Free, No Ads! Core sky data free for everyone · optional ApexSKY Member subscription
ApexSKY · Stargazing App
Explore your sky
See your local sky at a glance: tonight’s conditions, an hour-by-hour observing forecast, live aurora and space weather, ISS passes, the moon and planets, and deep-sky planning. A free account adds sync, the Messier catalog, an observing log, and Trophy Room achievements. ApexSKY Member unlocks Pro Sky Conditions, the full Best Targets catalog, and a synced deep-sky planner.
Detecting your device…
Tonight at a glance
Home: everything in one place
Modular dashboard: Tonight’s Sky score, weather chips, moon phase, Kp glance, and the observing forecast timeline (24h guest / 72h signed-in / 7-day member). Use the gear button to add cards like aurora outlook, meteors tonight, planets above now, Milky Way window, weather alerts, and more.
- Single-glance observing rating for tonight
- Hour-by-hour forecast strip with moon column each hour
- Geomagnetic alert banner when conditions spike
- Log tonight’s snapshot when signed in (personal log, separate from Trophy Room)
Observing forecast
Hour-by-hour timeline on Home
Scroll a strip of observing scores, clouds, moon, and seeing for the hours ahead. Guests get 24 hours; a free account extends to 72 hours (3 days); ApexSKY Member unlocks 168 hours (7 days). Tap any hour for detail.
Current Sky above the timeline shows tonight’s score and weather for everyone. Members with Pro Sky enabled see detailed seeing, transparency, and dew forecasts instead of the standard chips.
| Horizon | Guest | Free account | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forecast length | 24h | 72h (3 days) | 168h (7 days) |
| Observing score | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Clouds, moon, temperature | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seeing & transparency | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Best-window highlight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tap hour for detail | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Feature | Guest | Free account | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonight’s Sky score, weather, backdrop | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seeing & transparency chips | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* |
| Pro Sky Conditions (model seeing, transparency, dew) | — | — | ✓ |
*Members with Pro Sky enabled see the Pro Sky band instead of standard seeing/transparency chips.
Moon & planets
Same data for everyone, plus logging when you sign in
Moon phase, rise/set, planet positions, and lunar calendar data are free for guest, account, and member. You only need to sign in to log observations toward Trophy Room achievements. Times and phases are open to everyone.
- Home: moon card, Current Sky moonset chip, moon column in the forecast timeline, planets-above shortcut
- Planets tab: full moon card, lunar calendar, all seven planets
- Meteors tab: moon tonight and impact on viewing
- Log Moon / planet / ISS: free account achievements (deep-sky logs are member-only)
Aurora & geomagnetic
Northern lights outlook for your sky
See whether aurora is possible where you are tonight, with live geomagnetic data, an animated aurora oval, and a storm outlook for your location. Know when to look up before you drive out.
- Animated aurora probability map centered on your site
- Kp, Bz, and geomagnetic storm watch at a glance
- Push alerts when activity crosses your threshold
Solar activity
The Sun: disk, sunspots & space weather
Track what the Sun is doing right now: recent flare class, sunspot regions, and solar imagery that helps explain aurora and radio conditions. Refreshed on the same schedule as the rest of your space weather dashboard.
- Latest solar disk imagery and active-region context
- Flare and geomagnetic storm outlook from live space weather feeds
- Pairs with aurora alerts when solar activity spikes
Meteor showers
Meteor showers: peaks, radiants & moonlight
Plan meteor-watching nights with shower calendars matched to your location: peak dates, expected activity, radiant rise times, and how bright moonlight will affect the view at your site.
- Upcoming Meteor showers with peak-night timing
- Radiant altitude and best hours for your coordinates
- Moon phase context so you know what sky brightness to expect
ISS passes
Passes overhead for your location
See when the International Space Station flies over you, how high it gets, which direction to look, and its path on a map. Optional pass alerts are free for everyone; signed-in users sync alert settings across devices.
- ISS pass times and quality filtering for alerts
- Ground track map for each visible pass
- Log a pass toward Trophy Room achievements (free account)
Free account
Messier browse in Best Targets
Sign in with a free ApexASTRO account to browse the Messier catalog in Best Targets and see what’s well placed for your location tonight, with altitude, timing, and moon info. NGC, Caldwell, IC, filters, Tonight’s Top 3, and the deep-sky planner require ApexSKY Member.
- Messier objects visible at your active observing site
- Altitude, timing, and moon separation at a glance
- Separate from member-only Top 3 and planning tools
ApexSKY Member
Best Targets: the full deep-sky catalog
Members can browse the complete catalog of Messier, NGC, Caldwell, and IC objects (~193 objects), constellation and altitude filters, imaging windows, moon separation, and Tonight’s Top 3 with “why tonight” notes.
- ~193 objects with rich per-target detail
- Filters by minimum altitude, object type, and constellation
- Tonight’s Top 3 (member-only)
- Member badge in nav and Account
ApexSKY Member
Deep-sky planner: build tonight’s session
Planning window search, tonight’s plan hit list, and sync between the app and apexastro.app. Optional Home module shows your plan for the night. Plan-window push reminders (15 / 30 / 60 min) notify you before your session.
- Planning window search: find targets visible during the hours you choose
- Tonight’s plan: add, reorder, and clear targets as you browse
- Syncs between the app and the website when you’re signed in
ApexSKY Member
Pro Sky Conditions: detailed forecasts for your night
Members get forecast-model seeing, transparency, dew, and extinction on Home, which goes well beyond the standard weather chips. Tap for detail sheets with aperture guidance and smoke/haze warnings on planner targets.
- Seeing, dew-over, and extinction on Home and Best Targets
- Per-target extinction warnings on planner targets
- Your weather model preference syncs between the app and the website
Gamification
Trophy Room: log what you observe
Free for anyone with an account. You don’t need a membership. Open from Account → Trophy Room (bottom nav when signed in). Log what you observe under the real sky, earn XP and badges, climb the rank ladder, and compare progress on the leaderboard.
- Rank & XP: observer rank title, total XP, progress to next rank
- Observing quests & trophies: milestone and collection badges
- Engagement rings: active app-day progress when signed in
- Catalog progress: Messier, Caldwell, and solar system bars
- Leaderboard: community top observers by XP
| Activity | Who can log | XP / badges |
|---|---|---|
| Log tonight (Home) | Free account | Personal observing log (doesn’t earn Trophy Room XP) |
| Moon observation (Planets tab) | Free account | ✓ Achievements |
| Planet observations (Planets tab) | Free account | ✓ Achievements |
| ISS pass (ISS page) | Free account | ✓ Achievements |
| Deep-sky target (Best Targets) | Member only | ✓ Achievements |
Each achievement log accepts an optional note (e.g. “10″ Dob, naked eye”). You can update the same target again the same night.
When you earn a badge, a celebration dialog appears with an option to open Trophy Room. Progress syncs with your ApexASTRO account across devices.
What ApexSKY does
Core features, free for everyone
- Home: modular dashboard, forecast timeline, optional cards
- Solar & Aurora: live space weather, Kp, Bz, aurora oval, solar loops
- ISS: visible pass times and ground track; optional pass alerts
- Meteors: shower calendar, peak-night outlook, moon impact
- Planets: moon tonight, lunar calendar, and all seven planets, with the same data for everyone
- Alerts: optional push for Kp, storms, ISS, sky events (guest: device-only; signed-in: syncs)
- Location-aware: GPS or manual site drives all sky calculations
With a free account, you also get: cross-device sync, 2 saved observing sites, Log tonight personal observing log (up to 30 nights), Messier catalog in Best Targets, and Trophy Room gamification for Moon, planets, and ISS.
ApexSKY Member
Member features
- Pro Sky Conditions: model seeing, transparency, dew, extinction
- Best Targets: NGC, Caldwell, IC, filters, Tonight’s Top 3, planning window
- Extended forecast: 7-day (168-hour) timeline on Home
- Planning reminders: push before your Best Targets window
- More saved sites: up to 5 named dark-sky locations
- Your plan tonight: optional Home module
- Deep-sky achievement logs: Messier/NGC/Caldwell/IC toward catalog badges
- Longer media loops: more solar/aurora animation frames on mobile
Member access: in-app subscription (7-day free trial, then $3.99/month on Google Play, App Store, or Microsoft Store), website subscription, complimentary VIP/staff grant, or educational access for verified school emails.
Free · Account · Member
Three ways to use ApexSKY
Guest: use the app without an account. Core sky data, alerts, and a 24-hour observing forecast.
Free account: sign in with your ApexASTRO account. Syncs settings across devices, 72-hour forecast, 2 saved sites, observing log, Messier browse in Best Targets, and achievements (Moon, planets, ISS).
ApexSKY Member: 7-day free trial, then $3.99/month via in-app subscription, website subscription, VIP/staff grant, or educational access. Unlocks the full deep-sky planner, Pro Sky Conditions, 7-day forecast, and member-only achievement logs.
Best Targets: browsing Messier objects needs a free account, and the full catalog, Top 3, and planning tools need a membership. ApexHUD is a separate app still in development and isn’t part of ApexSKY.
| Feature | Guest | Free account | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home, Solar & Aurora, Meteors, ISS, Planets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Observing forecast timeline | 24h | 72h | 168h |
| Moon & planet visibility (all data) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Push alerts (Kp, storm, ISS, etc.) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sync alerts, location, Home layout | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Saved dark-sky sites | — | 2 | 5 |
| Log tonight (observing snapshot) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trophy Room (rank, badges, leaderboard) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Log Moon / planets / ISS (achievements) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Messier browse in Best Targets | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Log deep-sky targets (achievements) | — | — | ✓ |
| Pro Sky Conditions (model seeing, dew, extinction) | — | — | ✓ |
| Best Targets (NGC, Caldwell, IC, filters) | — | — | ✓ |
| Tonight’s Top 3 | — | — | ✓ |
| Deep-sky planner (planning window & tonight’s plan) | — | — | ✓ |
| Plan window push reminders | — | — | ✓ |
| Your plan tonight (Home module) | — | — | ✓ |
| Longer solar/aurora animation loops | shorter | longer | longest |
One account, every device
Syncing with apexastro.app
Sign in once with your ApexASTRO account. Notification thresholds, saved observing sites, tonight logs, Trophy Room progress, and member deep-sky plans stay aligned between the app and the website.
- 2 saved sites for free accounts (5 for members), and you can switch between them in one tap
- Log tonight: save conditions snapshots to your account history
- Device linking for push alerts under your user id
- Deep-sky plans: tonight’s target list stays in sync between the app and the website (members)
- Manage password, membership, and devices on account
Get the app
Download ApexSKY
Built for stargazers and aurora chasers who want clear, location-aware astronomy on phone, tablet, and PC.
Available on Google Play, the App Store, and Microsoft Store. Join Discord for release news and observing tips.
FAQ
Common questions
Do I need an account?
No for core sky features, alerts, and the 24-hour forecast. A free account adds sync, 2 saved sites, 72-hour forecast, Messier browse, Log tonight, and Trophy Room achievements.
What is Best Targets?
Free accounts browse Messier objects when signed in. ApexSKY Member unlocks the full NGC/Caldwell/IC catalog, Tonight’s Top 3, Pro Sky Conditions, and the deep-sky planner.
Does signing in unlock the full Best Targets catalog?
Signing in unlocks Messier browse only. The full catalog, Top 3, planner, and Pro Sky require ApexSKY Member (in-app subscription, website subscription, VIP grant, or educational access).
What is the deep-sky planner?
A member tool: build tonight’s plan, search a planning window, sync your hit list between the app and the website, and get optional plan-window push reminders.
How do I become a member?
Start with a 7-day free trial, then subscribe in the app ($3.99/month on Google Play, App Store, or Microsoft Store), on the website, receive a complimentary VIP/staff grant, or request educational access with a verified school email.
What is Trophy Room?
Log Moon, planet, and ISS observations (free account) and deep-sky targets (member) to earn XP, badges, and leaderboard rank. Log tonight on Home is a separate personal observing log.
Is it the same app on every platform?
Yes. It’s the same app with the same features and account sync on Android, iOS, and Windows.
Do notification settings sync?
Yes, when you’re signed in. Your alert settings are saved to your account and show up on your other devices after they sync.
How do I report a bug?
Open a support request on apexastro.app (in-app shortcut ships in app v0.3.2).
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