Mobile Observatory
Impressive tool for stargazing and identifying objects in the sky
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Mobile Observatory
Pros: The wealth of information about celestial objects and events is exciting and impressive.
Cons: Some of the language may be difficult to understand for astronomy novices.
Bottom Line: It's an excellent hands-on astronomy reference tool.
It would fit beautifully into a lesson plan on astronomy or space exploration, but kids will need a bit of guidance first. Since Sky View can be used in daytime mode, kids can even see the stars in broad daylight. The graphs and charts offer kids a wealth of information about planets, the moon, and upcoming events, and these could also serve as teaching models for conveying information graphically.
Mobile Observatory is an app encouraging kids to explore, discover, and observe the skies. The homepage features large buttons displaying a dozen options for exploring celestial bodies. In Sky View and Live View, kids point the device at the sky and see a sky map that labels the stars or constellations they’re seeing. In Solar System, they can also choose a specific planet or object, and red arrows show them where to point the device to find that object in the sky. In Events and Tonight's Best, they can find out about interesting celestial events such as eclipses, meteor showers, and planetary visibility, and add them to their calendar. The observatory also includes details about planets and other celestial bodies.
Further menu options also include Top View (for an overhead look at the solar system), Objects (for details of rise and set times of celestial objects), Twilight, Moon, and Eclipses (for information about each), Favorites, and Object Database.
Putting Mobile Observatory into kids' hands is like giving them full access to an observatory and planetarium along with a docent to guide them on their self-paced tour. The amount of information is mind-boggling, and the options for viewing and learning about the night sky are impressive.
It should be said that this is not a made-for-kids app; rather, it’s a real-world tool for astronomy buffs. It includes information that may be difficult to follow without some prior knowledge (degree of location, rise, transit, and set times of celestial bodies). The descriptions of the planets and other stars are written in an easy-to-understand style that older elementary kids will appreciate, but the observation specs included in the app are geared more for middle or high school kids who have had some instruction in astronomy and night sky coordinates.
Learning Rating
Your Galaxy, Not So Far Away
I feel that this app would work better in a high school setting, in conjunction with a unit on astronomy. It allows for authentic research and individual-paced student learning.
There were a couple of loading glitches when used, so make sure to have a strong WiFi signal when you use.
Highly recommend teachers to use this app prior to lesson so that you get a feel for the movement and section categories.
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