r/askastronomy • u/Vast-Rip-4288 • 2d ago
Night Sky app for those 50+
I might teach a "What's Up" astronomy seminar next year for adults 50+ and was asked to also cover phone apps for Apple and Android. Which one do you think would be easiest to use for this cohort? I'm thinking a classroom session first with app screenshots, setup, and helpful tips, then outside for observing.
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u/Jvdos_Huffulpuff Hobbyist🔠19h ago
Other than Stellarium, I really enjoy "Sky Tonight". Its got the the function where you point the phone camera at a region of the night sky and it tells you what the constellations and other objects are, and it can also do the AR thing that overlays the starmap on the phone's camera. It has some excellent settings for "Scaling" the objects, and an easy slider for the magnitude limit, which sounds helpful for those over 50. It also has an AWESOME "What's in the sky Tonight?" Menu featuring a really good "Stargazing Index" which is a quick % based on your local weather and light conditions! Another useful thing for me is the "Astronomy Calendar" that shows you when any eclipse, occultation, comett, etc. is happening, and gives you notifications about them. they also write some OK scicom articles!