What's new in SkyWindow

Version 0.8.35 Beta · 2026-10-18

• NewRain and storm alerts — a notification before rain, snow, thunder or storm starts, so you can protect your telescope

  Settings → Rain and storm alerts: 30 min to 3 h before, optionally only on clear nights; also "Warn me before it starts" under tonight's rain warning. The forecast for the active location is checked about every two hours.

Version 0.8.34 Beta · 2026-10-17

• FixUpdated an outdated Android library that Google Play flagged

  CameraX brought in androidx.fragment 1.1.0; the app now uses fragment 1.9.1.

Version 0.8.33 Closed alpha · 2026-10-17

• ImprovedTonight and the weather details show the widget's night chart: clear sky, chance of rain and the Moon

  It replaces the coloured hour bar; during the night it starts at the current time. Red in red night mode.

Version 0.8.32 Closed alpha · 2026-10-16

• ImprovedThe widget's night chart shows the chance of rain as a blue area, higher when rain is more likely

  Before, rain was only a thin strip along the bottom, the same for a 30 % or a 90 % chance.

• ImprovedDuring the night the widget shows only what is still ahead, and updates about every hour

  The chart starts at the current time instead of sunset, and a warning that already began shows from now.

Version 0.8.31 Beta · 2026-10-15

• ImprovedSmaller download, and clearer crash reports for the developer

  The release build is now shrunk with R8; the mapping file and native debug symbols go into the App Bundle.

Version 0.8.30 Beta · 2026-10-08

Includes the test builds 0.8.29.

• NewImport a horizon from N.I.N.A. (.hrz), MountWizzard4 or a Stellarium landscape

  Location setup → Compass & horizon → Import horizon…; it replaces the horizon line, read the way N.I.N.A. does.

• ImprovedRed night mode also turns example images red, and can be switched from the menu
• ImprovedMagnitudes added for 9 clusters and galaxies (Jewel Box, Stephan's Quintet, Hockey Stick …)

  Nebulae without a magnitude stay without one: there is no standard value for them.

• Fix2 bug fixes and corrections

  Red night mode now also turns cards, selected chips, the best night, warnings and the camera views' text red · The Double Cluster was listed three times

Version 0.8.28 Closed alpha · 2026-10-03

• ImprovedSearch by Sharpless number (Sh2-190, Sharpless 190) for 35 nebulae such as the Heart, Soul and Rosette
• FixCave Nebula, Hyades, Coalsack and Stephan's Quintet were listed twice

  Plans that used the removed entries keep their target.

Version 0.8.27 Closed alpha · 2026-10-03

Includes the test builds 0.8.17, 0.8.18, 0.8.19, 0.8.20, 0.8.21, 0.8.22, 0.8.23, 0.8.24, 0.8.25, 0.8.26.

• NewExport your horizon for N.I.N.A. (.hrz) or as a Stellarium landscape

  Location setup → Compass & horizon → Export horizon…: the traced horizon line and the blocked directions together, shared through the share menu. The minimum altitude is not included.

• New"What's new" after an update, listed like the website changelog

  Shown in alpha, beta and Play builds: new and improved items with their explanation, all fixes in one line.

• NewAll 109 Caldwell objects (search "C43" or "Caldwell 43") and more galaxies, down to magnitude 11

  Includes the Little Sombrero (C43), Superman Galaxy (C44), Silver Sliver (NGC 891) and 230 more targets.

• NewLP filter advice per target (on for emission nebulae, off for galaxies, clusters and reflection nebulae)

  Shown for telescopes with a dual-band / light-pollution filter (Seestar, DWARF 3), on the target page, the plan, Best tonight and Plans.

• NewFind a target for a time slot, and book it in your plan

  Start and end time, or start and how long; targets ranked by how much of the slot they are usable (your plans first). Free clear time in tonight's plan shows on Tonight and in Plans.

• NewMore famous stars (Orion's Belt, Mira, Algol, Albireo, Mizar & Alcor, Alpha Centauri …) and the Galactic Center (Sgr A*)

  34 more named stars, including doubles and the largest known stars, with a short note on their page.

• ImprovedTonight chips evenly spaced, Plans before Nights
• ImprovedTime slots show the Moon per target; a bright Moon moves moon-sensitive targets down
• ImprovedAbout 60 well-known nicknames added to search (Pac-Man, Heart, Soul, Whale, Thor's Helmet …)

  Targets show by their nickname rather than a catalog number.

• ImprovedTap the example image to see it full screen, with pinch to zoom
• ImprovedBack from a target returns to where you were in Best tonight and the Tonight list
• ImprovedWeather details mark each hour: good, thin high cloud, cloudy, rain, snow, thunder/hail

  Colours with a symbol per hour, so they also differ in red mode; the night bar uses the same colours.

• Fix2 bug fixes and corrections

  "What's new" no longer shows on internal test builds · Reflection and dark nebulae (e.g. M78, the Iris Nebula) are no longer treated as emission nebulae

Version 0.8.16 Closed alpha · 2026-09-30

Includes the test builds 0.8.3, 0.8.4, 0.8.5, 0.8.6, 0.8.7, 0.8.8, 0.8.9, 0.8.10, 0.8.11, 0.8.12, 0.8.13, 0.8.14, 0.8.15.

• NewPlan file: SkyWindow keeps one shared file up to date, so its link stays the same

  Share plan → Save as plan file (e.g. in Google Drive). Updated automatically when your plans or progress change; friends who follow the link get the changes. Plans → ⋮ → Update now / Stop updating.

• NewAfter you add progress, SkyWindow offers to share your plan again

  Only when your last share included progress: Share (same choices as last time), Not now (asks again after your next progress), or Don't ask again (switch it back on in My profile).

• NewMy profile — your nickname, and what to include when you share a plan

  Settings → My profile (or ⋮ → My profile): nickname, telescopes, locations and progress, each with a switch for sharing (all off by default). Each share starts from these and can change them for that share only.

• NewImport plans from a link (Google Drive, Dropbox …), optionally updated automatically

  Import plan accepts a link to a shared plan file and can re-read it whenever you open SkyWindow.

• NewAdd a location someone shared to your own locations
• NewShare your progress too (optional)

  Share plan can include how far you are per target.

• New"Shared with you" — imported plans stay apart from your own

  They are not scheduled and show who shared them, when, and their progress. "Make it my plan" copies a target into your own plans. Importing a newer share from the same person updates their progress.

• NewZenith warning for alt-az mounts; plans skip the time near the zenith

  Most smart telescopes (alt-az) can't track well above about 80°: the mount turns ever faster and the field spins. The target page shows when a target is that high during its usable time; plans leave that time out unless the plan uses EQ mode.

• NewSession reminders from tonight's plan, with quiet hours

  Settings → Session reminders (off by default): a notification a few minutes before the session starts, when to switch target — and why the current one ends (blocked direction, horizon, clouds, zenith, dawn) — and when tonight's plan is done. Quiet hours block them while you sleep. Set when you open the app on the day.

• NewShare your plan and import plans from others

  Plans → ⋮ → Share plan sends a readable list with an import code through any app (messenger, e-mail). The other person shares that message to SkyWindow, or pastes it under Plans → ⋮ → Import plan. Targets, goals, mosaic, frame length and EQ mode are shared; never your location.

• NewExport plan targets as CSV for N.I.N.A., ASIAIR, KStars and others

  Plans → ⋮ → Export targets: a target list in the Telescopius observing-list shape (J2000 coordinates).

• NewChoose the notification sound for clear-night alerts and session reminders

  Settings → Sound, under each: pick any notification sound on your phone, the default, or silent.

• ImprovedTonight shows how to turn on the cloud forecast while it is off
• ImprovedImport plan has a Paste button and no longer fills in what you already imported
• ImprovedTablets: portrait and landscape, camera views work both ways, lists at a readable width

  Phones stay in portrait. Turning a tablet keeps the open screen and unsaved edits.

• Improved"From a panorama" removed — Scan with camera measures the horizon more accurately

  A photo has no compass or tilt data, so direction, width and level had to be guessed. Scan with camera gets them from the phone's sensors. Horizons you made earlier are kept.

• ImprovedLocation setup — position, sky, compass & horizon in one place, with a setup checklist

  Tap a missing step to go straight to it. "Setup 2/3" shows on Tonight and in Locations until it is done. "Nothing blocked here" marks open sky all around.

• ImprovedCompass alignment is always per location; your current alignment stays with your first location
• ImprovedCapture log in hours and minutes, with a rejected-frames % per session

  Add capture time has separate hours and minutes fields and a rejected-frames % for that session (starting at the plan's %). Tap a session in the list to change or delete it.

• ImprovedShared plans can never change your own plans, and are clearly labelled

  A shared entry can only be updated by the same link or messages from the same nickname; only secure (https) links are accepted, and received plans are cleaned and limited in size. "My plan" and "Shared" labels tell them apart; your own plan shows who else shares the same target.

• Fix4 bug fixes and corrections

  Weather details and warnings leave out hours that are already over · On tablets the sky map and lists no longer fill the whole screen · Import from a Drive link says when the file isn't shared publicly (it said "too large") · Compass guide uses the right button names (Scan with camera, Trace by hand)

Version 0.7.9 Closed alpha · 2026-09-29

Includes the test builds 0.6.0, 0.7.0, 0.7.1, 0.7.2, 0.7.3, 0.7.4, 0.7.5, 0.7.6, 0.7.7, 0.7.8.

• NewDetailed hourly weather for the night ("Details ›" next to the clear times)

  Hour by hour from sunset to sunrise: cloud cover per layer, chance and amount of rain or snow, wind and gusts, temperature and dew point. Dark hours are bold; hours with rain, snow or stormy wind are highlighted.

• NewWarning for rain, snow, thunderstorms and stormy wind on nights with clear spells

  Clouds only block the view, but rain, snow or strong gusts can harm a telescope left outside. When a night has clear time but also rain, snow or thunderstorms (≥ 0.2 mm or ≥ 50% chance in an hour) or stormy wind (gusts ≥ 50 km/h or wind ≥ 40 km/h) in the forecast, Tonight, Nights, the target page, the clear-night alert and the widget show when to expect it.

• NewImperial units for weather (mph, °F, in) in Settings; metric stays the default
• NewExample image of a target, cut to your telescope's frame

  On a target's page, "Show example image" loads a sky-survey picture (Pan-STARRS or DSS2, via CDS hips2fits; under 1 MB, usually about 100 kB) with your telescope frame or mosaic drawn on it. Images are kept on the phone. Settings → Example images: download automatically on Wi-Fi only, always, or never (default). Only the target's sky position is sent; the privacy policy is updated.

• NewNight chart in the widget: clear sky and Moon through the night

  A green line shows the forecast clear sky from sunset to sunrise (high = clear), with the dark hours shaded and the Moon's altitude dotted. The widget moves on to the coming night as soon as darkness ends.

• NewFrame length and EQ mode per plan

  Choose 10 s, 20 s, 30 s, 1 min … frames and, on telescopes that support it, EQ mode. The plan shows how many frames the goal takes; longer frames in alt-az mode get a higher rejected-frames % and a field-rotation warning.

• New"Fits frame" filter when adding a plan target

  Shows only targets that fit in one frame of your telescope with 3% spare room on every side. With more than one telescope, the chip names the active one.

• NewPlans — finish targets over several nights

  Plans (or "Add to plan" on a target): pick a target and telescope; SkyWindow advises how many hours to aim for (tuned to a suburban Bortle 6 sky and filled in as the goal) and whether a mosaic is needed, then spreads the capture time over the next 14 nights inside each target's usable window, around clouds and bright Moon, one target at a time. Tonight's plan shows the timeline.

• NewLog capture time and track progress per target

  Add the hours you captured after a session; progress takes the rejected frames into account (default 3%, adjustable). Reset to 0% to shoot a target again. The lists show "Plan 45%" for targets in your plans.

• NewSky brightness (Bortle) per location, used for the time advice
• NewSetup guide — the steps to set up your sky, on first start and via ⋮ → Setup guide

  A checklist with your location, blocked directions and horizon, compass alignment, telescope, cloud forecast and widget. Each step shows whether it is done and opens the right screen.

• NewScan your horizon line — turn around once with the camera

  Location → Scan with camera: hold the phone at telescope height and turn slowly on the spot; the skyline is found in the camera image and placed with the phone's compass and tilt. A bar shows which directions are still missing. The exact skyline is added on top of the blocked directions and used in all calculations, maps and AR views. Parts can also be traced by hand (Trace by hand).

• NewHorizon line from a panorama photo

  Location → From a panorama: the skyline is detected in the photo; set which way the left edge faces, the width of the panorama and the level horizon, check the red line and apply. Tips before you take the photo: hold the phone at the height of your telescope. Taken higher? An optional correction uses the camera and telescope heights and the distance of the closest obstruction.

• NewHome-screen widget "Tonight's best"

  Tonight's dark hours, clear sky (with the forecast on), the Moon and the best targets for your telescope. Updates when you use the app and every few hours in the background.

• NewYour telescope's frame in the AR view

  The active telescope's field of view is drawn around the target at its real size and angle (alt-az or EQ), so you see how the target will sit in the frame. "Hide frame" turns it off.

• ImprovedSearch results show above the keyboard

  Tapping the search box scrolls it to the top; the list now ends at the keyboard instead of behind it.

• ImprovedPlans has its own screen, next to Nights

  Open it from the "Plans" chip on the Tonight screen or the ⋮ menu. Nights shows the outlook only.

• Improved"Best nights" is now "Nights"
• ImprovedDual-band filter setting per telescope (built in for Seestar and DWARF 3)
• Fix2 bug fixes and corrections

  Search box lost focus and the keyboard closed after the first typed character · The app showed last night until noon; it now moves on to tonight once darkness ends

Version 0.5.1 Closed alpha · 2026-09-28

Includes the test builds 0.3.0, 0.4.0, 0.4.1, 0.5.0.

• NewCompass guide in the app and a full setup guide on the website

  "How to calibrate" in the AR view, "How?" in the blocked-direction check and Settings → Compass & AR open a short guide; it is also shown the first time you open Calibrate. The website has a complete guide: visionpathstudio.com/skywindow/guide/

• NewSeparate compass correction per location (optional)

  Settings → Compass & AR. Each location keeps its own correction and alignment date; a new location starts from the current correction. Settings shows when each one was last aligned.

• NewBest nights — the coming 7 nights rated on darkness, Moon and clouds

  Open it with the Best nights chip on the Tonight screen. Each night shows its dark hours, Moon phase and Moon-free hours and, with the cloud forecast on, the clear hours with a cloud bar. Tap a night to plan it. The cloud forecast now covers 8 days instead of 3.

• NewClear-night alerts (optional) — a notification when a clear, dark night is ahead

  Off by default; needs the cloud forecast. Once a day, at the time you choose (12:00–22:00, default 16:00), the phone checks the locations you choose and notifies you when tonight has at least the dark, clear time you set (1–6 h), with the best targets for your telescope. Runs on the phone: no account, server or push service.

• NewMy telescopes — save several telescopes and switch between them

  Add each telescope you use, based on a Seestar/DWARF model or fully custom (aperture, focal length, sensor pixels and pixel size, orientation, derotator, EQ support), each with its own mount mode. Switch the active one with the telescope chip on the Tonight screen; the object page shows how a target fits in each of your telescopes. Your current telescope is moved into the list automatically.

• ImprovedTidier top bar — location and telescope show as icons and unfold when tapped

  The location and telescope chips on the Tonight screen now take less space: only their icon shows, and tapping one unfolds its name together with the list to switch. The telescope chip has its own icon.

• ImprovedA Gyro-only alignment can be kept when leaving the AR view

  Leaving the AR view (or switching Gyro only off) after aligning asks whether to keep it, so the next AR session and the blocked-direction check use it too.

• ImprovedTest builds show TEST, ALPHA or BETA on the app icon

  The normal icon is only used for the public release, so test builds are easy to tell apart. Builds you make yourself with Android Studio / Gradle (debug) show DEV.

• ImprovedWarning when setting blocked directions with an unaligned compass

  The camera check warns when the compass was never aligned (at this location) or more than a month ago.

• Fix2 bug fixes and corrections

  app crashed when turning on clear-night alerts · Settings shows the version that is actually installed

Version 0.2.0 Closed alpha · 2026-09-27

Includes the test builds 0.1.3.

• NewCloud forecast for tonight (optional)

  Hour-by-hour cloud cover, dew and wind from Open-Meteo. Cloudy hours no longer count as usable time. The forecast is kept until it expires or is refreshed: automatically when the app opens, or via ⋮ → Refresh forecast. Off by default; only rounded coordinates (about 1 km) are sent.

• NewFraming for Seestar and DWARF telescopes

  Choose a Seestar S30, S30 Pro, S50, S50 Pro or DWARF mini, DWARF 3, DRACO and see how each target fits the frame, in alt-az mode (the field slowly rotates during the night) or EQ mode.

• NewBest targets tonight

  Ranked suggestions based on clear, unobstructed time, framing, the Moon and brightness, with the best time to shoot each one.

• NewEasier blocked-direction editor

  Tap the sky map to add a direction, drag its edges or use −/+, set a height and a name. "Check & adjust with camera" draws your blocked sky over the live view and lets you set edges by pointing the phone.

• NewFirst test release

  Tonight list, object details with altitude chart and sky map, AR view with the night path and hour ticks, blocked directions per location, compare locations, red night mode.

• ImprovedStable AR view indoors and near metal

  The heading now follows the gyroscope; the compass only corrects it slowly while the magnetic field looks normal. Radiators, steel or speakers no longer make the view jump, and a warning shows when the compass is disturbed. New "Gyro only" option in Calibrate.

• Fix2 bug fixes and corrections

  Align on target corrected the compass the wrong way · Version in Settings now matches the store version