Show HN: Live Sun and Moon Dashboard with NASA Footage

Published: (April 28, 2026 at 09:25 AM EDT)
3 min read

Source: Hacker News

Lumara app icon

Get it on Google Play
Coming soon to the App Store

The Sun

Live NASA SDO solar image — Chromosphere (304 Å)

  • Layer: Chromosphere
  • Temperature: ~50,000 K
  • Resolution: 1024 px

The Moon

  • Moonrise:
  • Moonset:
  • Altitude:
  • Distance:
  • Next Full Moon:
  • Next New Moon:

Solar Timelapse

Rolling 24 hr — NASA SDO/AIA 171 Å Quiet Corona

Live Earth

International Space Station — NASA HD Camera

Space Weather

Loading space weather…

  • Solar Flares:
  • CMEs:
  • Geo Storms:

Recent Space Weather Events

Fetching data from NASA DONKI…

The Cosmos at a Glance

  • Solar diameter: 1.4 M km
  • Earth–Moon distance: 384,400 km
  • Hottest flare plasma: 10 M K
  • Fastest CME speed: 3,000 km/s

The Sun

A dynamic sphere of plasma photographed by NASA’s SDO every 12 seconds in 12 wavelengths — from the 5,000 K surface to 10‑million-degree flare plasma. Each wavelength reveals a hidden layer of solar activity.

The Moon

Completing a cycle every 29.53 days. Lumara uses Jean Meeus’s Astronomical Algorithms — the same methods used by professional observatories — to calculate phase, illumination, rise/set, and distance offline.

Space Weather

Solar flares are rated B → C → M → X. Coronal mass ejections reach up to 3,000 km/s. Geomagnetic storms are on the G1–G5 scale. Lumara tracks all three in real‑time from NASA’s DONKI database.

Take Lumara With You

Everything you see here — plus offline moon data, solar timelapse videos, and 4K zoom — in your pocket.

  • 12 Solar Wavelengths
  • 🌙 Offline Moon Phases
  • Space Weather Alerts
  • 🔒 Zero Tracking

Get it on Google Play
Coming soon to the App Store

Privacy First

No accounts. No tracking. No ads. Free forever.

Your location stays on your device. Solar and lunar images are fetched directly from NASA servers — we never see your data. Zero data collection. Period.

Mission Briefing

Is Lumara free?
Completely. No premium tier, no ads, no in‑app purchases. Every feature, forever.

Is Lumara on iPhone / iPad?
Coming soon. The iOS build (universal — iPhone + iPad) was submitted to Apple Review on 2026‑04‑27. Add yourself to the waitlist by following @BeeswaxPat for the launch. Android is live now.

Does it track my location?
Never. You pick a city from a list — stored only on your device. No GPS, no transmission.

Where do the solar images come from?
Directly from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and ESA/NASA SOHO. Updated every ~15 minutes. Public domain.

How accurate are the moon phases?
Jean Meeus’s Astronomical Algorithms — the same methods used by professional observatories. Accurate to minutes.

What are solar wavelengths?
Different wavelengths reveal different layers of the Sun — from the 5,000 K surface to 10‑million-degree flare plasma. 12 views, one star.

What is a coronal mass ejection?
A massive burst of solar plasma traveling up to 3,000 km/s. Can trigger aurora and geomagnetic storms. Lumara tracks them via NASA DONKI.

Do I need internet?
Moon calculations work offline. Solar imagery and space weather require a connection — they’re fetched live from NASA.

What is the Kp index?
Geomagnetic activity on a 0–9 scale. Kp 5+ means a storm (G1–G5) and possible aurora at your latitude.

Who builds Lumara?
Beeswax Pat — a U.S. Army veteran and indie developer. One person, no funding, no tracking deals. Bug reports and feedback welcome at .

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