The Scope of Android Application Development in India
Best Stargazing Apps: AR Apps And Virtual Star Maps To Help You Navigate The Night Sky
The best stargazing apps put the cosmos in the palm of your hand, letting you locate and map the galaxies, stars, and planets from almost any location on Earth. They're not just an essential part of any amateur astronomer's toolkit, but also a great place to start for anyone who wants to understand more about the universe and how we fit into it.
Stargazing apps can introduce you to the wonders of the night sky in a way that is more understandable and accessible than any other source. They can also help you develop a profound understanding of the cosmos that you can carry with you for the rest of your life and enhance your interest in astronomy and astrophotography.
The apps use the GPS on your smartphone to find the constellations and deep-space objects from wherever you are, so you can access the cosmos from the comfort of your house or car.
For dedicated astronomers out in the field, however, the best stargazing apps make for an invaluable tool when paired with the best telescopes or best binoculars. Remember to pack one of the best power banks to ensure you have enough power to keep your phone charged while using one of these apps.
Take a look at the best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography for the perfect astrophotography setup, if that is your goal.
Star-charting apps usually involve pointing your phone at a patch of sky, while the app displays the name and information about the object you're facing. In spite of their similarities, they differ in accuracy, complexity, features, presentation, and price.
Best stargazing apps 2023 ranked
A clever, well-designed stargazing app with a wide selection of features.
SpecificationsStandard price: $26.99
Telescope control: Yes
Free version available: Yes
AR star map: Yes
Database: Includes 100 million stars, 3 million galaxies down to 18th magnitude, and 750,000 solar system objects
Reasons to buy +Allows you to create a detailed observing list
+Insightful audio tours and pronunciation guides
Reasons to avoid -Overwhelming layout
-Takes up a lot of storage space
A comprehensive app that once sat at the more expensive end of the market, Skysafari 7 Pro is festooned with information about the night sky — you're almost guaranteed to learn something from it, even if you're a veteran stargazer steeped in astronomical lore.
You can also connect it to your telescope and have it guide you around the stars. A great feature is 'Sky Tonight' — a guided tour of the finest sights on show that night. We also love the powerful Events Finder, where you can utilize the search engine to find events that are happening tonight and far into the future.
We love the fact that it backs up your settings and provides telescopic images and object information. As an educational tool, this app is hard to beat. There are many more features of the previous version that we looked at in our in-depth Sky Safari 6 Pro review, and now there's a newer version out we can't wait to test out even more features it has to offer.
Sky Safari 7 Pro (opens in new tab) is even cheaper than Sky Safari 6 — you can get it for $26.99. Amongst other enhancements, the main improvements include a simplified interface and an extended database as standard. Be mindful though, it takes a whopping amount of your device's storage space.
The most realistic looking, and most comprehensive celestial database around
SpecificationsPrice: $19.99
Telescope control: Yes
Free version available: Yes
AR star map: Yes
Database: Over 1.69 billion stars, all known planets, natural satellites and comets, minor solar system objects including 10k asteroids and most known deep sky objects, and over 2 million nebulas and galaxies
Reasons to buy +Comprehensive database
+Intuitive technology
Reasons to avoid -Time controls difficult to reset
-Zooming causes image distortion
-Limited information on celestial objects
The mobile version of the well-known open-source desktop app is a fantastic app that's known for the quality of its constellation illustrations. However, unlike its Windows and Mac counterparts, you need to pay for it. After all, programmers need to make a living too, but at $19.99, it won't break the bank.
What you get with Stellarium is a database that contains more stars than any other app, but not as many asteroids as Sky Safari. During our Stellarium Mobile Plus review we were impressed by the GPS positioning and night sky it displays automatically should you give the app permissions, so the sky you see displayed on your phone will be pretty similar to the actual sky above you. You can locate and label your favorite planets and constellations, follow satellites as they move across the sky, and access information on the stars and planets you choose, including stories and legends from other cultures. We were once unconvinced that it was as polished as the desktop version, but all that's been put to bed now with the new version.
When you zoom in, you can see HD pictures of nebulae and galaxies, albeit some, like the Pleiades, could benefit from an update. Pointing your phone at the sky will reveal the objects you can see, while the app also easily connects to most telescopes. Overall, we think this is one of the better astronomy apps out there. The Google Play Store (opens in new tab) rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 (based on the feedback of 5.52K reviews) is a testament to its high performance.
A beginner friendly informative guide for viewing the night sky
SpecificationsPrice: $2.99
Telescope control: No
Free version: Yes
AR star map: Yes
Database: 200,000 stars, 8 planets, 27 asteroids and comets, and 10,000 satellites
Reasons to buy +Easy to set up and navigate
+Customizable, including notification settings
Reasons to avoid -Cheapest paid version removes ads, other features must be bought
-Some users report calibration issues
Star Walk 2 is an augmented reality experience for the night sky that is available as a paid-for ($2.99) and free version, with the latter displaying ads and lacking features. It is designed to be experienced from the phone screen rather than by connecting to a scope, and its easy interface makes it well-suited for beginners. We reviewed Star Walk 2 back in October 2021, but since then there have been a number of updates that have improved stability, refined notification settings, added an events calendar, and enhanced accuracy.
When you use your phone's camera to look up into the sky, and the app will overlay constellations in the direction you're facing. You can also track the movement of planets and, if you pay for the upgrade, objects such as the International Space Station and the Starlink satellites. There's a calm audio track that you can turn off whenever you want (which we were thankful for as we found it a bit irritating!).
We particularly liked the 'Visible Tonight' section that guides you to spectacular objects you can see on a given evening, with photos and a link to its Wikipedia page for more information. Even at its most expensive, Star Walk 2 is a low-cost way to experience augmented astronomy. The free version is perfectly usable if you can live with its limitations, though we think it's worth spending the $2.99.
Enhance your sky watching knowledge with this excellent app for all abilities and skill levels
SpecificationsPrice: $1.99
Telescope control: Some
Free version: Yes
AR star map: Yes
Database: Stars, planets, satellites & constellations (numbers not provided)
Reasons to buy +Very easy to use
+Easy access to information
Reasons to avoid -The augmented reality screen is dark
-The constellation art fades too quickly
This easy-to-use and low-cost app has been around for a long time but has received many upgrades along the way. Its interactive star map recognizes constellations and night sky objects and displays their courses as they traverse through the center of the screen. There is a free version, but the full version is only $1.99.
This is where the app falls down slightly — you need to be very precise in your positioning to get the information you need. If you move even slightly away from the object you're interested in, the details vanish — perhaps the designers hadn't intended it for handheld viewing, but for use on a tripod mount. In our SkyView review, we also found the AR screen to be extremely dark, even for viewing at night, but the graphics are clear and the illustrations of constellations are attractive.
When you do have it properly aligned, however, there's a lot of info on offer. You can bring up full descriptions and even link externally to the object's Wikipedia entry for more information.
The free version contains the details of fewer stars and constellations than the paid-for app, but it doesn't burden you with ads. You can upgrade by buying packs of extra stars, satellites, and even a music package. Telescope integration is limited, but there's enough detail and functionality on offer here to make it attractive to novice astronomers.
A free but feature-rich stargazing app
SpecificationsPrice: $9.99 (full version)
Telescope Control: Yes
Free Version: Yes
AR Star Map: No
Database: Stars, planets, satellites & constellations (numbers not provided)
Reasons to buy +Simple interface
+Highly customizable
+Free without Ads
Reasons to avoid -Only available for Android phones
-Satellites are only available in paid Pro version
It's remarkable that SkEye gives most of its features for free for a stargazing app that offers such a comprehensive, dense resource for viewing the night sky. And while — as discussed in our SkEye app review — it might not be the most user-friendly of stargazing apps, with little of the visual polish that distinguishes others on this list, the app is still fairly uncluttered and simple to use, once you've taken the time to explore it a little.
The basic version of SkEye is available without adverts, but the pro version adds the ability to create a personalized library for easy access to your favorite objects and has the advantage of highlighting over 100 satellites and 800 comets.
SkEye is a fantastic app for astronomy lovers, but beginners might initially find it confusing due to its tendency for stacking complicated metrics and obscure abbreviations over its subjects. If you just want to locate a particular object, SkEye includes a fantastic search function that gives easy directions to your chosen object.
For enthusiasts though, SkEye is particularly well suited to pairing with a telescope, being compatible with its OTA (optical tube assembly). There's even a handy 'Insta-align' function to simplify the fiddly process.
Most stargazers will find everything they need for a rewarding night of observation in SkEye, and the fact that it is free — although sadly unavailable on Apple's app store — makes it a very attractive app.
A low-cost decent celestial database on your phone for the price of a small fries
SpecificationsPrice: $1.99
Telescope Control: No
Free version: No
AR star map: Yes
Database: 120,000 stars, 88 constellations, planets and moons and other sky objects
Reasons to buy +One of the more affordable stargazing apps
+Easy to use and navigate the stars
+Fully customizable night sky settings
Reasons to avoid -Limited database compared to other apps
-Occasional app glitches
Star Rover is a well-designed, reasonably priced app, but it suffers from a smaller database than its rivals, which limits the number of stars and other objects it can display.
This in no way makes Star Rover a poor app, however — 120,000 stars is still plenty, and it contains all the most interesting and brightest ones. It offers similar functionality to other apps, giving an augmented view of the night sky with constellations marked with illustrations, and tracks for the planets and other notable objects. Although the search function can find any part of the sky you're interested in viewing, there isn't much more information available once you've found what you're looking for.
Due to its basic interface and blurry font, we felt in our Star Rover review, that the app is starting to look rather dated and could do with an update. Despite this, it's perfectly usable, has a complete moon phase and eclipse calendar, can show you objects yet to rise above the horizon, and is competitively priced.
An easy-to-use app for learning the basics of stargazing
SpecificationsPrice: $1.99
Telescope control: No
Free version: Yes
AR star map: Yes
Database: 100,000 stars, 88 constellations, no man made objects
Reasons to buy +AR overlay that mirrors the night sky
+Original artwork for constellations
+Some stars have vast amounts of information to read through
Reasons to avoid -Refers you to Wikipedia for reading on most stars
-Doesn't contain man-made objects like the ISS
-Too basic for anyone with pre-existing knowledge
A rather basic app that's not only cheap but comes with an ad-supported free version, Starlight is deceptively simple, as we discussed in our Starlight review.
The app offers an augmented view of the skies, with plenty of information on offer. Once you've found something interesting, just tap the screen twice and you'll be immersed in information about it. Unfortunately, this database only contains natural items, so if you're looking for man-made objects like the International Space Station, you won't find them here.
While it's possible to zoom in and find dimmer stars that are obscured by light pollution, there's not much detail about them. Stick to the brightest objects in the night sky, and Starlight will fill you in nicely, with links to Wikipedia to flesh out the facts.
The ads in the free version take up rather a lot of the screen, so if you're serious about this beginner's guide to the galaxy, you'll get a better experience by buying the full version. It's only $2/£2, although for that price you could just get one of the above options that we rate slightly better. The main reason to go for this option? Its limited database means that you'll just get the basics when you're stargazing, so you can focus on learning the main stars first before moving onto the more advanced stuff.
How we test the best stargazing appsIn order to guarantee you're getting honest, up-to-date recommendations on the best stargazing apps to buy here at Space.Com we make sure to put every stargazing app through a rigorous review to fully test each software. Each stargazing app is reviewed based on a multitude of aspects, from its layout and design, to how well it functions as a stargazing software and its performance when observing the night sky.
Each stargazing app is carefully tested by either our expert staff or knowledgeable freelance contributors who know their subject areas in depth. This ensures fair reviewing is backed by personal, hands-on experience with each stargazing app and is judged based on its price point, class and destined use.
We look at how easy each stargazing app is to operate, whether it contains the latest up-to-date observing technology like VR and synchronizing with calendars. We'll also make suggestions if a particular stargazing app would benefit from any additional accessories to give you the best observing experience possible.
With complete editorial independence, Space.Com are here to ensure you get the best buying advice on stargazing apps, whether you should purchase one or not, making our buying guides and reviews reliable and transparent.
Mobile Apps
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The Best Workout Apps For 2023
Working out on your own can be a struggle or it can be a blast. It all depends on whether you've found an activity that excites you and motivates you to get up and move.
Here's the good news about workout apps: App stores are absolutely saturated with them, which means there's something for everyone at a range of prices. Whether you like to lift weights, join a high-intensity cardio class, or get guidance while training for a marathon, you're sure to find something. We've gathered our top picks here across a wide range of activities, so there's bound to be something right for you.
Recommended by Our Editors8fit
$0.00 at 8fit
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(Opens in a new window)8fit brings together on-demand workouts and meal planning and is excellent for people who like a lot of guidance and instruction. The app creates a personalized program for your diet and exercise based on whatever goal you set. Once you tell 8fit what you want to achieve, you work out to videos in the app, log what you eat, and create meal plans using recipes and shopping lists.
The free version gives you access to only some workouts, which require you to look at and tap the screen often. It's not great. You can also track your weight and activities with the free app. The Pro version is better and unlocks the personalized meals, shopping lists, calorie logging, and additional workouts. The monthly rate is high—don't sign up for it—but six-month and annual plans are priced competitively. The list prices for the Pro plan are $79.99 per year, $59.99 per six months, or $24.99 per month.
Android, iOS
$14.99 Per Month at Aaptiv
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(Opens in a new window)Aaptiv specializes in audio-based workouts led by trainers, meaning you don't have to keep your eyes or fingers on a screen to exercise. A trainer tells you what to do, with music in the background. The app suggests workouts that will suit you based on information you provide, such as what type of exercise you like (stretching, strength training, yoga, indoor cycling, outdoor running, stair climber, and others) and what styles of music you prefer. Take advantage of the seven-day free trial via the web app, though it requires a credit card. List prices are $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year, though good discounts were in affect the last time we checked prices.
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Free Trial at Apple.Com
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(Opens in a new window)Inside the Fitness app by Apple is Fitness+, a membership with all kinds of video workouts. You can do yoga, HIIT cardio, kickboxing, dancing, or more restorative wellness classes such as meditation. A free one-month trial is available, after which it costs a reasonable $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. If you use Apple's Family Sharing, up to five family members can also use the membership at no additional cost. This workout app pairs well with Apple Watch, as you might expect.
iOS(Opens in a new window), AppleTV
Apple Fitness+ Review$0.00 at Apple App Store
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(Opens in a new window)Blogilates—officially called Body by Blogilates in the Apple App Store and Google Play—is one of the best free workout apps, hands down. We also like that you can access the workouts without even creating an account. Blogilates contains video workouts with the ever peppy Cassey Ho who sweats and suffers alongside you through her tough routines. The workouts lean toward pilates moves and calisthenics, though you can also find exercises that mix in weights and some cardio. You can sign up for challenges and try to complete a series of workouts over several days, find healthy recipes, and more, all for free. The business model seems to rely on sales of workout clothing in the Popflex line that Ho owns.
Android(Opens in a new window), iOS(Opens in a new window), Web(Opens in a new window)
Centr, by Chris Hemsworth
Centr, by Chris Hemsworth$29.99 Per Month at Centr
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(Opens in a new window)Actor Chris Hemsworth, known for playing the swole hammer-wielding god Thor, brings you this all-in-one fitness app for planning your training, doing workouts, and eating healthy. You can use it to build muscle, lose weight, or get fit generally speaking. You tell the app which of these goals you're interested in during the signup process.
Some workouts are coached, meaning you play a complete video of a trainer who does the workout with you. Others are self-guided, meaning you get a timer and a sample video of each exercise instead. You can get a free seven-day trial of this app, though a credit card is required to access it. The prices are all over the place. The list prices change constantly and the annual subscription is always on sale. Typically, the monthly plan ($29.99) is too expensive, so don't sign up for it. The quarterly and annual rates ($60 per quarter, $120 per year) are good.
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Find What Feels Good (FWFG)
$9.99 Per Month at Find What Feels Good
Today's Best Deal
(Opens in a new window)If you've ever searched for a yoga video on YouTube, chances are you've run into Yoga with Adriene. This same Adriene (Mishler) sells a subscription to all her yoga videos and other content under the brand Find What Feels Good, or FWFG. It's available on iOS, Android, and the web. The FWFG library has exclusive videos, premium courses, vlogs from Adriene, plus all the videos from Yoga with Adriene(Opens in a new window) (Mischler's other website) ad-free. Mischler has brought on new instructors, too, who offer pilates and other classes via recorded video in a similar style of the yoga workouts. Subscribers get access to new content as it's added. The subscription cost went up slightly in 2021 but has held steady since then at a reasonable $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year with a seven-day free trial that requires a credit or debit card number to get.
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FitOn: Fitness Workout Plans
FitOn: Fitness Workout Plans$0.00 at FitOn
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(Opens in a new window)FitOn has video-based workouts on demand led by trainers, and a good amount of the content is free. You can find workouts based on how much time you have, the level of intensity that you want, or the type of workout you prefer, including yoga, butt and thighs, abs, stretching, and so forth. If you wear a connected heart rate monitor while working out, you can see your heart rate on the screen as you move. There's also a leaderboard where you can compete with other members or a group of friends.
You get a lot for free with FitOn, including all the video workouts. If you want a little more, however, such as personalized meal plans and the ability to connect to Fitbit or Garmin, you can pay for a Pro account—but don't pay the advertised rate ($79.99 for six months or $99.99 for a year). Keep an eye out for discounts, which regularly bring the price down to $29.99 per year.
Android(Opens in a new window), iOS(Opens in a new window), Web(Opens in a new window)
Jefit
$0.00 at Jefit
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(Opens in a new window)Jefit is a workout app designed for people who want to log and track their strength training, such as how much weight you lift, how many reps you did, and so on. This app doesn't limit you to weight training, as you can design and track other kinds of workouts, but it's most popularly used for lifting. The app comes with routines that you can do as well as a bank of exercises that you can explore and add to a workout plan. You can search for exercises based on which muscle groups they target. The app also lets you track your body measurements. Jefit comes with a calendar for keeping track of your workouts, planning workout days and rest days, and a training schedule that tells you briefly what's up next in the coming days.
You can get a lot from the free version of this app, which is ad-supported. An Elite membership removes the ads and unlocks advanced features, such as video-based exercise instructions, charts, and goal settings. In the years that we've been reviewing Jefit, the price has nearly quadrupled, but it's still not very high for the annual membership ($69.99, or $12.99 per month).
Android, iOS, Web(Opens in a new window)
Jillian Michaels Fitness App
Jillian Michaels Fitness App4.0
$14.99 Per Month at Jillian Michaels
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(Opens in a new window)The Jillian Michaels Fitness App (sometimes referred to as My Fitness by Jillian Michaels), combines workouts and meal planning for a well rounded fitness experience. Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels is your coach. You watch her on screen or listen to her voiceover, usually both, as she leaves you no excuse not to finish each exercise. Workouts move smoothly. You never have to press a Next button to keep going. Everything about the app is customizable, from the foods you get in your meal suggestions to the types of workouts you do.
The program might be a little intense for people who are not already somewhat fit, although prenatal people will find some workouts specialized for their first, second, and third trimester that are safe but still challenging. Jillian Michaels' app is a great pick for anyone looking to shed pounds and gain muscle. You need a subscription to use this app. The price for membership has gone up a lot since 2021—now $19.99 per month or $149.99 per year—but look for sales on the annual membership to get it at an affordable rate.
Android(Opens in a new window), iOS(Opens in a new window)
Jillian Michaels Fitness App ReviewJ & J Official 7 Minute Workout
The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App$0.00 at Johnson & Johnson Institute
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(Opens in a new window)The J & J (for Johnson & Johnson) Official 7 Minute Workout App is one of the best truly free workout apps you'll find. It's a circuit training app that lets you squeeze some exercise into your day at an intensity level that's right for you. All you need is a chair and about seven minutes. A medium-intensity workout includes jumping jacks, wall chair sits, high-knee running in place, triceps dips on a chair, and a few other moves. The app has other options beyond the classic seven-minute routine, such as First Timer, Intermediate 16 Minute, and Core Workout. You can also create custom workouts by stitching together exercises that are right for you.
The interface is surprisingly attractive and intuitive, though quite simple. Audio and visual cues tell you when to start and stop each exercise in the routine, and a video demonstration appears in the middle to guide you. Swipe the screen one direction, and you can pull in music from your phone. Swipe the other direction, and you see a running timer. We love that it's suitable for nearly anyone at any ability level.
Android, iOS
Nike Training Club
$0.00 at Nike.Com
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(Opens in a new window)When a pandemic was declared for COVID-19, Nike vowed to make its Nike Training Club workout app free to everyone, at least for the time being. Three years later, the app is still totally free and has a wide variety of workout videos, from short yoga sessions designed to loosen and relax your body to 15-minute fun activities for kids and adults to do together. The workouts come in the form of videos, usually with a trainer who talks to you while doing the activity alongside you, and sometimes videos showing a trainer doing the exercises with a voiceover giving tips and announcing the time. While some of Nike's on-demand workout videos are short, they can also go the distance, with routines up to 60 minutes.
Android, iOS
Peloton: Fitness & Workouts$0.00 at Apple App Store
Today's Best Deal
(Opens in a new window)While the name Peloton may be synonymous with expensive stationary bicycles, the company does offer a reasonably priced fitness class subscription service to anyone, with or without home equipment. When you sign up for Peloton: Fitness & Workouts, the app asks whether you have an indoor bike or treadmill as well as other equipment, such as a yoga mat and free weights. Based on those answers and interests you select, such as bootcamp workouts, stretching, and yoga, the app suggests workouts. Classes and the instructors have the high energy and intensity that Peloton is known for. You can do live classes or workouts on demand with recorded videos. The app supports outdoor activities, too. Android device owners should beware that users have reported problems in tracking outdoor activities and connecting to Bluetooth devices. A subscription to get all the workouts (a select few are free) costs a fair $12.99 per month or $129 per year.
Android(Opens in a new window), iOS(Opens in a new window), Web(Opens in a new window)
Free Trial at The Sculpt Society
Today's Best Deal
(Opens in a new window)The Sculpt Society, called TSS for short, has on demand workouts as well as several live classes per week with aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Many of the classes are taught by founder Megan Roup. Many workouts are designed to fit specific needs, such as a 10-week beginner program, pre- and post-natal exercises, "quickie" sessions for people with limited time, among others. TSS is great for beginners because the app includes two recommended videos that show and explain the proper form you need and possible modifications to make the exercises safe and effective. The majority of the classes are pre-recorded and are available on demand, and the live classes remain available for 24 hours after they stream. Aside from workouts, the app also offers guided meditations.
The subscription for this app is pricey at $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year, and it's not always discounted. Give the one week free trial a go first, and then wait for discounts (there were none at the time of this writing). If you want a truly free taste of Megan Roup's workouts, you can find quite a few of her videos on YouTube.
Android(Opens in a new window), iOS(Opens in a new window), Web(Opens in a new window)
Shred: Home & Gym Workout
Shred: Home & Gym Workout$12.99 Per Year at Shred Labs LLC
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(Opens in a new window)Shred is an app that creates workouts for you to do with some basic equipment you might have at home or in a gym. The workouts are based on your goals, such as whether you want to dr
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