APP OF THE DAY
Stars of the show
Sky Guide
Star gazing astronomy tracker
Nothing should get in the way of a bit of stargazing. With Sky Guide AR, it doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy or you’re in the middle of a city, with a lot of light pollution. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if it’s the middle of the day and you’re inside.
Sky Guide AR adapts to any time of day or night, making star-gazing (and impressing your friends and family with your stellar knowledge) easy and fun. And because the app works even when you don’t have access to cellular service or Wi-Fi, it’s a particularly great addition to your next hike or camping trip.
If you are using iOS 11 and newer models of the iPhone and iPad, the app uses your device’s camera to overlay the constellations and the mythological representations they are named after (as well as planets and satellites) onto your surroundings.
Want to use Sky Guide AR in a classroom? Tap the compass icon to swipe through renderings of celestial objects obscured by that roof over your heads.
If you fancy yourself a time traveller, tap the clock at the top of the screen to zoom to a specific time in the past or future. This shows what you’d see if you peered through a telescope at that moment.
You can even receive notifications for astronomical events like meteor showers and eclipses, or whenever the International Space Station is overhead.
Sky Guide AR offers an annual subscription called Supermassive that’ll launch your stargazing into the stratosphere. Via in-app purchase, unlock high-definition zoom, a catalogue of more than 100 million stars, and audiovisual tours of the night skies.
You’ll never confuse your Venus with your Virgo again.
If you’re running iOS 12 or later, the app’s integration with Siri Shortcuts makes planet-spotting even more seamless.
Check out the app’s handy guide to setting up a custom voice shortcut that you can trigger with “Hey Siri.” (Our favourite: “Hey Siri, is that an alien?”)
Soon, you’ll be able to identify star constellations Orion or Cassiopeia faster than you can name the tower blocks obscuring your view of the sky.