# Sideris: Sky Map, Plate Solver — Astrophotography star finder

> Astrophotography star finder (iPhone/iPad app by Loris BERT.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sideris-sky-map-plate-solver/id6809145518 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Loris BERT](https://appshunter.io/developer/6809145520)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 137 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-09-14
- Data updated: 2026-10-24

## What is Sideris?

Sideris is a plate solver for astrophotography with simple gear: a camera, a lens or a telescope, and a star tracker without go-to functionality.

You aim at a galaxy and take a test shot, but the camera's screen only shows stars. Is your target in the frame, or just outside it? Take a photo of the screen with your phone (or tablet), and Sideris tells you exactly where your camera is pointing. Your shot appears on the interactive sky map, next to the target you are aiming for, so you know which way to move.

No go-to mount, no laptop and no internet needed at your dark site.

HOW IT WORKS
1. Take a test shot with your camera.
2. Photograph the camera's screen with your phone, or import the photo itself.
3. Crop it, and Sideris solves it in seconds, right on your device.
4. See your photo on the sky map, and how far you are from your target.

PLATE SOLVING, FULLY OFFLINE
• Solving runs on your phone, so it works where there is no signal.
• Most photos solve with nothing but the picture. If one struggles, add your sensor size, focal length or target to help it.
• From camera lenses to telescopes of about 1,200 mm on a full-frame camera.
• A solve that fails does not use up a free solve.

FRAME YOUR SHOT
Add your cameras and your lenses or telescopes, and the framing tool shows your exact field of view on the sky map. Turn the frame to match your camera and plan the composition before you shoot.

MORE THAN 21,000 DEEP-SKY OBJECTS
• Messier, Caldwell, Herschel 400, NGC and IC, plus Sharpless, Barnard and Lynds nebulae, planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, star clusters and galaxy groups.
• Show the 500 best known, the 2,500 within reach of a camera lens, or all of them.
• Search any object by name or number, filter by type, catalog, magnitude, size or altitude, and sort the list by what matters tonight.
• Every object has an altitude curve for the night, and the 110 Messier objects have NASA and ESA photographs.

AN INTERACTIVE SKY MAP
• 364,000 stars, the planets, and the Moon in its real phase.
• Point your phone at the sky and the map follows. Select an object, and arrows guide you to it.
• Constellation lines, an equatorial or azimuthal grid, and the sky at any date and time.

TOOLS FOR THE FIELD
• Polar scope: a Polaris reticle for the polar alignment of your star tracker.
• Night mode: turns on at sunset to protect your night vision, with an all-red option for the darkest sites.
• Moon phase calendar: phase, illumination, moonrise and moonset for every night.
• White screen: a dimmable panel for flat frames.
• Location from the GPS, or chosen on an offline world map.

LEARN IT ON REAL PHOTOS
A guided tutorial walks you through two real solves on example photos, with an animation of the whole process.

ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION
Your first 10 solves are free. After that, a single one-time purchase unlocks unlimited plate solving on all your devices. No subscription, no ads, no account.

I built Sideris for my own nights under the stars, after spending too many hours trying to find my targets. I hope it can help you take beautiful photos as well.

Clear skies!

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Plate Solving | $9.99 | one-time |


## Is Sideris safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Sideris.

## Is Sideris legit?

Sideris: Sky Map, Plate Solver has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Sideris is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.2.0 — 2026-10-19

Sideris 1.2 brings a much faster solver, a far bigger target catalog and a new framing tool.

NEW
- More than 21,000 deep-sky objects: the Caldwell, NGC and IC catalogs, the Sharpless, Barnard and Lynds nebulae, etc.
- Framing: add your cameras and lenses or telescopes in Settings, then tap Frame on the sky map to see your field of view.
- A filter panel in the object list: type, catalog, magnitude, size and altitude, and four ways to sort.
- The Moon shows its real phase on the sky map.
- The tutorial opens with a 3D animation of a whole solve.

IMPROVED
- The solver is much faster and more reliable. Most photos now solve with no photo details at all.
- Sensor mode follows true north, so the map lines up with the real sky.
- More accurate planet positions and moonrise times.
- In night mode, the Sun, Moon and planets turn red too.
- The gyroscope calibration shows how to move your device.

FIXED
- Gyro mode on a tablet held in landscape.
- Cancelling a solve always works.
- Many smaller fixes.

### 1.1.0 — 2026-09-24

Sideris 1.1 brings new tools for the field and a clearer app throughout.

NEW
- Deep red mode: an option of night mode that turns the whole app fully red.
- Gyro pointer: with sensor mode on and an object selected, the sky map shows which way to turn your phone to reach it.
- A rotate button when cropping a photo before solving it.
- Messier objects are named on the sky map, and labels no longer overlap.

IMPROVED
- Larger, more readable text throughout the app.
- Smoother animations
- A darker, more balanced, night mode with amber text, which emits less blue light.
- More room for the object list, with filter and sort now placed behind a button.

FIXED
- Coordinates that could read 60 seconds now roll over to the next minute.
- The photo in the tutorial's framing step no longer moves while you drag the rectangle.
- Several buttons now use the app's own typeface.

### 1.0.2 — 2026-09-14

No release notes.

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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 2026-10-24.*