Since the dawn of history, man has looked up at the starry vault to contemplate the spectacle offered by the night sky. Unfortunately today, due to light pollution, it is difficult to properly enjoy this spectacle, and you have to move away from residential areas to observe the night sky. Knowing the names and locations of all of our solar system's planets, stars, and constellations can be complicated. That is why special applications were created that simplify our observations..
these applications They are real maps of the sky, which are oriented in real time based on our position. They use the compass, gyroscope and GPS of our smartphone to indicate us exactly, where the stars of our interest are located. The most advanced are splendid portable planetariums, with 3D models of the sun, planets, asteroids, satellites, nebulae and other celestial objects. They can also tell us the phases of the moon, as well as many other data requested by astronomy fans.
Here you have a section of apps that cannot be missing on your smartphone if you like to observe the stars.
The best astronomy apps
Star map (Android and iOS)
This is a free app, the basic features are available for free, while the more advanced ones can be purchased separately. You have access to an interactive map of the sky, you can obtain information on 125.000 stars for free, just touch a star to access this information.
In addition, the application is a fundamental aid for those who observe the sky, not only with the naked eye, but also with a telescope, thanks to the celestial search function (which is available for free), Celestial Map informs us of the position of the planets in the sky.
The paid version of celestial search also allows you to know the position of stars, Jailbreakces stars, comets and much more, it also provides the correct ascension and declination of each celestial body, as well as altazimuthal and altitudinal coordinates. so we can effectively orient our telescope. You can download Star Map for free from the App Store and Play Store.
Sky Map (Android)
When it comes to stargazing apps, you can't miss SkyMap, the project was born from a group of Google engineers, but was later discontinued and the application became open source. It is now maintained by a group of volunteers. It is completely free and without advertising.
SkyMap works as an interactive sky map, which allows us to easily understand the position of various stellar objects in the sky. It is a simple and basic app, but immediate and functional. SkyMap is available completely free, only for Android, it can be downloaded from the Play Store.
stellar mobile
Name Stellarium It is familiar to those who use programs to simulate the sky, for years it has been one of the best open source software for PC, The mobile version was born recently. Unlike the desktop one, it is not free., but paid (around 3,50 for the iPhone and iPad version, and 2,50 for the Android version).
Stellarium on mobile presents the same high quality that characterizes the desktop version, it will be easy to identify the position of a star in the celestial vault. The application is characterized by the search for realism, which is why the stars and planets are not identified by simple points or symbols, but are characterized by complex 3D models.
The app is real. planetary, with information on up to 60.000 celestial bodies. If you want to try Stellarium mobile you can download it from the App Store and Play Store.
Night sky (iOS)
It is a very complete and well-made application, unfortunately it is only available for iPhone and iPad. It allows you to do more or less the same things as the competing apps we described above, but offers a very interesting augmented reality mode.
The application is constantly developing and improving, with the versions an interesting mode dedicated to astrophotography has also been added. You can download for free Night sky directly from the app store.
Star Walk 2 (Android e iOS)
It is a cross-platform application that simply allows you to identify the position and name of various celestial bodies.. This app also offers fantastic 3D models of celestial bodies, and it's a pleasure to see it. The application combines the needs of those who need a map of the sky, with those who need a more informative tool, to better understand the dynamics of celestial movements or explain them to children.
starwalk 2 It offers a good number of tools for free, to unlock all the functions of the application you can use the paid pro version. The application is available on Play Store and App Store.
If you need an even more educational tool, the development team has also thought of you by developing solar walk 2. She A true 3D space tour accompanied by interesting explanations.. The app is available on Android and iOS.
Sky Safari (Android e iOS)
Finally the strong point, Safari in the sky It is one of the best applications of the group. It is available in three versions, the basic one is free. The free version offers: a complete and detailed star map with information on numerous celestial bodies, augmented reality support, night mode (to prevent the brightness of your phone from bothering you), and much more. You can discover all its functions simply by downloading Sky Safari from the App Store or Play Store.
Astronomy apps: the best for Android and iOS
