There is something exciting and calming about staring up at the night sky and watching the universe in all its starry glory. But many of us who live in metropolitan areas with constant light and air pollution would consider ourselves lucky if we could even see the beginning of the north, forgetting all the constellations of stars.
But thanks to the wonders of technology, there are many stargazing apps that will allow you to see and understand the constellations in the night sky. Here, we have put together a list of some of the best stargazing apps that you can use.
Google Sky (Sky Map)
Think of Google Sky as the stellar analog of Google Maps. With Google Sky, you can observe space using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Digitized Sky Survey.
You can access Google Maps through both your personal computer and your mobile phone, either on a browser or using the app for anyone. Google Maps will give you a view of a space unobstructed by pollution, clouds or anything else. The app for Google Sky is now known as Sky Map because it was donated by Google and made open source.
Star Tracker (iOS and Android)
The Star Tracker app can show you more than 88 constellations and over 8,000 space objects as well as the Sun, Moon and planets in real time. The Star Tracker app is available on both iOS and Android and has an AR mode that indicates the positions of all celestial objects. The app is free but has an ad-free version and a full version with more features.
Skyview (iOS and Android)
With the Skyview app, you can point your mobile device at the sky to begin identifying galaxies, stars, constellations, planets and even the International Space Station. Available on both iOS and Android with free and paid versions, the app has One Night More and an AR feature, so you can use it all the time.
It also has a Sky Path feature that lets users track objects in space to see their location at particular dates and times. It also has a time travel option that will tell users what the sky looked like in the past and what it will look like in the future
SkySafari (iOS and Android)
The SkySafari astronomy app lets users hold their phones up in the sky to identify planets, constellations, stars and satellites. Like Skyview, SkySafari can also be used to see what the sky might have looked like in the distant past or distant future.
Users can also simulate other celestial events such as meteor showers, eclipses and approaching comets. It has a constellation drawing feature that will depict constellations if you cannot visualize them properly. Along with the mythological information, the app also brings a lot of mythological and scientific information.
NASA App (iOS and Android)
While not quite a stargazing app like the others on the list, no stargazer’s technical toolkit is complete without the space agency’s official app. In addition to viewing thousands of images in NASA’s photo gallery, you can also live stream NASA events such as rocket launches and eclipses via NASA TV.
The app also has a lot of information about NASA missions, celestial objects, upcoming sightings and other space-related news.
