View Full Version : Is there an iPhone App will help me to find the direction of the north south celestial poles?
I understand that because we are at the south 1/2 of the earth, we won't be able to see much of the north celestial.
But I am hoping there is an iPhone app will help me to point to where is the south celestial pole? So I can get the circular star trails photos?
Many thanks in advance for your answer.
ameerat42
14-11-2011, 9:38pm
A phone app? Y a phone app? I hear myself ask.
Point it roughly S. You'll still get circular trails, then crop to suit. Next time, re-align more precisely.
(B4 phone apps there were other ways of getting SCP. Here's 1 such. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_pole))
Analog6
15-11-2011, 5:13am
I have a good program called Starmap Pro - it is quite good.
On the iMac I have the free version of Stellarium, an excellent program. Below is how to find the SSP using the Southern Cross as a guide. Screen dump from Stellarium with the red lines drawn in by me.
You take a line through the long axis of Crux, the southern cross, and a perpendicular line from the pointers as shown, and where they cross is close enough to the SSP for any photographic purpose. The lucky buggers in the north have an actual star - Polaris - almost on theirs so it is no trouble at all for them
81587
Ezookiel
15-11-2011, 10:28am
Another excellent app is "Pocket Universe" it uses the tilt sensor, compass, and gps together, so that as you pan it across the sky, it works out what stars are visible behind it, so with a bit of tweaking, you can just hold it up to something you want to identify in the sky, and it will tell you what star/planet it is.
Not sure it will help you find the pole, but it works in both hemispheres.
Pretty sure it's not a free app though.
junqbox
15-11-2011, 12:59pm
Star Walk is another one
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