Thursday, March 22, 2012

Windows Phone 7 - Sun Tracker

About Sun Tracker for WP7

Track the position of the sun throughout the day. Determine when sunrise will occur and then track the path of the sun through the sky until sunset. With tracking enabled the phone can be pointed at the sky to measure current elevation and azimuth angle.

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New in version 2.0. Switch to the augmented reality vision mode and see the path of the sun overlayed on your environment. See exactly where the sun will go today and easily switch to the Solstice and Equinox paths.

Use the details page to calculate the Time, Elevation and Azimuth angle of:

  • Astronomical Twilight (Dawn and Dusk)
  • Nautical Twilight (Dawn and Dusk)
  • Civil Twilight (Dawn and Dusk)
  • Sunrise
  • Sunset
  • A user selected date and time.

The equation of time, Solar declination and Daylight duration are also calculated. All values are in the local timezone and adjusted for daylight savings if applicable.

Select a location on the map page or use the GPS to go to your current location. The map page also shows the direction and time of sunrise and sunset.

A useful tool for:

  • Real Estate - When will the sun come over the hill? Will a tree or building block most of the winter sun?
  • Gardeners - will the planting location suit have the right amount of sun exposure?
  • Photographers - When will twilight occur?
  • Architects - Maximise winter sun exposure and minimise summer heat gain.
  • Solar panels - What angle and inclination should the panels be placed at to be optimal for the location?

The settings page allows you to toggle access to location data and provide an optional correction to the compass bearing.

Versions:

  • 2.0
    • Adds augmented reality sun tracking via the vision button. For best results enable the use of the device location and calibrate the compass before use.
    • The last Zoom level used on the map it kept between uses and there is an option on the settings page to show zoom level buttons on the map.
  • 1.3
    • Adds Dates page that includes Solstices, Equinoxes, Perihelion, Aphelion
  • 1.1
    • Adds pin option for current location to display rise and set times plus length of day on the back of the apps tile.
    • Tapping the rise or set times in the compass view will toggle to showing the time until the event occurs.

User Guide

Tips

  • Ensure your current location is correct. Use the "location" button in the application bar to update to your current latitude and longitude. Verify this on the map page.
  • Ensure your select date is current. This can be altered with the date controls at the bottom of the page.
  • Use the "vision" button to see the projected suns path for your selected day.
  • You can jump to important dates such as the solstice or equinox on the dates page.

Compass

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The compass shows the position of the sun through out a 24 hour period. The position of the sun is plotted according to its true north bearing (Azimuth). The points move into the circle as the elevation above the horizon increases. E.g. If the sun is directly overhead (at the Zennith) it will be in the middle of the circle.

Sunrise and Sunset times along with the Azimuth bearing are shown above the compass.

Details

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The Details page gives times for dusk and dawn, sunset and sunrise. These will vary if you change the selected date or location.

Map

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The Map page allows you to choose the latitude and longitude for the sun calculations. The location button will recenter the view to your current latitude and longitude.

Lines show the sunrise and sunset azimuth angles and are labeled with the applicable event times. The remaining line shows the azimuth for the selected date and time. The control on the left of the page shows the elevation.

Dates

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The Dates page shows the Solstices, Equinoxes, Perihelion (Earth nearest to the sun), and Aphelion (Earth farthest from the Sun) for the currently selected year.