Want to know more about the night sky – and capture stunning photos for posterity? This toolkit explores how to use your iPhone for stargazing, great apps for education and astrophotography, and the best accessories to buy.
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Learning with Sky Guide.
Get educated: Want to learn more about the night sky? Astronomy apps are a great place to start. But also learn to use your camera – head online to read about astrophotography before you try snapping your own shots.
Use AR: Augmented reality apps might not be the darlings they were in 2018, but space ones are ideal for exploring the heavens. Use apps with AR overlays to discover what you’re looking at – and what lies beyond the capabilities of the naked eye.
Find a weather app: By which we mean one that you consider accurate for your local area. That way, you’ll have a better chance of planning ahead for those cloudless and precipitation-free nights that are ideal for stargazing.
Set alerts: Notifications should be for meaningful things. And if you’re into stargazing, that could mean using apps to remind you of interesting celestial events, phases of the moon, and whether conditions will be favorable if you head out after dark.
Be patient: Stargazing doesn’t tend to be a hobby for people who demand immediacy. You are at the mercy of weather conditions, and even where you are located on the globe. Similarly, don’t expect amazing night photos right away – but perseverance should reap rewards.
Download these apps
Exploring with Night Sky.
Night Sky (free + IAP): This app makes it easy to browse the sky, and a panel provides fast access to upcoming conditions. It’s rich in AR too. You can pluck objects from the sky to peruse, or – if you subscribe – study an AR orrery.
Sky Guide (free + IAP): The most beautiful and elegant iPhone stargazing app. Lush visuals and ethereal audio get you in the mood. ‘Time travel’ allows you to predict the future. And excellent search and calendar tabs put vital info at your fingertips.
Solar Walk ($4.99/£4.99): This interactive educational tome is a 3D map of the solar system, with facts, figures and accessible innards for each planet. Via IAP, you can blast off on space missions, to watch Hubble’s launch or Curiosity collect samples on Mars.
NASA (free): If there’s one organization that comes to mind with space flight and exploration, it’s NASA. Its free app includes plenty of news and videos, along with over 20,000 images to inspire you when shooting your own photos of the night sky.
Halide ($11.99/£10.49 per year): Arguably the most powerful camera for iPhone, Halide gives you excellent tools for working with RAW, retaining details and dynamic range in your photos. And with its manual mode, you can adjust focus and shutter speed for night-time shots.
Slow Shutter Cam ($2.99/£2.99): When you’ve perfect conditions for taking night-time photography further than stills, Slow Shutter Cam is a must-install. Settings help you capture light trails and low-light shots – and stunning time lapses across multiple hours.
PhotoPills ($10.99/£10.99): Should you get deeply into astrophotography, PhotoPills gives you what you need to best prepare. It shows where and when celestial bodies will appear and includes AR views for finding perfect compositions. There are also calculators for long exposures to star trails.
Connect this hardware
Taking photos with a Celestron telescope.
Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130 AZ ($479.95/£429.99): Frustrated by the limits of what your eyes can see? This telescope lets you take the next step in stargazing, locating and observing deep-sky objects, helped along by a paired Celestron iPhone app.
Otterbox Defender (around $64.95/£42.99): When you’re working in the dark – and possibly the cold – it’s all too easy to drop your phone. An Otterbox case will ensure it’ll be safe, even during an unexpected trip to the ground.
Moshi Digital Touchscreen Gloves 2.0 ($29.95/£24.95): Standard gloves won’t work with touchscreens; but at night, you’ll want warm hands when stargazing. These Moshi gloves are flexible and responsive, letting you work without your fingers freezing.
GripTight PRO 3 GorillaPod ($99.95/£86.95): A tripod is a must for night-time photography or reference. This GorillaPod is an improvement over traditional fare, because it clamps to your phone and has a flexible design that allows for easy leveling on any surface.
mophie powerstation ($59.95/£64.95): When shooting outdoors, you don’t want to miss something spectacular. This accessory gives your iPhone hours of extra power, and its form factor ensures it won’t get in the way of your camera.