Google Sky Map review

Damien McFerran

We review Google Sky Map, a Google Android application that allows you to explore the night sky from your Android phone

Published on Aug 27, 2009

To say that Google Maps has been mildly successful is like saying that Manchester United are rather good at football, or that Lewis Hamilton knows his way around a race track.

Google’s all-conquering geographical application has becoming an essential item on most people’s personal computers and it’s also successfully infiltrated several mobile phones – including Apple’s iPhone and (of course) Android-enabled devices.

Never a company to rest on its laurels, Google has released what many are viewing as the “sequel” to Google Earth; having already conquered the task of mapping the world, Google has turned its attention in the opposite direction with Sky Map.

Using a combination of GPS, compass and accelerometer technology, Sky Map allows you to navigate the night sky and pinpoint items of interest. These include constellations, individual stars and even planets.

When you first open the application you’ll be prompted for your location, which you can either enter manually or let your phone use GPS (or your network) to determine your position. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be presented with a view of the night sky which alters in real time, responding to the movements of your phone.

To get a better understanding of what all those distant dots of light are called, all you need do is hold your phone up as you inspect the heavens. The view on your phone will correspond directly with what you’re looking at in reality, but the image on your handset’s display will also include names and constellation groupings.

All of this information is presenting on different layers that can be turned on and off at will. So if you only want to view planets in the sky, you can switch off all other layers. Likewise, if you’re hunting for a particular group of stars – be it the Big Dipper of The Bear – then you can choose to only have that layer visible.

If you’re trying to locate a certain object in the sky then you can switch to manual mode, which allows you to change the view using your finger tip. This is useful for when you’re indoors and wish to indulge in a spot of stargazing from the comfort of your couch.

You can also search for objects. Typing in a name brings up an on-screen guide which shows you which direction you need to point your phone in. Once you’ve located the object in question, Sky Map gives a visual acknowledgement.

Sky Map obviously isn’t going to be quite as useful as Google Maps – unless you’re planning a trip to Venus, that is – but it’s a well-designed piece of software that will prove indispensable for budding astronomers. It’s also guaranteed to astonish your friends, and best of all, it’s an Android exclusive. Take that, iPhone.