Software
Mobile
Stellarium Mobile
- Free, with a small subscription (Stellarium Plus) for more advanced features.
- Available on iOS and Android.
- Stellarium Plus does telescope control (NexStar, SynScan, or LX200).
- See https://stellarium-labs.com/stellarium-mobile-plus/
Sky Safari
- Comes in Basic, Plus, and Pro editions. There is no free tier.
- Plus and Pro editions control a large variety of telescopes (ASCOM Alpaca, INDI, Celestron, SkyFi, ZWO Seestar and more).
- Available on iOS and Android. Will work on M-series Macs.
- See https://skysafariastronomy.com/
Desktop
Stellarium
- Fully featured desktop astronomy planetarium and charting programme.
- Controls a variety of telescopes.
- Plug-ins provide additional features.
- Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- See https://stellarium.org/
Cartes du Ciel
- Highly regarded
- Used at Breckland Observatory to control the 20″
- Available on many platforms – Windows, Mac (x86) and Linux.
- See https://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start
Web
Stellarium Web
- Excellent browser based online starchart
- See https://stellarium-web.org
Star Charts
With the advent of desktop and mobile charts, they are less dominant, but still actively used. Below are listed some of the more well-known charts.
Wil Tiron’s Sky Atlas 2000
- Large fold-out star atlas
- Came in white on black, black on white, and laminated
- Available second hand
Wil Tiron’s Uranametria 2000
- Two books, Northern and Southern Hemisphere
- Available second hand
Norton’s Star Atlas and Reference Handbook
- Somewhat dated, but included because many people started here
- Available second hand