SoHO Viewer vs Solar Coaster

SoHO Viewer is a simple application for downloading and displaying the latest images taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO). It includes push notifications so you can be notified by a badge on the application when new images are available. It was quoted as “one of the ten best free applications to have on your iphone if you like stargazing:” http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/112210-free-iphone-stargazing-apps.html It appears in Mars 2015 edition of Sky And Telescope, page 70. Images are courtesy of SOHO consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. If you had like to see images taken by Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) please use the SDO Viewer application.

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. Solar Coaster comes in various flavors: for iOS a native App; and for macOS a native App, Screen Saver and Web App.