Astronomy apps
Nov 7, 2017 11:12:46 #
PGHphoto
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
dyximan wrote:
Is there an app that will tell me where a particular celestial body Milky Way etc. will be at any given time and it's approximate location relative to a given location say California?
Planit for Photographers is great for identifying where sky objects are and where they will be at specific times in specific locations. i find it a little more difficult to use than Photo Pills but has a LOT more bells and whistles. Here is a brief writeup on capabilities along with the photographers ephemeris - another good application: https://digital-photography-school.com/the-photographers-ephemeris-tpe-versus-planit-for-photographers/
Nov 7, 2017 11:16:04 #
I use Night Sky. It is simple, has a day/night mode. The basic one is FREE. They also have upgrades. You can find out any place or any time of day. Don't forget your tripod.
Nov 7, 2017 11:47:42 #
ewforbess
Loc: San Antonio, TX
I like The Photographer's Ephemeris for planning sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset photos. It is an affordable app for Android and Apple devices, and it is free to use online! It well help you plan where to position yourself to get specific objects or terrain in the foreground of your sun/moon shots, and when you place the location pin on the map, it will give you the latitude/longitude of that location.
Here is the online link: app.photoephemeris.com
There is a Tutorial section on the page, but if you're a visual person like me, there are a number of TPE videos on YouTube as well.
Have fun!
Here is the online link: app.photoephemeris.com
There is a Tutorial section on the page, but if you're a visual person like me, there are a number of TPE videos on YouTube as well.
Have fun!
Nov 7, 2017 12:00:32 #
Bobspez wrote:
I use stellarium on my computer. It's a free program. You can enter your latitude and longitude and elevation and it gives you a real time animated picture of any and all celestial bodies as they would appear at your location. You can even push the real time clock forward or backward at any speed to see when items will appear or sink below the horizon at any time and date.
Excellent program!!! Best I have come across.
Nov 7, 2017 12:09:34 #
dyximan wrote:
Is there an app that will tell me where a particular celestial body Milky Way etc. will be at any given time and it's approximate location relative to a given location say California?
Photo Pills, phone only. Photographers Ephemeris, phone and computer. I think it's Night Sky or something similar for dark areas.
Nov 7, 2017 12:14:18 #
I have Skywalk on my phone and Stellarium on my laptop. Both are very good programs and are free. I paid a couple of bucks to upgrade Skywalk to get some added features.
Nov 7, 2017 12:24:08 #
Mochaman
Loc: Wilmington, NC
dyximan wrote:
Is there an app that will tell me where a particular celestial body Milky Way etc. will be at any given time and it's approximate location relative to a given location say California?
Yes, there are many - not sure if apps inform you visibility time at your location. I have an Android device and use these two free apps - SKY MAP(Google Play 4.5 rating) and SKYVIEW (GP Editors Choice). Just point phone to sky while viewing screen.
For GPS location and compass(all free versions): GPS Status & Toolbox; Polaris Navigation GPS; Spyglass.
Caveat with most if not all of these apps: make sure you follow directions to 'calibrate' your phone.... typically moving your phone in a figure 8 motion.
Nov 7, 2017 16:21:51 #
I've been using Stellarium for a couple of years now both on my computer and cell phone, works great for me and its 'FREE'
Nov 7, 2017 17:41:10 #
Nov 7, 2017 17:54:29 #
ewforbess
Loc: San Antonio, TX
tomeb wrote:
Stellarium is probably the best, free, stargazing app. Available for all platforms
I would agree! Between Stellarium and TPE, I haven't needed anything else.Nov 8, 2017 00:59:36 #
dyximan wrote:
Thank you for your info how would I find my longitude and latitude for my area. Or any given area for that matter.
Got an iPhone? Open the Compass app.
Nov 8, 2017 06:18:12 #
Nov 8, 2017 14:29:54 #
Google Sky Map, Photographer's Ephemeris and StarTracker work quite well for me. Another source is the Naval Observatory website
Nov 8, 2017 23:01:55 #
W9OD
Loc: Wisconsin
Sky Safari Pro 5 does a great job of pinpointing pretty much anything you could ask for. Very comprehensive.
Nov 9, 2017 08:37:30 #
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
Sky View and PhotoPills are the two I use.
A thumbs up for these two apps.
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