The health benefits of being in nature are undisputed. But have you ever considered the potential advantages of regular stargazing sessions? Looking at the night skies is gaining popularity as a great form of mindful meditation, helping you adjust your perspective and enjoy the peaceful scenes.
Stargazing will slow you down, remind you of your place in this astonishing universe, and may even stimulate your creative spirit. You can take advantage of these apps to help you get out and explore the wonders of the astral world.
1. Star Walk
One of the most established stargazing apps, Star Walk has helped over 10 million users to explore the night sky. It’s an interactive guide that you simply point at the night sky to get access to a complete map, identifying the objects you’re looking at. It updates as you move your device, so you’ll always be looking at the correct information.
The app is easy to use: just tap the information (i) symbol next to each object to get further detail. There’s even an Augmented Reality function to add the image from your camera to your sky view. Thousands of stars, constellations, and other sky objects are identified and explained, with stunning pictures accompanying the text.
Use this app to explore your neighborhood of the night sky—the parts you can see from your home—and consider it alongside your own neighborhood. Mindfulness can help you find your place within the various communities that exist around you and feel more importance in your daily activities.
You can also benefit from the Sky Live section, which gives information about moon phases, how much daylight is available, and planet visibility. Upgrade to Star Walk Plus for a small subscription fee to remove ads and access further details, including an astronomical calendar, deep space objects, and satellite positions.
Download: Star Walk for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
2. Night Sky
Apple users will love this stunning stargazing app that allows your device to become a planetarium. Night Sky uses AR technology to erase the ceiling of your room to reveal the night sky behind it, giving you the sense of wonder and awe that stargazing inspires, even if you can’t or don't want to go outside to experience it in reality.
You can personalize your stargazing experience by adding personal Sky Tags to the map to save and share the objects you find for future reference. The Night Sky experience is designed to work seamlessly across your devices, so you can use the Apple TV or macOS version to view your Sky Tours on a big screen.
That's an especially immersive way to practice mindfulness, and you can even use these apps to set up background scenes for your daily guided meditation sessions.
If you subscribe to Night Sky+, you can enjoy the social benefits of stargazing through the Connected Stargazing feature that utilizes SharePlay to let you stargaze with friends in real time.
Download: Night Sky for iOS (Free, subscription available)
3. Sky Safari
Sky Safari is another option if you’re looking for a powerful planetarium to get the most out of your stargazing session. This paid app has a powerful new search engine called Sky Tonight, allowing you to look up what’s visible in your sky tonight and plan your viewing accordingly. With guided tours and even a pronunciation guide, Sky Safari continues to be a great introduction to the incredible world of stargazing.
Like Night Sky, Sky Safari has incorporated social elements so that you can share your experiences with others. But if you just want to see what other stargazers are looking at, the OneSky feature will reveal how many other users are simultaneously viewing the same elements as you. During your mindfulness activities, try to feel your connection to the rest of the world as you share a moment of stargazing.
Download: Sky Safari for iOS ($4.99, in-app purchases available)
4. Sky View
Both Android and iOS users can access SkyView to enjoy the meditative practice of stargazing. Available as either a free Lite app or a fully-featured paid version, this AR app is beautifully designed, making it easy to spot and identify objects in the night sky and even to time travel and experience the views during different dates and times.
SkyView requires no Wi-Fi network to use, making it ideal for those camping trips and remote locations where you’ll really be able to enjoy experiencing those awe-inspiring dark skies.
Android users can consider these other astronomy apps for Android, as well.
Download: SkyView Lite for iOS | Android (Free)
Download: SkyView for iOS ($2.99) | SkyView Explore the Universe for Android ($1.99)
5. Pocket Universe
Pocket Universe has the planetarium features of many other apps on this list, but it’s also an easy way to educate yourself about astronomy when you can’t get out stargazing. This app is packed with extra features such as news, quizzes, and live satellite tracking.
For example, if you’ve ever wondered where the International Space Station is right now, the answer lies in a dedicated section within Pocket Universe.
One of the many mental health benefits of stargazing is the realization that we’re a tiny part of something so much bigger and greater than ourselves. Pocket Universe makes it easy to spend a few moments contemplating our unique place in the universe, even if you can’t get outside to stargaze.
Download: Pocket Universe for iOS ($2.99)
6. Stellarium Mobile
Stellarium Mobile–Star Map is another planetarium app that shows you what you see when you look up at the stars. Available for iOS and Android devices, it has been developed by Stellarium, the team behind one of the leading desktop open-source planetariums.
One of the unique features of this app is Sky Cultures, allowing you to switch settings and choose from a long list of cultures from across the world. It makes for an endless journey of discovery of not only the universe but also how humans have interpreted it throughout cultures and ages.
This provides an excellent opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, see the universe through different eyes, and meditate on new perspectives. With this app, you’re getting an incredible suite of features for free. However, you can still upgrade for 3D views, telescope control, and advanced settings.
Download: Stellarium Mobile–Star Map for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
7. NASA App
No list of stargazing apps would be complete without NASA's official app, available free of charge so that you can watch NASA TV, view the latest news and photos, and explore a simulated view of the solar system.
Rather than gazing into the sky, the NASA app lets you watch a live view of earth from the International Space Station. And there’s nothing that puts your problems in perspective like seeing how minuscule we look from up there!
The NASA app is a must-have accompaniment to whichever planetarium app you choose to help you explore the stars and planets. You might even be inspired to take on one of these DIY space projects.
If you're enjoying your mindful astronomy sessions and want to expand your views, Google Sky is another tool you won’t want to miss out on to help you explore the solar system. Alternatively, try one of these amazing astronomy websites.
Download: NASA App for iOS | Android (Free)
Try Stargazing to Benefit Your Mental Health
Although getting outside to immerse yourself in any form of nature is one of the most beneficial activities for your mental health, many of us don’t think to look up, even at night. Taking yourself to a quiet, dark location, away from the light pollution of the cities, and looking up at nature’s incredible display is one of the most mindful and stress-relieving activities you can do.
Using these apps, you can learn to interpret what you see so that you can make the most of your stargazing sessions. No two experiences will be the same, and you’ll pick up lots of fascinating information each time. Best of all, you don’t even need expensive equipment, since most of these apps are free.