These release notes apply to Photo Ephemeris Web. 

Please send your questions, feedback and observations via the Help button at the bottom right of the page.

Note: if you switch from the beta to production site, or vice versa, you will likely need to clear cached data in order for everything to load correctly (instructions).

2.2.15 - Oct 30 2020

• Major version updates to underlying libraries and packages
• Moved all 'toast' notifications to top right to make it easier to switch back from Settings to other pages without having to dodge the notification while clicking
• Fix initial zoom level on switching to Google maps - it is now set correctly (previously it would always reset to zoom level 13)
• Fix occasional bug with Google Maps where valid coordinate was not set for geodetics lines

2.2.12 - Oct 21 2020

• Rolled back some package updates that appeared to be throwing errors for some users
• Adjusted order and size of day of week/time/time zone label at top left of map to reduce flickering on change of selected time of day

2.2.11 - Oct 20 2020

• Fixes KML import for exports from TPE from Android on certain Android versions
• Google Maps is now loaded in your selected language (on subsequent change of selected language you will need to reload the page to have the new selection shown in the map)
• Updated libraries and packages

2.2.10 - Oct 8 2020

• Maintenant disponible en français!
• Added a short promo video to the Subscribe page show-casing Pro features

2.2.9 - Oct 7 2020

• Display user name instead of email at top right (improved data privacy)
• Styling and translation refinements

2.2.8 - Oct 3 2020

• Light pollution map overlay now available at all map zoom levels. If you're at a higher map zoom level you may need to zoom out a couple of levels before it appears, but thereafter you can zoom in once again and the layer will remain visible.

2.2.7 - Oct 1 2020

• Ora disponibile in italiano!
• Visual search: added a new button on the search form "Use current position". Click this to set the search area to the current position of the selected body. The button is disabled if the body is below the horizon for the selected date time. This is useful for searches where you want to ask "show me more dates where the [sun|moon|galactic centre] is here"
• Fix: visual search could give false positive results if the lower bound of the altitude range or the altitude target was zero

2.2.6 - Sep 27 2020

• Some Visual Search fixes and refinements...
• If geodetics is enabled and you perform a target mode search (i.e. range mode is unchecked), and the search is conducted with altitude priority checked, then the results may display a distance to the right or left. This represents how far you would need to move the red pin (think of it as the shooting position) to achieve a perfect alignment while looking at the grey pin. The bigger the difference in of result azimuth from geodetics azimuth, the farther you'd have to move.
• Of course, this is another practical reason to conduct your target mode searches with altitude priority on: generally you have much more latitude to move your camera from left to right than you do up and down.
• On the 3D Sphere, the end of the shadow of the red pin now touches the edge of the ground cylinder when the sun is at +6 degrees - subtle, but makes things consistent with the 6-degree shadow circle on the map
• Bug fix: sometimes clicking the Search button would have no effect. This was due to form validation errors on hidden fields.
• Bug fix: some feasible search results were not found due to an internal error for high latitude locations
• Bug fix: browser console errors complaining about date formats are fixed. To resolve this, the day of the week is no longer displayed in the date selection control itself, but rather with the time of day displayed just above the map at the left.
• Improvement: You should now see a nicer 'please reload' message instead of an error page if you need to refresh the page to load the latest version of the app.

2.2.5 - Sep 25 2020

• Styling improvements in Visual Search UI for Windows users: avoid double scroll bars; avoid wrap-around for filters on smaller screens; avoid search results overflowing their bounds and overlapping
• When changing tabs or enabling/disabling range mode in Visual Search, form values are now restored consistently and insignificant floating point discrepancies are no longer displayed (e.g. 1.7° instead of 1.7000000000000002°)
• Error messages for visual search azimuth range values have been clarified

2.2.4 - Sep 22 2020

• The geodetics panel now shows the rhumb line bearing rather than the initial bearing of the great circle. The great circle bearing is display in a tooltip if you hover over the bearing label or value. With the increase in precision to two decimal places in displayed azimuths (v1 showed only 1 decimal place), the difference can cause confusion. The map line from primary to secondary pin is shown as a rhumb line and so the bearing should reflect the same. The rhumb line bearing is also used when the secondary pin is shown on the 3D Sphere and when 'Use geodetics' is clicked to set Visual Search parameters.

2.2.3 - Sep 21 2020

• NEW: Visual Search. Visual search allows you to find dates and times when you can see the sun, moon or galactic centre in a specified position or area of the sky. Access Visual Search via the 3D Sphere page. Tutorial available: Using Photo Ephemeris Web, Part 8: Visual Search
• You can either enter a target azimuth and altitude with a tolerance if you require a specific position, or to search within a range, check 'range' and specify the az/alt range you would like to search.
• For position targets, you can check or uncheck altitude priority to indicate which measure is more important for your shot. The tolerance is applied to the other field. E.g. if you search for the sun at az: 90°, alt: +6° with a 1° tolerance, then if altitude priority is checked, the results will all be pretty much exactly at alt: +6°, but azimuth can vary by ±1°. If altitude priority is unchecked, then the results will be at az: 90°, but the altitude may vary by ±1°. Generally, altitude priority performs better, especially in the tropics and in the Arctic/Antarctic circles
• When using range mode, results are shown with a time range when the body is in the specified range. For the moon, the illuminated fraction is shown. A simple visual indication of the path of the body through the range is shown (not to scale).
• If you have geodetics enabled and the elevation angle from red to grey pin is above the horizon, you can set the target or range by clicking the "Use geodetics" button in the Visual Search form. This is useful as a way to quickly find when, for example, the moon will be sat above a mountain peak.
• The search area is shown in the 3D sphere - it is quite small by default (4°). Try increasing the range or tolerance to 15° or more to see it clearly.
• The size of the sun and moon in the 3D sphere can now be controlled. For high precision visual search work, ×1 is recommended. You may also wish to zoom in to the model to see the results more clearly. In addition, the displayed size of both sun and moon is correct for the selected date/time. You'll be hard-pressed ever to see a difference in the size of the sun (it barely changes year round), but the change in the apparent size of the moon can be easily observed (perigee vs apogee change in distance from earth)
• The moon is now available in the 3D Sphere to all users. Visual Search for the sun is also available. Using Visual Search with the Moon or Galactic Centre requires a Pro subscription
• Visual Search filters. Apply one or more filters to your visual search results. You can specify filters manually - click '+' to add, choose the body, the property and set the values, then click Apply. Multiple filters can be used in combination
• For the Moon and Galactic Centre, some suggested filters are shown. Click one or more of the suggestions then click Apply.
• Suggested filters for the Moon include:
  • 'Supermoon' - a perigee full moon
  • Full moon - 95-100% illuminated
  • New moon - 1-5% illuminated and waxing
  • Cresent moon - 1-25% illuminated
  • Near sunrise/sunset - sun between +2° and -2° altitude (good times for shooting the moon)
  • Civil/Nautical twilight
• Suggested filters for the Galactic Centre include:
  • Astronomical twilight - sky is almost dark and stars are visible
  • Darkness - after/before astronomical twilight
  • Moonless night - darkness, plus the moon below -6°
  • Crescent moon - 1-25% illuminated (enough moonlight to illuminate a landscape, but not too much to overly impair the stars)
• Improved Visual Search results listings:
  • For "range" results, click the item to set the time to the middle of the range, or click the start and end time independently
  • Hold the Windows or Command key while you click a result to navigate directly to the map at the selected date/time
  • Total results and filtered results count is shown
  • Clicking a range result where the body passes through the range more than once will set the time to the middle of each crossing in turn for each click.
• Disc alignment: for the sun or moon, specify the preferred alignment for the body (centre - default, upper limb - top, lower limb - bottom). For example, if you want the moon to appear sat atop a mountain, use lower limb, so the moon is fully visible. If you want a sun star as it clears a ridge-line, choose upper limb, so you catch the sun just as it appears/disappears.
• Hold the Command/Windows key when clicking search to start the search from today's date instead of the selected date
• Corrections/improvements to Polish translation (thanks Jarek)
• Note: Visual Search-related text is in English only in this beta, but localised versions will be added soon.

2.1.10 - Sep 5 2020

• Allow linking directly to subscribe page for signed in users
• Under-the-hood changes in readiness for Visual Search support

2.1.8 - Aug 19 2020

• Additional major meteor showers: Quadrantids, Lyrids, Eta Aquariids, Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids, Southern Taurids, Northern Taurids, Leonids, Geminids, Ursids
• Meteor shower positioning now accounts for radiant drift. Right ascension and declination are recalculated daily - greater frequency seems unnecessary for general photographic purposes. Previously, the radiant was always shown for peak activity date only
• Meteor shower labels now include a link icon that opens a reference page, typically Wikipedia, containing further information on the event
• Settings now allows meteors to be enabled or disabled - they default to off, so be sure to visit Settings to enable them if you wish. Meteor data requires a Pro subscription
• 3D Celestial Sphere is now available to all users for the sun. A subscription is required to display the moon, galactic centre and band of the Milky Way, plus meteor showers
• Minor UI/UX refinements and fixes

2.1.6 - Aug 10 2020

• Fixed regression bug where password reset links would be redirected to the /join page

2.1.5 - Aug 9 2020

• Add Galactic Centre rise/transit/set (enable in Settings page, requires Pro subscription)
• Adds 3D Celestial Sphere for Pro subscribers (click 'Sphere' in the navigation links). This shows a topocentric globe showing sun, moon and band of the Milky Way in a 3D representation. Azimuths are indicated at the edge of the disc. The model displays the primary map pin at the centre and the secondary geodetics pin, if enabled, at the corresponding apparent altitude, allowing for az/alt comparisons to sun, moon or galactic centre. The azimuth to the top of the band of the Milky Way is also indicated (light grey indicator). Sunlight and moonlight direction, intensity and color temperature are shown. The map pins cast shadows, to give a sense of direction and relative length (shadow ratio). If the elevation above the horizon is set, the dip of horizon is reflected in the ground plane of the 3D model.
• You can adjust the camera view of the 3D Celestial Sphere with the mouse or trackpad. Zoom with the mouse wheel or pinch with two fingers on a trackpad (you may need to push up/pull down with two fingers in Safari on macOS). Right-click drag to pan with a mouse, shift-drag when using a trackpad. A full tutorial is available here: Using Photo Ephemeris Web, Part 7: 3D Celestial Sphere
• New: Meteor shower radiant points (the point in the sky from which individual meteors appear to radiate) are shown in the 3D Celestial Sphere. So far, we've added just the Perseids (for this week's peak date) and the Orionids - more to follow. The radiant is indicated along with the name and approximate peak date.
• Fix: sign up form would not recognise first and last names containing any diacritics
• If the altitude of a body is lower than the apparent horizon (0° or below, if elevation above the horizon is set), the altitude is greyed out in the altitude chart legend.
• If geodetics is enabled and the altitude of a body is lower than the apparent altitude from primary to secondary pin (e.g. the sun is lower than the summit of the mountain), the altitude is greyed out in the altitude chart legend.
• Changes to how URLs work: previously, as you changed the date, time, map pin positions etc. the browser URL would be updated continuously. This behaviour has changed in 2.1. The URL is no longer updated as you work. Instead, you can obtain a link by using the Share button at the right above the map. You can copy the link, share to Twitter or Facebook, and in supported browsers (Safari, primarily) you will see an additional sharing button that presents operating system-specific options.
• On loading a URL that contains shot planning parameters (see TPE URL Parameters), the URL is processed and then the query parameters are deleted. URL handling should be more reliable than before, particularly if you are not already signed into the app, or are using private browsing.
• Further refinements to rise/set calculations to streamline algorithms across web and mobile versions
• Added Polish translation (thank you, Jarek T!)
• Added American English as a language option (e.g. "Military time" rather than "24-hour clock", etc.)

2.0.46 - Jun 29 2020

• Refinements to rise/set calculations to better match mobile app results
• Under-the-hood additions in readiness for Milky Way support (coming soon)

2.0.45 - Jun 19 2020

• Restore Google Elevation service correctly in a new session if it was previously selected

2.0.44 - Jun 18 2020

• PRO users can now select which elevation data service they would like to use. Guidance on selection is available here: Understanding elevation data sources
• During sign up, if you're already registered, the displayed message is now friendlier and includes a link directly to the Sign In page

2.0.43 - Jun 8 2020

• Sign In page now includes a 'Keep me signed in' option. This avoids generating a long-lived authentication token for users who prefer not to stay signed in between sessions. When checked, you can stay signed in for up to 12 months if your browser is not configured to reject or delete cookies between sessions

2.0.42 - Jun 6 2020

• Adds Spanish and Korean localizations
• A warning is displayed if we cannot deliver successfully to your registered account email address: you should update and re-verify your email address. If you believe it's a "false positive", i.e. the email address is correct, then sign out and request a password reset email - if it is delivered successfully, the warning will be cleared
• Updated privacy policy and additional cookie policy

2.0.41 - Jun 4 2020

• For free users, the default topographic map has been changed from OpenTopoMap to OpenCycleMap. We've been seeing persistent performance issues with OpenTopoMap, likely due to high traffic levels.

2.0.40 - Jun 2 2020

• When geodetics is enabled, a saved location can now be used to set the secondary pin (or the primary pin). This option is displayed only geodetics is enabled in order to keep the user experience simpler for users unfamiliar with the geodetics tools.

2.0.39 - May 31 2020

• Add notranslate tags to prevent Google Translate from prompting to translate the site (which is not supported and breaks things)
• Add styling to <noscript> tag to ensure legibility
• Add link to "Why won't this site load" article, displayed if app fails to initialize
• Add warning about Google Translate (not supported) to error component

2.0.38 - May 28 2020

• Initial v2.0 public release