Sky Tonight

Sky Tonight Sky Tonight is an easy stargazing and planet guide app. Use AR to view real sky positions, edit photos for stunning lock-screen wallpapers, and compare past nights with Time Machine.

Sky Tonight

Sky Tonight is a popular mobile app for stargazing that’s designed to be simple and easy to use. Just point your phone at the sky to see the location of planets and stars along with detailed info about each one. You can also capture stunning views and save them as your lock screen wallpaper.

The app includes a built-in photo editor, so you can adjust brightness and contrast, and even hide constellation lines when you want a cleaner, more artistic look.

Want to see how the night sky changes over time? Use the Time Machine feature to compare the sky “back then” with what you can observe now—adding an extra layer of fun to every session.

Ready to start exploring the stars?

Key Features

Real-Time Sky Positions

Learn the actual positions of stars and planets. From there, you can dive deeper into new topics and expand your stargazing knowledge for future sessions.

Augmented Reality (AR) Mode

It’s not only about reading information—there’s also real observation. The app overlays what you’re looking at directly through your device screen, making it easy to explore the sky.

Brightness Controls

When you view celestial objects on-screen, you can fine-tune their brightness. This helps you find the look that best matches the beauty you’re trying to capture.

Time Machine

Observing at different moments can feel completely different. The Time Machine lets you jump to specific times to view where stars appeared previously, including their earlier positions.

Custom View & Watch Reminders

Constellations often require the right conditions and timing. Based on your preferences, the app creates events and reminders so you don’t miss the best moments to look up.

Filter by Magnitude

Before you start exploring, you can filter what’s visible. The app removes items that don’t meet your settings based on magnitude and distance, helping you focus on objects that are easier to observe.

What Makes Sky Tonight Stand Out

Observer-Based Trajectories

Instead of showing motion as a classic path centered on Earth, Sky Tonight displays an object’s trajectory relative to an observer. If you long-press a trajectory, you can move the sky object to the point you choose. While you keep your finger on the screen, sliding along the trajectory lets you change the time.

Flexible Search

Use flexible search to quickly locate space objects, navigate between different items, and browse various event categories. Search for terms like “stars”, “mars moons”, “mars conjunctions”, or “solar eclipse” to see related objects, events, and articles.

The search area also includes:

• Trending: shows what’s currently popular (objects, events, or news).
• Recent: stores what you selected most recently.

Highly Customizable Event Reminders

Set reminders for any date and time so you never miss important moments like a solar eclipse, a Full Moon, or a star–planet setup you care about.

Astronomy Calendar with Stargazing Index & Weather

Check an astronomy calendar packed with useful details, including moon phases, meteor showers, eclipses, oppositions, conjunctions, and more. You can see what’s happening this month—or even review what appeared in the sky a year ago.

User Impressions

• “This app is amazing!!!” Users say it shows stars, planets, moons, and constellations around you in real time with lots of information. They also mention it works without Wi‑Fi and that ads can be skipped quickly. Combined with the music and visuals, it’s described as relaxing and great for winding down.

  

• “A useful ‘look up’ tool.” One review highlights how zooming into planets feels impressive and how the app encourages people to look up rather than just stare at their phones.

• “Great for finding satellites and the ISS.” Some users use the app to locate satellites and the International Space Station. They also mention notification settings that warn how long until something rises above the horizon, and whether it’s likely bright and high enough to see with the naked eye.

• Calibration tip mentioned by users. If calibration is needed, one reviewer suggests using calibration mode and following the on-screen guidance (including moving in the “figure 8” pattern).

FAQs

Why should I get Sky Tonight if I already have Star Walk 2?

If you want a straightforward stargazing experience for identifying constellations, stars, and planets, Star Walk 2 may already cover what you need. But if you’re looking for more additional ways to explore the sky (the rest of the comparison continues in the full FAQ section).