There are plenty of stargazing apps on the market. When you put “stargazing” into the Google Play and App Store search field, you find dozens of look-alike applications with bluish-purple icons and beautiful constellations on screenshots. But how to choose the one that fits your needs the most? We prepared a guide to help you. At the end of the article, you’ll also find the list of 20 stargazing apps.
Spot a star or a comet
What are you looking for in the night sky tonight? If you want to know where the Big Dipper is or are curious about that reddish dot above your head, get Star Walk 2 or Sky View. Both are super easy to use, user-friendly, have an augmented reality feature, and an intuitive search. Considering the outstanding visuals, Star Walk 2 gives you a better immersive experience. Sky View is a bit plainer, yet it has a convenient search feature: if you hover over an object and hold still for a second, the app shows you its name.
If you’re aiming to find more space objects without paying extra, use Night Sky (available only for iOS). With the help of this app, you can spot most celestial objects for free. For Android, there is Stellarium, where you can spot asteroids, comets, deep-sky objects, satellites, and more for free. Stellarium is also available for iOS, but only its paid version.
Constellation Finders
The core functions of all stargazing applications are the same — learn what stars you see in the sky, see them in augmented reality, read more about celestial objects. You got the point. But developers try to make their products unique and add more features. For example, there are astronomical articles and sky quizzes in Night Sky. Star Walk 2 also offers fun and educational astronomical quizzes and the news about upcoming stargazing events with information on how and when to see them. If you want to learn more about astronomy, these apps will become your perfect companions.
Remember that some apps can also send notifications about upcoming stargazing events. This feature is super helpful for people who don’t want to miss a spectacular view but also don’t have enough time to monitor a calendar of astronomy events.
Top 20 Stargazing Apps
In addition, we prepared for you a list of the 20 best apps for the night sky. Many of the provided apps are free to download unless there is a special note. Using our tips, choose the one stargazing app you will enjoy the most! Vito Technology → CLICK HERE.