Review: Use Sun Seeker to see the light
It's not often that an app teaches you a new vocabulary word. But that's what happened when Sun Seeker provided me with the solar azimuth.
The what? Turns out, it's an astronomical term for the direction of the sun, the calculation of which is far beyond my meager, mostly word-based talents. But apparently knowing the azimuth is handy for architects and engineers. They should definitely consider this app.
Luckily, Sun Seeker can also provide information of use to others. You'd be surprised (maybe) at how many uses there are for knowing where the sun will be, and at what time: When you're hanging art. Or deciding where to place an aloe vera, which needs direct sunlight, or hostas, which don't. Or trying to figure out if a house on the market has that all-important southern exposure, or if the new windows you're ordering need special glazing. Or pondering where to pitch a tent or set up a beach chair. Or what time and in which direction to go for a run.
At its most basic, it tells you the time of sunrise and sunset; handy for those observing religious holidays or seeking transcendent experiences. And, though pricey at $6.99, it's a lot of fun to play with.
After downloading the app, you have a couple of options for viewing the information. The first is a flat compass view, which will show you the path of the sun. You can make it very simple and just show where the sun will be today. You can add the sun's night path, and its path during the solstices if you wish.
You can also place the compass view over a map (street, satellite or hybrid), which, frankly, makes it much easier to comprehend.
My husband and I put it through its paces at home and can assure you it does indeed correctly track the sun.
But the real fun begins when you use the 3-D augmented reality viewer, which will overlay the sun's position on the scene you are viewing through your camera, and allow you to snap a photo for reference or to share.
This app is probably a no-brainer for a landscaper, real estate agent, photographer or location scout. But even I have found uses for it. For example, sitting at my desk in my office in Washington, I was able to map the sun's route at my parents' house in Delaware, and send it by email to my brother and husband, who will be working on a landscaping project there, where, the app clearly shows, not much of the yard gets any sun.
I haven't found reason to inform anyone of the solar azimuth. But there's always hope.
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STATS
Operating system: iOS; Android
Creator: Ajnaware Pty Ltd.
User ratings: Apple, four stars out of 302 ratings; Google Play, three and a half stars out of 94 ratings
Bottom line: Pricey but helpful for everyone from homeowners to architects.