AstroArray vs DeepSkyCentral

Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, on Wajarri Yamaji Country, is home to many international telescopes. All these telescopes are comprised of antennas, which can be viewed in this app. See each antenna from the observatory right in front of you! By placing your device horizontal to a flat surface (so your camera can detect the ground to know it is safe to build an antenna) and tapping the screen when prompted, one of the three telescope antennas from the observatory will appear in front of you! Use the scale function to shrink the antenna, or expand it to its full size! The three antennas each come from a different telescope: CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, owns and operates the ASKAP radio telescope. ASKAP is made up of 36 dish-antennas, that work together as one telescope. The antennas stand three storeys tall, each with a 12-metre-wide dish, and they are dotted across the outback over an area of about six square kilometres. Telescopes like ASKAP provide a big picture view of the Universe. Instead of studying a few objects in detail, astronomers can catalogue millions of new galaxies and other astronomical sources. ASKAP is part of the Australia Telescope National Facility, which includes radio telescopes such as the Parkes radio telescope, Murriyang, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) project is led by Curtin University on behalf of an international Collaboration. The MWA is composed of 4,096 “spider” antennas arranged into tiles of 16, and is tuned to receive radio signals from the sky at frequencies between 70 and 300MHz. Since its launch in 2013, the MWA has collected tens of petabytes of data and supported astronomers who study everything from our own ionosphere and solar emission, through to far-away pulsars and galaxies, and even further back to the Big Bang. MWA’s unprecedented capabilities and discoveries underpin its critical role as the first fully operational precursor instrument of the SKA project. The SKA-Low telescope is part of the SKA Observatory (SKAO) – a global next-generation radio observatory that will deliver half a century of transformational science. The Observatory will operate two telescopes – SKA-Mid in South Africa and SKA-Low in Australia, with a global headquarters in the UK. SKA-Low is being built in Australia, and will comprise 131,072 two-metre-tall Christmas tree- shaped antennas, laid out in three spiral arms across 74km end-to-end. SKA-Mid will comprise 197 dish antennas in the Karoo region of South Africa. This app will allow you to walk around antennas from each of these internationally renowned telescopes. CSIRO acknowledges the Wajarri Yamaji as the Traditional Owners and native title holders of the Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory.

DeepSkyCentral is your AI-powered astronomy companion for all astronomers both visual observers and astrophotographers — plan your sessions, find your targets, and manage your gear all in one place. Built by astronomers- for astronomers. ASTRO AI, YOUR PERSONAL ASSISTANT Ask anything about astronomy, imaging, or equipment and get expert answers instantly. Astro AI recommends targets based on your location, gear, and the night's conditions, plus weather predictions built specifically for astronomical observing. FIND YOUR TARGETS AND YOUR SKY Use Target Finder and SkyView together with the FOV Image and Visual Framers to see exactly how a target will look through your telescope or camera before you head outside. Dark Sky Finder helps you locate the darkest nearby skies, and the Astro Calendar tracks moon phases and astronomical events. WEATHER & 10 DAY FORECAST MODELS Every astronomer has a keen eye for the weather - DeepSkyCentral Astro AI provides a summary of the current and upcoming conditions. Leverage the 10 day forecast with extensive data including cloud cover, seeing, transparency and dew predictions. And live radar (Pro subscription) FOV Calculator and Framer Find and frame your favorite targets with ease. See what your eyepiece or camera sees through your rig and frame your targets with ease. Create mosaics, and save directly to your personal Frame Library ( pro subscription). PLAN AND ORGANIZE EVERY SESSION Build Target Lists and Checklists, set up custom Equipment Profiles for your rigs, and use the Polar Alignment tool to get your mount dialed in fast. DeepSkyCentral's smart Session Planner and Session Diary (Pro Subscription) allows you to setup and record all your astro activity. Never miss a night, plan your sessions and get the most out of your astronomy journey. TARGET DATA Data includes best time of year to view or image a target, where the target is best viewable in the night sky, which filters to utilise, and detailed target summary. OVER 660,000 OBJECTS AND STARS Download specialized catalogue packs including the complete NGC/IC catalogue, the Washington Double Star Catalog, Sharpless HII regions for narrowband imaging, and a Gaia DR3 star field to magnitude 10 for precision framing and guiding — all available offline at your dark sky site. GO FURTHER WITH PRO Astro AI Pro, live satellite weather and cloud radar, live Aurora and Solar activity stats, the Astro Session Planner & Diary, an Image Library with plate solving, FITS file renaming and folder organization tools, unlimited locations and equipment profiles, and access to the Community Gallery and Dark Sky Location community sharing. EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE Extensive knowledgebase and terminology sections dive deep in the world of astronomy to help the beginner astronomer navigate through the night sky. Whether you're just starting to explore the night sky or refining an advanced astrophotography workflow, DeepSkyCentral brings everything you need into one place. Essentials and Pro are auto-renewing subscriptions, managed anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internal/terms/itunes/dev/stdeula/