7 Of The Best Apps For Gazing At The Night Sky With Help From Your Smartphone
Do you enjoy gazing up at the nighttime sky? Back in the day, it was all about using a telescope and of course digging deep into astronomy books.
Both of those old-fashioned options are still fun, but there are other more modern technologies that can accentuate your astronomy adventures.
Pair online resources with that astrology book, and pair your smartphone with that telescope.
Discover the best apps to use when looking at the nighttime sky.
There are quite a few apps that fall into that category, including the official NASA app.
NASA is known for tweeting out information about special events relating to stargazing, asteroids, the moon, etc. Plus, with this app, you also get a chance to check out NASA TV.
Check out satellite trackers, and discover all kinds of information related to astronomy and what you find find while looking up at the sky.
Would you like to get a good glimpse of the International Space Station?
There is an app called ISS Detector. It should also be mentioned that the NASA app also provides a tracking system for the ISS.
You don’t want to miss those sightings!
What’s great about the ISS, too, is that you can see it without a telescope.
That means you could be staring up at the night sky at just the right time and get your glimpse of the International Space Station.
All you need is the right app to tell you when it’s visible. The ISS Detector app let’s you know five minutes before it’s time to gaze up at the sky.
You’ve certainly heard of the Hubble space telescope, too. You can also track it and the Tiangong Space Station with the ISS Detector app.
Both apps mentioned so far are wonderful, and this next one is going to really get your attention. It’s the Google Sky Map app. You can point your phone at the sky in any direction, and the app will tell you what celestial object you are observing.
This app also has a time travel feature, which tells you where a celestial object is going to be located at a different time.
Plus, if you want to find a particular constellation or another celestial object in the sky, this app can point you in the right direction.
The Satellite Augmented Reality app has a similar feature, helping you to locate those satellites in the sky.
Choose whichever one you would like to observe, and its GPS tracking will help you find it in the night sky. Since the app features a database of all the satellites, you will learn quite a lot about what’s all out there.
There is an app that helps you find planets in the sky, too. It uses a similar GPS tracking feature, helping you point your smartphone in the direction of the planets. It’s called the Star & Planet Finder app.
It should be noted that this app has a paid version, unlocking the ability to locate more of the planets. With the free version, you are only able to use the app to find a few of the planets.
One great feature of this app is that you don’t need a fast CPU on your phone to use it as it doesn’t hog recourses.
The SkEye Astronomy app is one that works in conjunction with your telescope.
Truth be told, any of these apps can be used in conjunction with a good telescope, but the SkEye Astronomy app is a suggestion if you would like to strap your phone to your telescope. This app can be your guide to viewing 180 different celestial objects.
Another popular star gazing app is Star Walk 2, which features multiple camera modes.
Just like the Google Sky Map app, Star Walk 2 also has a time travel feature.
There is a paid, ad free version of this app, or you can use it for free.
The what’s new feed for this app is also quite popular, as you can stay up on the latest information in regards to astronomy news headlines.
These 7 apps for enjoying the nighttime sky are quite interesting, and each brings something unique to the table.
Whether you have a telescope or not, you can have fun with your smartphone as you stare at the stars. Find planets, comets, satellites and other celestial objects.
Which app are you going to try first?