Total Solar Eclipse

Both on my iPhone and my iPad it’s stuck on the black solar eclipse screen that you see first and does not progress further than that so the app does not work. I am using the latest iOS version just updated couple days ago on both devices.

Thank you for providing an enthusiastic and knowledgeable eclipse viewing experience. I'm glad I did not depend on my local news station.

Lots of info.

Need I say more?

Solar eclipse explained in few short paragraphs; maps, times and safety info including proper glasses specification to use for viewing. Thank you

Like, in fine print, one of the last features of this app is "live sonofication on the eclipse by the Kronos String Quartet." This is the app for me! Especially because chances are strong that I'll be inside since I nanny an infant. And I also don't have eclipse viewing glasses. But to listen to the Kronos String Quartet play along to nuclear fusion occurring in the sun as the eclipse happens?! Too exciting! The coolest part of this app being undermarketed is a shame.

Disclaimer: I don't know if the live feed works yet. There's a video guide with short clips (YouTube style inserts) which were not bad- one talks about standard viewer techniques (minus the camera obscura box method, with the solar glasses, welder#14 filter, pinhole card method and reverse binocular/telescope method). Nice ones include a scientists who goes through a little history of eclipses, a 3 min talk from a NASA person (Dr. Christian) who talks about the solar probe plus mission (with some usual sun footage and animations) to the sun's corona who talks about what it's hoping to find out: "Why is the atmosphere of the sun (corona) be hotter than the surface?" (Thermodynamics says the farther away from a fire source the colder it should be.) "How does the solar wind (particles can actually come off at 10^6 mph) actually get accelerated?" The excitement of the design challenge (making a heat shield of carbon fiber, making instruments that collect particle information that don't melt, making its orbit in conjunction with Venus deceleration for 7 year hopeful lifetime) comes across. Not bad for a free app with collaboration from NASA hoping to get kids interested in STEM or for folks who never took formal astronomy for a one-off event. If it works as well as the Micronesia video should be not bad. Never going to complain about an app that is trying to get kids interested in science and trying to make the awe of experience available to all. Oppenheimer would be proud.

There are already couple apps dealing with this 2017 solar eclipse. This new app offers nothing more than a simulation video and bunch of advertisers for certain live telecasts during this event. It does not help you to figure out your local viewing condition, position, or time, etc. Nor does it offer any safety tips or useful tools on how to observe this event. The app presentation is also poor with limited usefulness in the front page. I will pass this and delete it.

I have had so much fun with this app already. Loads of entertaining and useful information. So easy to use and navigate (I'm a stickler for user experience). Kudos to the whole Exploratorium team for their great work!