What star is that? Point and find out

Hold the phone up and point its back at the sky. Sky Pointer names the planet, bright star or star pattern that way, and reads it aloud. No camera, no app, and nothing leaves the phone.

How it knows

Your phone has a compass and a tilt sensor; together they say which way its back points and how high. Sky Pointer turns that into a direction in the sky and looks up what is there at this minute, from planet positions worked out ahead with astronomy-engine and the positions of the brightest stars. It uses your ZIP's area from Sky Tonight, or the time-zone box you pick, never your phone's location, and it never turns on the camera. Phone compasses can be off by ten degrees or more near metal or a car, so it names the brightest thing near where you point.

No motion sensors? Use the boxes

On a laptop, or if the phone says no, pick the way you face and how high to look, and Sky Pointer names what is there. The “Up right now” list works on any screen. For one thing to look for tonight with a time, use Sky Tonight; for the shapes of the stars, the star patterns.

Safety

A grown-up taps the button that turns the sensors on, and comes outside too. If the phone points near the Sun, Sky Pointer says so in red: never look at the Sun, and never point binoculars at it.