See Mobile Observatory in action
Sky View — Moon & Jupiter over the real horizon with constellation lines and Milky Way
Popular Objects — See at a glance which planets, stars, and deep sky objects are visible tonight
Upcoming Events — Never miss a conjunction, eclipse, meteor shower, or planetary opposition
Deep Sky — Browse nebulae and star clusters with a camera/telescope field-of-view frame overlay
Sun's Daily Path — Track the Sun's arc across the sky over your real topographic horizon throughout the day
Observing Planner — Auto-generate optimized observation lists for your location and equipment
Telescope Control — Point your GoTo telescope at any object directly from the app via INDI protocol
3D Solar System — Explore planets, dwarf planets, and comets in an interactive 3D orrery
Sun & Solar Activity — Live sunspot map, solar cycle tracking, and aurora forecast
Moon — Detailed lunar phase, libration, terrain features, and next eclipse info
Star Details — In-depth data for every star including variability, spectral class, and visibility
What makes Mobile Observatory unique
Planisphere — Full 360° sky with your real 3D topographic horizon
Sun's Daily Path — Track the Sun's arc over your actual terrain
Moon Tracking — Watch the Moon rise over mountains with time markers
Rise & Set Times — Terrain-corrected times for every celestial object
The only astronomy app that knows what your actual horizon looks like. Calculate precise horizon profiles using NASA SRTM elevation data.
Daily Events — Get notified about tonight's eclipses, conjunctions, meteor showers, and more
ISS Passes — Never miss a visible pass of the International Space Station over your location
Aurora Alerts — Get notified when the Kp-index rises or aurora becomes visible at your latitude
Solar Flares — Receive alerts for M-class and X-class solar flares that affect space weather
Never miss an astronomical event again. Mobile Observatory watches the sky for you and sends personalized alerts based on your location and interests.
Session Setup — Pick your date and choose evening, full night, or morning
Object Types — Recommended Mix, Planets, Messier, Deep Sky Tour, or custom
Conditions & Equipment — Select your gear, horizon model, and target count
Your Plan — 20 optimized targets with visibility, altitude, and full-night coverage
Get a personalized, guided list of the best objects to observe tonight based on your location, equipment, and sky conditions.
Connect and control your computerized telescope directly from the app. Slew to any object with a single tap.
FOV Frame — Configure your telescope, eyepiece, or camera directly in the Sky View
Live Overlay — See your exact field of view around the Moon or any object
Eyepiece View — Realistic simulation of what you'll see through your eyepiece
Camera Sensor — Preview your astrophotography framing with accurate star fields
Long Exposure — Simulate star trails and deep sky captures before shooting
See exactly what any object will look like through your telescope, eyepiece, or camera before you set up. Plan your astrophotography sessions with realistic field-of-view previews.
The only astronomy app with real horizon data
An astronomy app first - know when objects clear your hills
Smart push notifications keep you informed
Point your camera and explore the sky
Real-time aurora and solar activity dashboard
Personalized recommendations for your location
Massive astronomical database at your fingertips
Plan your observing sessions in advance
Detailed Sun and Moon information
Download Mobile Observatory for free and upgrade when you're ready
Free Download — Upgrade to Unlock Everything
Download Free — Upgrade via Subscription or One-Time Purchase
Already sure? Get everything permanently
One-time purchase, lifetime access
Trusted by astronomy enthusiasts worldwide
"This app is simply fantastic and keeps getting better. It offers a huge variety of features, making it the most professional app in the Play Store."
"A fantastic update. I have always found this app excellent, and now it is even better."
"Version 4 is amazing: intelligently programmed, very well organized. Thank you for this excellent work!"
"Along with Stellarium and SkySafari, this is one of the best astronomy programs!"
The story behind Mobile Observatory
Creator of Mobile Observatory
Wolfgang Zima spent years as a professional astronomer before finding his way into software development. After completing his PhD in Astronomy at the University of Vienna, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Astronomy at KU Leuven in Belgium for five years. It was there that he discovered a passion for scientific software — writing tools for analyzing spectra of pulsating stars and building a CCD image simulator for ESA's PLATO mission, a space telescope searching for Earth-like exoplanets.
Mobile Observatory started almost by accident: when his Nokia phone broke on a mountain biking trip in late 2010, Wolfgang got his first Android phone and was surprised that no good astronomy apps existed. So he built one. First released in January 2011, Mobile Observatory has since grown into one of the most comprehensive astronomy apps for Android — with over 1 million downloads of the free version and 250,000+ of the Pro version — and has been continuously improved for well over a decade.
Wolfgang lives in Freiburg, Germany, where he works as a Senior Mobile Developer at sevdesk. He continues to develop Mobile Observatory with the same enthusiasm as on day one — now with the help of modern AI tools that let him bring new features to life faster than ever.
Latest updates and improvements
Feature screenshots:
Telescope Control
Draw Your Horizon
Saved Scenes
Observing Plans
My Observations
Log Observation
My Equipment
Edit Telescope
FOV Calculator
FOV Simulator
FOV Frame in Sky View
Optical Tools
Notifications
Observing Plan Generator
3D Topographic Landscape
Double Star Map
Variable Star Light Curve
Eclipsing Binary Predictions
Comet Light Curve
Selenographic Feature Map
Lunar Feature Detail
Lunar Terminator Table
Long Exposure Simulation
Start with the free Sky View or get the complete observatory experience.
