Clear Outside Weather Forecasts for Astronomers

[Karl Perera]

Thanks for this! Just taken a look at the site and it is great I will be using this in addition to the app...

[FLO]

21 hours ago, Pixies said:

Just noticed that the DarkSky API support is now ending 31 March 2023. Does @FLO have any plans for alternative forecast data?

No need for concern. All is in hand 🙂 

[SiD the Turtle]

Hi there! I think the Android version needs updating to support Android 14. It will not install on the latest OS as Google Play says 'This item is not compatible with your device'. Works on phones running older OSes. Have also dropped a line to the bug report email.

[SiD the Turtle]

@FLO any news on support for Android 14?

[PhilB61]

Works fine on my Android 14 Pixel phone, but I probably already had it on the phone before the phone updated from Android 13 to 14.

[PhilB61]

Interestingly I just looked on Google Play and as you say, the app store  says this app is no longer compatible with your device, contact the developer. But it does still work for me exactly as before. I wonder if FLO have the app available to download directly from there website so that you can side load and install rather than through G Play.

[SiD the Turtle]

Yeah if you read the reviews, you'll see lots of complaints. I'm no expert but I wonder if it's something silly like each time a new Android version comes out, the developer has to go and tick a box to say it's compatible (or fix any compatibility issues). I'm sure if I sourced the APK I could sideload it, but wondering if there's could be an official update.

[Richard N]

On 01/04/2024 at 09:40, SiD the Turtle said:

Yeah if you read the reviews, you'll see lots of complaints. I'm no expert but I wonder if it's something silly like each time a new Android version comes out, the developer has to go and tick a box to say it's compatible (or fix any compatibility issues). I'm sure if I sourced the APK I could sideload it, but wondering if there's could be an official update.

Isn’t it just a web page?

[Zermelo]

1 hour ago, Richard N said:

Isn’t it just a web page?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.firstlightoptics.clearoutside

[Richard N]

4 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.firstlightoptics.clearoutside

https://clearoutside.com/   No app needed. 

[Zermelo]

17 minutes ago, Richard N said:

https://clearoutside.com/   No app needed. 

Indeed, and I use both.

I was answering "isn't it just a Web page?"

[SiD the Turtle]

The android app works a little better in app than the mobile website.

[SiD the Turtle]

With all respect to @FLO for providing the Android app free of charge, the lack of response here and to my emails is disappointing.

[Grant]

I built the app and I’ve been on holiday this week so haven’t been able to respond.

Android have made some changes which mean in essence we have to rebuild the app entirely if we want to support the latest versions of Android and given the app is just a wrapper for the website we are instead moving to a progressive web app model which will work on all platforms and make future updates much quicker to deploy.

I expect a beta version of this to be available in late-April / early-May.

[Clarkey]

1 hour ago, Grant said:

I expect a beta version of this to be available in late-April / early-May

Now we just need some weather worth forecasting!🤣

[Mr Spock]

While you are updating it, can you get rid of all that red. I don't like it 

[SiD the Turtle]

22 hours ago, Grant said:

I built the app and I’ve been on holiday this week so haven’t been able to respond.

Android have made some changes which mean in essence we have to rebuild the app entirely if we want to support the latest versions of Android and given the app is just a wrapper for the website we are instead moving to a progressive web app model which will work on all platforms and make future updates much quicker to deploy.

I expect a beta version of this to be available in late-April / early-May.

Hi Grant, thanks for the news, sorry that the latest version of Android is a pain!

[Albir phil]

Thanks that will do for me🤗👏

[TiffsAndAstro]

On 09/06/2014 at 13:19, FLO said:

"It is not the employer who pays the wages. 

Employers only handle the money. 

It is the customer who pays the wages."  Henry Ford

First Light Optics is only one month away from her seventh birthday. With your support, we have grown from a single person working from home to a team of seven operating from two units on a business park in Exeter. We could not have done this without you, so we are hugely grateful. 

Earlier this year, we began wondering how to give something back to the community. We already sponsor Stargazerslounge, which benefits its members and others searching for info. But many of our customers don't belong to this or any other forum. We considered emailing all our customers a one-off discount code, but that felt wrong because it would benefit only those in a position to buy. Then Grant came up with an elegant idea - a weather forecast for astronomers.

Of course, other forecast sites are available with an astronomy theme, but often, they use only a single freely available data source or, worse, scrape data from other sites. And they tend to be built on a budget, so they don't update frequently enough to be useful or provide limited information, so you need to visit multiple sites to obtain a full picture. So, we decided to build the best weather forecast site focused entirely on astronomy and to release it free of charge. 

Clear Outside Weather Forecasts for Astronomers

Here are some key features: 

• Hourly forecasts, updated hourly. 
• Easy-to-understand traffic-light indicators with a drop-down menu for those wanting more information. 
• Without giving too much away, we use an aggregate of several weather models, including the UK Met Office, the Norwegian Met Office and the American NOAA. 
• We have invested in commercial weather data services and a dedicated infrastructure to provide the most reliable, up-to-date forecast and long-term stability. 
• Detailed Sun and Moon rise, set and meridian data are accurately modelled on your location. 
• Similarly, we have integrated the ISS pass over times and other information modelled on your precise longitude and latitude. 

 

For more information, please click the 'How to Use' button and take the tour. We have also included a 'Contact Us' page where you can make suggestions and leave feedback and a ‘Road Map’ page where we will detail upgrades and developments we are working on. 

 

Clear Outside is our gift to you, the astronomy community, for your support over the years. We hope you like it 

 

Regards, 

 

SteveG, Annette, James, Grant, Lisa, Martin & SteveB. 

Hopefully this might replace the 17 weathers I concurrently use

  Henry ford was an anti Semite, union buster and nazi supporter

Edited April 9 by TiffsAndAstro