Look up into a sky with no light pollution to witness something like one annular solar eclipse is one thing, but occasionally you need to orchestrate your stargazing plans in finer detail. You may have bought a telescope because you thought it was easy to use, but maybe it didn’t allow you to see the surface of Jupiter in dramatic detail because, to be honest, you don’t really know how to damn it Thing served.
Fortunately, there are many apps that are designed to make it easier to see the cosmos. If you are serious about some of the more striking visual events unfolding in the night sky this month then you should consult one of them, if only to enhance your stargazing experience and maybe learn a thing or two in the process.
The best stargazing apps
Some apps are used for the observation and planning part of your experience because, technically, you need to know where to look in the big, expansive sky. According to astronomy photographer Chris Westphal, the Stellarium, StarMap 3D + and AstroAid apps are particularly suitable for this.
- Stellarium: Available for iOS and Android, helps explain what you actually see when you look up, with helpful charts and written summaries. It works by pointing your phone at the sky, which sounds simple enough.
- StarMap 3D +: This app does what its name suggests, helping you find stars, constellations, and other visual joys. The locations of “50 artificial satellites, including the International Space Station (ISS) and the Hubble Space Telescope” are also available. It is only for ok availableS however.
- Astro Help: This app helps you understand what theoretically you should see when looking through a telescope, with multiple visualizations attached to different lenses. This is best for astrophotographers because it “contains extensive lists of well-known manufacturers-supplied telescopes, camera lenses, eyepieces, imagers, and optical aids”. It’s only available for iOS User.
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Westphal says of these three apps: “The first two are Planisphere Style apps that are good for planning interesting objects, and the latter indicates how objects should fit into an eyepiece / telescope or camera / telescope combination. “
Other stargazing apps
- NASA: Humanity is indebted to NASA for a number of reasons, but if you want to boost your astronomical acumen I would suggest the Space Agency app. NASA’s app informs rather than an actionable roadmap to the stars, but it helps you better understand what you’re seeing when you finally see it. Available for iOS and Android.
- SkyView: It helps understand what you see when you stare at burning gas balls millions of miles away, and SkyView should help you achieve that. Point your phone at the sky and the app will do the hard work for you, once again explaining what exactly you see when you tilt your head back. Available for iOS and Android.
- StarWalk 2: An augmented reality app that lets you view stars in their past, present, and future iterations? That’s what StarWalk 2 promises. It’s on the more exhaustive side, which isn’t bad at all, as it promises a “real-time map” of the stars above, in addition to a time machine function that can transport you back to the sky eons ago. Available for iOS and Android.
There are there are also more appsif you’re really interested, wade through all of the options. Nevertheless, it is often just enough to go outside in an area free of light pollution to experience the cosmos from its most majestic side. Often no apps are necessary for this.
