Polar Finder by TechHead provides real-time visualization of Polaris (or Octant in the Southern Hemisphere) and computes its hour angle and local sidereal time for precise polar alignment. With manual or GPS-based longitude, a mirrored view, and customizable marker angles, it’s a focused toolkit for astronomers performing equatorial telescope alignment. It has 10,000+ total downloads and 0 in the last 30 days.
Pros & Cons
Real-time tracking of Polaris (and Octant) for accurate polar alignment
Flexible longitude input: manual or GPS
Supports both hemispheres and multiple reticle presets
View mirroring and marker angle customization for ease of use
No recent downloads in the last 30 days (0 = 0), indicating limited current uptake
Prices at $0.99 with no free tier in the data
Potential UX quirks on older Android versions noted in the long description (Android 4.x guidance) that may affect accessibility
About Polar Finder
Polar Finder was a tools app developed by TechHead. It was removed from Google Play Dec 23, 2023 and is no longer available for download.
Download Statistics
Polar Finder had been downloaded 31 thousand times before it became unavailable.
User Ratings
Polar Finder was rated 3.79 out of 5 stars, based on 420 ratings.
App Information
Polar Finder cost $0.99 to download. The APK download size was 1.25 MB. The last available version was 2.5. The last update was on March 4, 2020.
Technical Requirements
Polar Finder required Android 6.0+ or higher. The app had a content rating of Everyone. The app had been available on Google Play February 2013.
Description
When astronomical observations or imaging is done using an equatorial telescope mount, the right-ascension (RA) axis should be parallel with the rotation axis of the Earth to avoid star-trails and
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★★★★★
I really like that this can show you the position overlaid on lots of different brands of reticles (iOptron and Normandy for me). I can't get it to use GPS, though. I set Longitude source to GPS, it tells me GPS is disabled on the device, I click Enable GPS, it takes me to the Location settings on my phone and Location is turned on, I go back to the app, and it still shows the message that GPS is disabled. I have a Samsung Galaxy S8. Also, when entering longitude manually, regardless of whether you set it to display degrees, minutes, and seconds, or decimals, you have to enter the longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds. Edit: I saw the comment that you have to go to Settings > Apps > Permissions and give it Location permissions and now the GPS Longitude works. Raising review to 4 stars.
★★★★★
Great little app. Use it on my Galaxy Note 4 with Android 6.0.1, and it works like a charm. It did not show the Menu initially. GPS localization did not work because I had not set permissions for "location" on phone (via phone settings -> app manager -> polar finder app -> permissions). I then soft reset phone turning it off/on and went outside launched app, and it's been woking fine since. Helps me align my iOptron Smart EQ Pro+ mount accurately for AP. Love the built-in iOptron reticle image.
★★★★★
I use this with two Astrophysics mounts that have RAPAS alignment scope and an Ioptron Sky Tracker Pro also with the built-in alignment scope. Works great and can switch between different types of mounts/alignment scopes. Make sure you set with correct location data (E or W) and correct hemisphere. When you turn it on GPS has to be on for auto location so wait until the GPS satellites are located, or you will have wrong alignment point. You will know when it connects when the coordinates display.
★★☆☆☆
Very slow to get GPS coordinates, other apps don't have the same problem. Installed the update but does not appear to have made any difference. Waiting 20 mins now, and it still hasn't got coordinates. I have checked that permissions are ok. Other apps like SAM console, GPS Essentials get location in seconds. I have rebooted phone etc. but still no joy. Finally, after about 23 mins it got location details - very poor :-(
★★☆☆☆
Unable to use cellphone GPS to update time and location. Not enough description of how to navigate the app
★★☆☆☆
The app when opened in a room with phone's GPS 'ON', the app will never show Location details. Whereas app called polar alignment shows location details inside a room and app polar alignment is free.
★★☆☆☆
Cannot get to any of the menus on current Android. No pull down no menu buttons, nothing. Instructions talk about quote newer quote Android 4, and tell you to use buttons that no longer exist.
Technologies used by Polar Finder
4 permissions·9 libraries
Subscribe to see full permission and library details
Trust & Safety: Permissions include ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, INTERNET, and CHECK_LICENSE. These are standard for location-based utilities and license verification; no extra sensitive permissions detected beyond what is typical for this app.
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