Pocket Universe

Star Map & Night Sky Guide

Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.

Your friendly guide to the night sky! (And eclipses!) There's never been a better time to get into Astronomy! Start off easy with an app that will guide you around the night sky - and even entertain you a little when the skies are cloudy. "The app works beautifully, making astronomy a bit less mysterious—but no less remarkable", MacWorld "It’s truly an impressive marvel. 5 Mice out of 5", MacWorld. "..one of the prettiest and easiest to use. And at three bucks, it’s a steal", Cult of Mac. Apple App Store Staff Favorite Voted Best Educational iPhone Application by AppAdvice --- Pocket Universe 2 turns your iPhone or iPad into an intuitive guide to the night sky. Just point your device upward to instantly identify what’s overhead—planets, constellations, comets, satellites, and deep-sky wonders. Designed for clarity and ease of use, Pocket Universe 2 helps you learn the sky naturally, whether you’re stepping outside for a quick look or exploring in detail from your couch. Key features • Live sky view: Aim your device to identify stars, planets, the ISS, satellites, comets, and bright deep-sky objects in real time. • Time travel: Scrub hours or days forward and back, jump to sunrise, sunset, golden hour, moonrise, or moonset - and return to “now” instantly. • Explore mode: Discover what’s worth looking for tonight, with summaries of upcoming events, solar activity, Moon phases and maps, Jupiter and Saturn’s moons and rings, a full Solar System orrery, and dedicated ISS and satellite views. • Find anything fast: Search by name, browse curated “cool things” lists, or jump straight to planets and other Solar System bodies. • Rich object details: Learn about thousands of objects, including planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and more. • Widgets: Add Sun and Moon times and Moon phase to your Home Screen or desktop. • Deep customization: Night vision mode, labels, grids, constellation lines, satellites, comets, and more. Save presets to switch instantly between your favorite viewing modes. Pocket Universe 2 is the sequel to Pocket Universe, one of the first astronomy apps on the App Store. It has been completely rewritten using modern frameworks and tools to deliver a faster, cleaner, and more immersive stargazing experience. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

  • 4.5
    out of 5
    253 Ratings

Lots of improvements in this release! Eclipse View rewrite - Path centerline shown on map (orange polyline of totality path) - Your location context - shows distance from centerline and estimated coverage % - Countdown timer for future eclipses (e.g. "27d 5h until eclipse") - Eye safety warning appears during live eclipse tracking - Easier timeline dragging - Data-driven phase markers (Start / Max / End from NASA-verified path data) - Proper shadow geometry which is latitude-corrected ellipse at high latitudes - Improved eclipse picker that shows upcoming/past badges, magnitude Jupiter & Saturn Moons - Smart label positioning so moon names no longer overlap - Rewind past "now" so you can explore past positions - Standardized button colors with clean white instead of rainbow Bug Fixes - Settings dismiss crash - fixed memory access violation (weak reference capture) - Constellation outlines flashing on Settings close - Solar Activity data now loads immediately on view appear - Time buttons no longer overlap the main control strip - On-screen coordinates aren't hidden by buttons - Moon phase more accurately calculated for certain locations - In Motion Tracking mode, adjust the central site to make it less distracting - Motion Tracking on at launch by default (can be disabled in Settings) Polish - Improved star and planet rendering - Optimized loading speed - Constellation label size reduced (18pt → 16pt) - Settings display optimized - Settings organized with section headers - Constantly reviewed and improved against Apple HIG

The developer, John Kennedy, 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

    The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More

    Seller
    • John Kennedy
    Size
    • 115.4 MB
    Category
    • Education
    Compatibility
    Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
    • iPhone
      Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
    • iPad
      Requires iPadOS 18.0 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 15.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
    • Apple Vision
      Requires visionOS 2.0 or later.
    • Apple Watch
      Requires watchOS 11.6 or later.
    Languages
    English and 4 more
    • English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
    Age Rating
    4+
    In-App Purchases
    Yes
    • Monthly subscription $0.99
    • Pocket Universe Lifetime unlock $19.99
    • Annual subscription $4.99
    Copyright
    • © 2011, 2026 Craic Design