Astronomy Apps

I have a hard time with telescopes so much so that I bought a pair of astronomical binoculars. This Wednesday night the NRT EcoRangers will be doing a stargazing event so for the next couple of days I'll be trying to learn how to use a Newtonian reflecting telescope that has been loaned by Randi Graham.

Looking to get an edge beyond astronomy books and those cardboard star charts, I've bought a few apps for the IPad. My go to computer program is still Stellarium for the regular mac, but the ease of bringing an IPad into the field makes it an excellent choice for sky watchers. I've got nine apps in my astronomy section, but only a few will be helpful with the EcoRangers. Exoplanet, a regularly updated app that tracks the search for earth-like planets in a star's "sweet spot" where water neither freezes or boils is not going to impress your average nine year old nor are atlases of the Moon or Mars. NASA's EarthNow is an IPhone app that gives a global view of satellite data on a number of things like atmospheric CO2; nice to know someone is looking down on us.  The main NASA app should be on everyone's IPad. It's loaded with amazing pictures, videos, and facts like the International Space Station might be seen by the EcoRangers for three minutes beginning at 8:18 Wednesday if our extinct volcano wasn't in the way. You could spend days with the NASA app, but it's not what I'm looking for on Wednesday.

That leaves four programs SkyQ, NightSky, SolarWalk, and SkySafari for Wednesday night. SolarWalk is an app that allows you to fly through the solar system. Good old earth is surrounded with the paths of satellites which you can fly around before leaving for close-up views of all the planets and most major moons. NightSky is probably the most famous astronomy app. If you have a 3G IPad or are in WiFi range if you don't, you can hold up the IPad and this app will identify what you are seeing. SkyQ comes from Celestron the leading maker of home telescopes. As you might expect this is an app filled with viewing times of major space objects with  a sky view that can be set like a regular planetarium program. Great information, but it's very sensitive screen doesn't always open the information about an object when touched. Last, but for nine year olds perhaps the best app, is SkySafari a three app series that starts with an entry level program and works its way up to a $30 pro version. The entry level program doesn't show the night sky with the same detail as SkyQ, but the stories of the constellations and stars that are visible with the naked eye are superb. For example did you know that the Great Spirit knows just how dumb a bear can be? He taught them how to build warm dens, but the silly animals didn't know when to use them. So the Great Spirit set two bear constellations in the sky that rotate around pole star. When the two constellations are below the pole star it's winter and the bears should be in their dens!

Summing up no sky watch program has all the features you might need, but for adults trying to find things for a telescope Night Watch and SkyQ are the apps to have. Parents with kids should give SkySafari a try. For rainy nights SolarWalk and the NASA app will give you a full dose of astronomical wonder.