Plan a sunset: sun path, golden hour and your viewpoint
The sun does not set in the same place all year. Planning where it will be, and when the light is best, turns a lucky sunset into a repeatable one.
What to plan
- The direction and time of sunset on your chosen date.
- The golden hour before and blue hour after.
- Your viewpoint and what is on the horizon.
- Your lens, because focal length changes what fits in the frame.
- Notes on what the sky actually did, for next time.
Seasonal shifts
The point on the horizon where the sun sets moves north and south through the year. Knowing the extremes helps you line up a landmark.
How Asterfold approaches it
Asterfold: Sunset Planner is a free iPhone app from Honest Little Apps. Everything below comes from its App Store description.
- Asterfold is a sunset planner for the places you actually watch from.
- A sky dome draws the Sun's real path for any place and date, coloured by golden hour, blue hour and twilight, and you can scrub through the day for altitude, bearing and shadow length.
- You can save the exact spot you shoot from, choose a lens from 14 mm to 200 mm or your phone camera, and see the dates when the Sun sets or rises inside your frame.
- Calculations happen on your iPhone, so it works offline.
See Asterfold on the App Store Read the full Asterfold page
Questions
Is there a free sunset planner app?
Asterfold: Sunset Planner is listed free on the App Store. Check the listing for optional purchases.
Does it work offline?
The App Store description says calculations happen on your iPhone, so it works offline.
Can I record how the sky turned out?
Yes, the description describes recording what the sky really did.
