
Polarisetter: True North
Find true north for telescopes
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Free
About
Polarisetter is a small companion app for setting up a telescope at night. It shows you true north (not magnetic north) and the device's level — on a single dark-sky-friendly screen — so you can polar-align your mount quickly in the dark.
Aligning an equatorial mount needs **true north**, not magnetic north. At the same time, the tripod has to sit **level**. Polarisetter brings both readouts together so you can finish the setup with fewer back-and-forth glances.
KEY FEATURES
• True North
Combines the device's gyroscope and magnetometer with your latitude and longitude to correct for magnetic declination. Stripped down to what telescope setup actually needs — no map widgets, no clutter.
• Level Indicator
Real-time tilt readout. Place the device on the mount head while extending the tripod legs and you'll know the moment it sits flat.
• Dark-Sky Friendly UI
Black background with red text. Bright screens contract your pupils and cost you the dark adaptation that lets you see faint stars. Polarisetter uses the same red-light convention astronomers have followed for decades.
• Works Offline
No network required. Your location is used only on-device to compute magnetic declination — it never leaves your phone.
WHO IT'S FOR
• Telescope users observing or imaging nebulae, clusters, planets
• Anyone who wants polar alignment to be less of a chore
• People who don't want a bright screen blasting their night vision
• Campers, hikers, and other outdoor folks who'd rather keep things dim
HOW TO USE
1. Open Polarisetter outdoors with a clear view of the sky.
2. Allow location access if prompted — your latitude and longitude are used only to compute true north (nothing is sent off-device).
3. Place the device on a level surface or mount head and align your telescope to the displayed bearing.
REQUIREMENTS
• iOS 15.6 or later
• Location access (used to compute true north)
About the developer
Built by an indie developer. Feedback and bug reports are welcome at karaage01@outlook.jp or @krgpi on X.
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What's New in Polarisetter
1.0
May 8, 2026

