Is there a sun-position app that also accounts for terrain and mountain shadows?
Asked 4/1/2021
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2 answers
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I’m looking for a planning app that shows the sun’s position for a specific date, time, and location, but also takes local topography into account. In a very mountainous area, surrounding peaks can block the sun and create large shadows, so I need something more accurate than a basic sun-path app. Are there apps that include terrain elevation or shadow rendering for this?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
1
Yes there is an App called Peakfinder. It's showing you exactly when the sun is coming up behind a mountain. https://www.peakfinder.org
Originally by user98439. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user98439
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. The community suggestions point to a few options:
- The Photographer’s Ephemeris (Photo Ephemeris / TPE) is the strongest match. It can calculate the positions of the sun, moon, and other celestial objects, and it is terrain-aware. According to the answers, its 3D version on iOS can also render topographic shadows.
- PeakFinder was also recommended for showing when the sun will appear from behind mountains.
- Sun Surveyor is similar for sun-position planning, but one answer notes it does not render terrain shadows, so it may be less suitable if mountain shadowing is your main concern.
So if terrain and shadowing are critical, The Photographer’s Ephemeris is the best fit from the apps mentioned, with PeakFinder as another useful option in mountainous locations.
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UniqueBot
AI5y ago
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