# GoSkyWatch Planetarium — Go Explore the Night Sky

> Point device at sky to identify and locate celestial objects. (iPhone/iPad app by GoSoftWorks.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goskywatch-planetarium/id284980812 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [GoSoftWorks](https://appshunter.io/developer/284980815)
- Category: Navigation, Education
- Price: $3.99
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 10,241 App Store ratings · 545 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.3 · 99 MB
- Languages: American English, Danish, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish, Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
- Released: 2019-01-31
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goskywatch-planetarium/id284980812/reviews.md

## What is GoSkyWatch Planetarium?

Easily and quickly identify and locate stars, planets, comets, constellations, galaxies and more by simply pointing to the sky. Your personal telescope to the wonders in the night sky. Go outside and explore with GoSkyWatch Planetarium.

***** As seen in Apple's iPad 2 event
***** Featured on ABC's "The View"
***** Featured in "Wired" magazine

No in-app purchases! One download for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. We don't think you should pay twice for the same app on a bigger screen.


--- What People Are Saying

"Powerful and easy to use, with excellent animation and the widest zoom range." — D.Schroeder, University professor

"GoSkyWatch Planetarium should not be missed regardless of whether you are a casual or hard-core fan of astronomy." — AppAdvice

"I have more than 10 astronomy apps on my iPhone and this is by far the best. Everything I need and easy to use." — Pat, iTunes reviewer


--- What makes GoSkyWatch different to other apps?

• Easy to use — No buttons to press or modes to select, just point to the sky to start exploring.

• Designed specially for efficient outdoor use.

• Touch free identification — Information pops up on screen as you move. Great for those cold nights with gloves on!

• Popup images — No need to keep zooming in and out just to see what is out there.

• Full 180 degree display — See at a glance what is in the sky and where without having to pan around.

• Don't need to hold level — Displays the sky view and information at the correct orientation when held at any angle not just landscape or portrait.

• Gyroscope compass auto calibration — No need to calibrate the gyroscope. Advanced adaptive algorithms for smooth and accurate positioning.

• Planets shown with relative brightness to stars — No oversized graphics that prevent you from distinguishing a planet from surrounding stars.

• Unique target identification — Touch drag scheme for greatest accuracy since your finger doesn't hide what you are trying to identify.

• Minimal on screen text — Stars and planets easier to identify since they are not covered by text.


Features:

Identify
• On screen object name, brightness and distance
• Contains all stars visible to the naked eye
• Light adjustment for viewing conditions
• Red light mode for night vision
• Touchless navigation even for the iPod touch without a compass.

Find
• Looking for a planet, star, comet, constellation or galaxy? Just use the finder and let the arrow guide the way
• Search stars and DSOs sorted by name, distance or magnitude
• Moon phase calendar
• Sun rise/set times 

Explore
• Day, sidereal and time lapse animation
• Over 200 images of planets and deep sky objects
• Messier and Caldwell catalogs with images
• Actual image taken of the Milky Way
• Below horizon display
• Look back in time with the birthday star search. Find out how old you were for the star light seen.

Learn
• Constellation images, boundaries and patterns
• Solar system, star, comet, DSO, constellation Wikipedia
• Ian Ridpath's constellation StarTales
• Interactive graphical ephemeris 
• Planet, star, constellation and DSO ephemeris data

More
• High performance graphics
• Easy setup using auto location or built in city list
• Location favorites

* No internet connection required. Internet optionally used for auto location, viewing Wikipedia information and StarTales.

Many more enhancements to come as free updates.

Free International Space Station real time tracking and viewing opportunities available with the companion GoISSWatch app.

## Key features

- Identify stars, planets, comets, constellations, galaxies
- Touch-free identification
- Full 180-degree display
- Gyroscope compass auto-calibration
- Search and locate celestial objects
- Moon phase calendar
- Constellation images and boundaries

## Chart rankings

- #12 in Top Paid · Navigation (US App Store)

## What do users think of GoSkyWatch Planetarium?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Extraordinary app
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive and elegant
- 👍 Comprehensive and informative
- 👍 Useful for beginners and experts
- 👍 Accurate and consistent
- 👍 Works on old devices
- 👍 Helpful for astrophotography
- 👍 Addictive and fun

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Compass/location issues
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 💡 Needs more customization options
- 💡 Lacks deep sky objects
- 💡 Needs improved time/location interface
- 💡 Lacks geo-specific horizon view

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Compass not working correctly
- Inconsistent sun/moon display
- Difficulty editing/adding locations

**Most requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to remember last viewed object
- Expanded catalogs (NGC, Messier, etc.)
- GPS integration for automatic location detection
- Movable center ID hotspot
- More configurable user view
- Better saved settings

## Recent user reviews (10 of 545)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goskywatch-planetarium/id284980812/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Dale

*2026-07-13, version 9.4*

Brilliant. 
Put this back on my iPhone after a few years away. 
Showed it to my friend and he was astounded!  
Thank you.

### 3/5 — Visual is cool

*2026-07-12, version 9.4*

Pointing at only star out yet, very bright. This app doesn’t show it.

### 5/5 — Wirklich gute App

*2026-05-07*

Ich habe die App von P.M. Schon viele Jahre auf dem iPad und dem iPhone damals war sie umsonst. Trotzdem habe ich sie gekauft um zu unterstützen. Ich bin wirklich davon angetan. Andere Apps sind komplizierter hier ist der Umgang einfach. Auf den Punkt ausrichten den man sieht und schon kommen die Informationen. Es lohnt sich für wenig Geld ein gutes Ergebnis.

### 5/5 — Seid Jahren perfekt

*2026-03-02*

Meine Liebste App seid vielen Jahren. Danke

### 5/5 — GoSkyWatch Review

*2026-01-25, version 9.4*

I bought this years ago and it never fails to fascinate and inspire me. An object in the sky appears, not twinkling so you know it’s a planet but which one? Launchpad this app, point your phone at the object and there it is in front of you, alongside the other planets and stars relative to the original object position. Simply brilliant!

### 5/5 — Best app for night sky

*2025-11-05, version 9.4*

I’ve had this app for it seems like 20 years. I love it and I use it all the time and I’ve shared it with so many friends and family over the years. Go sky watch!

### 2/5 — Direction doesn’t work

*2025-10-19, version 9.4*

I have used this app for years. The last year or so the compass doesn’t work correctly. It’s showing E when pointing to the SW on my iPhone. I’ve tried the tips, precise location and calibration with the figure 8 pattern. Nothing has worked. Perhaps someone can give me some advice as I’ve always loved this app. Thank you.

### 2/5 — Genauigkeit lässt zu wünschen übrig

*2025-08-27*

Seit einiger Zeit erscheinen die Planeten und Sternbilder um gut 45 Grad versetzt auf dem Display

### 5/5 — Best App EVER

*2025-02-16, version 9.4*

I have had this app for years and nothing works better for finding out which star I’m looking at whether it’s a planet, star, or an airplane. There are also many other great features, the sun tracking I use to plan my garden. There’s also a setting labeled “Pluto is a planet” 1000/10

### 5/5 — L’application parfaite

*2025-02-02, version 9.4*

Des moments incroyables en famille

## Frequently asked questions about GoSkyWatch Planetarium

### What does GoSkyWatch Planetarium do?

GoSkyWatch Planetarium allows you to easily identify and locate celestial objects like stars, planets, comets, constellations, and galaxies by simply pointing your device at the sky. It acts as a personal telescope, providing information and visualizations of the night sky.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include touch-free identification of celestial objects, a full 180-degree display of the sky, gyroscope compass auto-calibration for accurate positioning, and the ability to search for specific planets, stars, comets, or galaxies. It also offers a moon phase calendar and sunrise/sunset times.

### How much does GoSkyWatch Planetarium cost?

The app is a one-time purchase and does not have any in-app purchases. You pay once for the download, and it is available for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch without additional charges for different screen sizes.

### What devices is GoSkyWatch Planetarium compatible with?

The app is designed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. It utilizes the device's gyroscope for accurate positioning and can be used on devices with or without a compass.

### What are some common use cases for GoSkyWatch Planetarium?

Common use cases include identifying constellations during a camping trip, locating planets visible in the night sky, learning about different stars and galaxies, and exploring the universe from your backyard. It's also useful for finding out when the sun will rise or set and checking moon phases.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 9.4 — 2020-08-09

- Added tap to expend telescope view
- Added tap compass button to toggle motion control
- Updated icons
- Fade out home bar
- Fix to manual location coordinate entry
- iOS Updates

### 9.3 — 2020-07-19

iOS Updates

### 9.2 — 2019-03-04

- iOS updates

### 9.1 — 2017-09-10

- Screenshot updates

### 9.0 — 2017-07-06

- Faster motion tracking
- Pluto 3D image updated
- iOS updates
- Bug fixes

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## More apps by GoSoftWorks

- [GoSatWatch Satellite Tracking](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gosatwatch-satellite-tracking/id300546718)
- [GoSkyWatch Planetarium iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goskywatch-planetarium-ipad/id364209241)
- [GoISSWatch ISS Tracking](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goisswatch-iss-tracking/id672216880)
- [GoSunWatch - Sunrise and Sunset Times](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gosunwatch-sunrise-and-sunset-times/id981970104)

All apps by GoSoftWorks: https://appshunter.io/developer/284980815

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*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 2026-08-29.*