The free web application The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) provides the exact position of the sun and moon as viewed from a particular location on a given date and time. You need to create a free account the first time you use it. TPE also provides shadow length and whether a subject will be in shade at a given time. Click the first icon below to open TPE centered on the shown location. The second icon gives the National Weather Service Point Forecast for the location; the third gives a forecast from windy.com; the fourth gives cloud cover; the fifth gives three-hour rainfall; the sixth gives average wind speed; the seventh gives wind gusts; the eighth gives estimated snow depth; and the last gives light pollution information. The light pollution app shows the Bortle index at the location, the estimated SQM (Sky Quality Meter) in different directions, and whether the core of the Milky Way can be seen at a given time or is blocked by terrain. Higher SQMs mean darker skies. A decrease of 1 in SQM means an increase of 2.512 in brightness. If you click the 3D button (in the middle left of the app), you can also see a simulation of how the Milky Way looks at a given time.
| The Wave: |
| The Second Wave: |
| Hourglass Arch: |
| The Alcove: |
| Sand Cove: |
| The Boneyard: |
You can also import all of the points of interest on the Coyote Buttes North map into TPE Desktop by downloading this POI file
and the choosing Locations Import in TPE Desktop.
TPE is published by Crookneck Consulting LLC and the web application is free to use.
There are many apps available for your phone or tablet to help with shot planning. My favorites are Photopills and TPE for Android/iOS or TPE 3D for iOS only. Both applications support the importing of Points of Interest / Locations. To import POIs for Coyote Buttes North into one of these apps proceed as follows:
The Sunrise Sunset calculator above provides a monthly calendar showing Sunrise/Sunset and Moonrise/Moonset and Moon phase for a whole month. More detailed information can be obtained by clicking on one of the Photographer's Ephemeris icons above or via one of the mobile applications listed.
Arizona observes standard time all year round (except in the Navajo Nation e.g. Chinle, Kayenta, and Monument Valley). Standard Times are shown above since The Wave is in Arizona.