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MagicHour™

for iPhone / iPod touch

( formerly named VelaClock )

Reviews

VelaClock 1.3 [now MagicHour] was reviewed by John Martellaro of iPod Observer and received a rating of "Outstanding."

Full review: www.ipodobserver.com/story/38029

User Testimonials

"There are apps to check the times of sun and moon rise and set, but none of the ones I've used are as slick and easy to use as VelaClock [now MagicHour]. As a busy photographer there's often not enough time to fully investigate the sun or moon rise and set times for each day before heading out on a long trip. With VelaClock [MagicHour] in my pocket, I can leave this until the night before, when I'm figuring out what time I need to get up at.

I not only know the exact time that the sun will rise, but I know the exact location that the sun will appear on the horizon by referencing the Azimuth data in VelaClock [MagicHour] and a compass. I can also see at a glance when Nautical and Civil Twilight starts, which is important, because the predawn light is often more beautiful than the light after the sun pops above the horizon, and I like to get to my locations and be set up by the start of Civil twilight. I've been using VelaClock [MagicHour] as it has developed. With its recent updates, I can now specify any date and use the GPS built into my iPhone. VelaClock [MagicHour] is a must have application for any photographer with an iPhone."

Martin Bailey, Nature Photographer based in Japan: Web site and Workshops
Interview by Scott Bourne: twipphoto.com/archives/2384

"A great app is now even better. VelaClock [now MagicHour] really helps me as a wedding photographer; I need to know when the sun sets. I'm also an almanac junkie, and it doesn't get much better than this."

David Schultz, Wedding Photographer, San Diego, CA: Web site

App Store Reviews

Great!  ★★★★★

"Beautiful presentation and highly functional. One of the best apps out there." by Peter5364

Great piece of software - worth every cent!  ★★★★★

"Does what it's designed to in a very intuitive manner, this app is truly worth every cent! Without a doubt the best app of it's kind in the App Store!" by klubneeka (Australia)

Great App!  ★★★★★

"This application presents a ton of information in a relatively clean interface. Definitely the best app I've found for showing (civil) twilight hours. I've purchased a copy for both my wife and myself." by SeanReilly

Rise, Set and Twilight Times

This detail panel shows:

• Time of sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset.
• Azimuth of sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset. Azimuth (compass direction) is specified in degrees, 0 to 360, clockwise from North.
• Time of dawn and dusk for three kinds of twilight (civil, nautical, astronomical).
• Daylight duration in hour and minutes. Change in minutes of daylight from the previous day.
• An image of the moon as seen in the sky above the currently selected city. This image accurately depicts the moon’s phase, and the angle at which the moon’s crescent appears to be rotated from the vertical. Because this angle can change rapidly, it is updated once a minute.

There are three kinds of twilight: civil, nautical and astronomical. For twilight definitions, visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight

Countdown to Next Rise or Set

This detail panel shows:

• Time until the next sunrise or sunset.
• Time until the next moonrise or moonset.
• Name of the current moon phase.
• An image of the moon as seen in the sky above the currently selected city. This image accurately depicts the moon’s phase, and the angle at which the moon’s crescent appears to be rotated from the vertical. Because this angle can change rapidly, it is updated once a minute.
• Time until the next moon phase (new, quarter, full).

The Daylight Bar gives the user a picture of 24 hours of natural light (bright daylight, three kinds of twilight, and night). A thin white bar indicates when the moon is visible. The daylight bar may be centered at noon or current time. A thin white bar indicates when the moon is visible.

Usage Tips

• To change how the Daylight Bar is centered, tap the triangular shaped button located on the bottom bar.
• A quick swipe of the finger will alternate between the detail panels.

Moon Phases

The moon detail panel shows the dates and times of the next four moon phases.

Note: A quick swipe of the finger will alternate between the detail panels.

Astronomical calculations are performed internally by MagicHour, without a network connection.

Places

- Add and remove places.

- Sort places by time, name or a specify a custom order.

Add Places

To add a place, tap the Add button (located at the top left corner of the Settings screen).

Up to 50 cities may be added from a selection of over 500 cities.

Location

Current Location

Turn the "Current Location" switch ON to add it to your list of Places. The position of this location is re-calculated each time MagicHour is launched. If network access or GPS is not avalable, the last current location will be used. This feature is compatible with iPhone 3G, the original iPhone, and iPod touch.

Home Location

Turn the "Home Location" switch ON to add it to your list of Places. Enter city name, latitude, longitude and time zone for your Home Location. The Home Location is designed for users whose home cities are not included in the built-in list of cities.