Star Watcher
This article is incomplete & needs to be reviewed. You can help by creating a pull request.
This feature is currently not available for the iOS version of the OsmAnd app.
Star Watcher is currently in beta.
Overview
The Star Watcher plugin shows the star sky overlay on the map with stars, constellations, Sun, Moon and planets. The positions and paths of Sun, Moon, planets and major stars are shown on the map.
Required Setup Parameters
The following settings are required to display Star Watcher overlay:
- Enable Star Watcher plugin from the Plugins section of the Main Menu
- Use Menu → Star map to open dedicated screen with star sky, settings and time controls
- Select time and date using sliders or buttons on the Star map screen
- Adjust visibility and transparency in the "Star map" menu settings.
The plugin works with both Map rendering engines but performs best in OpenGL mode.
Star Map Screen
Go to: Enabled plugin → Menu → Star map
The dedicated Star map screen shows interactive celestial dome with stars, constellations, planets, Sun and Moon paths. At the bottom is a toolbar with time/date sliders, day buttons and quick toggles for layers like horizon line or labels.
- The screen renders the full sky hemisphere above your location, aligned with compass direction
- Tap celestial objects for details like magnitude, rising/setting times or paths
Celestial Object Info
Tap any star, planet, constellation, or Sun/Moon on the Star map screen or map overlay to view detailed information.
Displayed data:
- Azimuth: Direction from North (0°-360°) where the object appears in the sky
- Altitude: Height above horizon (0° at horizon, 90° at zenith)
- Magnitude: Brightness scale (-26 for Sun to +6 for faint stars; lower = brighter)
- Rise/Set times: When the object rises above/sets below horizon
- Distance (planets): Average distance from Earth in AU/km
Wikipedia integration: Tap "Wikipedia" in the info popup to open the object's page in your browser (e.g. Sirius, Orion, Venus). Works offline for cached data, online for full articles.
Long-press celestial objects to pin them as map markers with live position updates, or share coordinates for group stargazing.
This feature helps identify objects in real sky, plan observations, and learn astronomy facts directly from OsmAnd.
AR Star Finding (Camera Mode)
Go to: Enabled plugin → Menu → Star map → Camera button
The Star Watcher layer works with your device camera to enable Augmented Reality (AR) stargazing. Point your phone camera at the real night sky and see stars, planets, constellations, Sun/Moon overlaid in real-time.
How AR Star Finding works:
- Live camera view shows real sky with transparent astronomical overlays aligned to horizon/compass
- Move camera to scan sky — objects highlight when they appear in your field of view
- Tap highlighted objects to see azimuth, altitude, magnitude, rise/set times, and Wikipedia link
- Compass calibration required for accurate alignment (wave phone in figure-8 if needed)
Perfect for:
- Identifying faint stars/planets invisible to naked eye
- Locating constellations by moving phone across sky
- Real-time sky navigation during hikes or camping
Star Watcher Settings
Main Menu → Plugins → Star map → ⚙️ button
Choose visible layers and objects
Star Layers
All astronomical data appears as map overlays, visible at zoom scales 5-15. Layers project the celestial sphere onto the flat map.
| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Stars | Bright stars (up to magnitude 4-6) with labels and constellation lines |
| Constellations | Connects stars into familiar patterns like Orion or Big Dipper |
| Planets | Positions and daily paths for Mercury-Venus-Mars-Jupiter-Saturn (colored icons) |
| Sun & Moon | Arcs showing rise/set times and illumination phase |
| Horizon | Line separating visible sky from ground, with cardinal directions |