Night Sky Stargazing – Orbite
Stargazing made simple: planets, Moon and ISS in the night sky tonight.
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Open Orbite and see in 10 seconds what's worth looking at in the night sky tonight: the Moon, the planets, the International Space Station and two easy constellations, with the time and direction. No account, no setup.
STARGAZING FOR BEGINNERS AND FAMILIES
Full planetarium apps are beautiful but dense. Orbite answers one question about the planets and stars above you: "what can I see tonight, from here, with the naked eye?". For each object: from what time to what time, which way to face, and how high to look, measured in fists (a closed fist at arm's length covers about 10° of sky).
A SIMPLE STAR FINDER: AN ARROW GUIDES YOU
Hold your phone flat to find the direction, then raise it to the sky: the arrow points at Saturn, the Moon or the Big Dipper, and tells you when you're on target. The direction is also written out in words, in case your phone's compass is disturbed.
ISS TRACKER: VISIBLE PASSES OF THE SPACE STATION
Orbite calculates the VISIBLE passes of the ISS over your location: the time, where it comes from, where it disappears, how high it climbs. The date of the orbital data is always shown.
WHAT AM I SEEING?
A very bright dot at dusk, a line of moving dots, blinking lights? Ten answers in two sentences, with the clue that tells a planet, a satellite, a plane or a shooting star apart.
COMING UP IN THE NIGHT SKY
Full moons, close pairings (the Moon right next to Jupiter, two planets side by side), meteor showers (Perseids, Geminids…) and eclipses visible from your location. For a solar eclipse, a safety reminder: never without certified glasses.
WHERE IS SATURN?
Every object in Orbite with its status tonight: visible, later in the night, too close to the Sun, out of season, never high enough at your latitude. And for each visible object, where to look hour by hour, depending on when you head out.
SHARE THE EVENING
Send tonight's stargazing plan to family or friends in one tap, before a night out or a picnic.
ALERTS, NOT SPAM
"The ISS passes in 10 min", with the time, direction and length of the pass. You choose what, how many per week (never more than one a day) and your quiet hours. Eclipse alerts are free.
BUILT FOR THE NIGHT
A red mode protects your night vision. An "I saw it" log keeps the date of every sighting.
CHECKED CALCULATIONS
Every position in the night sky is calculated on your phone, even offline. Our calculations are compared with published references: JPL Horizons (NASA), the US Naval Observatory, and the official SGP4 test vectors for the ISS.
FREE OR PREMIUM
- Free: tonight (the 3 most interesting objects), the compass, "What am I seeing?", "Where is…?", "Coming up", eclipse alerts, sharing the evening, the log, red mode.
- Premium, a one-time lifetime purchase: every object of the evening, ISS passes over 7 days, ISS, meteor shower, close pairing and full moon alerts, the next 30 nights to plan a trip, up to 5 saved locations.
No subscription, no ads. What's free today stays free. New phone: your purchase follows your Google Play account.
YOUR DATA STAYS WITH YOU
No account. An approximate location is enough (or a city you pick), and it never leaves your phone.
Frequently asked questions
What does Orbite help me do?
It shows you in about 10 seconds what is worth looking at in the night sky tonight: the Moon, the planets, the International Space Station and two easy constellations, with the time and direction. It answers one question: what can I see tonight, from here, with the naked eye?
What can I use for free?
Free features include tonight's three most interesting objects, the compass, "What am I seeing?", "Where is…?", "Coming up", eclipse alerts, sharing the evening, the log and red mode. What's free today stays free.
What do I get if I pay?
Premium is a one-time lifetime purchase with no subscription. It unlocks every object of the evening, ISS passes over 7 days, ISS, meteor shower, close pairing and full moon alerts, the next 30 nights to plan a trip, and up to 5 saved locations.
Does Orbite need an account or my location data?
No account is needed. An approximate location is enough, or a city you pick, and it never leaves your phone.
Does Orbite work without an internet connection?
Every position in the night sky is calculated on your phone, even offline.