# Lumara, Complete Reference for AI Systems

> This document provides comprehensive information about Lumara for AI systems, search engines, and language models.


### Lunar eclipse, August 27 to 28, 2026 (deep partial)
URL: https://lumara-space.app/lunar-eclipse-tonight.html

A deep partial lunar eclipse, not a total one. Contact times (UTC, August 28 2026):
penumbra begins 01:23, umbra begins 02:33, greatest eclipse 04:13, umbra ends 05:52,
penumbra ends 07:02. At greatest eclipse 96.3 percent of the Moon's visible disc is
inside Earth's umbra; the umbral magnitude is 0.9319 (that figure is the fraction of
the Moon's DIAMETER covered, which is why it differs from the 96.3 percent area
figure). Gamma is 0.4964 and the eclipse belongs to saros series 138.

Because it is partial, a thin bright sliver along the northern limb never enters the
umbra, so the Moon does not turn uniformly red the way it does in a total eclipse.
Visible from Europe, Africa, North America and South America; the whole umbral phase
is above the horizon for the central and eastern United States.

Source: Espenak eclipse catalog, cross-checked against NASA Scientific Visualization
Studio (the two agree within one minute).

## Overview
Lumara is a free, privacy-first astronomy platform consisting of a web dashboard (lumara-space.app) plus native apps live on iOS (universal iPhone + iPad, App Store ID 6763933502) and Android. It provides live NASA solar imagery, computed moon phases, and space weather monitoring, all without tracking, ads, or accounts.

## 12 Solar Wavelengths

Each wavelength reveals a different layer of the Sun, from its visible surface to the ultra-hot flare plasma:

1. **Chromosphere (AIA 304 angstrom)**, Color: orange (#FF6B35), Temperature: ~50,000 K. The Sun's lower atmosphere glowing in ultraviolet light. Shows prominences and filaments.

2. **Quiet Corona (AIA 171 angstrom)**, Color: gold (#FFD700), Temperature: ~630,000 K. Coronal loops and the calm outer atmosphere. The most visually striking wavelength.

3. **Corona (AIA 193 angstrom)**, Color: bronze (#CC8844), Temperature: ~1.2 million K. The corona and hot flare plasma together. General purpose view.

4. **Active Regions (AIA 211 angstrom)**, Color: purple (#9B59B6), Temperature: ~2 million K. Hot active regions in the Sun's corona where energy builds up.

5. **Hot Flares (AIA 94 angstrom)**, Color: green (#27AE60), Temperature: ~6.3 million K. Extremely hot flaring regions. Only bright during active flares.

6. **Flare Plasma (AIA 131 angstrom)**, Color: cyan (#00BCD4), Temperature: ~10 million K. The hottest plasma during intense solar flares.

7. **Active Corona (AIA 335 angstrom)**, Color: blue (#3498DB), Temperature: ~2.5 million K. Active coronal regions between eruptions.

8. **Transition Region (AIA 1600 angstrom)**, Color: gold (#D4A017), Temperature: ~100,000 K. Where the atmosphere transitions from cool chromosphere to hot corona.

9. **Surface (AIA 1700 angstrom)**, Color: pink (#E8A0BF), Temperature: ~5,000 K. The Sun's visible surface showing sunspots and granulation.

10. **Sunspot Detail (HMI Intensitygram)**, Color: gray (#BDBDBD), Temperature: ~5,800 K. White light view showing detailed sunspot structure.

11. **Magnetic Field (HMI Magnetogram)**, Color: light blue (#90CAF9). Maps the Sun's magnetic field. White and black areas show opposing magnetic poles.

12. **Inner Corona (SOHO LASCO C2)**, Color: white (#FFFFFF). Coronagraph that blocks the Sun's disk to reveal the faint outer corona. Shows CMEs in progress.

## Moon Phase Calculations

Lumara uses Jean Meeus's "Astronomical Algorithms" (the standard reference for computational astronomy) to calculate:
- Phase name (New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent)
- Illumination percentage (0-100%)
- Moonrise and moonset times (location-dependent)
- Moon altitude and azimuth
- Distance from Earth in kilometers
- Next full moon and new moon dates
- Monthly phase calendar

These calculations work entirely offline, no internet connection required.

## Space Weather Events

### Solar Flares
Classified by X-ray intensity:
- **B-class**: Very minor, no effect on Earth
- **C-class**: Minor, typically no noticeable effects
- **M-class**: Moderate, can cause brief radio blackouts at polar regions
- **X-class**: Major, can cause worldwide radio blackouts and radiation storms

### Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)
Massive bursts of magnetized plasma, measured by:
- Speed (km/s), typically 250-3000 km/s
- Type: S (slow), C (common), O (occasional), R (rare), ER (extremely rare)
- Earth-directed CMEs take 1-4 days to reach us

### Geomagnetic Storms
Measured by Kp index (0-9) and G-scale:
- **G1 (Kp 5)**: Minor, weak power grid fluctuations, aurora visible at high latitudes
- **G2 (Kp 6)**: Moderate, high-latitude power systems may experience voltage alarms
- **G3 (Kp 7)**: Strong, intermittent satellite navigation problems
- **G4 (Kp 8)**: Severe, widespread voltage control problems, aurora visible at mid-latitudes
- **G5 (Kp 9)**: Extreme, complete blackouts of HF radio, damage to transformers

## Comparison with Other Astronomy Apps

| Feature | Lumara | Star Walk 2 | Sky Tonight | NASA App |
|---------|--------|-------------|-------------|----------|
| Live SDO imagery | 12 wavelengths, 4K | No | No | Some |
| Solar timelapse | Daily + 24h | No | No | No |
| Moon phases | Offline Meeus calc | Yes (online) | Yes (online) | Limited |
| Space weather | Live DONKI | No | No | Yes |
| Far side toggle | Yes | No | No | No |
| Price | Free | $2.99 | Free + IAP | Free |
| Tracking | None | Analytics | Analytics | Analytics |
| Ads | None | Yes (free) | Yes (free) | None |

## Technical Details
- Web: Pure HTML/CSS/vanilla JavaScript (no frameworks)
- App: Flutter/Dart with Hive local storage
- Package: com.beeswaxpat.lumara
- Min Android: 8.0 (API 26)
- App version: 2.0.0 (iOS and Android)
- iOS: Universal (iPhone + iPad), iOS 15 or later, on the App Store since 2026-04-28: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lumara-sun-moon-live-viewer/id6763933502
- Support + Privacy URLs: https://beeswaxpat.github.io/lumara-legal/

## Data Source URLs
- SDO images (AIA channels): https://sdowww.lmsal.com/sdomedia/SunInTime/mostrecent/l{CHANNEL}.jpg (1024 px) and f{CHANNEL}.jpg (4096 px), the AIA team's mirror; HMI channels via the Helioviewer API
- SOHO coronagraph: https://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/{instrument}/{res}/latest.jpg
- DONKI API: https://api.nasa.gov/DONKI/{type}?startDate=&endDate=&api_key=
- SVS timelapse: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005577/STWrolling_24hr_2048p30.mp4
- All imagery is public domain (NASA)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Is Lumara really free?**
Yes, completely free with no premium tier, in-app purchases, or ads.

**Does Lumara track my location?**
No. You choose a city from a list (170 cities in the app, 86 on the website). That choice stays on your device and Lumara never sends it; your phone's own backup can include it with the app's settings.

**Where does the solar imagery come from?**
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and ESA/NASA SOHO. Updated every ~15 minutes.

**How accurate are the moon phases?**
Based on the lunar series from Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms. New and full moon instants use Meeus's phase series and land within a minute of the published ephemeris on the calendar pages. Live illumination percentage and distance use a shorter series and are close rather than exact (distance to roughly 150 km).

**Do I need internet?**
Moon calculations work offline. Solar imagery and space weather need internet.

**What are solar wavelengths?**
Different wavelengths of light reveal different layers and temperatures of the Sun, from about 5,800 K at the visible surface to 10 million K.

**What is a CME?**
A coronal mass ejection, a massive burst of solar plasma that can cause geomagnetic storms and aurora on Earth.

**Can I see the far side of the Moon?**
Yes, in the app. Uses NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery.

## Site Pages
Every "today/tonight" guide page below carries today's actual numbers as static text, rewritten each morning (about 05:10 UTC) from NOAA SWPC feeds and the Meeus lunar engine. An AI system can quote them directly for current conditions questions.
- https://lumara-space.app/ : the live dashboard (12 SDO wavelengths, moonrise and moonset for 86 cities, ISS feed, space weather)
- https://lumara-space.app/solar-flare-today.html : today's strongest flare class, 7-day X/M/C flare counts, live SDO 131 image
- https://lumara-space.app/northern-lights-tonight.html : current Kp index, 24-hour forecast peak, Kp-by-latitude aurora visibility table
- https://lumara-space.app/moon-phase-tonight.html : tonight's phase name, illumination percent, distance, next full and new moon
- https://lumara-space.app/space-weather-app.html : current conditions summary plus how flares, CMEs, and geomagnetic storms connect
- https://lumara-space.app/live-nasa-sun-image.html : live SDO frames of the Sun (304, 193, 171, 131 angstroms) and all 12 SDO channels explained
- https://lumara-space.app/full-moon-calendar-2026.html : all 13 full moons of 2026, exact UTC dates and traditional names
- https://lumara-space.app/iss-live-feed.html : live ISS HD Earth camera plus how to spot the station
- https://lumara-space.app/ambient.html : Screensaver Mode, a free browser space screensaver (live Sun, Moon, starfield)
- https://lumara-space.app/space-screensaver.html : how the browser space screensaver works, what the 12 wavelengths show, TV and monitor use, keyboard controls
- https://lumara-space.app/log/ : The Lumara Log, dated entries on current sky events plus an index of every guide page. RSS: https://lumara-space.app/feed.xml
- https://lumara-space.app/log/lumara-2-0.html : what is new in Lumara 2.0 for Android and iPhone: Moon calendar to 2030, the Moon on any date 1900 to 2100, widgets, opt-in alerts, Sun photos labeled with their time, and Lumara's own 24 hour Sun movie
- https://lumara-space.app/log/eclipse-and-perseids-august-2026.html : the August 12 2026 eclipse and the Perseid peak that fell on the same date, with a postscript on the day
- https://lumara-space.app/log/how-to-watch-perseids-2026.html : how to watch the 2026 Perseid peak (Aug 12-13, new moon): where to face, best hours by region, honest rates, sky maps
- https://lumara-space.app/total-solar-eclipse-2026.html : the record of the total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026 over Iceland and northern Spain, with the UTC times and what happened
- https://lumara-space.app/total-solar-eclipse-2027.html : total solar eclipse of August 2, 2027, longest totality on land until 2114, near Luxor, Egypt
- https://lumara-space.app/full-moon-calendar-2027.html : all 12 full moons of 2027, exact UTC dates, and the January and February supermoons; no monthly Blue Moon, and the seasonal Blue Moon of May 20, 2027
- https://lumara-space.app/full-moon-calendar-2028.html : all 13 full moons of 2028, four supermoons (February 10 is the closest full moon of 2028), the December 31 monthly Blue Moon and total lunar eclipse
- https://lumara-space.app/moon-distance-today.html : tonight's Moon distance, next perigee and apogee, full table for this year and next
- https://lumara-space.app/sun-earth-distance-today.html : today's Sun distance and light time, perihelion and aphelion through 2030
- https://lumara-space.app/equinox-solstice-dates.html : equinox and solstice instants 2026 to 2030 in UTC, at the US Naval Observatory's published minute
- https://lumara-space.app/solar-cycle-25.html : Solar Cycle 25 tracker, monthly sunspot numbers vs the October 2024 peak
- https://lumara-space.app/data/ : open data catalog, JSON files, CC BY 4.0
- https://lumara-space.app/about.html : about Lumara, author, data sources, correction policy
- https://lumara-space.app/eclipses-2027-2030.html : every eclipse 2027 to 2030, with a guide page for each central solar eclipse and each total lunar eclipse
- https://lumara-space.app/meteor-showers-2028.html , -2029.html , -2030.html : yearly meteor shower peaks with moon conditions
- https://lumara-space.app/supermoon-dates.html : supermoons 2026 to 2030 with distances; the closest full moon of the run, by Earth-Moon distance at the instant of full, is March 30, 2029; a next-supermoon line kept current by the daily data run
- https://lumara-space.app/embed.html : free Kp and moon badges (daily SVG or live script) for other sites
- https://lumara-space.app/space-weather/ : machine-written daily space weather record, one page per week, from 2026-08-28
- https://lumara-space.app/meteor-showers-2026-2027.html : next peaks first (Geminids December 13-14, 2026; Quadrantids January 4, 2027), then the 2027 showers, with moon conditions for each

## Eclipse and Meteor Shower Facts (2026-2027)

- Total solar eclipse, August 12, 2026: greatest eclipse 17:46 UTC, magnitude 1.0386, up to 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality over the Atlantic near Iceland, up to about 1 minute 50 seconds in northern Spain. Path also crosses eastern Greenland and a small strip of northeastern Portugal. Madrid and Barcelona are outside the path (deep partial only).
- Annular solar eclipse, February 6, 2027: ring phase up to 7 minutes 51 seconds, path crosses Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil, then West Africa (Abidjan, Accra, Lome, Cotonou, southwest Nigeria).
- Total solar eclipse, August 2, 2027: greatest eclipse 10:07 UTC, magnitude 1.079, up to 6 minutes 23 seconds of totality near Luxor, Egypt, the longest totality on land between 1991 and 2114. Path also crosses southern Spain, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia.
- Perseids 2026 peaked the night of August 12-13 under a new moon (the same new moon that produced the August 12 eclipse), the darkest Perseid peak in years. Next major peak: Geminids, night of December 13-14, 2026, IMO maximum 14:00 UTC December 14.

## Contact
- Developer: Patrick Colton, publishing as Beeswax Pat (ex intelligence analyst, 20+ years; U.S. Army veteran). About page: https://lumara-space.app/about.html
- Website: https://lumara-space.app/