Google Sky Map
Google Sky Map turns your Android-powered device into a window
on the night sky. It identifies objects that appear in the
sky and allows users to search for them. Even with
the unaided eye, there is much to study in the night sky including
constellations, shooting stars, planets, and of course the moon, the
Earth's only natural satellite.
This app makes uses the built-in compass in Android devices,
GPS, and the device's clock to depict a sky map of the area it is
facing. Over one thousand stars and all of the planets in our solar
system are searchable and visible in the app. Users can also view and
search for constellations and individual stars. The brightest stars and
most prominent constellations are labelled, as are the planets. The
planets are displayed as images that are larger than actual size. This
can be seen in the screenshot below.
Features:
- Point your phone or tablet at the sky, and Google Sky Map
will show the stars, planets, constellations, and more to help you
identify the celestial objects in view
- Search the night sky for your favorite planet, Messier
object, and more
- Zoom in and out
- Switch various layers on and off, choosing to make
these elements visible or not:
- Stars
- Constellations
- Messier objects
- Planets
- Meteor showers
- Right ascension and declination grid
- Horizon and cardinal points
- Input the names of planets and stars and they will be
guided to the current locations of these objects
- Explore the cosmos manually and move through the sky by
touching the screen instead of having it adjust automatically
- Time travel - change the date and time and see the stars,
planets and constellations at that moment in time. Selections are
limited to the years 1900-2100 due to limitations on accuracy
- Contains a subset of Google Sky's Hubble Gallery
- Night mode which is designed to protect your dark-adapted
eyes
- Internationalisation support: Available in more than 12
languages
Verdict:
Astronomy is particularly well suited to the
layperson. It is
a wonderful hobby which has almost no age limits, it is open to
individuals of all financial means, and there is always the potential
for an amateur to discover something that has eluded professional
astronomers, or to help monitor stars and track asteroids. Google Sky
Map allows even the most casual observer to quickly identify and search
for objects in the sky.
 9/10
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Last Updated Sunday, November 27 2011 @ 03:12 AM EST
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