Common Sense Media Review
By Amanda Bindel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Impressive tool for stargazing, learning about astronomy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Mobile Observatory
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
Mobile Observatory works like many other stargazing apps -- point the device at an object in the night sky to see what it is, or search for a specific object in the sky, guided by red arrows. It also adds more features, all easily accessible on the home screen. Kids can browse the list of upcoming events, finding out, for example, that tomorrow night Ceres will be at its best evening visibility of the year and can be viewed with binoculars or a small telescope. They can find specific information about the moon's stages or find out about upcoming eclipses. There's also detailed information about each planet, including the dwarf planets and objects in deep space.
Is It Any Good?
Putting Mobile Observatory into kids' hands is like giving them full access to an observatory and planetarium along with a docent to guide them on their self-paced tour. The amount of information is mind-boggling, and the options for viewing and learning about the night sky are impressive. Some of the information is more suited to amateur (or even professional) astronomers than casual stargazers, but even the backyard sky watcher will find useful information that is easily accessible and mostly understandable.
This is not a made-for-kids app; rather it is a real-world tool for astronomy buffs. It includes information that may be difficult to follow without some prior knowledge (degree of location, rise, transit, and set times of celestial bodies). The descriptions of the planets and other stars are written in an easy-to-understand style that older elementary kids will appreciate, but the observation specs included in the app are geared more for middle- or high-school kids who have had some instruction in astronomy and night sky coordinates.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Plan a skywatching evening using Mobile Observatory. Have binoculars or a small telescope on hand if recommended.
Use Mobile Observatory from different locations to see how a few miles -- or more if you travel -- change the view of the sky. Discuss what is and is not different about the sky view from the different locations.
App Details
- Devices : Android , Kindle Fire
- Subjects : Science : astronomy
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : collecting data , Tech Skills : using and applying technology , Self-Direction : initiative
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : December 18, 2012
- Genre : Education
- Topics : STEM
- Publisher : KreApp Development Software
- Version : 1.96.4
- Minimum software requirements : Android 2.1 and up
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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