A spectral live stream of NYC sunlight

Name: A spectral live stream of NYC sunlight
Availability: InStock
Author: carterpeterson

by carterpeterson·Jul 16, 2026·3 points·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●SolidNiche GemCozy

Real-time spectral data stream specifically designed to visualize smoke impact on sunlight.

Strengths

•Uses actual OceanOptics SR-6 hardware instead of estimated camera data.
•Visualizes specific metrics like CCT and CIE 1931 photopic Y in real time.
•Built with a clear personal motivation from past wildfire events.

Weaknesses

•Extremely niche utility unless you are specifically tracking atmospheric anomalies.
•Lacks historical comparison tools or export features for the raw spectral data.

Post Description

As NYC is likely to experience a significant amount of smoke today, I setup a live stream of the spectral power of incoming sunlight.

I lived in SF during the orange day of 2020, and NYC during its own orange day of 2023. During both of these events I wished I had a spectral recording to see how the smoke affected the spectrum of the sunlight.

In an effort to not miss it again, I've setup a live stream of the sky outside my apartment and the light spectrum as captured with an OceanOptics SR-6 spectrometer.