My TOP 10 Favorite Apps for Astrophotography

Antoine & Dalia Grelin
Apr 30
5 min read

There are a bazillion apps made for stargazing and astrophotography. I have tried many of them throughout the years, but only have a handful of favorites. In this post, I'm only going to cover the apps I actually use on a regular basis.

I will divide the list into four main categories:

Planning Apps
Weather Apps
Sun and Moon Apps
Other Apps

If you'd like to learn more about astrophotography, be sure to join the Galactic Course!

Planning Apps

This category lists the four apps I use to plan my nights. With these apps, I can easily see what objects are currently in the sky, where they are in real time, and see how the stars move throughout the night.

Stellarium

Stellarium is one of the best astronomy planning apps available, and it's free! This app is used to see how the night sky looks in real time. It gives you a view of stars, planets, constellations, and deep-sky objects based on your exact location and time. For astrophotographers, it’s also useful for framing targets, checking object rise and set times, and planning future sessions.

SkySafari Pro

SkySafari Pro is very similar to Stellarium in what it can do, but it has a much more "premium" feel and its catalog of objects is massive! You also have much more settings, display options, and extra features. On the other hand, the app is not free, but it is a one-time payment that I honestly never regretted in my life.

Star Chart

Star Chart is also a type of planetarium app, but it's much more basic, simple, and user-friendly. I like to use this one when I simply want to quickly check what a specific star or planet is in the sky. I open the app, use the augmented reality feature and point my phone at the sky to know what I'm looking at in just seconds. This one is perfect for beginners or for people who don't want to get too deep into the hobby. It's also perfect as an addition to Stellarium or SkySafari for people like me who want to use it for quick basic tasks.

PhotoPills

PhotoPills is also an amazing app to plan your night, but this one excels at landscape astrophotography and Milky Way photography. It helps you calculate the exact position of the Milky Way, Moon, Sun, and stars for any date and location. I use this app whenever I plan to shoot the Milky Way, Star Trails, or any other type of wide field astrophotography!

Note that this app isn't free, but I once again never regretted purchasing it.

Weather Apps

The weather apps below are the ones I choose to use when checking the cloud coverage, wind, and more for the night. I have two, so that I can double-check the predictions from both for reliability.

Astrospheric

Astrospheric is one of my favorite weather apps specifically designed for people who do astrophotography. It quickly shows you a map with cloud cover, seeing conditions, transparency forecasts, smoke data, and has a time bar where you can see the predictions for several days ahead. On top of that, you also have the rise and set times for the sun and moon.

Clear Outside

Clear Outside is another great astronomy-focused weather app that is built to have a simple display and great accuracy. It shows table charts for cloud cover near your location, darkness hours, wind speed, humidity, and Moon visibility. It’s a nice quick-reference tool that I use to double check what I saw on Astrospheric prior.

Sun and Moon

This category is for apps that quickly show you the current phase of the moon, as well as the position of both the sun and the moon.

SunDial

Sundial is a quick and easy app I use to know exactly where the Sun will rise, set, or travel across the sky. It helps you plan golden hour if you're into daytime photography, and also know when the different stages of the night start with precision. I mostly use it to see when the sun is down and when the moon rises.

Lunar Phase

Lunar Phase is a basic app for seeing the Moon cycle at a glance and knowing exactly when skies will be darkest. You also have a widget you can stick anywhere on your phone page to see the current phase of the moon. I find that widget to be the most useful feature as I know each night how much moon illumination is currently happening in the sky.

Other Stargazing Apps

This space is for apps that don't really fit in the previous categories. I use these apps in specific times, for example if I'm traveling looking for auroras or if I am trying to spot the ISS flying overhead.

Aurora

Aurora is the perfect easy-to-use app for tracking aurora activity at your desired location. If you’re hoping to photograph the Northern Lights, it shows you the current and the predicted KP index, as well as the forecasted cloud coverage. I used this app when I went to Norway to see the Northern lights, and it was accurate!

GoISSWatch

GoISSWatch is a cool-to-have app that shows you (and alerts you) when the International Space Station will pass overhead. It tells you when and where to look, so it's easy to spot the ISS from your location. Great if you're into ISS photography or simply to spot it with your eyes!

Would you like to learn astrophotography with our premium online course?

The Galactic Course includes thousands of lessons that cover all aspects of astrophotography. Step into an ever-growing realm of knowledge and learn at your own pace. Make life-long friends and connections with other members, and get tips from instructors that truly care about your journey and progress under the night sky.

Final Thoughts on Astronomy Apps

Apps for stargazing and astrophotography are numerous, but you don't honestly need more than 10 to be able to do everything you need. You'll of course need extra apps if you are using specific equipment, like the ASIAir, which comes with its own app, some star trackers, and of course smart telescopes, which all have their own apps as well.