SkySafari 8 Plus

Observe smarter. Explore deeper.

What’s New in SkySafari 8 Plus

SkySafari 8 Plus sharpens the observing experience while giving you powerful new ways to personalize the sky.

• Built-In Plate Solving — Identify objects in your images, confirm framing, and lock them precisely onto the sky chart.
• Image Gallery with Flexible Imports — Import from your photo library, local or remote files, AstroBin, or saved captures.
• Pin Images to the Sky Chart — Overlay solved images directly onto the sky and build your own evolving celestial reference.
• Advanced Sky Chart Customization — Control labels, grids, filters, object visibility, and chart behavior in fine detail.
• UI Themes — Choose a look that matches your workflow and preserves your night vision.
• High-Resolution Lunar Surface with Feature Outlines — Explore the Moon with detailed overlays and clean filtering.

Note: SkySafari 8 Plus includes image importing and plate solving, but does not include native Alpaca camera control (available in Pro).

Observe First. Customize Everything.

SkySafari has always been built for observers. Version 8 Plus deepens that foundation.

Plan sessions. Track events. Log observations. Control your telescope. Filter the sky exactly the way you prefer. Then make it personal.

Import a stunning AstroBin image of a nebula you hope to observe one day. Pin it to the chart. Now when you look up, or slew to it, you're seeing both the data and the dream.

For comets and transient events, simulate the exact time, date, and location of an astrophotographer’s capture. Watch the comet drift through the precise patch of sky where that image was taken. The sky becomes contextual, not abstract.

You’re not replacing your capture software. You’re enriching your understanding of the sky itself.

A Deep, Data-Rich Universe

• Millions of stars for rich, realistic star fields
• Hundreds of thousands of deep-sky objects
• Extensive galaxy catalogs
• Large asteroid, comet, and satellite databases
• Accurate simulations tens of thousands of years into the past and future

Serious depth without unnecessary bulk. Powerful, fast, and built for real nights under real skies.

Field of View Tools (Know Before You Slew)

Turn guesswork into geometry.

• True field-of-view overlays for telescopes and eyepieces
• Multiple FOVs displayed simultaneously
• Accurate calculations based on real optical parameters
• Smooth scaling as you zoom
• Custom presets for multiple setups

If it fits on the chart, it fits in your eyepiece. If it doesn’t, better to know before the mount starts moving.

Telescope & Observing, Sharpened

• Broad telescope support including ASCOM Alpaca & INDI
• StarSense Explorer™ integration
• Powerful observing lists, logging, filtering, and sorting
• Event Finder for conjunctions, eclipses, meteor showers, and more
• Professional grids, reference markers, orbit nodes, and celestial lines
• Editable Jupiter GRS longitude and improved Moon age calculations
• Sky Tonight for a clean snapshot of what’s happening overhead

This is observing software built for people who actually observe.

Orbit Mode: Step Outside the Dome

Move beyond the fixed view from Earth and explore the solar system in true 3D space.

• Accurate spatial relationships and orbital mechanics
• View from Earth, Mars, a Jovian moon, or beyond
• Fast-forward or rewind time to see motion unfold naturally

When you see how things move, the “why” becomes obvious.

The Net Net

SkySafari 8 Plus is for serious observers who want deep catalogs, powerful planning tools, telescope control, and the freedom to personalize their sky.

You can keep your existing imaging workflow. You can stay purely visual. Or you can blend both worlds.

The sky doesn’t care how you observe it, but it’s better when the software does.