CamSextant

Omar Reis

About this app

CamSextant allows measuring celestial objects altitudes with your phone,
similar to a marine sextant. The app uses the phone sensors, camera and GPS [optional].

Point the phone to a celestial object and capture the name, altitude and time
for celestial navigation calculations.

You can calibrate the sextant index, by reading the sea horizon altitude.

On screen celestial objects (Sun, Moon, 4 planets and 150 stars).
CamSextant has perpetual Nautical Almanac.

If set, CamSextant speaks the celestial objects names and altitudes.

Best way to identify navigation stars and planets.

The program also calculates the Deltas for the each altitude reading,
and the Astronomical Position (for two or more sights).

If you have a marine sextant at hand, you can correct the phone readings with it and get some real celnav work done.

Nice for celestial navigation training, even without a marine sextant.

For more information check:

CamSextant Tutorial

Ratings and reviews

Obviously a lot of thought was put into this app. There are no directions I could find, and it is NOT intuitive. The star map doesn't match the sky I'm pointing it at, and sometimes the compass swings wildly when the phone isn't moving. Also, I can't see a single actual star in the image it presents, so not possible to shoot any. Star map doesn't show Sun, Moon, or planets either. I was so excited until I realized I couldn't make it work at all!

I am giving 5 stars based on the work already done. There is a fantastic potential for this app in the training of Celestial Navigation. This is because with ONLY the ability to accurately measure altitude without a visible horizon, sights can be taken in a persons backyard for "reduction" anywhere in the world, not just on a body of water. In addition to measuring and recording altitude, this app will, when using a good phone, give dead reckoning position for later work and identify objects.

I really like this app but the problem is that the star map is off and most of the time it misidentifies the star that you are shooting. I think it would be quite accurate if not for that.

What's new

- Fixed startup crash on Android 13