Comparison

Portable Planetarium vs Galactic Compass

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Portable Planetarium

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The planetarium is based on the HIP (Hipparcos star chart) and displays stars of 5th magnitude or higher (1465 stars), names of famous stars, and lines and names of constellations. The movements of the planets are also reproduced and lines are drawn on the trajectories of their movements. When the application is launched, an earth model is placed 50 centimeters in front of the device, based on the device's position. A celestial sphere with a radius of 200 cm is placed based on the earth model, and stars and planets are placed on the celestial sphere. The radius of the celestial sphere can be zoomed in and out. You can also view the celestial sphere from inside or outside. # Features - [x] ARKit reproduces a planetarium. - [x] The planetarium is based on the HIP (Hipparcos star chart). - [x] Displays stars (magnitude 5 or higher, 1465 stars). - [x] Famous stars are labeled with their names. - [x] Displays constellation lines and names on the celestial sphere. - [x] Draws azimuth lines on the celestial sphere. - [x] Displays the sun, moon, and five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) and draws lines on their trajectories. - [x] The Earth model is placed in the center of the celestial sphere with a realistic tesure. - [x] The positions of the planets are calculated (using the Horizons API) based on actual values. - [x] Observation locations can be changed (11 locations). - [x] Date of observation can be changed (2024-2028). - [x] Time can be increased or decreased with the tap of a button. You can also advance the time automatically. - [x] Speed adjustment function (minus value for reverse rotation) to adjust the movement of the celestial sphere. - [x] Zoom function (zoom in/out) to change the size of the celestial sphere. - [x] Toggle to show/hide text information and coordinate axes. - [x] Drag the earth model to move the position of the celestial sphere. - [x] Change the background color by identifying day and night. ## How to use 1. when you launch the application, you will be asked for "permission to use camera" at first launch. If you allow it, an ARKit session will start. 2. The earth model and coordinate axes are placed 100 cm in front of the device, based on the device's position. 3. Tap the "Load Stars" button to load the star and planet models. Please wait a moment. 4. After loading, the stars, planets and constellation lines are drawn on the celestial sphere. 5. By moving the device, the celestial sphere (planetarium) can be observed from various angles and positions. 6. Tap the buttons at the bottom of the screen to adjust speed and zoom. 7. You can change the observation point from the menu in the upper right corner of the screen. 1. Tokyo (Japan) 2. Greenwich (England) 3. Dakar (Senegal) 4. Cairo (Egypt) 5. cape town (South Africa) 6. Melbourne (Australia) 7. Wellington (New Zealand) 8. Honolulu (USA) 9. Los Angeles (USA) 10. Vancouver (Canada) 11. Buenos Aires (Argentina) 8. Observation dates can be changed from the Set Date button. (2024 - 2028) 9. You can show/hide text information and coordinate axes from the menu in the upper right corner of the screen.

About

Galactic Compass

Features
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Galactic Compass is a beautiful, sci-fi-inspired utility that calculates and visualizes your real-time astronomical direction and speed through space. Ever wondered how fast you are actually moving right now? Galactic Compass integrates your device's compass, gyroscope, and GPS to orient you toward major cosmic points and breaks down your motion across multiple reference frames. Key Features: โ€ข Earth's Rotation: See how fast you are moving east just by standing on the spinning Earth. โ€ข Solar Orbit: Track the direction of our solar system's journey around the Sun. โ€ข Galactic Center: Point toward the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way and visualize our galactic orbit. โ€ข Andromeda Galaxy: Locate our neighbor Andromeda and track our mutual approach speed. โ€ข Great Attractor: Orient yourself toward the mysterious gravity well pulling our entire galactic group through the universe. Features a stunning retro-future sci-fi vector HUD UI, real-time sensor integration, offline calculation, and a built-in sensor calibration screen. No ads, no accounts, and 100% private (your location data never leaves your device).

Screenshots

Portable Planetarium4 screens
Galactic Compass3 screens

Verdict

The call

Portable Planetarium and Galactic Compass are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Portable Planetarium versus Galactic Compass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPortable PlanetariumGalactic Compass
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS16.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size85 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMasaya NagaokaAcademia HRM

In-app purchases

None

Portable Planetarium

No in-app purchases

None

Galactic Compass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Portable Planetarium free?
Portable Planetarium is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Galactic Compass free?
Galactic Compass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Portable Planetarium or Galactic Compass have ads?
Neither Portable Planetarium nor Galactic Compass shows ads.

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