KeckWatch

Name: KeckWatch
Rating: 4.3 (9 reviews)
Author: Mike Smithwick

Education

Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.

9 Ratings
Age Rating

4+
Years
Category

Education
Developer

Mike Smithwick
Language

EN
English
Size

154.2
MB

KeckWatch is brought to you by W. M. Keck Observatory, which operates the two largest optical/infrared telescopes on Earth from nearly 14,000 feet on Maunakea in Hawaii. Since first science in 1993 they have become the two most scientifically productive telescopes on Earth. With KeckWatch, you can share in their discoveries. Sporting thousands of stars, all 8 (sorry, Pluto) planets, galaxies, nebula and star clusters, along with status updates and news from Keck Observatory you’ll learn where Orion might be, or what planet was shimmering above the house last night. Features include: •No Internet required. Just a sense of wonder. •Up to date Keck news •See the current status of each telescope, what instruments are in use and what organization is booked for that evening’s observing •See where each scope is currently aimed. •Stars are shown with both standard and traditional Hawaiian names •Zoom in on the planets, see Jupiter and her moons or the rings of Saturn. •See where other users with Beacons. •Compass aware, just aim and gaze. •Thousands of pinpoint stars scintillating like diamond dust in the palm of your hand •Realistic ghostly band of the Milky Way •Stories behind each constellation •Viewpoint Lock keeps any planet centered •Galaxies, nebula and star clusters •Hubble Space Telescope images •All 8 planets (Pluto is optional) •GPS aware •Red interface to preserve your night vision •What's Up? Gives a quick one snapshot overview of where all of the important stuff is •Touching the sky to reveal hidden data for each object •Planetary data and information

Ratings & Reviews

4.3

out of 5

9 Ratings

Really Awesome App
06/13/2021
Incubusflyguy
I don’t know if any free apps that are worth a hoot. They have pop-ups or you press a name for more information on the celestial object and a pop up greets you wanting more money. This one is different. Not sure what their motive was other than to share fun, because there is no money involved with this in any way whatsoever. As a single dad, in college at 38 years old (and have been for 5 years now- and almost done!!) 3$ or 4$ is more than I can spare. Seriously. A year from now that should be a different story, but for now, I can’t. And I am so appreciative of this app first for being free, 2nd because my 11 year old daughter has this app and two other astronomy apps on her phone and nothing else. She loves it. I love that it needs zero adult supervision and my daughter and I have spent so many hours outside with this app according to her screen app time and mine. On my phone in the last year I have 305 hours of screen time. She has 780 hours screen objects that you can see with (or up to) a REALLY good 4” refractor, this app MORE than suffices. Great job Keck-People!!!
Really Awesome App
06/13/2021
Incubusflyguy

I don’t know if any free apps that are worth a hoot. They have pop-ups or you press a name for more information on the celestial object and a pop up greets you wanting more money. This one is different. Not sure what their motive was other than to share fun, because there is no money involved with this in any way whatsoever. As a single dad, in college at 38 years old (and have been for 5 years now- and almost done!!) 3$ or 4$ is more than I can spare. Seriously. A year from now that should be a different story, but for now, I can’t. And I am so appreciative of this app first for being free, 2nd because my 11 year old daughter has this app and two other astronomy apps on her phone and nothing else. She loves it. I love that it needs zero adult supervision and my daughter and I have spent so many hours outside with this app according to her screen app time and mine. On my phone in the last year I have 305 hours of screen time. She has 780 hours screen objects that you can see with (or up to) a REALLY good 4” refractor, this app MORE than suffices. Great job Keck-People!!!
More than just a stargazing app
08/12/2015
Drewskee808
By far my favorite stargazing app! This app has it all from stargazing on the beach to keeping me up to date with the observatory and telescopes. This app is packed with useful information!
More than just a stargazing app
08/12/2015
Drewskee808

By far my favorite stargazing app! This app has it all from stargazing on the beach to keeping me up to date with the observatory and telescopes. This app is packed with useful information!
Very Unintuitive UI
10/30/2023
rigpasword
I’ve used many different night sky apps and this one has got to be the least intuitive to navigate around the sky. You don’t know what direction you’re looking because you can’t find direction markers; I have no idea where the horizon is or what’s in relation to what. The labeling on the sky chart is all over the place in terms of font size, style, color… preferences allow you to turn things on the sky chart on and off such as mythological figures, object names, etc. it’s clear this app has all kinds of cool features but IMO they’re clumsily rendered. It’s just confusing to use. My go to night sky app is SkySafari - it’s waaaaaay better in every way with superior features, way better sky chart, more intuitive interface, way more settings, millions object database, outstanding simulations, and on and on. Keck Watch could be a contender but it’s got a long way to go rethinking their presentation and user controls. Other good ones are Stellarium, Luminos, GoSkyWatch, Sky View, Sky Walk.
Very Unintuitive UI
10/30/2023
rigpasword

I’ve used many different night sky apps and this one has got to be the least intuitive to navigate around the sky. You don’t know what direction you’re looking because you can’t find direction markers; I have no idea where the horizon is or what’s in relation to what. The labeling on the sky chart is all over the place in terms of font size, style, color… preferences allow you to turn things on the sky chart on and off such as mythological figures, object names, etc. it’s clear this app has all kinds of cool features but IMO they’re clumsily rendered. It’s just confusing to use. My go to night sky app is SkySafari - it’s waaaaaay better in every way with superior features, way better sky chart, more intuitive interface, way more settings, millions object database, outstanding simulations, and on and on. Keck Watch could be a contender but it’s got a long way to go rethinking their presentation and user controls. Other good ones are Stellarium, Luminos, GoSkyWatch, Sky View, Sky Walk.
Great app!
07/16/2015
gulture
What a great app for stargazing & also learning more about what's going on with the Keck!
Great app!
07/16/2015
gulture

What a great app for stargazing & also learning more about what's going on with the Keck!

This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included. •Added pointing information for each the scopes.

Version 20082 07/16/2015

No Details Provided

The developer will be required to provide privacy details when they submit their next app update.

Accessibility

Information

Seller: Mike Smithwick
Size: 154.2 MB
Category: Education
Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.1 or later.

iPhone
Requires iOS 7.1 or later.

iPad
Requires iPadOS 7.1 or later.

iPod touch
Requires iOS 7.1 or later.

Mac
Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.

Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Languages: English
Age Rating: 4+

4+

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