Celestial navigation is the art of navigating a vessel or an aircraft by referencing the positions of celestial bodies. It is a navigational method used by sailors and aviators throughout history, and it still plays a critical role in modern-day navigation. With the advent of technology, celestial navigation has become much more accessible to amateur sailors and navigators. There are several Android apps available that assist sailors in performing accurate celestial navigation. In this article, we will review the best Android app for celestial navigation.
This app can be used to calculate the position of the sun, the moon, and the stars at any given time and location. The app provides real-time information on the celestial bodies and their positions, which can be used to determine the vessel’s position. The app also provides an easy-to-use interface that allows users to input their coordinates, date, and time to get accurate results.
The app is designed to be user-friendly, with clear and easy-to-understand instructions.
We have compiled a list of 7 Best Android App For Celestial Navigation for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
Table of Contents
1. Star Walk 2 Ads+ Sky Map View
Star Walk 2 Ads+ – Identify Stars in the Night Sky is an astronomy app that allows users to identify stars, constellations, planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, ISS, Hubble Space Telescope, and other celestial bodies in the sky above them. The app can be used day or night, and all users need to do is point their device at the sky.
The app contains information about stars and constellations, solar system bodies, deep space objects, and astronomical events like meteor showers, equinoxes, and conjunctions. Star Walk 2 Ads+ is a popular choice for both space amateurs and serious stargazers who want to learn astronomy on their own.
In addition to personal use, the app has also been adopted by the travel and tourism industry. For example, the ‘Rapa Nui Stargazing’ on Easter Island and ‘Nakai Resorts Group’ in the Maldives use the app for astronomical tours and meetings with guests.
Star Walk 2 Ads+ is available as a free version with ads or a paid version with in-app purchases to remove ads. The app features a real-time map of the sky that shows stars and planets, a clock-face icon to select any date and time to see the night sky in fast motion, and an augmented reality feature to view objects in the night sky superimposed on live sky objects.
2. GPS Anti Spoof
This app offers instant celestial navigation for detecting GPS Spoofing and other electronic navigation anomalies. It compares measured altitudes of celestial bodies with the GPS position to calculate exact altitudes that should be observed with a sextant. The app automatically includes all corrections such as index error, dip of the horizon, refraction, temperature and pressure corrections to refraction, altitude above sea level, and parallax. It also includes gravitational deflection of the vertical correction up to 2 nautical miles. The app serves as a sextant trainer by allowing users to take a sight and compare it with the app’s display. The app works off-network and can download temperature and pressure information if a network connection is available. The ephemeris data is generated from the same JPL numerical integrations of lunar and planetary motions used by the official Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Almanac. The coordinates are accurate to one second of arc, and displayed sextant altitudes are accurate to better than a tenth of a minute of arc.
3. SkyView® Explore the Universe
SkyView® is an Android stargazing app that enables users to identify celestial objects in the sky. It uses the device’s camera to spot and locate galaxies, stars, constellations, planets, and satellites, including the ISS and Hubble, passing overhead. The app displays 88 constellations that fade in and out as users scan the sky. It also offers night mode filters to preserve night vision, and users can use their camera to spot objects in the sky, day or night, through augmented reality.
SkyView® offers a comprehensive view of the sky, including thousands of stars, planets, and satellites with interesting facts. Users can follow the sky track for any object to see its exact location in the sky on any date and time. The app also offers time travel, enabling users to jump to the future or the past and see the sky on different dates and times.
SkyView® is mobile and does not require a data signal or GPS to function, making it an ideal companion for camping, boating, or flying. Users can also capture and share beautiful images with friends and family on social networks. The app is an excellent way to learn about our universe in a fun and engaging way, making it suitable for self-learning, teaching, or sharing with others.
4. SkySafari 6 Pro
SkySafari 6 Pro is an astronomy app that offers the largest database of any astronomy app, including every solar system object ever discovered. It provides unparalleled accuracy, telescope control, and viewing experience under the stars. The app has been recommended for serious amateur astronomers since 2009.
The new version 6 includes features such as cloud storage for observing data, updated star and galaxy catalogs, sessions that collect observations spanning a few hours or nights, a graph tool showing an object’s altitude above the horizon, a planner to create a list of targets for observing sessions, and a tilt to slew optional mode for telescope control. The app also has a system to organize and share observing experiences through a free web portal and affordable premium memberships.
Users can find stars, constellations, planets, and more by holding their device up, and the star chart updates automatically with movements. The app can simulate the night sky up to 10,000 years in the past or future, control telescopes, offer night vision, and provide a Galaxy View that shows the position of deep sky objects in our Milky Way.
5. CamSextant
CamSextant is a mobile application that enables users to measure the altitudes of celestial objects, much like a marine sextant, using their phone’s sensors, camera, and GPS. Users can point their phone at a celestial object, capture its name, altitude, and time, and use this information for celestial navigation calculations. Additionally, the sextant index can be calibrated by reading the sea horizon altitude. The app displays on-screen celestial objects such as the Sun, Moon, four planets, and 150 stars, and has a perpetual Nautical Almanac. Furthermore, if enabled, CamSextant speaks the names and altitudes of the celestial objects, making it an ideal tool for identifying navigation stars and planets.
CamSextant also calculates the Deltas for each altitude reading and the Astronomical Position for two or more sightings. If the user has a marine sextant available, they can correct the phone’s readings with it and perform real celestial navigation work. The app is a useful tool for celestial navigation training, even without a marine sextant. More information on how to use the app can be found in the CamSextant Tutorial.
Celestial Navigator is an app that provides a range of navigation features for mariners and anyone interested in celestial navigation. The app offers a variety of calculators such as rise set and merpass, line of position and compass error including gyro, and celestial fix. It also offers an almanac of sun, moon, planets, and 58 navigational stars. Celestial Navigator supports three widely used navigational methods including intercept, long by chronometer, and latitude by meridian altitude.
The app also features a true wind calculator, eta calculator, and sailing calculator that includes great circle and Mercator sailing calculators and intermediate point calculator. It displays the device’s position from the GPS and the compass heading. The app’s accuracy has been tested thoroughly with the US navy website and the nautical almanac of 2013, and the results are accurate enough for sea.
Furthermore, the app allows users to export the almanac data and celestial observations data to the external SD card. It is recommended that users read the help section carefully to fully understand the app’s features and functionalities.
7. Nautical Almanac
The nautical almanac is a tool used for calculating celestial almanac information, including azimuth, height, and other related data for the Sun and Moon, primary navigation stars, and navigation planets such as Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The tool also determines the Variation (Mag. Declination) for a given position, which is used in magnetic compass error calculation. The calculation of variation is based on the latest World Magnetic Model. Additionally, the tool acts as a gyro and magnetic compass error calculator.