USE THIS APP & IMPROVE ALL OUR LIVES!! Please?

[Liquid360]

I'm in no way affiliated with this app. I'm just a user of it. The app is called Dark Sky Finder and it's available on ios and android I believe. It uses the most current available data to show where light pollution is. It has a feature where you enter your favorite dark sky sites, review them, and then it shares your data with all users. Not many people are using it so there's a great deal of data needed. If everyone started using this app, all of our lives would be VASTLY improved!!! Please give it a look!!!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dark-sky-finder/id546529400?mt=8

[VigdisVZ]

Looks like a good idea, but you sure you want to trust your phone to a company that also makes an app for stalking?

[ronin]

How will it improve our lives?

Looks like it is another that predicts the LP from the population level. I already know that in the centre of Cambridge it is light polluted. It was light polluted long before these things appeared on the surface of the earth. Unlike every one of these I also know that West of the M11 it is reasonably dark, unfortunately the statistical analysis these sites use predict otherwise. So they say light pollution and I sit looking at the milky way.

My "main" observing site is actually shielded by some low hills, and is actually pretty good for observing, but statistically it comes up bad as it is considered too close to 2 towns, but both those towns are hidden. I do not need an app to tell me what is or is not dark, may be strange these days in an app for everything but my eyes work pretty good for this sort of thing.

Also I have Android, and do not intend to buy an iAnything.

[pete_l]

There are other dark sky apps. There's even one that uses the phone's camera to measure the sky darkness and then uses that reading on the globally accessible map.

[Liquid360]

Everyone is missing the point [emoji57] this app doesn't just show a lp map!!! It allows US to add data!!! Sharing it across all users!!!!!

[Liquid360]

You use GPS to add a pin to your site, write a review as specific as you want, even a note saying STAY AWAY then all users see your review. It'd make finding a dark sky spot LOTS easier by being able to read reviews by other astronomers!! That's not cool??

[Liquid360]

It's like YELP only for amateur astronomers!!

[davedownsouth]

How will it improve our lives?

Looks like it is another that predicts the LP from the population level. I already know that in the centre of Cambridge it is light polluted. It was light polluted long before these things appeared on the surface of the earth. Unlike every one of these I also know that West of the M11 it is reasonably dark, unfortunately the statistical analysis these sites use predict otherwise. So they say light pollution and I sit looking at the milky way.

My "main" observing site is actually shielded by some low hills, and is actually pretty good for observing, but statistically it comes up bad as it is considered too close to 2 towns, but both those towns are hidden. I do not need an app to tell me what is or is not dark, may be strange these days in an app for everything but my eyes work pretty good for this sort of thing.

Also I have Android, and do not intend to buy an iAnything.

It would improve my life if I happened to be doing an overnight stop near you and you had said that the place you go to is actually good for observing from.  Not tried the App yet, but if it has a grid reference number for a site which has easy parking and has good dark skies, I would definitely pay for that App

[Liquid360]

It does use grid ref!! It's seriously well done... And I hate hocking an app when I get no cut, but c'est la vive.

[Scott]

As long as ALL astronomers are caring, sharing honest folk then it may be of use. Of course there will be those who like their privacy stating their dark site is full of lp, winos and the occasional axe weilding homocidal maniac (just like mine is) 

[davedownsouth]

I think the main problem is not so much the dark sites, but finding somewhere to observe from once you get to a dark site.  I was in Scotland a few weeks ago and the whole area was darkish, but it took me ages to find a spot shielded from the road I had just driven on where it was safe to park and set the scope up.

[Liquid360]

Exactly! This app allows you to tell others where to go or not to go, specifically as you'd like to be.

[MND]

Cant find it on google play.

[bingevader]

Like most apps, they very rarely live up to the hype and great expectations.

I haven't found a single one that I would say was truly useful and does something that I can't already do without an i/android/M$ gizmo.

I'm not a Luddite, I enjoy new technology, I'm just still waiting for a useful app.

With regards to this one, if I want someone to come and observe from my back garden, I'll invite them myself.      

[VigdisVZ]

Sadly this is how most apps are today.