# Night Sky Sextant — Geo location by the stars

> Geo location by the stars (iPhone/iPad app by Pavel Kuzmenko.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-sky-sextant/id6763372840 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Pavel Kuzmenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/985903679)
- Category: Navigation, Travel
- Price: $24.99
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.2 · 46 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2026-04-28
- Data updated: 2026-07-07
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/night-sky-sextant/id6763372840/reviews.md

## What is Night Sky Sextant?

Lost signal? No GPS? No problem. Navigate the planet using the oldest map in existence: the night sky. Our app transforms your smartphone into a precision celestial navigation instrument, instantly determining your exact geographic coordinates simply by capturing a photograph of the stars above.
Here’s how it works: Point your camera upward, frame a clear patch of sky, and take a single image. Within seconds, advanced computer vision and astrometric algorithms analyze your photo, isolating individual star points, measuring their relative positions, and recognizing established constellation patterns. These celestial markers are cross-referenced against our real-time astronomical database—containing precise positional data for millions of cataloged stars, continuously updated for proper motion and stellar drift. By triangulating observed star positions against the device’s field of view, the app calculates your exact latitude and longitude without cellular towers, satellite signals, or traditional GPS hardware.
Precision is engineered into every layer. Your smartphone’s motion sensors operate in seamless coordination: the accelerometer and gyroscope capture exact horizon tilt, azimuth alignment, and device orientation, while camera metadata preserves critical exposure timing. Because celestial positioning depends entirely on accurate timekeeping, the app independently calculates Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time (GMST) directly from your phone’s internal clock. It applies rigorous astronomical corrections for time zones, seasonal adjustments, and Earth’s rotational variance, ensuring star coordinates align with their true celestial positions at the exact moment your shutter fired.
Built for explorers, field researchers, and emergency responders, this tool operates reliably in GPS-denied environments. Dense canopies, remote wilderness, maritime routes, and disaster zones where infrastructure fails are no longer navigation blind spots. The app functions entirely offline after a lightweight initial catalog download, optimizing battery life for extended expeditions. Automatic atmospheric refraction correction adjusts for temperature, humidity, and altitude, while noise-reduction algorithms maintain accuracy under light pollution or thin cloud cover.
Beyond basic coordinates, the app delivers professional navigation utilities: real-time bearing calculation, position history logs, multi-format coordinate export, and seamless offline map integration. Whether verifying trail routes, conducting surveys, or preparing for off-grid emergencies, you gain a self-contained positioning system that works anywhere on Earth.
Rediscover celestial navigation, reimagined for the modern era. No satellites. No networks. Just proven astronomy, precision engineering, and your smartphone. Download today, point to the sky, and know exactly where you stand.
Warning: be aware that gyro can give upto 1 degree of drift - read and use coordinates with caution!


## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.0.3 — 2026-06-28

New Features:
- Sky coordinates RA\Dec and field orientation info has been added;
- Improved post processing to get better sensitive.

### 1.0.2 — 2026-06-23

- Calibration which allows to coax gyro vs camera! 
- Show 3 lat/long: 
       1. non corrected;
       2. corrected;
       3. GPS (if available) helps to tune your device.
- Improved image processing which allow to reduce shot time from 1 second to 400 ms, to make coordinate error less.

Warning: be aware that gyro can give upto 1 degree of drift - read and use coordinates with caution!

### 1.0.1 — 2026-05-18

1. Down-count timer before taking a photo to remove shaking the phone on finger tough. 
2. Make calculated coordinates more human readable.

### 1.0 — 2026-04-29

No release notes.

---

*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 2026-07-07.*