Stargazing, Not Just for Astronomers or How We Can All Be Astronomers
opportunity if affords you to get away from city life, and with it, the
opportunity for stargazing. Hidden
Valley RV has very little artificial light, making viewing the night sky much more satisfying.
but lack an encyclopedic knowledge of constellations, apps like
SkyView can be
a huge help. If you’re anything like me, sky-interested but not particularly
sky-knowledgeable, SkyView is a great tool for your
stargazing experience.
to find stars or constellations in the sky, just open SkyView® Free and let it
guide you to their location and identify them. SkyView Free is a beautiful and
intuitive stargazing app that uses your camera to precisely spot and identify
celestial objects in sky, day or night. Find popular constellations as they
fade in and out while you scan across the sky, locate planets in our solar
system, discover distant galaxies, and witness satellite fly-bys.” (quote from the app developers’ site.)
helpful when stargazing. After installation, point your phone or tablet at the
sky and the app will identify the galaxies, stars, constellations, planets, and
satellites over your location.
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| See the constellations where you are based on the apps locator |
• Simple: Point your device at the sky to identify galaxies, stars,
constellations, planets, and satellites (including the ISS and Hubble) passing
overhead at your location.
• Night Mode: Preserve your night vision with red or green night mode filters.
• Augmented Reality (AR): Use your camera to spot objects in the sky, day or
night.
• Sky Paths: Follow the sky track for any object to see it’s exact location in
the sky on any date and time.
• Time Travel: Jump to the future or the past and see the sky on different
dates and times.
• Social: Capture and share beautiful images with friends and family on social
networks.
• Mobile: WiFi is NOT required (does not require a data signal or GPS to
function). Take it camping, boating, or even flying!
• Supports Space Navigator™ binoculars, spotting scope, and telescopes.
information and graphics for each sky object. The app automatically updates any
trajectory changes the object you’re tracking may make, and the Sightings
Engine provides a list of new sky object sightings each day.
Eleven’s website for more information on SkyView and it’s sister
app, SkyView Satellite Guide! There is a
free and paid version for both Android
and Apple.
months astronomical events and how to best view them is StarDate. It has lots of great info, in advance, about
the planets, moons, etc. that are converging in your location. Then you can
make a “star date” to be in an opportune spot at the right time to see the most
activity.
What a fun way to teach yourself, your
children, your students, or your friends about our wonderful universe! How do y’all view the earth’s
ceiling? Tell us in the comments about
your favorite app or other way to
learn about and watch the skies.
