Best planetarium app for tablet

[NikkiT]

Hi, l'm heading to Dalby Forest at the end of August for the " Starfest"
Thought it might be a good idea to take my tablet with a planetarium app on it.
There are dozens on Google play.
Would really appreciate any suggestions.

[KingClinton]

I use Skysafari 6 Pro and find it to be the best app available.
Does everything I need.
There is also a free basic version to try out.

[Gfamily]

People do say that Sky Safari is the best, and I have it - but my 'goto' app is always Stellarium - costs a small amount ( <£2 I think) but I just prefer the relative clarity and much less 'fussy' interface.

[Lowjiber]

Stellarium is my go-to application on my tablet.

[Juno16]

I like Stellarium and SkySafari, but SkySafari is what I use on my iPad and iPhone. I’ve been using it since version 5 plus came out and haven’t upgraded. It does everything that I need.
They are both great apps and either will do a fine job.

Good luck,
Jim

[KingNothing13]

I have only used SkySafari Pro - it's a great app. GFamily's above screenshot of SS is a little misleading - you can turn off all of those pictures and such and make it look "Normal"

[KingClinton]

Another plus for Skysafari is the ability to make observation notes.
These are then uploaded to Live Sky and they sync across all your devices.
So I can do observation notes on my tablet and easily review them on my phone later, very handy feature that is lacking on most other platforms.

[NikkiT]

Thanks for your suggestions, I'll put skysafari on my tablet this evening and give it a try.

[KingNothing13]

For reference, here is what I currently have SkySafari 6 Pro looking like on my phone (my first gen iPad is too old for it - it runs, but slowly). I also have the computer version for my laptop.

[NikkiT]

Quick update.
Have installed skysafari on my tablet.
Had half an hour playing with it and I am very impressed.
Very easy to use and so much information.
Need to find out what more I would get if I paid for one of the upgrades.
Having said that I think the copy I have now will keep me amused for a long time!!

[KingNothing13]

Quick update.
Have installed skysafari on my tablet.
Had half an hour playing with it and I am very impressed.
Very easy to use and so much information.
Need to find out what more I would get if I paid for one of the upgrades.
Having said that I think the copy I have now will keep me amused for a long time!!

I will advise - if you do end up wanting to buy one of the versions, wait for the next sale. At least the US versions go on sale about once a month. Not sure if the UK would be the same.

I got the Pro version for both iPad/iPhone and MacOS for significantly off the regular prices.

[Ozypic]

I use Star Tracker to do my set up on the scope. I have all the others but its quick and easy. Phill

[Graeme1858]

It's Stellarium for me but to be fair I've not really tried others. I have it on my pc and my phone. On the pc I use it for all aspects of planning a session changing views dates and times etc. One of the most useful tools is the ocular view, I have saved my camera sensor and telescope specifications so I can see how an image will frame.

Regards

Graeme

[pakarinen]

I use Sky Safari Plus since it works with my push-to set-up / encoders + WIFi. Before I bought it though, I downloaded the free version to try out the interface. The free version is pretty good by itself IMO and I still have that on my phone also.

[Lokifish]

SkyPortal if on a budget, SkySafari Pro if not. SkyPortal is the free Celestron mount specific version of SkySafari Basic.

If running a mount without Go-To or digital push-to , SkEye is great. One can have their tablet/phone mounted on the telescope and use it as a smart push-to setup.

[OzEclipse]

I have both stellaruim and Skysafari 5 pro running on iPad and iPhone. Stellarium is very good value for money but I have to admit that unlike GFamily, I prefer using the Skysafari interface to the Stellarium interface. I use it with a SkyFi interface to GOTO control my Takahashi EM200 mount. Very easy to use.

GOTO accuracy is of course only dependent upon mount polar alignment and GOTO calibration.

I also tend to goto Skysafari just as a map reference for other manual scopes. In night vision mode it is a gentle red on the eyes. When you wake the tablet, it wakes with a blue screen then switches to red after a few seconds. I have learned to wake the pad using touch ID with the screen pointed away from me then only look at it after it has turned red.

I have an iPhone SE which has a quite small screen. I don't like either app for field use with the iphone but if I want to know something and don't have the iPad with me, they are better than nothing and when you license on the Apple store, you can install on phone and pad for one subscription fee.

[KingNothing13]

I have both stellaruim and Skysafari 5 pro running on iPad and iPhone. Stellarium is very good value for money but I have to admit that unlike GFamily, I prefer using the Skysafari interface to the Stellarium interface. I use it with a SkyFi interface to GOTO control my Takahashi EM200 mount. Very easy to use.

GOTO accuracy is of course only dependent upon mount polar alignment and GOTO calibration.

I also tend to goto Skysafari just as a map reference for other manual scopes. In night vision mode it is a gentle red on the eyes. When you wake the tablet, it wakes with a blue screen then switches to red after a few seconds. I have learned to wake the pad using touch ID with the screen pointed away from me then only look at it after it has turned red.

I have an iPhone SE which has a quite small screen. I don't like either app for field use with the iphone but if I want to know something and don't have the iPad with me, they are better than nothing and when you license on the Apple store, you can install on phone and pad for one subscription fee.

If either of your devices (iPad or iPhone) is running iOS 10 or greater, you can change the color of the OS interface itself to red. And change the brightness as well.

Go to Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Display Accommodations -> Color Filters and select the red pencil. I have my iPhone set to turn red on a triple tap of the home button (not sure what the equivalent in the models of iPhone that do not have the home button is) Back in Accessibility, look for Accessibility Shortcut and put a check next to "Color Filter".

For brightness, I am just using the swipe up menu from home/lock screen.

[KingNothing13]

I should've said in there - slide the intensity and hue sliders in the Color Filters window, not the pencil - sorry about that - all the way to the right to get the red.

Over the years I've seen various reports that yellow or orange are better for night vision, but I do not believe either of those.

[OzEclipse]

I should've said in there - slide the intensity and hue sliders in the Color Filters window, not the pencil - sorry about that - all the way to the right to get the red.

Over the years I've seen various reports that yellow or orange are better for night vision, but I do not believe either of those.

Thanks for the tip on the red screen. The iPad fits in large pockets in my winter jackets.
With touch ID, I can turn it on inside my pocket then remove it once in red mode so I have never felt the need to make the iPad go full red.

Yellow or orange are easier to see/read ie better for your vision and visual acuity but not better for preserving your night vision. It's a balancing act between a small effect on night vision and ease of reading charts or other things.

I purchased a 50 pack of orange LEDs and at some stage intend to make myself some orange light sources. A light box for reading paper charts, handheld flashlight and when I build my observatory, I will have orange LED's faintly illuminating the floor from a hidden recess around the walls and have some dim but variable intensity LED lighting for benches and shelves.

[pakarinen]

Hmmmm. Sounds like I'll have to try some orange nail polish on one of my rechargeable clip-on book lights. Usually my yard is so bright from LP that I don't need a light unless I want to try sketching something, but dark sites are obviously different.