VelaClock Sun/Moon App Reviews

I decided to upgrade to this version over the Classic as I consider that new interface brings much more infos while respecting VelaClock legacy…

I have had VelaClock (now called VelaClock 1) since before the name was changed to MagicHour and then back to the original name--in other words, for years by now. It has been a great app for checking on daylight hours, moon phases, moon visibility, etc, and it would be a very good app if that were all it does. However, you can easily keep track of a bunch of locations all over the globe, and you can check out those data for any time or date. We regularly check months in advance to see what the daylight hours will be during our annual August trip to Vancouver, and enjoy the contrast with our paltry hours of daylight where we are. Or we check to see how soon the sun will begin to return to early morning and late afternoon in January. The shades of twilight are also very useful for planning evening activities. Its been a real favorite for me. Apparently the complainers--who tend to be the most vociferous "reviewers"--griped when that app changed to this interface, despite some extra goodies, so the developer reverted to the original interface in that app and produced this one with the new interface. I like the app well enough to spend a buck in the expectation that this will retain the benefits introduced with that earlier update, such as nicer graphics and dates of daylight savings times and a few other features. Its well worth a buck to me to get this version, even though I, in effect, already had it, so i can enjoy the (anticipated) updates.

Does its job, works great. Nice clean look.

Like a previous reviewer, I have had this apps predecessor (which is now called VelaClock1) since it was originally introduced and through all of its various name changes. It is my favorite app though, admittedly, I dont use it every day. This version is a major interface change (I would say upgrade), which allows for an increased amount of information to be presented through the use of multiple screen pages for each city. The type is also larger and easier to read. I find the interface very intuitive and easy to navigate. Those who desire everything on a single screen and dont mind less data and smaller type will want to use VelaClock1. As for me, I am grateful for the time, effort, and thought that the developer devoted to this version -- VelaClock Sun/Moon. As you can see from the screen shots above, the large photo images of the moon in its various phases are to die for. An example of the casual users use for this app is that I was curious whether I would be graced with a full moon six months from now when I will be attending an evening Polynesian Luau dinner show at Disney World. (Answer: The moon wont rise till the show is over and will be a waning crescent.) I did find that when cities are sorted by time then the cities that share a given time zone are listed in alphabetical order. I find this disorienting and feel that they should be listed by longitude, as this more closely approximates their relative time (harking back to pre standardized time zone days). This is not nearly enough of an issue to knock off a star from the ratings. I simply use the "custom" sort to list the cities in the order I like them. I highly recommend this app! Many thanks to Vela Design Group.

I like the second version much better. It takes some getting used to if your used too using the old interface. This version grew on me very fast so I must say I love it. Something is missing though but I cant put my finger on it, needs something added what I dont know but otherwise great app.

Love this app and a long term user of the original. Could replace several apps for me, if only we could please add an alarm clock feature (based on sunrise, sunset, twilight etc in a location). Keep up the great work!

Alarm clock at a specific time and this would be great! That way I can get up with the dawn or watch the sun set!

Ive paid for the app, and I think its wonderful! Ill tell all my friends about the free app for today!

I prefer the "Classic" version of this app. The layout is more compact and easier to read. But there are a couple improvements in this app that would be nice to integrate into the Classic. Perhaps this newer version of the app could have a setting for which style to use, "Compact" or "Verbose".

Great ap for an amateur astronomer! I use it to plan my observing dates ad its always very accurate.

Provides civil, nautical, and astronomical twilights. Rise and set azimuths. Nice addition would be names of full moons.

This easily replaces multiple apps on my iPhone with one easy to use, well designed app. As an engineer working with teams around the world, having a list of the times and dates where they live is very handy. Its also nice to know if its day or night when Im talking to them on the phone. As an amateur astronomer, I love the phase of the moon and times for the various twilights. Makes planning an observing session for the evening easy. The main display is filled with subtle but valuable visual cues as to the status in that time zone. For example, the name of the city turns to black text after sunset and back to white text after sunrise. And theres a colored bar next to the time to indicate which twilight the city is in. Clicking on the the little triangle at the bottom lets you change the display from one where all the various times are aligned with each other (time indicator in the center), to one where all the 24-hour days are aligned with each other (time indicator varies by location). Lots of nice little touches make this a very well thought out design. I agree with Richard that a great additional feature would be an alarm based on the twilight periods. As an astronomer, Id love to have an alarm go off, say 30 minutes before the end of Nautical Twilight so I have time to get out and set up my scope for the time when Id like to be observing. Another nice feature would be to change the background color of the city display if that city is in a different date than the current location. Would be nice to be able to see at a glance if the time displayed is not for my "today".

Times for sunrise and sunset are not right the sun does not come up at 10 in the evening and set in the morning

If you are someone who loves almanacs, who likes keeping up with seasonal change, star watching, the moon and and phases, (just millions of uses,) then this is the app for you. It does many things that I thought I would need multiple apps for, all in one. I look at it every day. Pretty essential to have location turned on, on your phone, though. I love looking at different places in the world. Or going to different dates, like husbands birthdate or such, and seeing the data for it, the length of the day, whatever. Or scrolling through the year for one place and watching the days go long and short. I have learned so much from this app. I cant say enough for it. I love this app dearly. Essential for me or someone like me. The best app I have.

This is a great help for my astronomy activities. Only drawback it comes up sideways on my iPad. Highly recommended for planning observing sessions. It gives astronomical twilight and dawn, moon position and phase in a good format. I rarely open the observatory without checking this app.

I love this app and use it almost every day to track daylight for outdoor activities and photography. Living in Seattle where the amount of daylight, sunrise and sunset times are changing all the time, Im grateful for such a wonderful tool to keep me informed. My one request is that this app be updated for the larger screen format of the iPhone 5!

The developers of this app are long, LONG overdue to update this app to reflect the larger screens used since the release of iPhone 5.

Started today. Crashes on opening!!

This app cost $4 but goes for long periods where it only crashes. Like you open it, it crashes. Repeat. Etc. It is way way way overdue for an update. Do not pay $4 for this. Its a great idea but very shoddy execution.

I love this app but it will not work on my iPhone 6, iOS 8.1.2. Is Vela defunct?