Astronomy with your iPhone

Forget state-of-the-art telescopes and sophisticated star mapping software – all you need to get started with astronomy is an Apple iPhone. From understanding the night sky to watching distant galaxies collide, these applications are invaluable for both the amateur and professional astronomer. 
StarMap: This galactic atlas is a fantastic navigation tool with a database of over two million stars. It has plenty of user-friendly functions, including an eyepiece mode for pinching and zooming on different objects, a night vision red mode, GPS and auto location support and an integrated lamp. The best bit about this nifty little application is its numerous catalogues – as well as a complete ephemeris for 25,000 sky objects, it also boasts a moon phase calendar, a full solar system ephemeris and full Messier and NGC/IC catalogues.
StarWalk: Ever looked up at the night sky and wondered just what it is that you’re seeing? If you’re developing a fledgling interest in astronomy, then StarWalk is the application for you. Featured by Apple as one of the ‘Best Apps of 2009’, it boasts a digital compass which allows you to view the sky above you in real-time and link to constellation information on Wikipedia. With the ‘Time Machine’ function, it’s also possible to fast forward and see the same sky in a year’s time.    
Star Gazer: A good app for absolute beginners, Star Gazer provides an introduction to the night sky and its most important features. It uses NASA spacecraft imagery to display all the major planets and moons of the solar system, as well as 220 of the best-known star clusters. Use the 3GS compass to identify stars simply by holding your phone up to them, and watch the motions of planets and stars sped up over time. This application’s ‘big sister’, the more professional SkyVoyager, uses similar technology but has a larger database of over 300,000 stars and 14,500 sky objects.
Aside from these sky-mapping applications, there are plenty of iPhone apps that will support the astronomer’s habit. Grand Tour 3D – Pocket Solar System will give you an awe-inspiring tour of a solar system as you’ve never seen it before; APOD viewer features hundreds of amazing space pictures; and Galaxy Collider illustrates what occurs when galaxies collide out in space. Most astronomy applications are under £10 – and, with Vodafone now offering the iPhone free on monthly contracts, it’s possible for anyone to carry the universe around in their back pocket.