Nothing puts life into perspective like looking up at a night sky full of millions of stars. Of course they look like pin pricks, but the stars and planets above us are truly huge and remind us how small Earth is among the vast, infinite universe. Smartphones allow us to take stargazing a step further with apps like Star Walk which show you the constellations right above your head. There are also lots of awesome educational apps that any space lover, astronomy buff, or stargazer will appreciate. Here’s the top six apps for those who love space.
Star Walk 2 ($2.99)
I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard of Star Walk; it’s one of the most popular and visually stunning astronomy apps out there. Star Walk has a ton of features and a lot of information, but its defining feature is the ability to hold your phone up to see the stars above your head. You can then click on particular constellations, stars, or planets to see further information.
NASA (Free)
Yeah, NASA has its own app. The app is a fantastic source of gorgeous space pictures with over 14,000 in the app’s database. You can watch Live NASA TV or browse through over 10,000 NASA videos. If you find an image you love, you can save it to your device and use it as a wallpaper or background.
Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe ($1.99)
This is a complimentary app to the BCC series of the same name, Wonders of the Universe. Take a 3D Tour of the Universe with host Brian Cox from the smallest particles to the edge of the known Universe. Particularly brilliant on iPad, there are over 200 interactive articles by Brian telling the story of the Universe.
Astronomy Picture of the Day (Free)
Astronomy Picture of the Day is exactly that. In partnership with NASA, APOD has decades of high resolution space photos with a new one featured every day. You can save the image to your Camera Roll, share it with friends, or use it as your background. You can also see the picture of the day at glance from your Apple Watch.
Starmap 2 (Free)
Past versions of Starmap have been priced for $16.99; this sequel is the newest version and it’s still free for now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a price on it in the future. Made by a professional in the field, Starmap is a professional sky atlas with 2,500,000 stars right on your iPhone. There’s also a complete Moon map with over 9,900 references and a moon phase calendar. Plus a whole lot more I can’t even begin to cover in a paragraph.
Cosmic Watch ($3.99)
A little-known app with a lot of complexity, Cosmic Watch combines the ancient disciplines of astrology, astronomy, and time keeping. Understand the relation between the cosmos and keeping time with this interactive tool. You can find out the time anywhere in the world in a single click, explore planetary positions of the past and future, and more with this 3D astronomical time device. It even has a solar eclipse detector so you can be aware of those epic moments.
