CNET Editors' review
For Muslims, time, place, and direction are critical to worship. Accurate Times by the Jordanian Astronomical Society is the perfect tool for the task. This compact freeware calculates prayer time, sun time, direction, date, and other data with an accuracy of two seconds or less. It offers Arabic and English language options, accurate graphical displays, and some important extras.
Accurate Times has a simple, compact interface that is nicely configured, displaying our location and other data as well as the day's prayer times. The layout slightly resembles a telescope control panel, which (not surprisingly) it is, in a way, since a button labeled Telescope includes a tool to control an astronomical telescope using data from Accurate Times. That impressed us right away since accurate local observations are essential in Islam. We started by pressing the Location button, which let us choose our city from a staggeringly extensive list as well as specify our latitude and longitude and time zone manually. We could also set our elevation above sea level, fine tune our distance from a default city location in kilometers for accurate Fajer and Shuroq times, and even specify the atmospheric refraction in temperature and pressure for good "seeing." We could also specify the date, including calculations for future dates; calculate Prayer Times, Moon Times, Moon Phases, Crescent Visibility, and Sun and Moon Ephemeris (positions); convert dates; set Prayer Alerts; and more. The program's Preferences included highly accurate settings for twilight, summertime (Daylight Saving) settings, high-latitude alternative prayer times, and other options.
Accurate Times is extremely quick and easy to use, once you've set it up properly. For instance, clicking Qiblah Direction called up a simple, no-nonsense pop-up indicating the exact direction of Mecca from our location as degrees from true north. We could also open a Qiblah Map and find the times for the sun and the sun's shadow. Prayer Alerts can be audible. Accurate Times is based on data from the Islamic Crescents' Observation Project. The ability to control a telescope truly distinguishes this superior tool.
Publisher's Description
From Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS):
Calculates prayer times, moon times, qiblah direction, the time at the sun is at the qiblah direction, Hijri-miladi date conversion, English or Arabic languages. The program produces very accurate results, where the mean error does not exceed two seconds at most. The software is prepared by astronomers.
What's new in this version: Version 5.3.4 revised locations for the following countries: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia.
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"GOOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE TOO BUSY TO THINK"
Version: Accurate Times 5.3.1
Pros
The clock is accurate, the info is good, it's handy little program
Cons
slows down my computer too much, more info than I really need...
Summary
it nice that someone has made & designed a program gear for the Islamic Community. for those people that are really busy(business types) this is a good reminder of when to pray...the only really big problem I have with it, is it slows down my computer so much that I can not get anything done.
I have to admit tho, I have an older lap top computer with a Vista OS & so it's not as efficient as a newer computer would be. -
"One of the best programs to calculate Islamic prayer times and Qibla direction!!"
Version: Accurate Times 5.1.9
Pros
Everything is beautiful except the cons that was observed while using the program.
Cons
In setting the twilight to calculate times for Fajr and Isha prayers, the method of Um-Al-Qura (Makkah) should be added where the twilight angle for Fajr is 19 and Isha prayer is 90 minutes after the sunset prayer (or 120 minutes in the month of Ramadan). The custom method should also include the time for Fajr by angle or by interval (minutes before sunrise - usually 90) as well as for Isha by angle or by interval (minutes after sunset - usually 90). At extreme latitudes (above 48 north or below 48 south) the twilight may persist between sunset and the next sunrise, so Fajr and Isha times should be computed using some rules such as nearest latitude, nearest day, middle of night or 1/7th of night. If summer time is considered, it should start/end on a fixed date or on a fixed weekday. Example of fixed weekday is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or last Friday (or any other weekday) of October (or any other month). Safety times (which offset time discrepancies between actual and assumed location) should include Isha prayer like other prayers, and it should include both adding and subtracting minutes from calculated times. For example, Duhr prayer could be delayed 90 minutes (maximum) after Zawal and Mughreb prayer 15 minutes (maximum) after sunset. For prayer alerts, you should be able to select from a variety of included Athans or use your own Athan for each Prayer. The program should find the Qibla direction from geographic north, from magnetic north, and the shadow of sun. The sun's shadow method should include certain times of the day when the shadow of a vertical object bears a simple angle (zero, 45, 90, 135 or 180) to the Qibla at these times.
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"very good program"
Version: Accurate Times 5.1.1
Pros
so easy to use
and so helpfull
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