.17.3 — 2026-09-01 Tide information ## Apps similar to OwlPlot | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Passepartout - Photo Border](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/passepartout-photo-border/id6770679419) | — | Free | Photo & Video | | [Long Exposure Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/long-exposure-calculator/id694553269) | 4.4 (62) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Bimostitch Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bimostitch-lite/id1637768670) | 3.7 (14) | Free | Photo & Video | | [VSCO Studio Pro: Photo Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vsco-studio-pro-photo-editor/id6759939220) | 4.0 (8) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Sól: Weather for Photographers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sol-weather-for-photographers/id6752531164) | — | Free | Photo & Video | | [PhotoWeather Alerts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photoweather-alerts/id6757106398) | — | Free | Photo & Video | ## More apps by BOBBY JOSE - [GlucoPlot: Glucose & Food Log](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/glucoplot-glucose-and-food-log/id6751560954) - [BeaverPlot: Floor Plan Scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beaverplot-floor-plan-scanner/id6759852722) - [PiePlot: Split Bills & Rent](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pieplot-split-bills-and-rent/id6760195017) - [DoodlePlot: Kids Coloring](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doodleplot-kids-coloring/id6784473465) All apps by BOBBY JOSE: https://appshunter.io/developer/1835817404 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-09.*