DSO Planner Plus (Astronomy)
Consider Pro Edition if you need more stars/PGC objects.
Before installation please make sure that you have at least 540MB of free space on your internal SD card to download application databases! (Note: due to Google Play rules this data cannot be moved to your external SD card
- you must have 540MB free on your internal SD card!)
+ Star catalogs. USNO UCAC4 (full star coverage to 14m, 15.4 mn stars), Tycho-2 (2.5 mn stars), Yale bright star catalog (9 000 stars)
+ Deep sky catalogs. NgcIc (12 000 objects including Messier, Caldwell and Herschel 400 objects), SAC (Saguaro Astronomy Club database, 10 000 objects), UGC (13 000 objects), Lynds dark and bright nebula (3 000 objects), Barnard dark nebula (350 objects), SH2 (300 objects), PK (1 500 planetary nebula), Abell cluster of galaxies (2 700 objects), Hickson Compact Group (100 objects), PGC (153 000 galaxies to 16.7m)
+ Double Star catalog. Brightest Double Stars (2 300 stars), Washington Double Star Catalog (120 000 stars), double stars from Yale catalog. Info Panel with PA and separation for each component.
+ Comet support. Orbital elements of around 700 observable comets could be automatically updated via internet
+ Minor planet support. Database of 10 000 brightest minor planets
+ Famous Steve Gottlieb Notes attached to NGCIC objects
+ Custom catalogs. Unlimited capability to create fully searchable own catalogs
+ Cross-match names database. Search objects by less common names
+ DSS imagery support. Download DSS images of any sky portion into offline cache and overlay it on the star chart
+ Offline images. Integrated set of images of most NgcIc objects, opportunity to add own images when creating custom catalogs
+ Nebula contours. Contours of famous nebulae
+ Object contours. Ellipse in real dimension and orientation
+ Night mode. Fully red screen with red keyboard and menus
+ PushTo for dobsonian mounts with setting circles. Level your dobsonian mount and perform one star alignment. The app will automatically recalculate az/alt numbers to easily hunt the object
+ GoTo for Meade and Celestron controllers with bluetooth dongle
+ Unique visibility tool. Only objects that are visible with selected equipment in the current sky conditions could be shown on the Star Chart (for objects from NGCIC/SAC/PGC catalogs)
+ Planning tool. Filter any objects database by observer location, sky condition, astronomical equipment, time range of observation and object features (type, dimension, magnitude, minimal altitude, visibility and other fields of own custom catalogs). Remove duplicate objects when searching in intersecting databases. Create up to 4 observation lists. Easily track observed and remaining to be observed objects with note taking tool
+ Import tool. Import observation lists in Sky Safari and Sky Tools format. Use pre-compiled Night Sky Observer Guide observation lists.
+ Note taking. Take text and/or audio notes
+ Observing places. GPS, manual coordinates, custom lists. Database with 24 000 cities worldwide
+ Equipment. Keep track of all your telescopes and eyepieces. Use them for object visibility calculation and star charting. Use 500 popular eyepieces database
+ Twilight calculator. Calculation of the full darkness for a current night and for a month ahead.
+ 2 visual themes (bright and dark)
+ Powerful share/export/import capabilities (of databases, observation lists, notes)
Disclaimer
Category : Tools
Reviews (9)
I have tried several other apps but this one is hands down the best all around . The only feature I have not used yet is the push to. Mainly because I like to star hop.
excellent app works great, has great documentation that explains everything and the developers are very responsive to issues with anything encountered would recommend and would buy again in fact I've bought the basic version and now the plus
I was debating getting sky safari but I'm hesitant to shell out the money for it, now I'm glad I didn't. Since I have a dobsonian I don't need the control interface but rather just a good complete database of the sky and to point in the right direction. This is really becoming a gold mine for observing. A must have if you own a dob.
Great tool - feature packed, extensive data and simple to use.
Great app, VERY responsive and engaged development team. This is now. My primary field use tool.
Great aid when observing, loaded with features and can be customized
I've used a lot of Star Charting and Planetarium apps and by far this is the best one! The use of DSS images is great! The customization level is unbelievable! The Pro version is a bit of an overkill for an average amateur astronomer tho. Really happy with the Plus Edition in terms of database objects vs. memory footprint - still wish Google would allow storage on the external SD. A useful feature would be the ability to toggle Nigh Mode directly from the Star Chart.
The latest update adds enough to be released as DSO Planner 2! Excellent app for any serious astronomer. Your hard work and attention to detail is very much appreciated, exceptional job.
Fantastic software. DSO Planner is probably the most complex piece of software to be found on Google Play. If you are serious about maximizing your observing efficiency at the EP, DSO Planner is essential. Bit of a learning curve but once you realize what it can do there will be no going back. Alex is now active on Stargazers Lounge. I have posted issues with him and have received detailed responses in minutes. If you want musical eye candy, look elsewhere. Update one year on. Excellent !