11 Cool Solar System/Astronomy Apps (Android & iOS) | Free apps for Android and iOS (2023)

In recent decades, humanity has made a breakthrough in space exploration.

Humans find exoplanets. Space missions are carried out. They build large-scale structures to access inaccessible data. However, most people have a very superficial knowledge of the solar system.

In fact, many surveys show that even adults often have a very vague idea of ​​how objects move in space. The reason for this is the lack of visual representation.

The best astronomy apps featured in this list will help you fix this problem.

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SkyView® Lite

The SkyView® Lite app is a digital guide through the vastness of the solar system.

In the application you can see a three-dimensional model of the local space. Solar system objects can be located using different schemes.

In the first case, everything will be on a real scale. In the second, more compact for clarity. Navigation and movement are conveniently done using gestures.

You can see each planet from the right angle. Effects of light and shadows complement the sensations of volume.

When you click on an object, the camera smoothly "flies" to it through space. You can also use the integrated search. Clicking again reveals detailed information about the body.

Overview, statistics, data on the composition of the internal structure and gallery. Some planets (Venus, Mars) even have a relatively detailed surface atlas. The SkyView® Lite app also shows all the satellite orbits of the celestial bodies.

In addition, the SkyView® Lite application contains information about artificial devices launched by humans. You can read about lunar rovers, the Hubble telescope, and some other famous missions.

Another nice plus is the presence of animated scenes. For example, a "parade of planets" with a comparison of celestial bodies or the alignment of different phases of the moon.

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Star Walk 2 Free - Identify stars in the night sky

Star Walk 2 Free - Identify stars in the night sky app allows you to take space and time travel right on your phone.

The app is a large-scale three-dimensional model of the solar system. Here you can move with absolute freedom and look at the objects that interest you.

Such a model is suitable to satisfy curiosity. It can also be a visual aid to acquire basic astronomical knowledge.

The developers of this app did not draw the planets in the correct size and chose textures for them. There are all the objects of the star system with their orbits and movements.

You can "fly" to any comet, asteroid, or dwarf planet and get detailed information about that object. Look at it from all sides and check the current position in relation to other bodies.

Particular attention should be paid to the function of moving not only in space, but also in time. It allows you to "rewind" millions of years and get acquainted with the evolution of the universe. Learn about the appearance and death of stars, planetary systems, galaxies, and more.

By changing the scale, you can see the Milky Way, but only in general. You can also view a selection of films on the structure of our star system.

This is a free app that does not require the user to pay for any in-app purchases.

COSMIC CLOCK: time and space

Cosmic Watch is the perfect app for those who want to admire and learn more about the beauty of space. All the user has to do is point their phone or tablet at the sky and look at the space display on the screen.

Users can search for different constellations and planets in the sky with this app. Users can also learn how weather affects the movement of the solar system.

The application not only correctly displays the position of various space objects, but also does it in excellent quality with beautiful graphics. What is even more interesting is that users can track various space events in this app as it calculates them and informs users about them.

Also in this app, users can switch between sky, earth and solar system views. Also, this app provides geocentric and heliocentric views of the solar system. For those who want to better navigate in space, there is a digital compass.

Star Tracker - Mobile Sky Map & Stargazing Guide

Star Tracker - Mobile Sky Map & Stargazing Guide app is an excellent “pocket planetarium”. Contains interesting information about the solar system.

After launching the application, you will see a three-dimensional model of the solar system. Clicking on a planet or its satellite will start a "flight" there.

Once the flight is complete, the planet can be rotated to view it from any direction. The name of the planet is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen.

The "I" button in the upper left corner opens a window with general information about the planet. Here you can familiarize yourself with some facts and figures.

See how the celestial body is arranged from the inside. Here you can also learn about the research history of the selected object.

On the right side of the screen is a timeline through which you can travel to the past or the future. By default, the minutes are scrolled.

Clicking on a different time category (hour, day, month, or year) can make time go by much faster. To return to the present, you need to click on the "Now" button that appears next to the clock.

At maximum magnification, interesting objects are shown on some celestial bodies. For example, craters on the moon or large cities on earth.

Particularly noteworthy is the representation of the planet Earth. In addition to simulating clouds and city glare, satellites are displayed around you. Its movement can be observed in real time. If you click on the satellite, you can find out its name.

The journey through the solar system is carried out with musical accompaniment.

scope of the solar system

The Solar System Scope app contains interactive maps of the starry sky and the universe. It also has three-dimensional models of planets and stars.

You become a spaceship pilot. You can see the surface of the planets and satellites and study the entire solar system.

The Solar System Scope app can act as a time machine. It shows how the major astronomical events have occurred or will occur. For example, meteorite falls, star movements, and solar eclipses.

The photo database is regularly updated. The app's features allow real-time tracking of events happening right over your head.

The Solar System Scope application database has:

• about 100 thousand stars
• all the big and famous planets
• about thirty asteroids
• ten kites
• 500 different space objects, like other nebulae and even other galaxies

Most of the interactive objects have a complete description of all their astronomical properties.

The Solar System Scope program remembers your geographic location and compares it to the current sky map. This way you will see all the celestial objects that are just above our head. The selection of the desired object is accompanied by a 3D flight towards it.

Each object is accompanied by a three-dimensional model. They all have a good image textures. Take the opportunity to explore each celestial body independently.

In this app you will be able to move between the past and the present at an accelerated pace and observe all the changes in the sky.

light sun ride

Solar Walk Lite is an application that allows you to explore the vastness of the solar system from the comfort of your phone.

You can zoom in and out of the solar system and rotate around planets, moons and asteroids to get a closer look. You can also tap on any celestial body to get more information about it, including its size, composition, and other interesting facts.

The app also includes an informative and educational guide with animations and diagrams that will teach you about the solar system and its celestial bodies.

Solar Walk Lite's graphics are amazing with amazing 3D models of the planets, moons and asteroids. You can enjoy detailed textures and lighting effects that give celestial bodies a realistic look.

However, the app can be slow to load, especially on older devices. Also, there are some crashes when trying to access certain features.

Also, the Lite version of the app lacks some of the advanced features and content available in the full version, which may be disappointing for some users.

advantages:

• instructive.
• Awesome graphics.
• Informative guide.

Disadvantages:

• Slow loading times.
• occasional crashes.
• Compared to the full version, it lacks some advanced features.

Prima:

Celestial NavPak Navigator

NavPak Celestial Navigator - this is the most unusual navigator in the format of an application for your mobile device. The fact is that here you can observe not only the position of terrestrial objects, but also the movement of objects in space!

In this application you can see your own location, as well as the location of other objects, not only on the planet Earth, but also on the scale of our solar system. There is also a star map with the names and coordinates of all known stars.

This browser contains, among other things, information about the location and movement of the planets in our solar system and your personal location in relation to other planets.

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sky above

Heavens-Above is an application that helps to identify astronomical objects. For example, planets, stars, constellations, nebulae and more.

The app also shows the location of certain objects based on your request. There is a three-dimensional view of other planets so you can observe their stars.

After installation, the Heavens-Above app takes an acclimatization tour through the starry sky. It looks like a game demo. You can skip the demo by touching the screen.

A still sky is directly in front of you. Scroll across the screen and you will find a huge number of stars that you did not even suspect existed.

While scrolling through the menu you can activate the augmented reality mode. Once activated, take your phone to an unknown star. As the phone moves, the constellations will appear and disappear.

When you touch the desired star, a mini menu appears on the screen. The first two parameters are the magnification and the three-dimensional study mode.

The three-dimensional study mode allows you to see objects in the starry sky as if you were a third person. You can zoom in and out with two fingers. The Heavens-Above program calculates the intensity of sunlight to represent the actual situation.

To find the planet, tap the magnifying glass at the top right. When you are in augmented reality mode, a pulsating arrow will accompany you. For best results, you should look outside of the city.

NASA

NASA is an application to study the starry sky and its objects: constellations, planets, stars.

The study is carried out by pointing the phone at the desired area of ​​the sky. The application uses your coordinates, the local time and the accelerometer of your phone.

So if you raise the phone above you, you can see that part of the sky with the marked objects. You can also explore the sky by moving your fingers.

The representation of the constellations looks very good. If you move the mouse pointer over one of them, a translucent figure will start to appear on the image.

In the settings, you can enable or disable the display of features.

There is a contextual search for planets, stars, constellations and astronomical objects. Do you want to know where the constellation of your zodiac sign is located or, for example, Venus? No problem.

When searching in sky tracking mode, an arrow appears on the screen to indicate the direction of the object. With this you can find it in heaven.

At the same time, you can immediately see information about the found object. You can view information about objects not only by searching for them, but also by clicking on them.

NASA's free app gives you access to interesting information about the solar system. Here you will learn a lot of useful information from the world of astronomy.

Solar System AR (ARCore)

AR Solar System (ARCore) is a very interesting and very beautiful application for exploring the starry sky. With it, even on the cloudiest day, all the constellations will be visible.

This application gives you basic information about the most important astronomical objects. For example, constellations, planets of the solar system, their satellites, etc.

For detailed information on its parameters, see:

• Characteristics
• Location
• Viewer position dependent visibility
• time zone

The app has a beautiful layout and a well-designed user interface.

AR Solar System (ARCore) is one of the "augmented reality" programs. He is able to "complete" planets, stars and constellations.

The screen of a smartphone becomes a real telescope, showing what cannot be seen with the naked eye. By default, the location and view are determined by GPS. You can also "scroll" the map of the starry sky in all directions.

Clicking on any object will display a short help. And scaling allows you to review the whole image and examine your specific fragment.

A horizontal swipe from the left edge of the screen opens an additional menu. In it you can switch to a different display mode. For example, display a three-dimensional model of the Earth on the screen.

You can also activate a small “virtual tour” here. Share basic information about the object or find one of several planets or stars on the map.

iSolarSystemAR

The iSolarSystemAR app is your pocket telescope to see all the little things in the starry sky.

The advantages of the program include support for automatic orientation of the screen. You can view the starry sky on your smartphone screen in portrait and landscape position.

To zoom in or out on the stars, simply pinch them together or spread them apart.

By touching the screen on the left, you can open a quick menu with icons. They allow you to turn the display of stars, planets, and constellations on or off.

The icon in the lower left corner disables automatic alignment tracking. The built-in gyroscope allows the maps to display the part of the starry sky where the phone's camera is pointing.

If you move the device, the image of the starry sky will change accordingly. To scroll the sky image in manual mode, you need to click on the icon in the corner.

You can use some kind of time machine. And watch the starry sky at any time. The show itself may offer some popular dates.

Take advantage of the convenient search functions. Instant search asks you to complete the word. You can also find the desired constellation, a star or even a planet in the starry sky. A special red arrow will show you in which direction to direct the phone.

Another cool feature of the iSolarSystemAR app is the search for beautiful nebulae. Choose a good photo from the gallery. Then use the phone to find out in which direction you want to search for the selected nebula.

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Stellarium Mobile - Star map

The Stellarium Mobile - Star Map application contains the complete map of the starry sky.

With it you can find all the planets, stars, nebulae and much more in the sky. The program perfectly shows the part of the starry sky that is now above you.

GPS must be enabled for a full deployment. A location determination is also possible via mobile phone, but less precisely.

This is a very interesting application. There is a function "Night mode". It puts the image in black and red mode, which is very useful at night when looking at the starry sky.

The backlight does not spoil the enjoyment of stellar beauty.

You go into a certain object and on the screen there is something like a visor with an arrow. Shows where the celestial body you are interested in is currently located. Simply turn the phone in the indicated direction and aim the object in the pointer's field of view.

It is very convenient to scale objects. You can also remove some items from the screen.

The Stellarium Mobile - Star Map app has a time travel feature. It shows how the position of the stars and planets changes over time. You can fly back in time or look to the future and watch the planetary parade.

The Stellarium Mobile - Star Map application contains a photo gallery with very colorful images of space objects. It gives an idea of ​​the immensity of the universe. This database is regularly updated with relevant information from the Internet.

Freeappsforme-Team