The 7 Best Apps for Stargazing and Astronomy To Download Right Now

11.09.2023 - 17:47 / matadornetwork.com

The vast expanse of the cosmos has long captivated human imagination and curiosity. And thanks to advancements in technology, astronomical observation has evolved from being a practice limited to only a few members of a society with access to expensive tools to something accessible to anyone with a smartphone. In the era of mobile apps, when people spend more time looking at their phones than ever before, it’s nice to use your phone for something that actually helps you better connect to nature.

The best apps for stargazing bring the planetarium to you. Nearly all stargazing apps use augmented reality and your phone camera to show you in real-time what stars, constellations, planets, and more are in the sky above you. Just point your phone at the sky and boom — the collective human knowledge gained over thousands of years of studying the sky is at your fingertips. The best apps for stargazing blend high-tech with beautiful graphics and easy-to-use interfaces.

If you’re planning on learning a bit more about the vastness of space, check out the best apps for stargazing below. Some are dedicated just to stargazing, while others are useful apps that’ll make the overall experience of being outdoors at night a little more fun and educational (and safe).

Photo: StarChart on the App Store

StarChart is a good first app to download if you want a free app with the ability to help you identify constellations, satellites, planets, and more. Like most of the best apps for stargazing, it uses augmented reality, called AR, to help identify the constellations based on the location of your smartphone. Just point your phone at the part of the sky you want to identify, and StarChart will tell you what’s what, from constellations to individual stars and more. You can even point it straight down and see what constellations are on the other side of the earth at any given point. Tap on objects and stars to learn more, or use the search functionality to find specific celestial bodies by name.

It has paid features, but for most casual stargazers, the free version should be plenty.

Photo: NightSky on the App Store

Night Sky is one of the most popular apps for stargazing, mostly because of the high level of detail and different categories of objects you can see with the free app, including meteor showers, stars, greek constellations, and deep space objects. It also has a fairly in-depth local stargazing forecasts based on wherever you are, which will rate the overall stargazing conditions, advise on the best time of night for sky watching, provide setting and rising times for planets, forecast the visibility and cloud coverage, and more. It’s also one of the best free apps for stargazing if you like being in the know for planetary