(Illustration: Bob Al-Greene)
Look to the stars, and it changes your perspective on the world. Although, technically, you don't need anything but yourself and the night sky to commune with the universe, some apps can enhance your experience. And we've got 'em here.
The most common stargazing apps are of the "star map" variety; they help you identify celestial and manmade bodies such as satellites in the sky. We've outlined three of the best below. For some sky watchers, this kind of app will be enough. But if you also want to know where the light from the earth will interfere with your view the least, or want to find when the perfect conditions for a night under the stars will occur, we have solutions for that, too.
Certain other apps below are perfect if you have a particular interest in the moon or meteors, or if you want background information on what the solar system holds. And of course, you'll probably want to capture what you see. So instead of using your phone's built-in camera app, we recommend one that will get you the perfect shot with a little planning. Happy stargazing!
Good to Stargaze
Whether or not you go out stargazing can depend on, well, the weather, and a few other factors too. Good to Stargaze (Android, iOS) gives you all the info you need. You can set the sliders to your preferences for temperature, humidity, the chance of rain, cloud cover, and more. Then, when you open the app, you'll get an immediate ruling of whether it will be a good night to stargaze, plus a panel of widgets showing why.
Light Pollution Map
Those bright city lights that can look so beautiful under other circumstances can block your view of the stars. Light Pollution Map (Android, iOS) lets you know where you can find nearby spots where lights won't get in your way of taking in the night sky. It has lots of other features, including a countdown timer to when it's darkest, a cloud-cover overlay to help you find clear spots, alerts for events like meteor showers, and a guide to moon phases.
MeteorActive
Meteor showers are a beautiful thing to witness, but they tend to be fleeting and rare. MeteorActive (iOS) lets you know when and where you can see them, as well as how many meteors you can expect to spot. There isn't an equivalent app for Android, but plenty of apps include the same information below, such as Star Walk 2 and SkyView.
My Moon Phase
Night Capture Video Binoculars
PhotoPills
PhotoPills (Android, iOS) has everything you need for stellar astrophotography. You can plan your idea of a perfect shot and find out exactly when you'll have the opportunity to take it. It has detailed information about sun and moon placement, a guide to Milky Way position, augmented reality to help visualize photos, and lots more.
SkyView
Solar Walk 2 (for iPad)
Explore the solar system from your phone with Solar Walk 2 (Android, iOS). It's an interactive encyclopedia about everything space and is frequently updated with astronomy news.
Star Walk 2
StarLingo
Stellarium Mobile (for iPad)
Stellarium (Android, iOS) is another app that lets you discern what you see in the night sky. But it has a particularly useful feature if you have a GoTo telescope (a telescope that can be programmed to point at specific astronomical objects). With Stellarium, you can control the telescope so you can aim it at exactly where you want to get a closer look.
