Celestial Simulation vs Star Archive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Celestial Simulation
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Celestial Simulation Experience the universe as it truly moves. Celestial Simulation is a high-fidelity, physics-based app that lets you explore and understand celestial motion through real simulations—not animations or guesses. Every event is driven by time, location, and real celestial mechanics. From eclipses and planetary motion to lunar occultations and chaotic three-body dynamics, the app turns complex astronomy into intuitive, visual experiences. Observer-Based Simulation Your location matters. Set your observing position on Earth and watch how celestial events change with latitude, longitude, and time. Every simulation adapts instantly to your chosen place and moment. Solar System Geometry Explore the mechanics of the inner solar system: - Annular and hybrid solar eclipses with umbra and antumbra geometry - Planetary conjunctions and minimum angular separations - Mercury and Venus elongations for optimal visibility - Retrograde motion visualized over days and weeks - Transits of Mercury and Venus across the solar disk Most simulations are continuous and time-accurate. Lunar Occultations See how the Moon moves through the sky: - Occultations of bright stars and planets - Local and global visibility bands - Geometry that explains why an event is visible from certain locations Three-Body Dynamics Go beyond classical orbits and explore real gravitational complexity: - Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP) - Lagrange points L1–L5 with stability insights - Chaotic motion in non-rotating frames - Extreme sensitivity to initial conditions - These simulations reveal how real spaceflight dynamics and celestial chaos work. Special Focus: Total Solar Eclipse 2026 (Europe) A total solar eclipse will cross Europe in 2026 — a rare and unforgettable event. Celestial Simulation lets you explore the full path of totality, simulate eclipse geometry from different locations, and understand how timing and position affect what you will see. Use the simulation to: - Compare observing locations across Europe - Visualize eclipse paths and shadow motion - Plan where and when to experience totality Whether you are preparing a journey or simply exploring the mechanics behind the event, the app helps you understand why the eclipse unfolds the way it does. Built for Exploration - Interactive time control - Clean, focused visualizations - Designed for learners, enthusiasts, and curious minds - No clutter, no gimmicks—just the universe in motion Celestial Simulation is a pocket laboratory for understanding how the sky actually works. Whether you’re learning, teaching, or simply fascinated by celestial mechanics, this app lets you see the physics behind the beauty.
Star Archive
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What should I look at tonight? Star Archive picks objects your aperture can actually show under your site's sky — 1,272 objects judged in advance, so you don't drive out and find nothing there. This is an app for visual astronomy — for people who look through a telescope or binoculars with their own eyes. Plan a session, read an observing guide for each object, and keep a logbook: it all flows in one line. TONIGHT'S TARGETS, CHOSEN FOR YOU · Matched to your aperture (binoculars to large Dobsonians) and your site's sky darkness. · Choose the depth — a showpiece night, an easy stroll, or a deep dive. · Narrow by object type: galaxies only, no double stars, and so on. · Turn a recommendation straight into tonight's plan, or use it to fill an observing list. ONE UNBROKEN NIGHT · Plan — gather tonight's objects, sorted by hour or by constellation, with rise, transit and set times, altitude and direction, and the Moon's phase. · At the eyepiece — move object to object, tick what you saw, leave ratings and notes. Notes can be dictated by voice. · Wrap-up — enter the night's conditions once (seeing, transparency, limiting magnitude, site) and they are written into every log of that night. · Logbook — revisit by night, or by object. OBJECTS AND VISUAL GUIDES · 16,000+ objects — Messier, Caldwell, Herschel 400, NGC/IC, double and variable stars, asterisms, compact galaxy groups, and the solar system. · 2,400+ visual observing guides — how to star-hop to it, what shows at binocular, small, medium and large apertures, and advice on magnification and filters. · 4,600+ observing checkpoints — questions such as "can you see the bright core?" Rate them and compare with your past self next time. OBSERVING LISTS · Messier 110, Caldwell, Herschel 400, 1,001 Celestial Wonders, seasonal double stars, Hickson compact groups, and more. · Build your own lists, group them into folders, and watch your progress on each. · Make a star-walk route from several objects; add it to a plan and the members follow in order at the eyepiece. NIGHT MODE THAT PROTECTS YOUR DARK ADAPTATION · The whole screen turns red, with its own brightness control. Photos and sketches get a red veil too. · Shake the phone to toggle it. After sunset the app switches to a dark screen on its own. STAR CHARTS · A built-in chart with more than 130,000 stars shows your planned objects among the constellations. · Works with SkySafari and Stellarium — aim at an object with one button, or send tonight's list to be highlighted on the chart. SKETCHES AND KEEPING RECORDS · Attach your own sketches to an object and gather them into albums. · Move logs, lists and sketches in and out as spreadsheets, and carry everything to a new phone with a full backup. ALSO · Tonight's cloud cover by the hour, with temperature, humidity and wind. · Planets, dwarf planets and asteroids in real time — position, rise and set, phase, next opposition or conjunction, and Jupiter's moon events. · Korean, English and Japanese. Free. No ads, no purchases, no sign-up. Everything is stored on your device and never sent to a server (weather is the one exception). Location is used only to compute rise, set and altitude — and the app works from your saved site if you leave it off. Made by one hobbyist observer. Tell me what's missing or wrong and I'll fix it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Star Archive at Free against Celestial Simulation's $3.99. Star Archive also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.5). On 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
Star Archive is free to download; Celestial Simulation costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Celestial Simulation | Star Archive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Update frequency | — | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 105 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dung Le | Kyungil Myung |
In-app purchases
Celestial Simulation
No in-app purchases
Star Archive
No in-app purchases








