View into Space

iPhone and iPad

Solar Journal

Turn your solar telescope photographs into a personal record of the changing Sun.

Import a short sequence of photos and explore your annotated solar disc, the detected sunspots, and the gentle change in brightness from centre to edge. Open a sunspot to see an enlarged crop from your original photograph, or explore nearby spots as a group.

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Coming to the App Store.

Solar Journal on iPad, showing measurements from a solar observation alongside dated space weather information
The Today view showing an annotated solar disc with four numbered sunspots, a date, a sunspot count and a coverage percentage

Today. Your latest observation, at a glance.

An enlarged crop of a single sunspot taken from the original photograph

Inspect. An enlarged crop from your own photograph.

The Discover view showing measurements alongside dated NOAA space weather information

Discover. Your measurements, in context.

The Trends view showing observing history as a chart over time

Trends. Your observing history, kept visible.

What it does

  • Local photo analysis

    Your photographs are analysed on the device and preserved as you imported them. Nothing is uploaded for analysis.

  • Sunspot counts and coverage

    Sunspot counts, apparent dark coverage, and visual size comparisons you can actually read.

  • Corrections and grouping

    Date and time corrections, photo removal, and optional group tracking when spots travel together.

  • Reports you choose to share

    CSV, JSON, picture and analysis-prompt reports. Nothing is shared unless you export it.

  • Explicit archive backup

    Back up and restore your journal archive deliberately, not silently in the background.

  • A sample journal to explore

    A clearly labelled sample journal, so you can see how the app works before you point a telescope at anything.

What it is not

Measurements describe what is visible in processed white-light photographs. They are not magnetic measurements, and they are not predictions of solar storms.

Five separate photographs are recommended for each session. Two or more usable photographs can be saved.

No account, no advertising, no subscription, no AI service. Your photographs are not uploaded for analysis. NOAA information requires a connection and is always dated.

Observe safely. Use properly filtered solar observing equipment and follow its manufacturer's safety instructions. Solar Journal is independent and is not endorsed by NOAA or by telescope manufacturers.

Questions, or something broken?

Solar Journal is made by one person, and mail reaches me directly.

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