Asteroid Close Approach vs Star Map Night Sky
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Asteroid Close Approach
Get real-time updates on near-Earth asteroid close approaches, including dates, distances, and impact energies. Access NASA's Sentry database for collision predictions and use a built-in calculator to estimate asteroid mass and energy.
- Real-time asteroid data on Apple Watch
- Comprehensive approach details
- Access to NASA's Sentry database
- Asteroid mass and energy calculator
- Collision monitoring for the next century
Read full descriptionHide full description
Stay informed about the most recent near-Earth asteroid encounters—right from your iPhone or on your Apple Watch. Easily check the upcoming dates and times of close approaches, along with their distances, velocities, magnitudes, and estimated impact energies in kilotons. Dive into NASA’s Sentry database, a powerful collision monitoring system that continuously scans the latest asteroid catalog for any potential impacts within the next 100 years. Curious about an asteroid’s mass and energy? Use the built-in calculator to estimate these figures based on its absolute magnitude and approach speed. Features: • Latest Encounters on Your Wrist: View real-time asteroid data at a glance on your Apple Watch. • Comprehensive Tracking: Check each asteroid’s approach date, distance, velocity, magnitude, and potential impact energy. • Sentry Database Access: Keep tabs on NASA’s up-to-date collision predictions for the next century. • Asteroid Mass & Energy Calculator: Estimate physical properties and potential impact energy with a simple input of magnitude and speed. Stay informed, prepared, and captivated by the wonders of our cosmic neighborhood—anytime, anywhere.
Star Map Night Sky
Read full descriptionHide full description
SpaceUtil is a star map with AR that helps you find constellations, explore a 3D solar system, follow the ISS tracker live and see where Voyager is right now. The whole night sky in one astronomy app, with no account, and almost everything computed on your device without an internet connection. ■ AR STAR MAP AND SKY VIEWER • Point your phone at the sky to see the stars and constellations in that direction. • 120,000 stars and all 88 constellations with lines, names and artwork. • AR mode overlays the sky chart on your camera view. • Red night mode for comfortable stargazing in the dark. • Search for a star, planet or constellation and an arrow guides you to it. • Rewind or fast-forward time to see the sky on any date. ■ 3D SOLAR SYSTEM • An orrery with the Sun, the eight planets and major moons in their real positions. • Rotate and zoom with your fingers, and tap a planet for its story. • Live distances to each planet, Jupiter's four big moons and Saturn's rings. • Follow conjunctions and planet alignments. ■ LIVE ISS TRACKER • See where the International Space Station is right now on a 3D globe and a world map, updated every second. • Visible pass predictions for your location with time, direction and altitude. • A sky-path view of each pass. ■ WHERE ARE VOYAGER 1 AND 2? • Follow the two farthest human-made objects on a 3D map of the solar system. • See their current distance from Earth, computed on your device from public space-agency reference data. ■ TONIGHT • A briefing on tonight's observing conditions based on the moon phase and twilight times. • 5 objects worth looking at right now. • Sun, moon and planet rise and set times. • Civil, nautical and astronomical twilight. ■ MOON, ECLIPSES, METEOR SHOWERS • Moon phase calendar and lunar age. • Upcoming solar and lunar eclipses. • Every major meteor shower with its peak night and how bright the moon will be. ■ ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY HELPERS • 500-rule exposure calculator. • Milky Way planner. • Golden hour, blue hour and moonrise direction. ■ LEARN AND PLAY • Constellation myths and a space quiz. • The sky on your birthday and light travel time. • Light-year, AU and parsec converter. • An exoplanet catalog. • An observation log with badges. ■ GETTING STARTED • Open the star map and hold your phone up toward the sky. • Switch on AR mode to see constellation lines over the camera image. • Turn on red mode once you are outside in the dark. • Search for a planet or star and follow the arrow. • Check Tonight before heading out. ■ WHO IS IT FOR? • Stargazers identifying stars and constellations with AR. • Space fans tracking the ISS, the Voyager probes and planetary alignments. • Astrophotographers planning Milky Way shots. • Anyone learning about exoplanets, myths and moon phases. ■ TIPS • Use time controls to preview the sky on an eclipse date. • Check how bright the moon will be before a meteor shower peak night. • Log what you observe to collect badges. ■ FAQ • Do I need an account? No. There is no account and no cloud. • Does it work offline? Almost everything is computed on your device. • Is the camera image saved? No, never. • Are there ads? A single banner ad at the bottom of the screen supports development. No full-screen or video ads. ■ PRIVACY AND PERMISSIONS • Location is used only on the device to align the sky map. • The camera powers the AR view, and its image is never captured, stored or sent anywhere. Data sources: an open star catalog (CC BY-SA) and public satellite, space-weather and planetary data. SpaceUtil is not affiliated with or endorsed by the data providers. Clear skies from SpaceUtil.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Star Map Night Sky at Free against Asteroid Close Approach's $1.99. Asteroid Close Approach's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Star Map Night Sky is free to download; Asteroid Close Approach costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Asteroid Close Approach ships an update every 4 weeks, Star Map Night Sky fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Asteroid Close Approach | Star Map Night Sky |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Arpacore B.V. | tanzsoft |
In-app purchases
Asteroid Close Approach
No in-app purchases
Star Map Night Sky
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Asteroid Close Approach free?
Is Star Map Night Sky free?
Do Asteroid Close Approach or Star Map Night Sky have ads?
Which is updated more often, Asteroid Close Approach or Star Map Night Sky?
Other comparisons















