I do not undertake to count the number of so-called astronomical programs, but I can say with confidence that they are all divided into two large groups. The first consists of light applications, designed mostly for entertainment, the second consists of powerful simulators used to train novice astronomers.
The lion's share of programs for space exploration are written under Windows. What about Android, this operating system is no less popular?
Are there any astronomical programs for Android, and if so, how good are they? Of course, you just need to know where to look for them. As for the quality, they are in no way inferior to the Windows ones.
Star Walk
At first, I wanted to leave this application “for a snack”, but then I decided that the program should be the first in terms of quality of performance and should be the first in the list.
Star Walk - perhaps best app for amateur study of the starry sky. This wonderful astronomical guide will allow you to navigate through myriads of stars in real time. All you need to do is just point your smartphone or tablet at the sky and all celestial bodies will be immediately identified. It doesn't matter if it's day or night.
The most significant space objects in Star Walk have a complete dossier. Also with this application you can learn information about constellations, nebulae, phases of the moon, trajectories of celestial bodies, etc. Also, your attention will be offered naturalistic pictures of the planets, an astronomical calendar, various visual and audio effects. Star Walk is distributed on a paid basis, the cost of the application is small and amounts to only $3.17.
star chart
Star Chart aka The Star Chart can be seen as a very good alternative to Star Walk. It works in much the same way - point the device at the sky and get a picture with a description of celestial bodies. The application provides detailed data on planets, stars, comets, constellations, solar systems and artificial satellites. Star Chart supports 3D mode, use of audio commands, scaling, switching the color spectrum. The photographs of space used in the program are of excellent quality.
sky map
The name of the third astronomy program on our list speaks for itself. Sky Map or Star Map is a simple free, open source source code application for viewing and studying the constellations of the starry sky. Application developed Google. The graphics do not differ in special quality, but everything is free. Among the shortcomings, one can also note minor errors in the identification of celestial bodies.
Features of Solar Walk include viewing the internal structure of the planets, visual study of the galaxy Milky Way, tracking the trajectories of natural and artificial satellites in real time, studying the history of space in the "time machine" mode, and much more.
The program has support for 3D mode, but you will need cyan red 3D glasses to take advantage of it. Solar Walk is commercial. The cost of the application is small and is only $2.90.
Need to download music from VK?
The colorful Star Chart program for android will help everyone to study the stars in our Galaxy in detail. The application will introduce the planets and its satellites in the solar system. Before the user will open all the beauty of the starry sky anywhere in the world. This program can be considered educational. The user can at any time find out what is the color, temperature, volume of each star. He will be able to study galaxies and their structure. The application database contains more than eighty constellations, more than a hundred thousand stars, more than a hundred amazing objects (clusters of stars, nebulae, galaxies). Star Chart for android has unique graphics. Satellites and planets in the program are presented in three-dimensional projection. The background of the constellations is decorated with artwork by the famous astronomer Hevelius. The trembling of the smartphone screen under the pulsation of the rays conveys the entire magnitude of the sun. If you select any object, it will display full information about its diameter, about the distance to the Sun and the Earth, about the period of rotation, gravitational force, temperature. The Star Chart program is in free version. Additionally, for a fee, satellites, meteorites, miniature planets can be installed in the gadget. If you constantly use the application, then over time you can remember the name of the stars and their location.
If you have long dreamed of unraveling star drawings, then this Star Chart will help you with this. The utility will reveal the secret where the sun hides at night and the stars are placed during the day. You can set the coordinates manually, get a map and watch the sky on a foreign continent. And if you point your smartphone down at your feet, you can see the constellations that are located on the other side of the globe. Star Chart for android easily determines the location of a person relative to different constellations. The program provides a unique opportunity to study the starry sky through the camera of an android device. In this case, the position of all stars can be automatically calculated. An amazing picture of the world will open before the owner of the smartphone. And even during the day you can admire the constellations and stars. To do this, you just need to point the camera of your smartphone at the sky. Star Chart for android allows you to view the sky map both in real time and with an offset. You will be the first to know about the passage of a comet, a meteor shower, if you set up notifications in the program.
Of course, it is very pleasant to review an application that is developed by Russian company. And if you consider that the application has received a number of prestigious awards, then it is doubly pleasant. As part of the project, we will talk about the Star Walk pocket observatory. If you are reading this blog, you will notice that Sasha is already, but that was half a year ago, since then there have been many changes, the most important of which is the version for Android.
Briefly
With Star Walk you can see stars, planets, constellations, satellites, meteor showers not only from where you are in this moment are, but also from any place on Earth.
Requirements
iOS: 5.0 or later, 83 MB free space. Suitable for: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Application in Russian. Age 4+
Android 4.0 or later, 112 MB free space.
in detail
First of all, the application is interesting for those who like to look at the starry sky, but do not always understand what and where it is. Personally, I am this type of people. The principle of operation is that using GPS and an accelerometer, Star Walk determines the exact location of the device, and correlates what you see with a map of the starry sky. After the launch, I found the moon in the sky, the application showed exactly the same location on the smartphone. Accordingly, when moving the device, the sky on it will also change. Perhaps this is the most important thing for me. The fact is that not all applications before that determined my coordinates correctly. You can click on each of the objects and then a page will appear on which you can read detailed description object.
Star Walk has many settings and filters. You can find a certain celestial body.
See sunrise and sunset times.
But personally, I'm always interested in the ISS. It is always interesting to understand and observe the passage of the station, apparently this is due to the fact that people constantly live at the station. If you look at the sky and see a satellite, you can always figure out whose it is.
Here is a short video that shows all the beauty.
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Are you a developer? There is a special one for you
Dedicated to all romantics and astrologers! - a map of the starry sky with a bunch of nice additions. In general, the application is conditionally called a map, because. in fact, everything is done in the form of a game without a plot. You "play" from the first person - from the Earth.
In contact with
You can turn to different sides and use the zoom to search for the stars and constellations of interest. You can click on each of them and then a page will appear on which you can read the description of the object. For convenience, at the bottom left there is a button to search for the object of interest to you in the starry sky. Star Walk supports Russian, which is very nice.
In addition to many planets, on the interactive map you can even find artificial satellites, plowing the Earth's orbit. The most interesting thing is that all the action of the application takes place in real time, i. you can see the movement of satellites and the slow movement of stars around the sun.
For greater effectiveness, the developers have added the ability to look at the starry sky through various filters: x-rays, infrared radiation, radio emission, etc. These filters are added more for the entertainment of the application than for anything else.
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If you have ever been fond of studying the constellations, or just like to look at the starry sky, then you will definitely like the application. In the daytime or at night, you can always see where certain constellations and planets are located.
The app is available for both iPhone and iPad. Star Walk cost App Store is 379 rubles.
Demonstration of application features: