Best telephone app for astronomy

[john watch]

Hello out  Iam  looking for  a  app for  astronomy  , the one you can  point  at the sky and the constellation  appears  on screen  ,could  anybody  supply  for with a name or an alternative  , Iam thinking  it will help when the sky isn't  clear 

 

[Stu]

Personally I find Skysafari to be the best phone app out there, infact on of the best resources there is. There is a free version to get you started, but the Plus version has nice additional objects and features. Note that they do fairly regular 50% discount offers which are worth waiting for.

[Buzzard75]

SkySafari, Star Walk and Stellarium are all really good. I tend to use SkySafari the most, but each has different features which you may prefer.

[Skipper Billy]

All mobile phones have a brilliant device for use when committing astronomy - its usually marked with this symbol....... ?

 

 

[Skipper Billy]

More seriously - Stellarium works really well on an iPhone.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Another vote for for SkySafari.

The iOS version also includes Augmented reality*. To activate, press the compass icon, at the bottom of the screen, then [AR] will be displayed at the bottom centre of the screen above the icons, whether in landscape or portrait mode. It will use the camera to view your foreground and then an overlay the celestial sky, (day or night),  in background. The version for Android OS tablet or phone has not yet been released. 

I use SkySafari, SkyWeek+** SkEye and Planets*** on an Android SIM-free phone too.

 

 

 

* minimum spec is iOS 10.x.x and above.   

** a weekly guide to celestial events during coming week. Quote: "Chart bug. The charts in the view are set for a spot near the middle of North America (at 40deg N, 90deg W). If the scene described does not appear, zoom out a bit till it does The time zone maybe incorrect; step the hours ahead or back to get a view in evening darkness."

*** with this app, you can view the night-sky in the electro-magnetic spectrum that are invisible to the human eye.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Philip R

[cletrac1922]

Try having a look at Heaven Above App as well

Contains a wealth of information

John

[Stu]

4 hours ago, cletrac1922 said:

Try having a look at Heaven Above App as well

Contains a wealth of information

John

Just downloaded that one John, looks very good, thanks!

[RobertI]

Another vote for Sky Safari. Use it all the time, mostly on my phone these days. Helpful for planning, setting up and observing. There are many observing lists out there that can be imported, I have about thirty different lists on mine covering all kinds of observing. 

[Nyctimene]

+1 one more for SkySafari. It allows you to display the scope's true field of view matched exactly to any scope/eyepiece combination. You can set the limiting magnitudes of the scope independently for stars and DSO's, and switch rapidly between your eyepiece's variant field sizes. Installed on my smartphone, it has replaced many of my star maps and atlases. There is also a "compass" function, that shows you the sky in the direction you are holding the smartphone(Android /iOS) and so will allow you to identify stars , planets and constellations.

Stephan

[Stu]

It is fantastic when connected to a mount so you can use it to select and got targets. Much easier to find double stars and less easy to identify objects.

[eshy76]

Yep another vote for SkySafari...has been my invaluable companion on imaging/observing nights in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. I also prefer its forward and backward time controls compared to the swiping in Stellarium (which is also a very good app). 

[Paul M]

I think Sky Safari is now the definitive app for Android devices. Had it for years and use it frequently. I've used Heavens Above Pro app for some time too but its origin is as a satellite/event prediction and mapping tool and that's what it's best at.

Also on my Android devices I currently have: Satellite Safari - rarely used, ISS onLive - ocassional use and ISS Detector - handy tool for a quick look at what's up tonight, quite like it.

 

[Gfamily]

Am I the only one who knows that SkySafari is probably better, but always goes to Stellarium first?

However, for planning purposes, I'd like to suggest DSO Planner to people who haven't tried it.

It's not a 'point at the sky' app, but it allows you to create observation lists, gives you fairly detailed notes and images, a very good sky chart, and the capability to add your own observing notes, whether by keying in the text, or by making a voice recording - being able to keep your eye to the eyepiece and say what you're seeing is invaluable.

The are several versions available (for Android) with different levels of catalogues included, and added features as you go up the versions.

There's a free version that I'd thoroughly recommend people try out.

I've bought the 3rd level version (I think) that takes about 500mb, but is fine on my tablet.

[Paul M]

27 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

Am I the only one who knows that SkySafari is probably better, but always goes to Stellarium first?

 

Sticking with the specifics of telephone apps, it's my understanding that the Stellarium Android app (don't know about iOS) is separate from the Windows Stellarium package. The development of the app was taken over a long time ago by other persons and it evolved separately. I'm not sure if it even exists on Android now but last time I tried it it was a shadow of the Windows version.

[Gfamily]

4 hours ago, Paul M said:

Sticking with the specifics of telephone apps, it's my understanding that the Stellarium Android app (don't know about iOS) is separate from the Windows Stellarium package. The development of the app was taken over a long time ago by other persons and it evolved separately. I'm not sure if it even exists on Android now but last time I tried it it was a shadow of the Windows version.

Yes, the Android port is separate from the Windows, but it is still being maintained, with its last update in March 2019.

It's all down to preferences of course, and sometimes I like the way that SkySafari clears details from the screen as you zoom out, so as to keep it relatively uncluttered; but at other times I want more detail on the screen - specifically to avoid having to zoom in to find what you're looking for. 

If you're happy with SkySafari, that's fine; but Stellarium isn't to be written off by any means. 

 

[Stu]

12 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

but at other times I want more detail on the screen - specifically to avoid having to zoom in to find what you're looking for. 

You can, of course, always add additional detail back in at the lower zoom levels by adjusting the minimum brightness shown for stars and DSOs

[mikey2000]

I hadn't heard of SkySafari - I'll take a look.  I've always been happy with Stellarium on my iphone so far.

Don't forget the weather apps too! (clearoutside, Scope Nights and Xasteria.)

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Another +1 for Sky Safari. Sky Maps is an OK free app to try also. Pick an object, and a targetting reticule is overlayed onto the screen:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid&hl=en_GB

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Paz]

+1 for sky safari, I've got various apps but have only used sky safari for quite a while now.

[djpaul]

As mentioned I use al 3 

Skysafari.starwalk and stellarium.

[pandoraefretum]

+1

I use / love Sky Safari 6 Pro

[Vondragonnoggin]

I used Sky Safari Pro up to version 3. Great app but the continual charging for updates got to me and I switched to Luminos which was a version 2 I think. I’m now at version 9.5 and have never been charged for an update. Amazing app. 8 years now of free updates. Observing lists. Ability to add notes, telescope control, ability to add equipment and FOV. No issues and satellites updated frequently.

 

https://wobbleworks.com/luminos/

[johninderby]

I’ve been using Luminos on my iPad for years. Just keeps getting better with every free update. Now includes Synscan. There are two versions of Luminos. One for iPad and one for iPhone.

I tried Sky Safari on my Android as Luminos is IOS only but found it really poor in comparison to Luminos.

Edited June 4, 2019 by johninderby

[MarsG76]

I use "StarWalk" on my iPhone and iPad... it is a great app, looks great and is smooth to operate.