Going camping, or live some place where there’s little to no light pollution? You’re one of the lucky ones; it won’t be long until the night sky is too light in many places across the globe to see stars. That’s really a shame, too, especially when views like this are visible with the naked eye. Until that day comes, before the light takes over, you should check an app like Night Sky 2 to help you get the most of your stargazing experience.
Stargazing apps aren’t new to iOS, and in fact there have been many excellent ones before, including the original Night Sky app. But Night Sky 2 is perhaps the most beautiful yet. It works in a familiar fashion—hold it up toward the sky to view stars, planets and constellations; it’s essentially like the previous version, but redesigned with a ton of new features for a much better experience.
Features of Night Sky 2 include Sky View, which includes high quality imagery and sky tracking, Search and Locate to easily find a constellation, planet or satellite, Stargazing Weather (self explanatory), and many others. All of the service’s new features are not only designed to help users discover the celestial world above, but as educational tools. It’s weird, and sad, to think that all of this might become moot in the future.
There are only a handful of ineffable experiences in today’s technology-driven world. But staring the Milky Way right in the face is one of them. I saw it first hand a few summers ago while camping here in California, and it was on par with seeing the Grand Canyon in person, maybe better.
The next time you look up at night, and see a fading twinkle hanging from the sky, make sure you take a moment to let the moment sink in. And then check out Night Sky 2, just $0.99, to get a more thorough understanding of why darkness is nothing to be feared.
