Planetscope: A Comprehensive Tool for Tracking Planetary Positions
Planetscope is a free educational reference tool developed by S Dartnall for Android devices. It offers an incredible way to track the positions of eight major planets and the Moon's orbit around the Earth. The program displays the results on three different views, including a top-down orrery view, a sky view, and a data view. The program is incredibly useful for predicting astronomical events and visualizing various concepts about how our Solar System works.
The top-down orrery view shows the relative locations of the planets to each other and to the Sun. The sky view displays the planets' locations in the sky, as viewed from your current GPS location. The data view gives detailed readouts for each planet/object. The display can be speeded-up, fast-forwarding the planets' motion, allowing you to see how they move over time.
The readings calculated for each object include Rise/Set times, Altitude/Azimuth, Right Ascension/Declination, Distances from Earth/Sun, Apparent Magnitude/Apparent Diameter, Elongation, and Phase. The program calculates all readings in real-time, and no internet connection is required. Planetscope is an incredible tool for anyone interested in astronomy and planetary movements.
