PicoStar vs Astro Conditions

Calibrate any telescope using true-to-scale planetary images.

Astro Conditions — Know when, where, and what to observe. Plan better nights under the stars. Astro Conditions combines stargazing weather, darkness, Moon conditions, modeled light pollution, nearby observing locations, equipment guidance, and recommended celestial targets in one private, ad-free app. See whether tonight is worth going out, find a better place to observe, and discover what will be visible—from planets and double stars to clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. • Observing Quality and Night Conditions scores from 0 to 100 • Offline modeled light pollution for more location-aware planning • Best Targets for your location, night, and equipment • Nearby areas ranked for better observing conditions • No account, subscription, or advertising NIGHT CONDITIONS & OBSERVING QUALITY Night Conditions combines clouds, seeing, transparency, fog risk, wind, moonlight, and the useful nighttime window. Observing Quality builds on those conditions and accounts for modeled light pollution when available, giving you a more realistic picture of your selected location. • Early- and late-night trends • Three-day forecast • Hourly clouds, visibility, humidity, wind, and temperature • Seeing estimates using temperature stability and upper-atmosphere wind • Transparency estimates using cloud layers and visibility BEST TARGETS Explore recommended objects from a curated catalog for your selected location and night. Add binoculars, visual telescopes, or Smart/EAA telescopes, then choose what you plan to use. You can also choose Naked Eye. • See how well each target matches your equipment • Find the best observing time, direction, and altitude • Understand how weather, darkness, moonlight, and visibility affect the view • Get Finding Tips, equipment guidance, and Observing Notes • Browse offline reference images for many targets • Choose from Easy, Standard, and Challenge observations MY EQUIPMENT • Save binoculars, visual telescopes, and Smart/EAA telescopes • Select one or more instruments for each session FIELD MODE Use a dim red appearance at the telescope to help preserve night vision. SUN, MOON & DARKNESS • Sunrise and sunset • Astronomical night timing • Moonrise and moonset • Moon phase, illumination, and altitude • Moonlight-aware target recommendations BEST NEARBY AREA • Compare nearby areas using forecast conditions and modeled light pollution • See ranked observing locations on a map • Adjust search radius and location spacing • Open a selected location in Apple Maps LOCATION MANAGEMENT • Use your current position or save favorite observing sites • Search by city, coordinates, or map • Rename and reorder saved locations • See modeled light-pollution category and sky brightness for saved sites • Use each location’s local date and time OPTIONAL ISS TRACKING Add your N2YO API key to see visible International Space Station passes. • View rise, peak, and set times • See peak elevation and direction • Follow the ISS path across the sky • Identify passes already in progress WIDGETS & APPLE WATCH • Tonight at a Glance widget for quick condition checks • Tonight’s Targets widget with up to three recommendations • Three-Night Outlook widget for planning ahead • Apple Watch app and complications for quick condition checks • Observing Quality across supported phone, widget, and Watch views • Sync locations, preferences, and conditions with Apple Watch PRIVATE & CUSTOMIZABLE • Layouts adapt to larger iOS text sizes • No account, subscription, or advertising • Modeled sky brightness from David Lorenz’s Light Pollution Atlas • Astronomical calculations and target recommendations performed on your device Whether you observe with your eyes, binoculars, a telescope, Smart/EAA gear, or an astrophotography setup, Astro Conditions helps you decide when to go outside, where to observe, what to look for, and which equipment to use.