Star Pupil vs AstroPic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Star Pupil
This app helps you practice celestial navigation by showing every step of sight reductions and plotting lines of position. It covers calculations for the Sun, planets, and stars using standard nautical publications.
- Step-by-step sight reductions
- Plotting Lines of Position (LOPs)
- Calculations for Sun, Planets, Stars
- Uses Pub 229 and Pub 249
- Twilight calculations
- Star selection assistance
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Star Pupil is a practice aid for learning Celestial Navigation. It does not merely produce the answers to sight reductions but rather shows all the steps along the way! Traditional Celestial Navigation is straightforward and requires only a Nautical Almanac, Sight Reduction Tables, and basic arithmetic. However each step must be performed correctly, and small errors, like adding rather than subtracting, are easy to make. Star Pupil sharpens your traditional Celestial Navigation skills by showing each calculation and each step along the way for performing a Sight Reduction and plotting a Line of Position. Star Pupil shows all the calculations and steps for: * Calculating Ha from Hs using a Nautical Almanac * Performing a sight reduction for the Sun and Planets using Pub 229 * Performing a sight reduction for Stars using either Pub 229 or Pub 249 * Plotting LOPs for the Sun, Planets, and Stars * Plotting multiple LOPs to get a fix Additionally, Star Pupil shows the steps for finding twilight at your position, and looking up the best stars for taking sights using Publication 249 Volume 1.
AstroPic
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Your gateway to the daily wonders of space. Curated from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) archive, this app brings you breathtaking images and fascinating insights into the universe. Daily APOD: Start your day with a stunning new image from NASA's APOD archive. Each picture is accompanied by a detailed description, offering insights into the science and story behind the image. Random APOD: Feeling adventurous? Let the app surprise you with a random selection from the extensive APOD collection. Who knows what marvels you'll discover next? Search APOD: Looking for something specific? Use our powerful search feature to find APOD images by date, keyword, or theme. Whether it's a favorite nebula or a significant astronomical event, finding it is just a tap away.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Star Pupil at every 5 days against AstroPic's every 5 months. Star Pupil also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Star Pupil ships an update every 5 days, AstroPic every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Star Pupil | AstroPic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Richard Craddock | Ron Tabachnik |
In-app purchases
Star Pupil
No in-app purchases
AstroPic
No in-app purchases









