MrSun

Solar Position Utility

The Basics

MrSun determines where the sun will be at any given time, date, or location. A slider controls the time of day, and shows the direction of the sun (azimuth) and angle over the horizon (elevation) both numerically and visually. If the compass is available, the azimuth gauge will show you the direction of the sun relative to your position at any time. Makes use of GPS to determine location, but the user can use a map to choose a new location anywhere in the world.

Where can I get it?

Here.

How much is it?

For now, MrSun is free. Depending on response, I may charge for it down the road.

What should I use it for?

Well, here's some use case scenarios:

You want to know where to put your beach chair so the sun hits it later.
You want to see when a solar panel will get the best exposure.
You're a photographer, and want to arrange a shoot for the perfect time, or angle.
You want to arrange your campsite so that you're woken up by the sun.
You want to arrange your campsite so that you're NOT woken up by the sun.

And so on.

I have an iPod Touch / 1st Gen iPhone / 3G iPhone. Will this work?

Yes. Of course, depending on your device, you won't get some of the features. If you have a magnetometer (compass), you'll get the actual heading of the sun at any given point. If you don't, it'll point north. If you don't have location services (gps), or if they're not working well on your device, then you'll need to choose your location using a Map. If you have neither an Internet connection nor location services. In this case, MrSun will revert to its last known location.

What's an azimuth?

The sun's position relative to North. For more information, see here.

It told me the sun was at 30º elevation but it's 4am and I'm in Ecuador.

Please email me with any complaints, suggestions, questions, or answers. But be gentle, it's my first app.