Question about whether phone apps are ruining backyard stargazing

I read on a NASA blog that 67% of people who use astronomy apps spend more time looking at their screen than the sky, which kind of surprised me since I mostly use SkyView to find stuff. Does having a phone in your hand make it less of a real stargazing experience, or is it just a helpful tool?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sam1mo ago

67% huh? Sounds like NASA just confirmed what I already knew - that most people are using SkyView to find the Big Dipper and then immediately checking Instagram. My phone is just a glorified flashlight with a star map on it, not the main event.

henryf531mo ago

Exactly. I feel you on this. I use SkyView too but mostly to figure out if that bright thing is a planet or just the neighbor's drone, then I'm back to scrolling reddit. My phone's camera roll is full of blurry pictures of the moon that look like a dirty light bulb. It's just a tool to help me look up, not a reason to stare at another screen.