Dark Sky Meter
Dark Sky Meter Summary
Dark Sky Meter is a mobile Android app in Education by Pocket Science Citizen Science apps. It has about 155+ installs Based on AppGoblin estimates, it reaches roughly 70 monthly active users . Store metadata: updated Feb 13, 2026.
Recent activity: 52 installs this week (155 over 4 weeks) View trends →
Store info: Last updated on Google Play on Feb 13, 2026 .
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App Description
Measure Night Sky brightness
Dark Sky Meter turns your phone into a sky quality meter. Point your camera at the night sky to measure how dark it is, using the same scale as professional astronomy instruments.
How it works:
1. Cover your camera lens and capture a dark frame
2. Point the camera straight up at the sky and capture a sky frame
3. Get your results instantly
What you get:
- SQM value in magnitudes per square arcsecond (mag/arcsec²)
- Bortle scale rating (1-9) for your location
- Naked Eye Limiting Magnitude (NELM)
- Estimated number of visible stars
The app uses your phone's RAW camera sensor data for accurate readings — the same approach used by dedicated sky quality meters. Results are saved with your GPS location so you can track sky quality over
time and across different sites.
Adjustable calibration lets you fine-tune the zero point to match a reference meter for maximum accuracy.
Ideal for amateur astronomers, astrophotographers, dark sky advocates, and anyone curious about light pollution in their area.
Requires a phone with RAW camera capture support.