AstroGuide is designed for real nights: clear windows, passing clouds, bright moonlight, uncertain forecasts, and evenings that are better spent reviewing or planning
AstroGuide is a planning-and-learning companion for smart-telescope owners and newer astrophotographers who want to make better use of every night under the stars.
Start with the night itself. AstroGuide helps you understand weather, moonlight, sky brightness, visibility, local obstructions, equipment fit, available time, and subject timing before you commit your observing window.
Use AstroGuide to:
- See whether tonight looks strong, limited, risky, or better used for planning
- Find the most useful observing hours
- Browse deep-sky subjects with planning-aware context
- Preview subject paths across the sky
- Plan around your real site, horizon, and equipment
- Save goals and objectives for better future windows
- Compare framing and filter choices with Capture Studio
- Import and review telescope sessions with Direct Scan
- Learn from session efficiency, image metrics, and diagnostics
AstroGuide is especially useful for smart telescope workflows, including Seestar-style planning and review. It is built to complement the telescope software you already use by helping with the decisions around the session: what kind of night you have, what fits your setup, what belongs later, and what you can learn afterward.
For beginners, AstroGuide is designed to make astrophotography more approachable without hiding the complexity. Charts, tips, recommendations, sky views, and diagnostics are built to explain why something matters, not just show another number.
For more experienced users, AstroGuide offers deeper planning context: site profiles, horizon and panorama context, Sky Atlas views, Capture Studio framing tools, equipment kits, filter-aware planning, schedule import/export, and session analysis tools.
Core planning features are available for free. AstroGuide Pro unlocks advanced planning tools, including Capture Studio and multiple equipment kits.
AstroGuide helps you move from “the sky looks clear” to a plan that fits the actual night.
Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://astroguide.space/privacy
… and even with my limited knowledge of the hobby, this app is incredibly helpful. Just the forecasting alone (cloud cover, dew point, lunar phase) helps me plan my evenings, but then the ability to sort objects by whether they will be a good target for my particular smart telescope (Seestar S30 Pro) lets me optimize those evenings. There’s a lot of information but it’s displayed pleasingly and with a great eye for design. Looking forward to future updates and to get even more out of this app.
Really like this app
mtbadger
I’m still learning it but what I see so far I really like. One request: Could you add Celestron 6SE to the list of owned equipment? Thanks a ton!
Developer Response
hi! happy to hear you're enjoying AstroGuide :) the Celestron 6SE is an excellent telescope, especially when paired with a great imaging camera. I had originally included a few Celestron telescope models in my "Smart Telescope" as placeholders, but since they don't have built in optics, it's not the best fit to include them in that category. I've added it for convenience, but a much broader selection of telescopes is now available in the Telescope Workshop, which lets you assemble an imaging rig by combining OTAs and Cameras to more accurately reproduce your imaging setup. This lets the app more faithfully create a Field of View simulator, and calculate other attributes of your equipment. I would be happy to help more; please reach out via email, or use the other support options listed at Https://AstroGuide.space
The main "Tonight" page loads just fine and scrolls great. But the moment you hit the search bar and look for objects a bunch of images load and the app slows to a crawl and becomes unusable on a 17 Pro Max. I like the concept. I like the tonight view is very useful. I like that I can search and filter objects nicer than otherwise. But I need it to not slow down so much. I've tried all 3 settings of image fetch protection and it doesn't help.
Developer Response
Thank you very much for this feedback! I have been testing these areas of the app using a variety of devices, under a variety of network conditions, and have recently implemented fixes that should result in improvements. Please evaluate the latest version of the app (1.3.4), and let me know if these issues are addressed. You can contact me via the Support Url or Email address, I’m more than happy to help if needed. Clear Skies!
AstroGuide 1.4.2 is about expanding horizons: discover astronomy gatherings, follow a changing night sky, plan planetary targets, explore moon systems, and inspect your own sky photos.
• Sky Captures: Import supported night-sky photos, identify their star fields with on-device plate solving, explore catalog subjects, and create annotated images for sharing. Pin subjects, explore their trails, and customize overlays. Your Sky Captures library stays on your device.
• Star Parties: Find gatherings around the world, with event details, maps, and distance filters to help plan your next astronomy adventure.
• Events: Browse upcoming and bookmarked events, including Star Parties and reviewed nova and transient opportunities when available. Periodic comet updates help you follow changes in brightness.
• Planetary upgrade: Schedule planets more cleanly, explore lunar occultations and near misses for your observing site with an interactive visualizer, and follow matching Moon-to-planet encounters from planet detail pages. Planetary Moon Explorer adds curated moon systems for Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto with time-scrubbable views, representative imagery, and moon detail sheets.
• Notifications: Set bookmarked-event reminders and receive a Tonight Summary. AstroGuide Pro adds alerts for meaningful observing-window changes and comet opportunities.
• More planning tools: Explore optional planet, constellation, and Milky Way overlays, plus iPhone camera framing presets and Seestar S50 Pro support.
This release also reduces startup and background memory use, clarifies iCloud status messages, improves event layouts, and includes catalog additions and corrections.
Sky-photo solving requires sufficient visible stars and capture information.
Version 1.4.2
The developer, chris hollander, 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 Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
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
chris hollander
Size
306.3 MB
Category
Reference
Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 26.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 26.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.