Search Help

The search view lets you search for objects, by typing their names, or by choosing them from lists. In SkySafari Plus and Pro, the Search view also lets you manage observing lists, which are lists of objects that you can create and edit yourself. Observing lists help you plan your observing sessions, and record logs of your observations.

Search

At the top of the list view is a search field. Enter all or the first part of an object's name; then tap the Search button to display a list of matching objects. For example, if you search for "Saturn", SkySafari will find both the planet Saturn and the Saturn Nebula.

You can search for an object using any of its catalog designations. For example, the Andromeda Galaxy can be found as M31, NGC 224, UGC 454, PGC 2557, MCG 7-2-16 or CGCG 535-17. Likewise, the double star Porrima can be found as Gamma Virginis, 29 Vir, HR 4826, SAO 138917, BD -00 2601, HIP 61941, STF 1670, ADS 8630 or WDS 12417-0127.

You can find all objects in a particular catalog by entering just the catalog name (or its standard abbreviation) For example, you can find all the Caldwell objects by searching for just "Caldwell" (or "C") without a specific object number.

All of the objects matching your search will be displayed in the list of results. Objects below the horizon are dimmed, but still selectable.

Choose a specific object from that list to bring up the Object Info view for that object. If there is only one object which matches the name you entered, the Object Info will be shown immediately, without a list of search results (since that list would contain only one item!)

Common Object Lists

This section contains lists of the most commonly-known objects in the sky (e.g. planets, stars, deep sky objects, etc). Choose a list to display the most commonly-known objects in that category. For example, the Planets list shows the nine planets (we still include Pluto even if the International Astronomical Union doesn't); the Brightest Stars list shows the brightest stars in the sky; the Messier Objects list shows the most famous 110 star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies in the sky, etc.

Objects currently above the horizon are listed with a brighter text color; objects below the horizon are dimmed, but you can still select them. Choose a specific object from this list to bring up the Object Info view. This view displays basic information about the object, and contains buttons to center it in the sky chart or in your telescope's field of view.

Tonight's Best is a list of the best objects that will be visible between tonight's dusk and tomorrow's dawn. The objects in this list change depending on your location, and on the date. An object must reach at least six degrees above the horizon between astronomical dusk and dawn to be included in this list.

In SkySafari's basic version, Tonight's Best list includes only brightest stars and planets visible to the naked eye, and the brightest and best-known deep sky objects that can be seen with a pair of binoculars. SkySafari Plus and Pro add the best double and variable stars, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies visible in small backyard telescopes. A few objects of extreme astrophysical or historical importance are also in the list, even if they're difficult or impossible to see in a backyard telescope - like Barnard's Star, Halley's Comet (at least until 2061), and Eris - the "dwarf planet" which dethroned Pluto as the solar system's outermost planet.

Objects in the list are sorted by their transit times, giving you a natural order in which to observe them. If you are viewing Tonight's Best list during daylight hours, many objects toward the end of the list may not have risen yet, and so are dimmed in the list. Similarly, if you are viewing Tonight's Best list in the early hours before dawn, objects near the start of the list may have already set, and so are also dimmed.

Custom Observing Lists

In SkySafari Plus and Pro, a button labelled Make Observing List appears below the list of search results, below all common objects lists, including Tonight's Best. You can tap this button to convert your list of search results, or the common object list, or the Tonight's Best list, into a custom observing list.

Custom observing lists keep track of objects you want to observe, and record logs of your observations. By default, SkySafari comes with a single, empty observing list called "My Favorites". To create additional lists, tap the Create New Observing List button at the bottom of the Search view.

Please Note: this feature is only available in SkySafari Plus and Pro. For more information on observing lists, see the Observing Lists Help section.