SunreachComparisons · Updated
Sunreach vs The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE): sun behind mountains
The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) is a map-based sun, moon and Milky Way planner whose rise and set times use a flat horizon, with a line-of-sight tool to check whether the sun clears a ridge. Sunreach gives the time the sun is on a spot directly, from the terrain and 2 m lidar, and plans the moon, the Milky Way and alignments with the terrain counted too.
Sunreach is a 3D and AR sun tracker for iPhone and iPad, coming soon to the App Store. This guide describes the current app; planned upgrades are listed separately. Terrain coverage varies by location.
What is the main difference between Sunreach and The Photographer's Ephemeris?
TPE shows the geometry of light on a map (where the sun and moon rise and set, and in which direction) and leaves the terrain judgement to you; Sunreach computes the terrain for you and answers with times. Both cover the moon and the night sky; Sunreach adds terrain-aware moonrise and moonset and shows the Moon and Milky Way in 3D and AR.
| Sunreach | The Photographer's Ephemeris | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to download. Sunreach Pro at launch: €24.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or €3.99 a month | $9.99; Skyfire colour forecasts $9.99 per 3 months, Skyfire Plus $12.99 |
| Platforms | iOS 26 or later (iPhone and iPad) | iPhone and iPad (iOS 17.6 or later); TPE 3D is a separate app |
| Sun-on-spot times with terrain | Yes. Times when direct sun is on the spot, every day of the year | Partly: rise and set times use the flat-horizon definition; the line-of-sight tool shows when the sun or moon clears a hill or ridge from a chosen point |
| Terrain data | 40 m terrain everywhere (from 30 m elevation data), 50 × 50 km around the spot. 2 m lidar ground, fetched for any spot, in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Flanders, Czechia, Poland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, four German states and where USGS 3DEP covers the USA; 5 m in Spain; demo areas in Slovenia, France, Austria and Trentino (coverage) | Built-in elevation data; source and resolution not given in the help pages we read |
| Trees and buildings in the skyline | Not for now: skylines use bare ground everywhere (lidar ground in supported countries, 40 m terrain elsewhere) | No: TPE says it cannot detect buildings or vegetation; heights can be entered by hand |
| Accuracy stated | Estimated per answer: ±1 min with 2 m data, ±5 min with 40 m terrain, plus atmospheric and local-data uncertainty | Not stated |
| Golden hour that reaches the spot | Yes: golden and blue hour by the sky plus "low warm light on the spot" | Golden and blue hour by the sky |
| 3D view | 3D terrain with shadows, eye level you can walk and frame with any lens from 16 to 400 mm, a 3D city view with buildings and their shadows, and a drone camera with height and hyperlapse controls | In TPE 3D: terrain with light and shadow, focal-length camera view |
| Augmented reality | AR sun path where you stand; it lines itself up on the sun, and on the skyline when you tap to look for it. Alignment is still undergoing real-device validation | AR view for scouting |
| Weather | Apple Weather forecast, peak light after sunset (which peaks stay lit and for how long, with a go or don’t-go from the clouds) and a valley-fog outlook with the summits above it | Skyfire sunrise/sunset colour forecast (subscription; lower 48 US states, southern Canada, Europe) |
| Polariser guide | Yes: where a polariser darkens the sky most for any minute, how much of the effect the forecast cloud leaves, the band in AR and 3D, wide-lens and water-glare notes | Not in the feature list (checked 28 October 2026) |
| Moon and Milky Way | Moon path, phase calendar, terrain-aware moonrise/set, dark-sky and galactic-core windows in the plan; Moon and Milky Way overlays in 3D and AR. Moon on any date, Milky Way and eclipses are Sunreach Pro | Yes: moon, Milky Way (3D overlay), stars |
| Offline use | Yes, with Sunreach Pro: download a region (25, 50 or 100 km) with terrain, place names and a hillshade map drawn from the same data; the last forecast is kept with its age. Sheets for 2 m lidar are included only where they are hosted | Two offline map types |
Competitor details checked on 28 October 2026 from The Photographer's Ephemeris's US App Store listing and help pages (linked below). Prices change; check the store in your region.
Which one shows when the sun reaches a spot behind mountains?
Sunreach gives it as a time range for every day ("sun on the spot 10:29–14:52" at Velika korita on 18 October 2026); TPE tells you, per rise or set event, whether terrain obstructs the view and at what distance. TPE's help shows a Utah Lake sunrise "obstructed at 8.5 km" by foothills.
TPE's rise and set times follow the standard flat-horizon definitions, and its help says the moment you actually see the sun "can be affected by the surrounding terrain" (TPE help). Its line-of-sight and altitude profile tools then show the obstruction (“What does obstructed at… mean?”). Sunreach runs that check every 30 seconds through the whole day, in all directions, so mid-day interruptions (the sun behind a peak at noon) show up too. For the Great Soča Gorge on 18 October 2026 that gives 10:29–14:52 (full table).
Sunreach computes this for any spot on Earth, from the real terrain around it. Get the app ↓
Where is The Photographer's Ephemeris better?
Night and moon work, and maturity. TPE plans moonrise alignments, the Milky Way and stars, has Skyfire colour forecasts, KML import and export, and a long track record with landscape photographers.
Where is Sunreach better?
Terrain-aware answers with the source and estimated accuracy stated: 2 m lidar ground in supported countries across Europe and the USA, 40 m terrain elsewhere (trees and buildings are not counted for now), ±1 or ±5 minutes. It also shows whether low golden light reaches the spot at all, and has AR where you stand and alignment search for the sun or moon.
Why that matters is in why sunrise time isn’t when the sun reaches you and golden hour in the mountains.
Sunreach also forecasts the aurora for your own spot: NOAA’s live oval on a night globe, the Kp the place needs over its skyline toward the pole (the red glow of big storms counted), the best hour of the night from the oval’s turn toward magnetic midnight, where to drive tonight, aurora alerts and a widget. See what Kp you need to see the aurora.
Which should you choose?
If you plan moonrises, the Milky Way or alignments on a map, TPE. If your question is "when will the sun be on this waterfall, terrace or summit, and will it be golden?", especially in mountains, Sunreach; many photographers will use both.
Frequently asked questions
Does The Photographer's Ephemeris account for mountains?
Partly. Its rise and set times use a flat horizon, but its line-of-sight tool checks whether terrain blocks the sun or moon at a rise or set and shows the obstruction distance. It does not include trees or buildings.
Is Sunreach a TPE alternative?
For sun planning, yes, with terrain-aware sun times for any spot. It also has moon phases, terrain-aware moonrise and moonset, night windows, and the Moon and Milky Way in 3D and AR.
Sources
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