Mobile Observatory Astronomy

Wolfgang Zima

In-app purchases

About this app

Mobile Observatory helps you prepare for the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse. The app shows the eclipse path, local contact times, maximum obscuration, rendered sky view, safety notes, and calendar actions for your location.

Mobile Observatory Astronomy is the free version of Mobile Observatory. Start with the sky map, rise and set times, Moon phases, and basic object data. Upgrade to Premium anytime for the complete toolkit.

Already bought Mobile Observatory Pro version 3 or later? You do not need to pay again. Open or reinstall Mobile Obs Pro Astronomy on Google Play with the same Google account.

★ WHICH APP SHOULD I USE? ★

• Mobile Observatory Astronomy: free download, optional Premium upgrade.
• Mobile Obs Pro Astronomy: classic paid Pro app with all features included.

Both apps offer the same complete toolkit after unlocking.

★ WHAT MAKES THIS APP UNIQUE ★

REAL TOPOGRAPHIC HORIZON
Other apps assume a flat horizon. Mobile Observatory downloads NASA SRTM elevation data and renders a photorealistic 3D terrain profile for any location on Earth. All rise and set times are computed against your actual landscape — not a theoretical flat line. Astrophotographers and serious observers rely on this for precision planning.

★ NEVER MISS AN EVENT ★

• Aurora alerts when geomagnetic activity spikes at your location
• Solar flare notifications from real-time GOES X-ray satellite data
• ISS visibility alerts with brightness and trajectory predictions
• Daily astronomical event reminders — conjunctions, eclipses, meteor showers
• Push events directly to your calendar

★ INTELLIGENT OBSERVING PLANNER ★

The built-in Observing Plan Generator creates personalized target lists based on your equipment (naked eye, binoculars, or telescope), location, date, light pollution level, and minimum altitude. One tap generates the best objects for tonight — no experience required.

★ TELESCOPE CONTROL ★

Connect directly to your computerized telescope via LX200, NexStar, or INDI protocol. Browse objects in the app and send GoTo commands — seamlessly integrated with the Observing Plan Generator.

★ COMPREHENSIVE FEATURE SET ★

• Photorealistic sky view with 45,000 stars (2.5 million with download)
• Augmented reality mode with live camera overlay
• Interactive 3D Solar System and VR/Cardboard support
• Complete deep sky catalogs: Messier, NGC, Caldwell, Hidden Treasures
• Solar and lunar eclipse predictions with worldwide visibility maps
• Galilean moon positions and Saturn moon tracking
• Live space weather dashboard with aurora forecast
• Home screen widgets and night mode

★ FREE-TO-TRY VERSION ★

Explore the photorealistic sky view, check rise/set times for Sun, Moon, and planets, view Moon phases, and browse basic object data — all for free. Upgrade to Premium to unlock the full observatory: satellite tracking, deep sky catalogs, push notifications, telescope control, the Observing Plan Generator, and much more.

Trusted by astronomers, astrophotographers, and stargazers since 2011. Continuously updated with new features and data.

Learn more at https://zima.co

Ratings and reviews

very disappointed. had the original app for a few years and very happy with it. set home coordinates and all was good. loved all the features like live sky, best of etc etc. BUT then app would not open or upgrade so had to uninstall and can not reinstall. now have this version which I can not use and many features I used to have are all chargeable. can't even use sky view as apparently redditch uk is surrounded by mountain ranges despite setting home location correctly. will be uninstalling 😔.

Works like Stellarium but improved. I'm giving it four stars, because there are more locked features than free features, but you can disable most of them in the app. What ticks me off is when you're on LIVE view. Say I point North. On my screen the app faces North, but when I rotate clockwise so it points towards North again, suddenly the app thinks I'm facing West or Northwest.

I have been using the earlier version of this app for over 14 years. This latest version seems over complex and less user friendly. I used to enjoy the "tonight's best " feature, and the section that required pointing my phone at the sky. I should point out, I am 76 years old, and this may be significant. Is it possible to reload the earlier version.

What’s new

Version 4.7.5

🔧 Bug fixes and stability improvements.