Polar Scope Align

Polar Scope Align


Telescope Polar alignment


FreeOffers In-App Purchases

6.7for iPhone, iPad and more
9.1
147 Ratings
Dimitrios Kechagias
Developer
22 MB
Size
Mar 25, 2024
Update Date
Utilities
Category
4+
Age Rating
Age Rating
4+
Apps in this category do not contain restricted content.
9+
Apps in this category may contain mild or occasional cartoon, fantasy or real-life violence, as well as occasional or mild adult, sexually suggestive or horrifying content and may not be suitable for children under 9 years of age.
12+
Apps in this category may contain occasional mild indecent language, frequent or intense cartoon or real-life violence, minor or occasional adult or sexually suggestive material, and simulated gambling, and may be for children under 12 years of age.
17+
You must be at least 17 years old to access this App.
Apps in this category may contain frequent and intense offensive language; Frequent and intense cartoon, fantasy or realistic violence: frequent and intense adult, scary and sexually suggestive subjects: as well as sexual content, nudity, tobacco, alcohol and drugs, may not be suitable for children under 17 years of age.
Polar Scope Align Screenshots
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About Polar Scope Align

Polar Scope Align will calculate the position of Polaris or σ Octantis in your Polar Scope reticle for your location (using your phone's GPS or manually), allowing a quick and accurate polar alignment. It is one of the few programs that are accurate in lower latitudes by correcting for atmospheric refraction (so expect results to agree only with precise software and not most simplistic "polar align" apps - see the "Accuracy" section in help for details). It will even allow you to measure and correct a centering error of the reticle. In the settings you can select from a vast collection of reticles, one that matches your own. Pretty much every reticle in the market is supported:
iOptron old & new, Astro-Physics RAPAS & PASILL, various versions of Takahashi EM-10/11/200/400/500, NJP, PM-1, P2-Z, the latest Orion / Skywatcher, the Classic Skywatcher / Orion / Celestron / Meade / EXOS2 / Bresser, the Telrad, Rigel QuikFinder, a couple for Astrotrac / Losmandy / Kenko / Avalon, the Vixen Atlux/SX/SXD/SXP/AXD/GP/GP-DX/Polarie Polar Axis Scopes, a Konus and several Polar Finders: Tuthill, Explore Scientific 8x50, Meade 9x60, Vixen Polaris, Celestron 7x50, Carton Optical. PoleMaster help view for South Hemisphere users.
Feel free to contact the developer with any questions, feature/reticle requests and any problems you have with the app. If you like Polar Scope Align, please consider leaving a review on the app store.

Main features:

-Accurate calculation of Polaris or Sigma Oct for any date and location, including effect of atmospheric refraction (and annual aberration, nutation). Most other apps do not perform precision calculations, so please only compare app readings to accurate sources (USNO, scientific software etc).
-Automatic Time/Location.
-Calculation and correction/compensation for off-center reticles.
-Remember zero position on Celestron / Skywatcher / Orion etc reticles.
-Full app in red-color night mode.
-Moon phase.
-Messier, Caldwell and Bright star database.
-Download and explore DSS color images of the DSO database entries.
-8 calculators useful for observing and astrophotography.

This free version is ad-supported. You can also try the ad-free Pro version with many extra features:

-Ability to manually enter time/date and location (including saving favorites, list of recent locations, loading from world location database, searching online).
-Zoomable reticle view.
-Approximate daytime / no polarscope polar alignment tool. Great for visual use, solar imaging (including eclipses) and even limited short focal length astrophotography. Now with sun shadow calibration for more accuracy!
-Alt-az alignment error display for mounts that calculate it after star alignment (e.g. iOptron iEQ45, CEM60).
-Polar alignment when your scope is not in zero position (for mounts on which you can always access the polar scope).
-Lunar Calendar with solar/lunar rise/set and twilight times.
-Bubble level (using either gyro or accelerometer) and Compass heading, as well as magnetic declination reading.
-GPS accuracy & elevation data.
-Switch to alternative night mode colors, or daytime mode for the tools.
-Red/White/LED light control.
-Deep Space Object Database with 22000+ objects from several catalogs (Messier, Caldwell, NGC, IC, Herschell 400, Sharpless 2, Barnard), along with stars (Yale Bright Star) & planets. The database is searchable and fully configurable with filters, various sorting methods etc.
- Get help finding the DSO Database objects with your non-goto telescope with the Push-To function.
-Connect to and control WiFi-enabled iOptron mounts.
-Over 30 calculators useful for observing and astrophotography, from eyepiece magnification and field of view, to imaging resolution and reducers.
-World astro-weather report based on data from 7Timer!, Met.NO & more.
-Water vapor satellite images.
-Solar Eclipse Simulator.
-List of visible ISS and bright satellite passes.
-iOptron Named Star list, Meade LX200 star list.
-Screen dimming.
Show More

What's New in the Latest Version 6.7

Last updated on Mar 25, 2024
Old Versions
Please support the app by reviewing or rating! You will never get annoying popups asking you in the app.
Special update for the April 2024 Solar Eclipse:
- Solar Eclipse Calculator ("other" category in the calculators list). Calculate the details of any Solar Eclipse of the past or future for your location.
- Apply/Tab buttons added to calculator keyboards.
- Further reduced app size.
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Version History
6.7
Mar 25, 2024
Please support the app by reviewing or rating! You will never get annoying popups asking you in the app.
Special update for the April 2024 Solar Eclipse:
- Solar Eclipse Calculator ("other" category in the calculators list). Calculate the details of any Solar Eclipse of the past or future for your location.
- Apply/Tab buttons added to calculator keyboards.
- Further reduced app size.
6.6
Feb 17, 2024
Please support the app by reviewing or rating! You will never get annoying popups asking you in the app.

- Added user-requested configurable reticle (Generic Graded/Microscope).
- Improved Generic Rifle/Finder reticle FoV configuration.
6.5
Jul 7, 2023
Please support the app by rating or reviewing! You will never get any annoying in-app popups asking you to do so.
Here's what's new:
- Improved DSO DB searching help.
- Reduced app size.
6.4
Apr 2, 2023
Please support the app by rating or reviewing! You will never get any annoying in-app popups asking you to do so.
Here's what's new:
- Date Circle - Time / RA Circle conversion calculator (for trackers like Star Adventurer).
- Added visual hints to the main page clickable regions (e.g. coordinates).

From April 2023, iOS 10 compatible submissions will not be allowed on the app store, so this is the last version I can provide for those with very old devices.
6.3
Mar 10, 2023
Why not help out by rating the app! There are never popups to nag you (annoying!), which means fewer reviews than other apps.
What's new:
- Fix FOV slider for rifle scope reticle.
- iOptron WiFi Connect changes:
-- Updated to identify the newest mounts (HEM27, Skyhunter).
-- Support for old mounts with v1.x firmware (ZEQ25, non-Pro iEQ30/45/SmartEQ).
6.2
Nov 3, 2021
Why not help out by rating the app! There are never popups to nag you (annoying!), which means fewer reviews than other apps.
What's new:
-More configuration options for rifle scope reticle.
-Collapsible Done/Back buttons in help screens.
-Full support for new iPad mini & iOS 15.
6.1
Jun 6, 2021
Why not help out by rating the app! There are never popups to nag you (annoying!), which leads to fewer reviews than other apps.
What's new:
- *BELOW HORIZON* shown on objects that have set on DSO DB.
- iOptron WiFi Connect: Ability to connect to WiFi-enabled iOptron mounts. Non-pro version can test connection and show status of the mount, Pro version can control the mount.
6.0
Apr 3, 2021
Why not help out by rating the app! There are never popups to nag you (annoying!), which leads to fewer reviews than other apps.
What's new:
- UI design update for better look and readability.
- DSO Database search supports regular expressions and shows number of results.
- Current epoch shown on DSO DB configuration screen.
- Night vs day color-coded background on all DSO DB altitude graphs.
- Tapping the LST/UTC time display shows you various kinds of Sidereal Time: GMST, GAST, LMST, LAST.
- Performance improvements (for older devices).
5.6
Feb 17, 2021
Why not help out by rating the new version! There are never popups to nag you (annoying!), which mean less reviews than other apps.
What's new:
- Added Vixen PF-L polar scope.
- Dynamic Type support for larger fonts. The app will follow your device settings (Settings→Display→Text Size).
- DSO DB search now also looks in constellation & stellar designation fields.
- Help improvements.
5.5
Dec 9, 2020
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version! There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
- Show location name in main screen (requires internet - was meant for v5.4 but missed the release).
- Switch between decimal and min/sec Lat/Lon display on the main screen by tapping.
- Polar star graphic display on polar star info screen.
- Clearer UI for the multi-selection buttons and the Calculator filters.
5.4
Oct 31, 2020
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version! There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
-Show location name in main screen (requires internet).
-Settings button moved for iPhone X+, tweaks & fixes for iPhone 12 Mini & Pro Max.
5.3
Oct 4, 2020
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version! There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
- Added configurable generic rifle scope reticle.
- Larger/bold font for time/date/coordinates on main page.
- EM200/400 and Polarie style reticles: prefer device timezone (minus DST) if possible for offset calculation, improved instructions.
- Fixed issue with settings page layout on some devices.
- Improved Main Screen help.
5.2
Sep 3, 2020
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version! There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
- "At a glance" help for several reticles.
- Bayer names for star hop list.
- Clearer math formula view in calculators.
- Support for iOS7/8 no longer possible - iOS 9.0 minimum now.
5.1
Jun 17, 2020
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version! There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
- Fixes and tweaks for the DSO Database tool, including select all/none buttons, slider for min. altitude filter.
- Corrected the center coordinates on the DSS image view info.
- Improved search bar contrast.

This will probably be the last iOS 7-compatible release, as it requires iOS 7 components that will not be allowed in app store updates in the near future.
5.0
Apr 18, 2020
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version! There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
- DSS (Digitized Sky Survey) image downloads for all objects in the Deep Space Object database and a specialized astro image viewer.
- Other DSO DB changes:
-- DSO DB list items get a "collapse" button after they are expanded.
-- The altitude graph shows "ground" (0 degrees or less).
-- If in DSO display settings you select "Alt-Az", you can now see on the listings whether the object is E or W of the meridian.
-- Fix sort by RA & Dec options.
-More & easier access help screens.
4.9
Jul 15, 2019
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version. There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
-Tweaks in polar scope instructions
-Fixed DSO DB banner behaviour.
4.8
May 28, 2019
Why not help out by rating or reviewing the new version. There are never popups inside the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
-Astro-Physics / TeleVue Systems (Carton Optical) PASILL reticle added.
-PoleMaster view added for South Hemisphere users.
4.7
Feb 28, 2019
Why not help out by rating or reviewing after trying the new version. I never add popups in the app to ask you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. Here's what's new:
- Covington Grid Method for Polaris circle reticles.
4.6
Dec 7, 2018
Why not help Polar Scope Align by leaving a rating or review after trying the new version. There are no popups in the app asking you (annoying!), which results to less reviews than other apps. What's new:
-Added daily altitude graph for objects in the DSO database (click on an object in the list to see the details).
-Vixen Atlux 1983-2012 polar scope added.
-Konus 2000-2020 polar scope added.
-Takahashi 1985 - 2015 updated to look more realistic, minor adjustment to the Classic Celestron/Skywatcher crosshair.
-New polar scope reticle selection screen to accommodate the long list of reticles (22).
4.5
Oct 6, 2018
Why not help Polar Scope Align by leaving a rating or review after trying the new version. There are no popups in the app asking you (annoying!), which unfortunately means there are much less reviews than other apps. What's new:

-Replaced in-app system alerts with custom dark alerts.
-Meridian transit time and altitude added in DSO DB object details.
4.4
Sep 19, 2018
Why not help Polar Scope Align by leaving a rating or review after trying the new version. There are no popups in the app asking you (annoying!), which unfortunately means there are much less reviews than other apps. What's new:

-iPhone XR/XS Max support.
-Polaris info screen with refracted vs true position, meridian crossings / Kochab's Clock times etc.
-Advanced option to use Gaia Polaris coordinates.
4.3
Aug 19, 2018
Why not help Polar Scope Align by leaving a rating or review after trying the new version. There are no popups in the app asking you (annoying!), which unfortunately means there are not many reviews. What's new:

-iPhone X full screen support.
-Bottom bars more consistent.
-Updated instructions (mainly for Astro-Physics RAPAS).
4.2
Jul 31, 2018
Why not help Polar Scope Align by leaving a rating/review after trying the new version - it doesn't get many reviews because it will never bother you with a popup (I hate apps that do that - there's only a button in Settings if it helps). What's new:

-Added Explore Scientific 8x50 RACI PolarFinder.
-Updated reticle help.

PS. This version had to drop support for iOS 6 - due to new rules in the App store, iOS 7 is the minimum possible version.
4.1
Jun 29, 2018
-Fix LST calculated for longitude 0 for some users. Apologies, this was missed in the 4.0 release.

And remember: why not help Polar Scope Align by leaving a rating/review after trying the new version - it doesn't get many reviews because it will never bother you with a popup. There is a link in the settings page if it helps.

PS. This seems to be the last iOS 6.0 compatible release, as the app store submission rules change from July 1st and I will not be able to support the (fortunately few) users with such older devices.
4.0
Jun 18, 2018
4.0 is a major release for the Pro and Pro Watch versions, but the base version also gets its share:

-Celestron 7x50 Polaris Finder added.
-Moon Phase: Current moon altitude in degrees is shown.
-Calculators: Long hold on the result of a calculator gives you the option to copy the value.
-DSO Database: “Sort by distance from me” on search item applies to full list. Return to top button added. Improved the “Point to the sky” function in the Sorting menu with a continuous refresh when you hold the “Select Point” button. Fix missing icon.
-Several visual tweaks, most notably a new icon and help fixes/additions.

And remember: why not help Polar Scope Align by leaving a rating/review after trying the new version - it doesn't get many reviews because it will never bother you with a popup. There is a link in the settings page if it helps.

Polar Scope Align FAQ

Click here to learn how to download Polar Scope Align in restricted country or region.
Check the following list to see the minimum requirements of Polar Scope Align.
iPhone
Requires iOS 12.0 or later.
iPad
Requires iPadOS 12.0 or later.
iPod touch
Requires iOS 12.0 or later.
Polar Scope Align supports English
Polar Scope Align contains in-app purchases. Please check the pricing plan as below:
Tip 4x
$3.99
Tip 10x
$9.99
Tip 1x
$0.99

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