Essential astronomy apps

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From planetarium to telescope control, be prepared for all things space and astronomy-related - simply from the touch of a button

Apps on our mobile devices have transformed the way we work and live. From opening doors in our cars, to ordering shopping from our supermarket or shops, the ability to access the entire internet with a computer, several-million-times more powerful than the one that sent humans to the Moon, residing in your pocket has been a revelation over the past decade or so.

For astronomers, the ‘giant leap’ this has enabled means that you no longer have to lug out cumbersome star maps the size of a broadsheet. Learning your way around the sky using augmented reality makes astronomy – especially for younger people – more exciting than ever. Some may argue that ‘traditional’ methods are still the best, and that may be true to become a real expert, but the helping-hand apps which can give you a head start in your observing are here to stay, and used by millions of people – even those with only a casual interest in the sky. Now, with several low-cost virtual reality headsets in many high-street stores that you can easily clip your phone into, the options to observe and identify millions of objects have never been better.

Apps for astronomy though, are not just confined to planetariums in your pocket. Over the past few years, apps have enabled remote control of telescopes, quite advanced scientific analysis and a whole lot more. Here, we dive into just a few of the ones we think are the must-have apps for your Android or iOS device.