About the APP

SkyView is a lightweight stargazing app available on iOS and Android devices. The augmented reality technology allows users explore different constellations, planets, star clusters, stars and other celestial bodies in the night sky through their smartphone’s camera. Simply pointing the smartphone to the sky, then SkyView will identify the stars and other objects in the view.

Why do I like it & Why it is engaging?

Have you ever imagined a date with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you guys take a walk along the beach, and then she or he points to the sky and tells you what constellation that is? Romantic, isn’t it?

I never imagined that until I met a boy who loves boys, we walked on the west coast park and identified all the constellations we could see. Still romantic. Hence, I find I can have such romantic experience without a boyfriend or girlfriend. I can do this by myself, with SkyView.

I downloaded the App months ago, and I found it is easy to set up and use. It brings a fascinating view of night sky to users with the stylish UI and the well designed graphics. The main function and interaction of the application are quite simple, so that many parents also use this as the stargazing education for their kids.

What features are well done & What can be improved?

The main function of the app, the AR stargazing camera, has simply interactions. A short description of the star or other objects will be shown on the side of the screen when you click on the object. This helps users connect the star on the screen and the star they see in the sky quickly.

Users are also allowed to increase and decrease the magnitude visibility of planets and stars, this make it easier to see the stars and the brightness of them for users who are in a region of high light pollution.

However, the night mode is not clear as the usual mode. The filter is not very user friendly and covers some views in the camera. The same planet and star size settings lead to the less brightness of stars. The color of the filter can be changed to green or other light colors instead of red. The size setting of objects could be larger so that it will be clearer in the dark.

Overall, SkyView is a fascinating and romantic AR stargazing application which is easy to start and use.