Solar Weather vs Stargaze Tonight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Solar Weather
Monitor magnetic storms and moon phases with real-time magnetosphere data and forecasts. Receive push notifications for disturbed magnetosphere conditions and track full and new moon times.
- Magnetic storm monitoring
- Magnetosphere scale (1-10)
- 3-day magnetosphere history
- 24-hour magnetosphere forecast
- 27-day magnetosphere forecast
- Push notifications for disturbed magnetosphere
- Moon phase tracking
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Solar Weather brings real-time space weather monitoring to your pocket. Track the planetary Kp-index, forecast magnetic storms, and follow moon phases — all in one beautifully designed app. SOLAR WIND See the solar wind that drives it all — speed, plus the all-important Bz and Bt magnetic field straight from NOAA's DSCOVR satellite, with a 24-hour Bz trend. A southward Bz is the earliest sign that a storm and aurora are building. NOAA STORM SCALES Follow the three official NOAA scales at a glance — geomagnetic storms (G), solar radiation storms (S) and radio blackouts (R) — with a 3-day outlook. Turn on alerts for radiation storms and radio blackouts, too. REAL-TIME KP-INDEX Monitor the current geomagnetic activity level on a clear 0–9 scale with color-coded status. See hourly charts for the last 24 hours and spot trends at a glance. STORM FORECASTS View 24-hour and 27-day geomagnetic forecasts sourced from NOAA. Know when the next magnetic storm is coming before it affects your health, electronics, or aurora visibility. MOON PHASE CALENDAR Browse an interactive monthly calendar showing the moon phase for every day. Tap any date to see the lunar day, illumination percentage, and days until the next full or new moon. SMART NOTIFICATIONS Choose exactly which alerts matter to you: • Magnetosphere excited (Kp 2–3) • Magnetic storm detected (Kp 4+) • Severe storm warning (Kp 7+) • Full moon — 2 days, 1 day, or day-of • New moon — 2 days, 1 day, or day-of EDUCATIONAL ARTICLES Learn what the magnetosphere is, how K-index works, how geomagnetic storms affect health, and why the aurora borealis happens. ASK SIRI Just ask Siri — “Is there a magnetic storm?”, “What's the moon phase?” or “What's the solar activity?” — for an instant answer. The same shortcuts work from Spotlight and the Shortcuts app. WIDGETS & LIVE ACTIVITY Keep the current Kp-index, aurora chance, and moon phase on your Home and Lock Screen. When a magnetic storm is underway, a Live Activity shows live readings on your Lock Screen and in StandBy. FEATURES • Real-time Kp-index with hourly bar charts • 24-hour and 27-day storm forecasts from NOAA • Interactive moon phase calendar • 11 configurable push notification types • Real-time solar wind (speed, Bz, Bt) with a 24-hour trend • Official NOAA G/S/R storm scales with a 3-day outlook • Offline moon calculations — works without internet • Dark theme designed for space weather • Available in 17 languages • Ask Siri & Spotlight — storms, moon phase, solar activity • Home Screen & Lock Screen widgets, plus a storm Live Activity • Apple Watch app • Optimized for iPhone and iPad • Built-in knowledge hub with an illustrated glossary • No ads. No tracking. Free forever.
Stargaze Tonight
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Can you go stargazing tonight? This app answers that one question. It combines cloud cover, moonlight and twilight into a single verdict for tonight: Good, Fair or Poor. This is not a star map. It is an observing conditions forecast. ■ Hour by hour It doesn't stop at "cloudy today". You see cloud cover hour by hour, so you know it clears at 11pm. That is what actually decides whether you go out. ■ Compare sites Save up to 5 observing sites and compare them side by side. "Overcast at home, clear 40 minutes away" becomes obvious. ■ Forecast range Today, tomorrow and the day after are always free. Days 4 to 7 unlock after watching one ad. ■ So what should you look at Tonight's Moon and planets, plus upcoming meteor showers and eclipses with their dates. You can find them on the sky chart, which has a red mode so it won't ruin your night vision outdoors. ■ Honestly · Every feature is free. Nothing is locked. · No account. No sign-up. · All astronomy is computed on your device. Location is used only to fetch weather. ■ Data sources · Weather: Apple Weather · Star data: HYG Database (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Constellation boundaries: IAU
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Solar Weather at none against Stargaze Tonight's shown. Solar Weather also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Stargaze Tonight's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Solar Weather ships an update every 2 months, Stargaze Tonight weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Solar Weather | Stargaze Tonight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrey Sapunov | JIHWAN SEOK |
In-app purchases
Solar Weather
No in-app purchases
Stargaze Tonight
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Solar Weather free?
Is Stargaze Tonight free?
Do Solar Weather or Stargaze Tonight have ads?
Which is updated more often, Solar Weather or Stargaze Tonight?
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