Solar Coaster provides accurate position, time, motion and eclipse information for Earth's nearest star, Sol, our Sun, and nearest celestial body, Luna, our Moon. Information includes 3D movement graphs, upcoming eclipses and their circumstances, rise and set times, positions, distances and velocities, moon phase, illumination and crescent rotation.

Solar Coaster automatically updates its state every minute, or you can examine minutes randomly. The simulation uses a local horizontal coordinate system (altitude / azimuth) when displaying information, which essentially means that your current position is the center of the Universe and all calculated values are relative to you. Sun and Moon positions are also available in equatorial coordinates.

Solar Coaster stores enough onboard astronomical data to keep it running through the year 2100 AD, which means that all calculations can be performed locally without the need of a network connection — useful while in the wild chasing an eclipse.

 

 

Preview the USA 2045 Total Solar Eclipse

The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse traversed the entire country from northwest to southeast, and the 2045 eclipse will follow a similar path.

 

This position tracks plot highlights the Sun and Moon's delicate celestial dance required to effectuate a Total Solar Eclipse. The plot is interactive, you can drag to pan and pinch to zoom, or use the items in the top toolbar. And the days before and after are included to show trends. Touching a trace displays the point's time of day (hh:mm), and latitude and longitude. Zoom-in far enough and the traces reveal their minute-by-minute discontinous nature.