Helping share the love of the northern lights!

Month: October 2022

Backend App Tweaks

I am making some changes to the backend scripting of the app. This should not affect the app’s usability; at least, that is the idea. I am starting to clean up the code to make data calls more efficient in the app and make maintenance of the code portion of the app easier to follow. Users should not notice much of a difference, if any, while this process is ongoing.

I am also going to work on adding the OVATION percentage to aurora reports. Why is this important? I see a lot of people reference another app’s “percent chance” of seeing aurora activity. From a scientific perspective, I want to show people that a high percentage of the “other app’s” chance of seeing the aurora is a false hope. You do not need a high percentage chance of seeing the aurora to see activity. That percentage is the chance that you would look directly overhead and see it. Thus, I want to collect this statistic as a way to improve the app’s recommendations. It will take a little time, but I think it will add value to the app.

Keep an eye out for the changes throughout the season. I am also going to work on version 10 to fix a few bugs that have been noted. I will try to get that published by the end of the year, time warranting of course!

Moving Back to Astronomical Events!

When I made the decision to move away from the subscription model with the app, I moved away from anything I was paying extra for, including the astronomical data. As I have tried to mimic the accuracy of the notifications with regards to twilight and darkness, it is apparent it would be so much easier to keep the astronomical data in place and continue to use that to create alerts. Thus, I am working on making that happen. I have reenabled the data pull, so it will take a couple of days for all of the astronomical data to update across the board, but it is happening as I type this!

My overall goal is to keep Amazing Aurora as THE best and most favored app for aurora chasing on the market. I feel like this is the best decision moving forward and I think you will agree! Now, let’s just hope we get more nights of clear skies over the winter!

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