Polar Scope Align Pro (PS A)

By popular request, the app that iOS users have loved, PS Align Pro, is now on Android. All the main functions are here, and the toolset keeps growing with each release: accurate polar alignment with or without a polar scope, deep sky object database, astro weather, solar eclipse tools with automated photography, aurora, satellite passes and more.

POLAR ALIGNMENT
• Calculates Polaris or σ Octantis position for 35 reticle types: iOptron, Astro-Physics, Takahashi, Skywatcher, Vixen, Celestron, Orion, Losmandy, Astrotrac and others*.
• Atmospheric refraction, aberration and nutation correction for accuracy at any latitude.
• Rotated Reticle View: align at home position with a reticle that is not upright, or check alignment while tracking with an unobstructed polar scope (Star Adventurer, iOptron CEM).
• Full northern and southern hemisphere support.

ALIGNMENT WITHOUT A POLAR SCOPE
• Daytime / No Polar Scope Alignment: works day and night with just your phone's gyro.
• Camera Azimuth Calibration: use the Sun, Moon, planets or bright stars to calibrate the gyro and align accurately without a compass, immune to magnetic interference.
• Sun shadow calibration as an alternative to pointing the camera at the Sun
• Live sky map guides you to the celestial pole in real time.
• Sun Finder locates the Sun in daylight for solar or filtered telescopes.

DEEP SKY OBJECT DATABASE
• 22,000+ objects, including planets, stars, clusters, galaxies and nebulas with altitude graphs, rise/set times and more info.
• Unlimited ways to filter, search and sort.

XASTERIA ASTRO WEATHER
• Hourly astronomy forecasts (7Timer!, MET Norway, Apple Weather) with cloud layers, seeing and transparency, optimized for stargazers.
• Animated satellite Cloud Maps (IR & RGB).
• Aurora forecasts: Kp history and outlook, solar wind, probability for your location.
• ISS and bright satellite pass predictions with sky chart and live tracking.
• Solar eclipse calculator and simulator with audio cues.
• Eclipse Camera (experimental): automated solar-eclipse photography with partial-phase timelapse, totality capture of diamond ring, Baily's beads and corona with bracketing, totality video with still capture, RAW support.
• Light pollution maps with Sky Quality Meter and Bortle estimates.

HOME SCREEN WIDGETS
• Astro Weather Tonight: current conditions, clouds and seeing for the night.
• Astro Weather Multi: a resizable, configurable multi-source forecast.
• Satellite Passes: upcoming bright satellite passes, with a configurable brightness limit.
• Aurora: aurora probability, current Hp30 or Kp index and 24-hour forecast.

MISC TOOLS
• Lunar calendar with moon phase, rise/set times, twilight.
• Bubble level and compass, also supporting the camera-calibrated high-accuracy heading.

NIGHT-FRIENDLY
• Red, green or white night mode with dimmer.

REQUIREMENTS
• A gyroscope is needed for accuracy in the daytime alignment and bubble level tools. The app falls back to the accelerometer if no gyro is present, but results will be poorer.

* Full list of supported reticles:
iOptron (current and old 15-minute marker), Orion / Skywatcher 2012–2032, the Classic Skywatcher / Celestron / Bresser / Meade / Orion, older Skywatcher / Celestron / Meade / Orion, Astro-Physics RAPAS and PASILL / Carton Optical, Takahashi 1985–2015, 2000–2030, 2010–2050 and EM200/400, Vixen Atlux, PF-L, GP/GP-DX, PAS/Polarie and Polaris, Losmandy / Astrotrac / Kenko, Kenko Skymemo RS, Celestron 7x50 and CG4/CG5, Meade 9x60 / Celestron 8x50 polar finders, Explore Scientific 8x50 RACI, Konus, Telrad / Rigel QuikFinder, Tuthill Precision Polar Axis Finder, generic rifle/finder and graded/microscope reticles, the Covington grid method, and a PoleMaster view for southern hemisphere users.

Recent changes:
• DSO Database improvements:
◦ View objects on all-sky maps and star charts.
◦ Copy details, share altitude charts, find nearby objects.
◦ Moon phase on altitude charts.
• Weather module:
◦ Rain/Snow icons include the amount.
◦ Optional second location on Multi widget.
• Set location using the world map.
• Camera AZ calibration focus and brightness sliders.
• Satellite all sky map improvements and shared sky map settings.
If you enjoy PS Align Pro, please rate or review!