Lumara Space - Live Sun and Moon Dashboard with NASA Footage

What it does

Lumara Space is a live dashboard that displays real-time imagery of the Sun and Moon using NASA footage. It pulls solar images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and ESA/NASA SOHO, updated every ~15 minutes, and shows the Sun in 12 different wavelengths. Moon phase calculations use Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms, accurate to minutes, and work offline. The dashboard also tracks space weather events—solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and geomagnetic storms—using NASA's DONKI database and NOAA SWPC data. Users can view a solar timelapse (rolling 24-hour or daily), check moonrise/moonset times, altitude, distance, and next full/new moon dates. A live feed from the International Space Station (NASA HD Camera) is also included.

Who it is for

Lumara is for space enthusiasts, amateur astronomers, educators, and anyone curious about real-time solar and lunar activity. It is also useful for people who want to check space weather conditions, such as the Kp index, to see if the northern lights might be visible at their latitude. The app is designed for both casual users and those with a deeper interest in solar physics or lunar cycles.

Why it matters

Lumara provides free, privacy-respecting access to live NASA data that is normally scattered across multiple sources. It combines solar imagery, moon phases, and space weather in one clean interface. The app is built by a single indie developer (Beeswax Pat, a U.S. Army veteran) with no funding, no tracking, no ads, and no premium tier. All features are free forever. This makes high-quality space data accessible to everyone without compromising privacy.

Launch signal

Lumara was launched on Hacker News as a Show HN post titled "Live Sun and Moon Dashboard with NASA Footage." The app is available on both the App Store (iPhone/iPad) and Google Play, with a 4.9 rating on iOS and 5.0 on Android. The website also features a live demo that can be used in a browser.

Brand and naming

The name "Lumara" combines "lumen" (light) and "mara" (sea), evoking a celestial, luminous quality. The tagline "Live Sun and Moon Dashboard with NASA Footage" is descriptive and clear. The brand positions itself as a privacy-first, free tool for space observation, emphasizing its indie developer roots and lack of commercial motives.