Whether the Super Pink Moon in April kicked off your love of astronomy, or want to be ready when the Perseid meteor shower rolls in hot weather, you should start by checking out these best star viewing apps. Most of the time, all you have to do is point them at the night sky, and they'll demystify what's in front of you, whether it's stars, planets, constellations, or artificial objects like satellites or the International Space Station. Many of them can even alert you to upcoming celestial events, so you'll never miss another Super Moon again.
How does it work?
Most of them have some sort of augmented reality feature, where they can automatically locate where you are and display what the star chart above you should look like. This means that you don't need the knowledge of a planetarium doctor of hundreds and thousands of stars to find the one you are looking for. Heck, you don't even need a telescope. You just have to launch the application and look like some kind of astronomical genius.
The next time you find yourself going for a night walk or looking for a way to keep the kids entertained in the yard after sunset, take out one of these apps and get ready to be amazed. Best of all: Many are free! The apps below are free to install, unless otherwise noted (although in-app purchases may be available).
