AstroFinder vs Star Explorer

**AstroFinder turns your iPhone into a plate-solving push-to finder for any telescope — no motors, no alignment stars, no setting circles.** Clamp your phone beside the scope. AstroFinder takes a short exposure of the real sky, identifies the star pattern the way a research plate-solver does, and repeats about once a second — so you always know exactly where you're pointed. A red-on-black star chart shows your aim live, and a simple arrow guides you onto whatever you want to see. **Find anything** • Planets, Sun and Moon — sorted by what's up right now • Deep sky by catalog number — Messier, NGC, IC, and more, on a keyboard-free keypad • Named stars and showpiece double stars • "Best this month" — well-placed showpieces for your location, tonight, nearest to where you're already aimed **Built for the eyepiece** • Fully night-vision friendly: red on black, dimmable below the phone's own minimum • Alt-azimuth mode for Dobsonians (no field rotation) or equatorial mode for tracking mounts • Tap any object on the chart for details, then push-to it • Optional constellation lines, labels, and progressive zoom as you close in • Works in portrait or landscape, at any mounting angle **How it works** AstroFinder mounts alongside your telescope and syncs to your eyepiece in seconds. From then on, the chart and all guidance are aligned to your scope's actual aim. Everything runs on-device — no internet needed under the stars. A one-month free trial gives you a full new-moon cycle to try it. Subscription then renews yearly; cancel anytime. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.santangeli.net/astrofinder/privacy Clear skies.

APPLE WATCH See the Moon phase, illuminated fraction and moonless observing window, browse astronomy events, and add watch widgets. Sky calculations run on device; weather requires a network connection. Point your iPhone at the night sky and instantly see what you're looking at. Star Explorer names stars, planets, constellations and the Moon in AR, and tells you what's worth seeing tonight from where you are. No sign-up needed to start. The star catalog, sky map and astronomy assistant work offline, so they keep working at dark-sky sites with no signal. WHAT YOU CAN DO - AR star finder: hold up your phone to identify stars, planets and constellations, with comet and meteor-shower layers - Night sky map: a live all-sky chart you can move forward or back in time; search 8,900+ stars, all 88 constellations and all 110 Messier objects - Tonight's sky: Moon phase, visible planets and observing conditions for your location and weather - Sky events: meteor showers, planet oppositions and every solar and lunar eclipse from 2027 to 2030, with reminders - Offline astronomy assistant: ask questions and get an observing plan without a connection - Red-light night mode that protects your night vision - Tonight's Sky widget for your Home Screen - Bite-size astronomy lessons with quizzes, and a stargazing trip planner - Made for iPhone and iPad, including the iPhone Duo inner display Free forever: AR star finder, sky map, sky events, offline assistant, lessons, night mode and widget. Optional purchases: - Pro, all features, lifetime: one-time purchase that unlocks the deep-sky catalog, astrophotography assistant, cloud AI and photo identification - Observing Tools, lifetime: one-time purchase that unlocks the deep-sky catalog and astrophotography assistant - Cloud AI monthly / yearly subscription: unlocks cloud AI answers and photo identification Auto-renewing subscriptions: the subscription period is 1 month or 1 year, and payment is charged to your Apple ID account when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the same price unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel any time in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. The price shown on the App Store purchase confirmation is final. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://star.xinghebit.com/privacy/ Sky data, weather, travel routes and AI answers may contain errors and are not navigation, weather or safety guarantees. Check official sources before observing outdoors. Never look at the Sun through a camera, binoculars or telescope without a certified solar filter.