Earth’s closest celestial neighbour has always had a profound effect on the planet and its inhabitants. It’s no surprise then, that since the dawn of humanity, we’ve found ourselves gazing upwards in awe of the moon. For those who like to observe the stars and beyond, Night Sky is a knowledgeable companion.
It’s a powerful all-round tool to accompany your exploration of the wider cosmos, helping you to learn everything about stars, constellations, planets, galaxies, satellites, and more. Here, we’ve highlighted some of the cool ways that fellow “selenophiles” (people who are fond of the moon) can follow and interact with our one and only natural satellite using Night Sky.
Get to Know the Moon
Open the app for the first time and you’ll see a dashboard featuring standard sky-gazing information that’s specific to your current location. It tells you the exact times when the moon will rise and set, as well as its current phase. Through visual references and percentages, you can tell, let’s say, how close we are to seeing a full moon. You can transport this dashboard to your Home Screen using the widgets introduced with iOS 14 and easily track the information you’re interested in.
When you search and locate the moon on your screen, you can tap on it and access an information panel where you can add it to your favourites; set up a reminder so the app can notify you when the moon is rising at your location. Want quick access to the moon in the app? Select Siri Shortcuts from the app’s settings, tap on the + icon, select the moon, and activate a shortcut so you can ask Siri to take you to it whenever you want.
Take One Small Step With AR
For a truly out-of-this-world experience, you can head over to the AR Planetary Portals feature. Using your device’s camera, open a portal, step into it in real time, and find yourself on the surface of the moon. From here you can see how the planets in our solar system and the stars beyond appear from the moon.
If you’re in an urban locale with a lot of lights, you can check out the Light Pollution map to find out the darkest spots close to your location that are suitable for sky-gazing. Once you’re there, you can experiment with the Astrophotography feature to capture a great image of the moon.
In need of a serene, uninterrupted voyage of celestial discovery? Select Night Sky Mindfulness, which temporarily disables all interactions and information on the main screen, and accompanies your journey with an assisted breathing session.
The night sky is a wondrous thing. Take a closer look tonight.