Viewing Skyfire Map Overlays

iOS

Skyfire™ provides sunrise and sunset color forecasting for photographers. If you love to shoot colorful skies, Skyfire can help you know what you to expect. By applying a proprietary algorithm to cloud and humidity data sourced from various weather models, Skyfire generates custom color forecast maps.

Skyfire is available as an optional subscription based add-on to TPE for iOS. If you have subscribed to Skyfire, the following will show you to to view the forecasts. In a nutshell:

Viewing the Skyfire map overlays is as simple as choosing sunrise or sunset on the timeline within TPE. Make sure to select a day within the range of your subscription level:

For both subscription levels, you can also view Skyfire overlays for the 2 days before today.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Ensure you are signed in to your account
2. Check that Skyfire is enabled on the Skyfire controls page
3. Choose a valid date from the ranges described above (set the date from the top navigation bar on iPad, or from the top of the Map tab on iPhone)
4. On the timeline beneath the map, tap either Sunrise or Sunset
5. The Skyfire overlays will load and display on the map
6. If you don't see any Skyfire data, try pinching the map to zoom out
7. Skyfire will fade in and out around the time of sunrise or sunset as you adjust the time of day

Understanding the forecast

Skyfire forecasts are displayed as a map overlay with varying colors to indicate the type of conditions and forecast probability of a colorful sunrise or sunset. Colorful conditions arise when there are clouds in the sky that are underlit by the sun when it is near the horizon.

Although it is possible to see colorful clear skies, these colors are typically associated with twilight conditions (such as the 'Belt of Venus' or the deep blue/orange colors of nautical twilight). Skyfire forecasts do not cover these phenomena.

Clear skies, that is, where there are expected to be no clouds to underlight, are not assigned a color. Cloudy, overcast conditions, where the extent of the clouds precludes the chance for underlighting, are shown as white.

When cloud cover is broken, or lies at the edge of a weather front, there is a chance of colorful underlighting. The probability of a colorful sunrise or sunset developing is indicated on a color spectrum ranging from blue/green to red, where the redder the color, the higher the probability, as shown in the table below:

Favorite location forecasts

Saved locations in TPE can be marked as favorites by starring them in the Locations page within the app. Any locations you have marked as favorites will appear in the Skyfire Favorite location forecasts page (via the Skyfire controls page), showing all available forecasts.

If you subscribe to Skyfire Plus, you can configure push notifications to be sent to your device whenever a good sunrise or sunset is forecast for any of your favorite locations

To configure push notifications:

1. Tap the settings icon at the top right of the Favorite locations forecast page
2. Use the switch control to enable or disable push notifications for each location
3. Set the Threshold to the required percentage to trigger a notification: e.g. if you only want to hear about extremely good forecasts, choose 90%
4. Set the Notice period to reflect how far in advance you would like to be notified: e.g. if you only want to be told about tomorrow's forecast, choose 1 day
5. Tap 'Save' at the top right of the page to save your changes
6. On first configuring notifications, you will be asked by iOS to confirm that you wish to receive Push Notifications from TPE. Choose 'OK'

Notices

Skyfire is a trademark of Skyfire Services LLC. US Patent US10459119B2.