I’ve been intending to write about stargazing apps for a long time now, but I’ve been putting it off because I kept waiting for even better apps to come along to help you make the stars even closer friends. I’ve also been holding off because I’ve been waiting for more people to get smartphones.

There are still a lot of people who don’t have them but the numbers are accelerating so I thought it was time.

Assembling a list of stargazing and astronomy apps has turned out to be a tougher task than I thought because there are so many, and their availability depends on whether you have an iPhone or an Android device.

I have to confess, I’m much more up-to-date on iPhone apps since that’s the only smartphone I’ve ever had. I did check with my stargazing Android owner friends and solicited their opinions that I’ll pass on to you.

By no means is this meant to be a comprehensive list but rather a conglomeration of my favorites and my astro-buddy’s favorites. I’m not quoting exact prices because the prices are always changing, but in general the ones I’m recommending cost little or even no money.

The most popular stargazing apps are the ones that help you identify what stars, constellations, planets, satellites, and other things you’re viewing. These are especially wonderful on larger iPads and tablet screens, and can be a great help with your star watching. Some are better than others.

You can hold your phone up to the sky and it will show you the stars and constellations in that particular direction. Be careful, though, because the display can at times be 10 to 15 degrees off.

Another word of caution is that faint stars and constellations that show up on the screen may not be available to your actual eyes because of light pollution.

Another important feature the better apps have is a control that turns your display screen red. That’s key because it helps you maintain your night vision while still observing the screen. Even if you’re observing from a light-polluted area keeping your night vision is very helpful.

Here are some apps:

n Skywalk (iPhone). It’s one of the less expensive apps and it even plays stargazing music to allegedly put you in the mood, although it drives me crazy after awhile because the tune sounds like “Silent Night.” That’s a great piece of music but not over and over.

• Starwalk (iPhone and Android). It’s very similar to Skywalk but a little more expensive.

• Starchart (Android). Very much like Skywalk and Starwalk.

• Sky and Telescope (iPhoneand Android). It helps you keep up on special celestial events, provides you with a monthly star map and much more. It’s great for newcomers as well as experienced amateurs.

• Stellarium (iPhone and Android). It’s the best all around planetarium app available and can also be downloaded from the Internet on your home computer or laptop.

• ISS Spotter (iPhone). It’s the best app in my opinion for helping you keep up with the visibility of the very bright International Space Station. You also get an alarm a few minutes before an ISS pass over. Make sure you wave at the astronauts.

• ISS Detector Satellite tracker (Android). I think it works just as well as ISS Spotter It also sets off an alarm a few minutes before the station passes over.

• Aurora Radar (iPhone). I think it’s one of the best forecasters of auroras or the northern lights at your location. It also has an optional live alert that’ll push live space weather alerts directly to your phone. It’s a fairly new app and certainly not foolproof, but I like what I see so far.

• JupiterMoons (iPhone). It helps you keep up with the ever changing positions of Jupiter’s four brightest moons as they orbit the planet in periods of 2 to 17 days. All four moons can be easily seen with a small telescope or even a good pair of binoculars.

• SaturnMoons (iPhone). Basically it’s the same app as JupiterMoons but for the ringed wonder of our solar system and it’s many natural satellites.

• Red AstroLight (iPhone) and AstroLight (Android). Both of these apps can turn your smartphone into a red flashlight to help you read star charts and not lose your night vision. It’s really handy.

Again, by no means is this meant to be a comprehensive list, but hopefully these apps and others you’ll discover will make your nights under the Butler heavens even more enjoyable.

Celestial huggingThe near full waxing gibbous moon will be passing just to the right of Mars tonight (Saturday). Mars is still nearly at its closest approach to the Earth in more than two years at little more than 62 million miles away.You can easily see Mars’ reddish hue with even the naked eye. Also on Tuesday and Wednesday the full moon will be in a close hug with Saturn.Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul and is author of the book, “Stars, a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and at www.adventurepublications.net.