Star Charts, Apps and other Useful Tools
Following is a collection of handy links to charts, apps and other tools I've used regularly over the last few months while learning about astronomy. Being on a budget i've stuck to the free or cheap options. There are so many stars out there it's hard to know where to look, Mr Google is your friend!
Eye On The Sky - Free Star Charts - Charts of one form or another are a necessity and this is a good place to start. View them on the computer, tablet or print them out and put them in a folder.
Detailed beginner star charts by Andrew L. Johnson show stars down to magnitude 7.25; about the limit of naked-eye visibility under very dark skies. For most of us under light polluted conditions, it's a great set of charts for finding our way around with binoculars or a 6x30 or larger finderscope.
http://eyesonthesky.com/StarCharts.aspx
The Evening Sky Map, available for Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
The Evening Sky Map (PDF) is a free 2-page monthly guide to the night sky suitable for all sky watchers including newcomers to Astronomy.
http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html
A4 dimmable backlit USB Drawing Pad
Picked one of these up from eBay for 18 bucks delivered from Mr Wong, makes looking at star charts for long periods easier on my old eyes. The LCD panel might also be useful for taking flat frames with DSLR's and telescopes. Another use could be for lighting up foreground areas in blended wide angled shots.
Planisphere
In astronomy, a planisphere is a star chart analog computing instrument in the form of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. It can be adjusted to display the visible stars for any time and date.
Compass
Necessary for finding your way around the sky and mount alignment. Note that the iPad reading is slightly different due to magnetic declination being used. I've noticed however that magnetic declination data for a given location often gives inaccurate results, this is something I need to look into a bit deeper.
Red Lights
These really are an absolute necessity for night sky observation/photography.
Photopills - This is without doubt my #1 IOS astro-app at the moment with a ton of features that get regular use, it's loaded on my phone and the iPad. The app has a first rate planner with augmented reality, Sun & Moon phase info, a milky way planner along with heaps of other useful features.
https://www.photopills.com/
SkySafariPro 6 - I use this every day - SkySafari 6 Pro includes over 100 million stars, 3 million galaxies down to 18th magnitude, and 750,000 solar system objects; including every comet and asteroid ever discovered. Plus, state of the art mobile telescope control. There are a lot of apps available that do pretty much the same thing but for now I've settled for SkySafariPro.
https://skysafariastronomy.com/
PolarScope Align Pro - Polar Scope Align will calculate the position of Polaris or σ Octantis in your Polar Scope reticle for your location (using your phone's GPS or entering a location), allowing a quick and accurate polar alignment. It is one of the few programs that are accurate in lower latitudes by correcting for atmospheric refraction (so expect results to agree only with precise software and not most simplistic "polar align" apps. It will even allow you to measure and correct a centering error of the reticle.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/polar-scope-align-pro/id970161373
NightCap Camera - OIS low light photo, video and time lapse camera with AI assistant for easier shooting, Watch support and full manual control. For iPhone and iPad with iOS 10. Great for star trails and getting a good indication of where the SCP is located. It has long exposure, light trails, star mode, star trails mode, ISS mode and Meteor Mode.
https://www.nightcapcamera.com/
Satellite Tracker - This is a neat IOS app that sends notifications for satellites that are about to pass your location, it was made specifically for easy and comfortable real-time satellite tracking.
http://vitotechnology.com/satellite-tracker.html
Meteor Active - Another IOS app similar to Satellite Tracker above. Meteor showers are awe inspiring celestial phenomenon. There is something magical about seeing those swift streaks of light tracing the night sky.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/meteoractive/id1205712190?ls=1&mt=8
Australian Sky & Telescope Magazine - I don't usually buy magazines but this is worth $10 per issue. Lots of info and very few adds.
https://www.skyandtelescope.com.au/
Podcasts - Surprisingly there are a number of people putting out regular astrophotography podcasts and my favorite for now is Photog Adventures. I'm currently subscribed to around 20 different astro related podcasts on my IOS podcast app. Sometimes it sinks in easier if you hear it rather than read it, this beats watching TV any day.
https://photogadventures.com/
Forums and YouTube are a great source of info. IceInSpace is a popular community website/forum dedicated to promoting amateur astronomy in the Southern Hemisphere. The local library has also been a handy source of info.
I also have a bunch of weather and storm tracking apps that come in handy. Everything listed above pretty much covers my basic needs although it's worth mentioning that there are a lot of really good books available depending on your direction, needs and budget :)
Eye On The Sky - Free Star Charts - Charts of one form or another are a necessity and this is a good place to start. View them on the computer, tablet or print them out and put them in a folder.
http://eyesonthesky.com/StarCharts.aspx
The Evening Sky Map, available for Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html
A4 dimmable backlit USB Drawing Pad
Planisphere
In astronomy, a planisphere is a star chart analog computing instrument in the form of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. It can be adjusted to display the visible stars for any time and date.
Compass
Red Lights
Photopills - This is without doubt my #1 IOS astro-app at the moment with a ton of features that get regular use, it's loaded on my phone and the iPad. The app has a first rate planner with augmented reality, Sun & Moon phase info, a milky way planner along with heaps of other useful features.
https://www.photopills.com/
SkySafariPro 6 - I use this every day - SkySafari 6 Pro includes over 100 million stars, 3 million galaxies down to 18th magnitude, and 750,000 solar system objects; including every comet and asteroid ever discovered. Plus, state of the art mobile telescope control. There are a lot of apps available that do pretty much the same thing but for now I've settled for SkySafariPro.
https://skysafariastronomy.com/
PolarScope Align Pro - Polar Scope Align will calculate the position of Polaris or σ Octantis in your Polar Scope reticle for your location (using your phone's GPS or entering a location), allowing a quick and accurate polar alignment. It is one of the few programs that are accurate in lower latitudes by correcting for atmospheric refraction (so expect results to agree only with precise software and not most simplistic "polar align" apps. It will even allow you to measure and correct a centering error of the reticle.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/polar-scope-align-pro/id970161373
NightCap Camera - OIS low light photo, video and time lapse camera with AI assistant for easier shooting, Watch support and full manual control. For iPhone and iPad with iOS 10. Great for star trails and getting a good indication of where the SCP is located. It has long exposure, light trails, star mode, star trails mode, ISS mode and Meteor Mode.
https://www.nightcapcamera.com/
Satellite Tracker - This is a neat IOS app that sends notifications for satellites that are about to pass your location, it was made specifically for easy and comfortable real-time satellite tracking.
http://vitotechnology.com/satellite-tracker.html
Meteor Active - Another IOS app similar to Satellite Tracker above. Meteor showers are awe inspiring celestial phenomenon. There is something magical about seeing those swift streaks of light tracing the night sky.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/meteoractive/id1205712190?ls=1&mt=8
Australian Sky & Telescope Magazine - I don't usually buy magazines but this is worth $10 per issue. Lots of info and very few adds.
https://www.skyandtelescope.com.au/
Podcasts - Surprisingly there are a number of people putting out regular astrophotography podcasts and my favorite for now is Photog Adventures. I'm currently subscribed to around 20 different astro related podcasts on my IOS podcast app. Sometimes it sinks in easier if you hear it rather than read it, this beats watching TV any day.
https://photogadventures.com/
Forums and YouTube are a great source of info. IceInSpace is a popular community website/forum dedicated to promoting amateur astronomy in the Southern Hemisphere. The local library has also been a handy source of info.
I also have a bunch of weather and storm tracking apps that come in handy. Everything listed above pretty much covers my basic needs although it's worth mentioning that there are a lot of really good books available depending on your direction, needs and budget :)
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