This article covers 8 free Planetarium apps for Android. Everyone of us has been fascinated by the universe at some point of time. Humans have been exploring the universe for a long time just to see the things around us. The knowledge that we have collected from this space exploration now fits in your phones. You can download planetarium apps to look at the universe and locate various things like planets, stars, etc.
These apps are free to download on your Android devices and contain a lot of information about the universe. Let’s look at these planetarium Android apps below.
Winstars 3
Winstars 3 is a nice planetarium app for Android. When you download this app, do go through the video given on the app download page. It is a beautiful video about how to navigate the app. Winstars 3 is available for all the platforms like Windows, Linux, MacOS, and Android. The app lets you discover the universe using the 3D technology. You can view more than 30,000 galaxies, star clusters, etc. Travel through the solar system, travel to the stars, travel to the edge of the galaxy to see the wonders of the Universe. Get detailed information about each object you come across.
The app is available in multiple languages. It can be said that this app is pretty complex but yet the navigation is not that difficult to pick up. Though my Android app didn’t work that great, it kept on crashing every few minutes. Maybe it works better on your phone, so try it out.
Planetarium
Planetarium is a nice app to view information about celestial objects. When you start the app you will come across a page like the one shown in the screenshot above. Your current location is picked up by the app and is displayed on the homepage. You can also see the sun rise time, sun set time, etc. From the hamburger icon in the top left side you can select various other options like astronomical clock, day view, sky view, sky maps, solar system maps, etc.
The settings option would let you change a few things. Like, the units of distance can be changed to mile, kilometer, or astronomical unit. Also you can change time notation, angle notation, etc. You can also look at the model of solar system and read about their distance from the sun. Check out the celestial objects map, where you can read about celestial objects by tapping on them. When you click on the calendar icon at the top of the app, you will be able to see a list of all the astronomical phenomena with dates it is about to happen on.
Planetarium Zen Solar System
Planetarium Zen Solar System is a fun app to explore our universe. You can interact with the solar system, increase or decrease the speed at which the planets are orbiting the sun. If you are a space enthusiast then you will like this app which lets you explore the solar system and the universe beyond.
You will get a instructions screen, which tells you which icon does what and how to move about in the app. You can see the planets orbiting around the sun in a regular pace and then you have the option to increase the speed as well. The app does have ads which pop up from time to time, which is not fun. But it is a free app, so you have to expect something like this. You can even view different simulations with planets and other celestial bodies.
Solar Walk Lite
Solar Walk Lite is basically a 3D model of our solar system. It is a great way for kids and adults to explore the solar system in 3D. Teachers can use this app to teach kids in the class about space and planets. You can see planets up close and move the solar system in to different dimensions of viewing. This 3D solar system simulator is free and works great.
You can click on a planet or other celestial objects to read more about them. For example, click on a planet and view it up close. Watch it in motion in 3D imagery. Tap the “i” icon at the top of the screen to read more details about it. You can also read about the statistics of the planet like its radius, volume, mass, density, surface area, gravity, satellites, length of day, length of year, etc. You will also find a Wikipedia icon at the top of the screen, which will take you to the Wikipedia page of the planet to read more about it.
Star Walk 2 Free
Star Walk 2 Free is a app that identifies stars in the night sky. It is a astronomy guide to explore the night sky at any time. When you start with this app it will ask permission to access your current location. Once you give the permission, it will show you the night sky of your location and will show you which all stars and constellations are visible from where you are.
The settings option in the app will let you turn the night mode on or off. You can also turn on the object captions, sound, music, visual effects, etc. The sky live option in the app show you the current position of planets according to date you are seeing it on.
Sky Map
Sky Map is a app used to identify the stars in the sky at your current location. The app asks permission to access your current location. After which it will pull up a view of the night sky. The app will show the position and name of all the stars which are visible to you. It was originally developed as Google Sky Map, but as of now it has been donated and has become a open source app.
You can go through the gallery provided in this app to look at beautiful pictures of planets, stars, etc. You can use the calibrate option to check if the compass is calibrated properly. You can choose the time travel option to view the sky for a future date. Just click the given buttons to change the date and time. Then click the go button to time travel into a future date to see the sky map on that date and time.
Celestial Equator
Celestial Equator is a nice planetarium app for Android. The option available in the app are all listed at the bottom of the screen. You can turn them on or off easily. You will see the constellations and stars of the night sky for your current location, that is if you turn the GPS option on. You can also go to the book icon which will give you detailed information about constellations and myths related to them. The app supports multiple languages which can be used by the “L” icon given. You can also see the primary planets of our solar system.
SkySafari
Sky Safari is a nice app to locate stars, constellations, satellites and planets in the sky. It is a nice planetarium app. When you start the app, you will be asked to grant the app permission to track your current location, along with access to your photo gallery. After that the main interface of the app come up, where you will see the night sky with all the stars and constellations. At the bottom of the screen you will see all the options like search, settings, time, compass, etc.
Some of the options might not be available in the free version of the app. When you click on the selection option you will have to choose between two things, object info and center object. Object info will be highlighted with a “i” symbol and when clicked, it will give a detailed description of the object. The settings option lets you change the date and time, current location, display options, etc. The time option lets you change the time to a past or future date to observe the sky at that time. Compass option will activate the compass and show you the directions.
The night option will change the app theme to night mode and everything will turn red on your screen. The skyweek option lists all the coming up celestial events date wise. The tonight option lists all the planet and their positions. When you click on a planet name you will get a detailed description about it.
Overview:
These are some planetarium apps for Android which will help you view the night sky and the stars and constellations in it. Most of the apps have other accompanying information as well about planets, solar system, etc. So if you want to know more about the night sky and celestial bodies around our solar system, then give a try to these apps.
