# AstroOwl — Plan & shoot the Milky Way > Night photography planner, composer, simulator, and camera controller. (iPhone/iPad app by Yong Tze Chi.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astroowl/id6785291857 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Yong Tze Chi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789609348) - Category: Photo & Video, Reference - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.2 · 69 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-07-24 - Data updated: 2026-08-28 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astroowl/id6785291857/reviews.md ## What is AstroOwl? AstroOwl is the night photographer's whole workflow in one app: find the night, frame the shot, prove the exposure, then drive the camera — without juggling three apps and an intervalometer at 2 AM in the dark. PLAN THE RIGHT NIGHT • Best-nights calendar scores the next several months for your location — moonlight, Milky Way visibility, darkness windows, weather, and light pollution, distilled to an honest verdict ("Fair — moonlight") instead of a mystery number • Milky Way core position, rise/set and darkness windows for any date • 33,000+ locations with offline time zones and measured/modeled sky darkness, including DarkSky International certified places • Scrub time with a knob and watch the whole sky move COMPOSE THE SHOT • Pick your camera and lens (or browse presets) and see the real field of view framed on the sky • Exposure recipes with NPF-aware shutter limits — start from presets matched to your subject (Milky Way, star trails, moon, timelapse…) and save your own • Simulate the result before you commit: realistic star trails, stacking, and noise for YOUR gear and settings • AR mode — hold the phone up and see targets over the live camera view SHOOT — HANDS OFF (Pro) • Connect your Sony Alpha camera over Wi-Fi and fire recipes directly • Multi-frame sequences run on the camera body itself — stacks, star trails, timelapses keep shooting even if the phone sleeps • Focus magnifier, session progress with ETA, automatic reconnect, and session recovery if anything drops mid-shoot • Your photos stay on your camera's card — they never pass through us FREE VS PRO The planner, composer, and simulator are free. AstroOwl Pro unlocks camera control and removes the free tier's monthly caps and watermark — as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation; subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends, and can be managed in your Apple Account settings. CAMERA COMPATIBILITY Camera control supports Sony Alpha bodies with built-in Wi-Fi (validated on the a7 IV). Planning, composing, and simulation work with any camera — or none at all. No account, no sign-up; the app works offline at dark-sky sites once you've planned. Terms of Use: https://astroowl.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://astroowl.app/privacy/ ## Key features - Best-nights calendar with weather and light pollution data - Milky Way core position and visibility prediction - Field of view simulation for chosen camera and lens - Exposure recipe suggestions with NPF-aware limits - AR mode for overlaying targets on live camera view - Remote Sony Alpha camera control (Pro feature) - Multi-frame sequence shooting on camera (Pro feature) ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | AstroOwl Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month | | AstroOwl Pro Yearly | $9.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | AstroOwl Pro Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time | ## Frequently asked questions about AstroOwl ### What is AstroOwl? AstroOwl is a comprehensive night photography app that helps you plan the right night, compose your shots with realistic simulations, and even control compatible cameras remotely. It aims to streamline the entire workflow for capturing celestial subjects. ### Is AstroOwl free to use? The planner, composer, and simulator features of AstroOwl are available for free. AstroOwl Pro, which unlocks camera control and removes monthly caps and watermarks, is available as a subscription or a one-time purchase. ### What cameras does AstroOwl support for remote control? Camera control currently supports Sony Alpha bodies with built-in Wi-Fi, with validation on the a7 IV model. Planning and composing features work with any camera or no camera at all. ### How does AstroOwl help plan the best night for shooting? AstroOwl's best-nights calendar scores upcoming months based on moonlight, Milky Way visibility, darkness windows, weather, and light pollution for your specific location. It provides an honest verdict rather than a numerical score. ### Can I simulate my photos before taking them with AstroOwl? Yes, AstroOwl allows you to simulate the results of your shots before committing. This includes realistic simulations of star trails, stacking, and noise based on your gear and settings. ### How much does AstroOwl Pro cost? AstroOwl Pro is available as a monthly subscription for $3.99 or a yearly subscription for $9.99. A one-time lifetime purchase option is also available. ### Does AstroOwl work offline? Yes, once you have planned your shoot, AstroOwl works offline, which is particularly useful at dark-sky sites. No account or sign-up is required for offline functionality. ### What is the age rating for AstroOwl? AstroOwl has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in photography. ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 1.2 — 2026-08-23 Camera connection, made robust • Lock your phone, switch apps, or let it idle — AstroOwl reconnects to your camera on its own when you come back. • Turned the camera off? Switch its Wi-Fi back on and tap Connect. AstroOwl remembers your camera, so there's no QR code to scan again. • Lost the connection mid-sequence? The frame count picks up exactly where the camera is — no restart from zero. Also in this release • Fixed the Milky Way texture seam so the core renders where it should. • Removed on-screen clutter in the Shoot screen once a shot is running. ### 1.1 — 2026-08-04 - Star focus. Tap Focus: the live view magnifies, gain goes up, the body switches to manual. Tap a star to focus on it, drag to move around, turn the ring. Everything is put back when you close it. - Timelapse preview. Play a sequence forward on a simulated sky before you commit a night to it. - Focal length. A FOCAL slot carries what you are actually shooting and feeds the NPF shutter limit, so a zoom no longer gets a wide lens's exposure. - Landscape. Exposure cluster on the right edge, trigger centred, preview keeps the full height. - Daylight-readable HUD. Values hold a soft halo over a bright sky; the night look is unchanged. ### 1.0 — 2026-07-24 No release notes. ## More apps by Yong Tze Chi - [CraftCalc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/craftcalc/id6740346446) All apps by Yong Tze Chi: https://appshunter.io/developer/1789609348 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*