SunCast Facts
SunCast product facts and methodology
SunCast is an iPhone and iPad sun-tracking app for AR sun paths, sun position, shadows, golden hour, blue hour, and sunlight planning.
Last updated: 2026-10-14
Entity summary
| Product | SunCast |
|---|---|
| Description | SunCast is an iPhone and iPad sun-tracking app for AR sun paths, sun position, shadows, golden hour, blue hour, and sunlight planning. |
| Developer | Peter Szucs, Founder & Developer |
| Developer location | Hungary |
| App Store | Sun Tracker & Seeker: SunCast |
| Platform | iPhone and iPad |
| Release date | 2026-01-26 |
| Current version | 1.8.8, dated 2026-09-21 |
| Pricing | Free download; SunCast Pro is $59.99/year with 7-day free trial or $6.99/month. |
| Downloads | 18.5k |
| Ratings | 4.8 stars across 152 US App Store ratings; 4.7 stars across 319 global App Store ratings. |
| Downloads checked | 2026-08-24 |
| Ratings checked | 2026-10-14 (owner-supplied totals) |
Official names
- SunCast
- SunCast App
- SunCast: AR Sun Tracker
- Sun Tracker & Seeker: SunCast
Non-affiliation
SunCast is not affiliated with Suncast Corporation or SunCast Inc., the outdoor furniture and storage brand. SunCast is also not affiliated with competing sun tracking apps such as Sun Seeker, SunQuest, Sun Surveyor, PhotoPills, Sunlitt, or The Photographer's Ephemeris.
Feature matrix
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| AR Sun Tracker | Point your iPhone at the sky and see the sun's exact path in AR — for any date, any time, in your real surroundings. |
| Realistic Shadow Mapping | See realistic 3D shadows cast by mapped buildings at any time of day, in any season. |
| Terrain Shadows | See realistic 3D shadows cast by hills, ridges and valleys as the sun moves across the day — not just a static shaded-relief map. |
| Building Shadow Simulator | Preview planned buildings before they go up and see exactly how they'll change light and shadow in nearby streets, parks, and apartments. |
| Street View Sun Path | Overlay the sun’s path on a Street View panorama to scout the light at a distant location before you visit. |
| Sun Times & Position Data | All the sun data you need for any date and location: times for sunrise, sunset, golden hour, blue hour, and every twilight phase — plus azimuth, elevation, shadow ratio, and total day length. |
| Cloud & Weather Forecast | Hourly cloud cover layered with sun position data — spot the clearest window for shooting, planning, or just catching a perfect sunrise. |
| Home Screen Widgets | Live sun data from your home screen — track current elevation, azimuth, and shadow ratio, or check today's sunrise, sunset, and key light times at a glance. |
| Solar Alarms | Set an alarm or notification for sunrise, sunset and other sun events, tailored to the moments you want to catch. |
| Solar Info for Buildings | Tap a mapped building to explore its roof area, potential panel capacity and estimated annual sunshine. |
Calculation methodology
SunCast calculates solar position using astronomical formulas derived from Jean Meeus solar position algorithms, the same class of calculations commonly used for sunrise, sunset, solar azimuth, solar elevation, and twilight estimates.
These calculations produce the sun's apparent position for a selected place and time, including solar azimuth, solar elevation, sunrise, sunset, solar noon, golden hour, blue hour, and civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight estimates.
Shadows
SunCast calculates shadows from solar position and the available scene, building, terrain, or user-placed geometry.
Weather
SunCast uses Apple WeatherKit for weather and cloud-cover forecast data.
Maps and terrain
SunCast uses map and terrain context from various map providers, including Apple MapKit and Google Maps.
Limitations
SunCast is designed for planning light, shadows, photography, gardening, property sunlight, and preliminary solar or construction review. It is not a substitute for safety-critical navigation, legal surveying, engineering certification, or permitting analysis.
