# SunScout - Photo Light Planner — Golden Hour & Night Sky Plans > Golden Hour & Night Sky Plans (iPhone/iPad app by 国刚 赵.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunscout-photo-light-planner/id6797144390 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [国刚 赵](https://appshunter.io/developer/900867272) - Category: Photo & Video, Navigation - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 20 MB - Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish, Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) - Released: 2026-08-17 - Data updated: 2026-09-16 - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunscout-photo-light-planner/id6797144390/reviews.md ## What is SunScout? SunScout tells you the one thing no other app can: the exact window when YOUR spot is actually in direct sunlight. Drop a pin on real 3D terrain, scrub the timeline, and watch the ridge shadow retreat — "this slope lights up at 6:41, 22 minutes after sunrise" — before you drive hours to find out the hard way. When the sun goes down, the same timeline plans your night: Milky Way, moon phases, eclipses and meteor showers over the same real terrain. KNOW THE LIGHT - Per-spot "in direct sunlight" window: the exact minutes your location is lit, computed against the real ridgeline (not just sunrise time) - Real-time sun position and terrain shadows for any time and any date - Golden-hour bands on the timeline + golden-hour push notifications - Day timetable: sunrise/sunset, all three twilights, golden & blue hour, moon and galactic-core events in chronological order PLAN THE NIGHT (Pro) - Milky Way planner: galactic-core arc over the 3D terrain with rise/set and the dark-sky visibility window - Sky calendar: moon phases, meteor showers and solar/lunar eclipses month by month (embedded eclipse catalog) - Star chart: stars, constellations, planets and Messier objects on a live fisheye planisphere - Dark-night finder: rank upcoming nights by moonlight vs Milky Way FRAME THE SHOT - FPV viewfinder with true focal-length framing (14–400 mm), tripod or drone height, drawing real far-ridge silhouettes beyond the rendered terrain - Line-of-sight check: know if a ridge blocks your subject - AR field finder: sun, moon and peak markers over the live terrain horizon, stating how far the horizon is sampled (Pro) - Peak identification: name, distance, height and bearing for every summit on your horizon (Pro) FIELD TOOLS - Ten photo calculators: exposure, ND filter, light meter, timelapse, depth of field, hyperfocal, field of view, panorama, star trails and star exposure (NPF/500 rule) - Sky compass: a live azimuth dial for sun, moon and galactic center - Light-pollution heatmap with a Bortle class & SQM estimate for your spot (Pro) - Hourly + 10-day weather and the planetary-Kp aurora outlook at your spot (Pro) - Astronomical tide curve with high/low water and the spring/neap meter (Pro; equilibrium model, not a surveyed tide table) - Rainbow & moonbow position with a cloud-distance estimate (Pro) DRONE SIMULATION (planning only — SunScout cannot control drones) - Ground / drone camera modes, 0–120 m hover height, five consumer drone presets - Sunlit window at the hover height: green timeline band + exact minute difference vs the ground, plus the first-lit-altitude read-out - Orbit-path terrain pre-check and wind suitability vs your drone's official limit - Local rules reminder for the US, UK, Australia, Canada and the EU SCOUT ANYWHERE - Real 3D terrain on demand, 60°N–56°S, with satellite imagery draped over it - Search by name, pick on a map, or type coordinates; save your favorite spots - Export shot plans and KML for Google Earth and drone apps (Pro) FREE VS PRO - Free: the 3D light preview, sun & moon arcs, day timetable, sky compass, photo calculators and the dark-night finder. No account, no ads, no tracking. - Pro (one-time purchase, yours forever): sky calendar, star chart, peak identification, AR finder, light-pollution map, weather & aurora, tides, rainbow, reminders, unlimited saved spots, KML export and global terrain. No account. No tracking. Your saved spots stay on your device. (Terrain, imagery and weather data stream from public map services — see our privacy policy.) SIMULATION ONLY: SunScout is a planning and pre-visualization tool. It cannot connect to, command or control any drone. Height, wind and terrain warnings are advisories, never flight commands. Always follow local drone regulations and check official airspace sources before flying. ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | SunScout Pro | $4.99 | one-time | ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.5.0 — 2026-09-09 New - Sunlit window at your drone's hover height, beside the ground window, with the exact minute difference - First-lit altitude in the drone sheet - FPV & AR horizons draw real ridge silhouettes to ~50 km (curvature-corrected); AR states the sampled reach Improved - Milky Way window warns when moonlight washes out the core - Five honest Peaks tiers with the geometric basis stated - Day timetable in strict order; stars only after civil twilight Drone features remain simulation-only. ### 1.4.0 — 2026-09-07 The field-guide update — twelve new tools, from a sky calendar to an AR finder. New - Sky calendar: moon phases, meteor showers and solar/lunar eclipses, month by month - Day timetable: every light event of the day in order, each one tappable - Star chart: stars, constellations, planets and Messier objects on a fisheye planisphere - Peak identification: names, distances and heights for the summits on your horizon - Light-pollution heatmap with a Bortle class and SQM estimate for your spot - AR field finder: sun, moon and peak markers over the live terrain horizon - Weather & aurora: hourly and 10-day forecast plus the planetary-Kp outlook - Tides: astronomical tide curve with high/low water and the spring/neap meter - Rainbow & moonbow position with a cloud-distance estimate - Ten photo calculators: exposure, ND, light meter, timelapse, DoF, hyperfocal, field of view, panorama, star trails, star exposure - Sky compass: a live azimuth dial for sun, moon and galactic center - Reminders for sky events, fixed times and intervals Improved - New Pro tier: the core light preview stays free forever; the planning-depth tools above unlock with one purchase - Full localization: German, Spanish, French, Italian, Simplified and Traditional Chinese Note: SunScout is a planning tool; drone features remain simulation-only and cannot control real drones. ### 1.2.0 — 2026-08-31 The night-sky update — plan day and night from one timeline. New Milky Way planner: galactic-core arc over the 3D terrain, rise/set and dark-sky visibility window on the timeline Sky almanac: sun, moon and Milky Way core live positions plus every event of the day — golden/blue hour, all three twilights, rise/set (every time tappable) Align finder: search when the sun, moon or galactic core pass through a target sky position (defaults to your current framing) Sky quality: Bortle class + SQM estimate for your spot (advisory model, not measured) Night-vision red mode to protect dark adaptation in the field Current location: one tap centers terrain and sky on where you stand (When-In-Use only, stays on device) Improved In-app rating at genuine success moments (never more than a few times) Note: SunScout is a planning tool; drone features remain simulation-only and cannot control real drones. ### 1.0.5 — 2026-08-26 Major visual quality upgrade: • Sharper satellite imagery — doubled map texture resolution with higher-detail zoom levels • Improved night mode — terrain stays visible under moonlight instead of going pitch black • Smoother atmospheric haze with natural horizon blending • Enhanced color grading and faster map loading ### 1.0.4 — 2026-08-17 No release notes. ## More apps by 国刚 赵 - [识字卡 - 统编版生字学习](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1351727930) - [EchoVault - AI Meeting Notes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/echovault-ai-meeting-notes/id6800390573) - [Avyline - Backcountry Ski Map](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/avyline-backcountry-ski-map/id6801948006) All apps by 国刚 赵: https://appshunter.io/developer/900867272 --- *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 2026-09-16.*