Eclipse Calculator 2 vs GuideWatch

Whether you're an astronomy enthusiast, eclipse chaser, or curious observer, this app lets you explore, calculate, and simulate solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, and planetary transits with remarkable detail. Discover when and where future eclipses will be visible, how they will appear from your location—or anywhere else on Earth—and explore historical events spanning centuries. From global visibility maps to detailed local circumstances, everything you need to plan and enjoy these extraordinary astronomical events is at your fingertips. Key Features: • Complete database of all solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, and planetary transits from 1900 to 2100, with an optional extension covering 1550 to 2300. • Detailed calculations of the general circumstances for every event, including global visibility maps. • Accurate local circumstances for any location worldwide, including contact times, duration, Sun or Moon altitude, and other observational data. • Interactive maps showing eclipse visibility and local conditions. • Realistic simulations of eclipses and planetary transits from your chosen observing location. • Animated simulation of the Moon's shadow crossing Earth's surface during solar eclipses. • Animated simulation of the Moon passing through Earth's shadow during lunar eclipses. • Choose any observing location using GPS, a built-in location database, or manual coordinates. • Lunar limb profile and Baily's Beads calculations for advanced eclipse observation. • Sky simulation during totality. • Continuous GPS tracking with live updates of contact times—ideal for observing from moving locations such as ships. • Add eclipses and planetary transits directly to your personal calendar. • Built-in countdown timer for upcoming events.

GuideWatch puts your PHD2 guiding session on your wrist. If you run NINA to control your astrophotography rig, you already know the drag of walking back to the laptop every few minutes just to check whether guiding is still holding steady. GuideWatch connects directly to either PHD2 or NINA over your local Wi-Fi network and shows you what matters, right on your Apple Watch: • Live guiding graph: see RA/Dec error trends update in real time, just like the graph in PHD2 itself • RMS error and key guiding stats at a glance, with optional haptic alerts if guiding fails • Simple connection status, so you know instantly if guiding has dropped out • A quick settings screen to connect to PHD2 or NINA on your controller's IP address and port No need to keep walking back to a screen, break your dark adaptation, or leave a laptop running somewhere inconvenient (just glance at your wrist). GuideWatch also includes a simulation mode, so you can explore the app and its guiding display before connecting it to a live session. Requirements: GuideWatch needs either PHD2 or a NINA instance with the Advanced API module running on the same local network. GuideWatch does not control PHD2, NINA or your imaging session; it's a read-only guiding monitor designed to keep you informed without needing to touch your imaging laptop.