APP OF THE DAY
Stars of the show
Sky Guide: AR Astronomy Finder
Star gazing night map
Nothing should get in the way of a bit of stargazing. With Sky Guide, it doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy or you’re in the middle of a city, with a lot of light interference. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if it’s the middle of the day and you’re inside.
Whatever the weather, you can point your device towards the sky and see spectacular constellations above.
Using your device’s camera, the app’s AR function overlays the constellations and the mythological representations they are named after (as well as planets and satellites) onto your surroundings.
With the app’s Sky Blend function you can choose only to see information about what is actually visible in your sightline. Or, you can swipe up to increase the opacity so that the app shows you the solar system as it would appear if you could see through the walls of your home, for example.
Turn on notifications and you’ll be informed when the international space station is passing over you or there’s a meteor shower to spot.
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.