SkySafari 8 Pro sets a new standard for mobile astronomy. Built on the most complete astronomical database ever put on a phone, it delivers unmatched accuracy, powerful observing and planning tools, seamless telescope and Alpaca camera control, and a beautifully refined interface. Whether you're exploring from your backyard or planning an all-night session, SkySafari 8 Pro gives you the clarity, precision, and reliability that serious observers depend on.
What’s New in Version 8
+ UI Themes - Customize your experience with five new UI color themes. Instantly change the look of the app with a fresh visual palette.
+ ASCOM ALPACA Camera Support - Connect and control ALPACA-compatible astronomy cameras directly from SkySafari.
+ SmartEye Support - Seamless integration with SmartEye for enhanced imaging workflows.
+ Image Gallery - Import your own images from AstroBin, FITS files, local storage, URLs, or an ALPACA camera. Includes basic editing tools.
+ Plate Solving - Quickly plate-solve imported images and place them directly onto the sky chart.
+ Lunar Surface Outlines - Explore the Moon like never before with detailed outlines for maria, craters, mountains, and more.
+ Appulses in Events Finder - Find precise moments when the Moon or planets pass close to the Pleiades, other planets, or stars of a chosen magnitude. Also includes transit and occultation search capabilities.
+ Rotatable FOV Indicator - Rotate the field of view to any angle - perfect for matching your camera orientation.
+ Observing Conditions (Premium) - Get observer-focused hourly forecasts, including best viewing windows, seeing index, and sky quality metrics.
If you're new to SkySafari 8 Pro, here’s what you can do:
+ Point & Identify - Hold your device to the sky and instantly identify stars, constellations, planets, satellites, and more.
+ Travel Through Time - Simulate the sky up to 5 million years backward or forward. Animate meteor showers, conjunctions, eclipses, and other events.
+ Telescope Control - Control your telescope and manage your observing sessions with advanced planning and logging tools. Supports ASCOM ALPACA, INDI, and StarSense Explorer.
+ Events Finder - Use the powerful search engine to find upcoming astronomical events visible from your location - tonight or far into the future.
+ Cloud Sync (Optional) - Securely back up observing data to LiveSky and access it across your devices or through LiveSky.com.
+ Augmented Reality (AR) Mode - View the sky with an AR overlay for an immersive experience.
+ Night Vision Mode - Preserve dark-adapted vision while you observe.
+ Orbit Mode - Leave Earth behind and fly through the solar system.
+ Galaxy View - See where deep-sky objects lie within the Milky Way.
Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://www.livesky.com/privacy.html
Great addition to my astronomy apps. The interface is clean, and the sky rendering is detailed yet not cluttered. I’ve found it really helpful for planning observing sessions and identifying objects when I’m out with my telescope. What I appreciate most is that it strikes a good balance between being powerful and still easy to navigate. Features like time-shift and object search work smoothly, and the database is extensive enough for both casual stargazing and more serious use.It’s not flashy, but it’s dependable and well thought out. If you’re looking for a solid astronomy app that feels professional without being intimidating, this is a great choice.
Good News / Bad News
W122ard0f
The good news is that this app runs on both the iPad and the Mac with a single purchase. The bad news is that little effort was put into the MacOS version. Fundamental operations like zooming are broken unless you make changes to the application settings. For example pinch to zoom works great on the iPad screen, but doesn’t work via the trackpad on the Mac. Even the odd workarounds like Command + or - or two fingered scroll from the prior Mac OS version don’t work. Still no luck search in the help. Finally got some help on a user forum suggesting changing the “Tourch Alternatives” setting of the app. This at least make the app functional! Wouldn’t it be better if it just worked the first time it started up. Couldn’t the installation process make sure this absolutely necessary change for Mac OS? Couldn’t the zoom buttons be made visible by default on Mac OS? Even better why do I have to hold down a key in addition to making the zoom gesture? Other make apps that I use just make the zoom gesture work natively! It’s great that Apple lets the same app run on both the iPad and the Mac, but clearly a little more effort is required from the developers.
Developer Response
The macOS experience is always being improved by our developers and by Apple's native updates as they try to bridge this gap between iOS and macOS apps. There have been updates since your post that should have taken care of any major usability concerns, and it's possible you will need to uninstall / reinstall to ensure everything has taken effect. The touch alternatives will work flawlessly and content creators like Andrew Fazekas (The Night Sky Guy) use the macOS version daily to put out social media posts. If we develop an entirely new codebase for the Mac version it will take time and cost money that would then have to be charged to customers. Then it's likely this review would be a complaint about paying for the iOS version separate from macOS. Please try using the macOS version a little more and learning the nuance and send ideas to support@skysafariastronomy.com where we can work with you and assist vs. this kind of misleading frustration in the App Store Reviews where it is nearly impossible to provide assistance.
Replaces Star Charts
JayinUT
I still do a lot of Star hopping and Sky Safari is essential for that. I also use a PiFinder and run Sky Safari through/with that. I love the detail information on most objects, and the items and news for the day and the week. I pay for the Pro version as I live LiveSky on my laptop and my desktop. Live this program:
Great program but nickel and dimes you for a subscription as well
Beamonthe411
I appreciate the program it is very useful but…they produce a program version that you pay for and each version is another fee and then they want you to get a subscription as well. I would not recommend just because of that. I’d happily pay a subscription for a program that updates. This is 8 pro. I’ll have to pay again for 9 in addition to a 50$ a year subscription? It honestly isn’t that good
This update restores plate-solve re-centering with SmartEye, and fixes several issues reported since 8.1.0.
BUG FIXES
- Restored "Align Telescope and GoTo" after a plate solve. In 8.1.0 this action was replaced by the drift-recovery re-center, which returns the mount to where an imaging run began - so it never appeared for a one-off solve and could not correct an inaccurate GoTo. Select a target, slew, solve, and SkySafari centers it accurately again, including on the first solve of a session.
- Fixed your location's longitude changing on its own. Searching for events could leave your observing site at the event's longitude, so the sky was drawn for the wrong place moments after opening.
- Fixed Astro Weather showing "Error generating observation text" instead of a forecast summary, and showing metric temperatures and wind speeds to those who prefer imperial units. Weather service problems are now reported as errors rather than as poor observing conditions.
- Fixed the Sun still being drawn un-eclipsed after travelling onto an eclipse track without changing the date.
- Improved the "best place on Earth" location reported for events, which could be off by up to 21 km.
- Fixed Event Details offering time playback for events with no known start or end.
- Fixed the Eclipse Finder applying your eclipse-type filter only after timing every eclipse.
- Fixed the on-screen keyboard covering text fields in Account, Planner, Alpaca, and Appulse settings.
IMPROVEMENTS
- Remote plate-solve status messages are clearer, and are now translated in every supported language.
- Sharper textures at extreme zoom, with less per-frame work in the sky chart renderer.
Thank you for using SkySafari. Clear skies!
Version 8.1.1
The developer, Simulation Curriculum Corp., indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Location
Contact Info
User Content
Identifiers
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Simulation Curriculum Corp.
Size
2.6 GB
Category
Reference
Compatibility
Requires iOS 18.6 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 18.6 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 18.6 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 15.6 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
