Google's Sky Map

[kev78]

Does anyone use google's sky map for the android? It seems to be a bit out but it did help me with constellations etc.

[the_laughing_crow]

Yeah I use it, I find it very helpful to hold the phone flat and make two figures of eight on the horizontal plane, then hold it vertical and make two large figures of eight in the vertical plane. This calibrates the phones magnetometer to your local magnetic field which will be affected by any electronics in a 20m radius.

You should also after doing this tilt the phone in every orientation, this recalibrates the tilt sensors.

I actually stopped using sky map for a month because it was so inaccurate... untill someone told me how to calibrate it. Now its pretty accurate.

You should also check out this thread for other android astro apps:

http://stargazerslounge.com/astro-lounge/110469-astronomy-android-phone.html