Parents' Guide to

Sky Guide

By Christy Matte, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Explore your night sky and study the history of the stars.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Paid Education
Sky Guide Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Sky Guide App: Screenshot #1
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Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 1 parent review

tcwest
tcwest Parent of 13-year-old
August 11, 2019
age 7+

Night sky with the help of technology

This is app is the best I've seen for you checking out the night sky or even in the day time.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
See all 1 parent review

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
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What’s It About?

SKYGUIDE pairs an GPS-oriented augmented reality view of the stars and constellations with linked Wikipedia information to create a powerful guide to the sky and beyond. At the base level, kids can hold up their device to see the stars on screen, oriented properly for their point of view. In addition to the line drawings for constellations, they also have a more realistic image superimposed so kids can see the inspiration. Kids can click on any object in the sky (star, planet, constellation, space station, etc.) and learn more about it. The articles are interlinked, so kids can delve deeper into something of interest or continue with related topics. Taking things further, kids can change to augmented reality mode and point their device up at the sky. The app will align with the actual image so kids can find out more about that brighter star they've been watching. Kids can choose any date to see what constellations and other heavenly bodies they can observe, or they can do a time lapse of the sky over time. This is a great way to observe the phases of the moon, for example, or go back in time to catch a famous comet. There's an area to see the weather for the day and how it will impact stargazing, while also learning about special things to observe like meteor showers or eclipses. Kids can also see when various space stations will cross overhead. The app defaults to a compass view, but kids can easily scroll around or search for specific stars and planets. For those who can't get enough, there are articles and essays about meteorology and related topics, such as a podcast about space or the discovery of a new galaxy. Set alerts for for astronomical events and satellite passes so you don't miss them. There's an additional subscription offering for superfans. For $19.99/year (with a two-week free trial), users can add the "Supermassive" subscription which includes high definition zooming for certain objects, an expanded star and deep sky catalog, and cinematic tours.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

If there's any interest in star gazing at your house, this jam-packed app is worth every last penny to help find and identify constellations and individual stars. Sky Guide can help kids learn to identify stars on their own and develop a deeper understanding for space-related phenomena. It's even fun to browse around and examine the constellations or find the closest satellite and imagine (or look for) it zooming overhead. The calendar allows kids to look at a historical event or plan ahead for the next meteor shower. The integration of augmented reality makes perfect sense and enhances the overall experience. Sky Guide is an excellent choice for both adults and kids, but parents should remember that it's geared toward older kids/adults and little ones will likely need help/guidance.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about stars and planets while using Sky Guide. What's the difference between a star and a planet? How do we know what's out there when we can't see it for ourselves just by looking in the sky?

  • Talk about myths. Where did the stories come from? Why have myths been important to a variety of cultures?

  • Families can talk about learning with apps. Do you think this is a good app for learning? Why or why not? What can you learn?

App Details

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