![]() I just recently found this really good starter app. I did this with my Celestron Nexstar 8SE before graduating to using SkySafari and an iPad via Wi-Fi. The computer software can also connect via cable to many go-to telescopes and act as a hand controller replacement. I really learned a lot about what’s up in the sky just by using the computer software when I got started in this hobby. The PC/Mac version is open source software which gets updated often. This app is similar to the free, PC/Mac computer software by the same name. I have the Gas Giants app and really like it. Software Bisque also puts out a nifty app called Gas Giants, which shows the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and the position of their visible moons. I do not have this app so I can’t comment on it. This is put out by Software Bisque, the makers of the Paramount ME telescope mounts in our observatory and the software that runs them (The Sky6 and The SkyX). I flip between this app and SkySafari 5 frequently. It can run telescopes and has a lot of really good features and content. This is another really great astronomy app similar to SkySafari 5 Plus/Pro. I would imagine this app is similar to SkySafari 5 Plus, but I haven’t used it. I have an earlier version of this app (Orion Star Seek 3) which was practically the same app as the prior SkySafari 3 Plus. But it is such good app that I have never regretted supporting the developer with my many purchases. You’ll have to pay again for whichever level of the newer version you want. This also applies if Simulation Curriculum eventually comes out with a newer ‘version’ (like SkySafari 6, for example). You must pay for each level separately (app updates within the levels are free, however). One other downside for any of the SkySafari products is that if you buy one of the three levels, there is no “free upgrade” to the next higher level. The Pro level is a very large app, however, that takes up a lot of space on your device. The SkySafari 5 Pro level has a ton of content and can run many telescopes, but much of what’s in the database is beyond what most telescopes can see from earth (not that there is anything wrong with that). The SkySafari 5 Plus level has a lot of good content and features and can run many go-to telescopes, if you eventually go that route and have the proper direct connect cable or a Wi-Fi module for the telescope. The Basic SkySafari app is fine, but it cannot run any go-to telescopes, Celestron or otherwise. SkyPortal is similar to, but has less content and feature rich variation of the Basic SkySafari 5 level. It is put out by Simulation Curriculum which also makes SkyPortal, a free app written specifically for Celestron that can connect to and run some of the Celestron go-to telescopes. The three levels are: SkySafari 5 (Basic) (~$3), SkySafari 5 Plus (~$15) and SkySafari 5 Pro (~$30). This is a really great app that has three paid levels of its current version, SkySafari 5 (before 5, there was 4 and 3, etc.). Some are really good tools that I use frequently others I have because they are good references or others have talked about them.įor general astronomy/planetarium/planisphere type apps, I have the following: Typically, I would begin with the free version of the app, if offered, and eventually purchase the full version. ![]() I cannot be sure if there are similarly named apps by the same developers in the Android environment since I only have iOS devices (sorry!). Below are the apps I have on either my iPhone 7 or iPad Mini 2. While training new keyholders, I am often asked to provide the names for the various astronomy related apps that I use or am familiar with. ![]()
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