FinderCam with Plate Solving vs Sunset Predictor with AR

M31 is located using FinderCam and shot by Daniel Mendell This app is used for finding objects in the night sky with a telescope, binoculars and the naked eye. The latest demo video was recorded on March 19, 2023 at https://youtu.be/md9LDchUuzU. In this video, I use FinderCam to find some bright stars and M42 Orion Nebula instantly. It shows the plate solving alignments that lead the user accurately to the target. How does it works? 1. Open the app and point your device camera at the night sky. 2. Tap Solve button in the app. 3. It will identify 3 stars in the camera image. Working Conditions: 1. Works in city with blocked sky view. 2. Works with partial cloudy sky. 3. Works during full or new moon. 4. Works with city light pollution. Advance use with telescope: 1. You will need a suitable holder to fix your phone to your telescope or binoculars for alignment. 2. The app contains a star map and large catalogs of celestial objects. The star map will automatically adjust to your location and time. 3. The view through the scope or bino can be aligned with the star map. 4. Tapping the Solve button displays 3 star names for plate-solving alignment giving their az-alt positions. 5. After alignment, other objects can be searched and their location is shown by a green guiding line for moving the scope. Benefits: - More stars than with the naked eye can be seen. It uses image processing to make more stars visible. - It saves you many frustrating hours finding your deep sky objects. - Attach your phone to your telescope or binocs and it can lead you to 110 Messier deep sky objects accurately, as well as to planets and bright stars, - It works in heavily light polluted cities and partial cloudy night. Requirements: - For most telescopes, you need a basic phone holder or home-made holder with 45 degree mirror. If you are using a binocular, you will need a L mount. - You may need a mount with slow motion control like a Dobsonian telescope or slow motion tripod. The app requires you to move a crosshair to the target. - Requires iOS 14 and above. Tips: - Draw a user defined area for solving by tap hold the screen and drag to draw a rectangle. Tap hold and release to remove the user define rectangle.

Most sun-tracking apps can tell you WHEN the sun will set. Sunset Predictor tells you whether it's actually going to look good. Using live weather and cloud-layer data, Sunset Predictor scores tonight's sunset from 0-100 — so you know before you grab your camera and head out whether you're in for a vibrant, colorful show or a flat, gray non-event. WHY THIS APP IS DIFFERENT Other sun-position apps show you the math: azimuth, elevation, golden hour times. Useful, but they can't tell you if the sky will actually be worth photographing. Sunset Predictor analyzes low, mid, and high cloud cover, humidity, and visibility to give you a real quality forecast — built specifically for photographers who don't want to waste a golden hour on a washed-out sky. FEATURES - Sunset Quality Score — a 0-100 rating based on live weather data, with a plain-English explanation of what's driving the score - Golden & Blue Hour Timing — exact sunset, golden hour, and blue hour times for any date and location - AR Sun Path Overlay — point your camera at the sky and see exactly where the sun is now, where it'll be each hour, and where it sets — overlaid live on your camera view - Compass View — a clean, always-available view of the sun's direction relative to where you're standing - Plan Ahead — check any date up to 60 days out. Forecasts are most accurate within 7 days; beyond that, you'll still get exact timing and direction to help you plan a trip or shoot - Favorite Locations — save the spots you shoot most, or search any city or address to check conditions before you travel - Sunset Alerts — optional notifications when a great sunset is predicted, so you never miss one because you didn't check the app - Built for Photographers — designed and field-tested by a working photographer who needed this tool and couldn't find it WHO IT'S FOR Landscape and golden-hour photographers, drone pilots, wedding and portrait photographers timing outdoor sessions, or anyone who just doesn't want to miss a great sunset. One-time purchase. No subscription, no ads, no account required, no data collected.