Is Sky Guide or LaunchDetect better?

Sky Guide is better for visual stargazing — it has a beautiful UI and is the iPhone gold standard for identifying what you see in the sky. LaunchDetect is better for rocket-launch detection, satellite tracking, AR sky overlay, and live space situational awareness — including independent thermal confirmation of every rocket launch on Earth within 30-90 seconds of ignition. They solve different problems. Most space enthusiasts benefit from having both: Sky Guide for stargazing aesthetics, LaunchDetect for live launches and orbital traffic.

Does Sky Guide track rocket launches?

No. Sky Guide is focused on stargazing — identifying stars, constellations, planets, and satellites. It does not perform rocket-launch detection or push real-time launch alerts. LaunchDetect (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/launchdetect-space-monitor/id6762911197) is the iPhone app for that — it detects rocket launches from independent thermal-IR imagery on NOAA GOES and JMA Himawari geostationary satellites within 30-90 seconds of ignition.

Does Sky Guide have AR?

Sky Guide uses your phone's orientation to align with the sky and identify objects you point at — basic AR. LaunchDetect's AR Replay is a deeper AR experience: it shows satellite trails passing over your current location in real time with the actual orbital geometry, not just constellation labels overlaid on the live camera feed.

LaunchDetect vs Sky Guide.

Sky Guide is the gold standard for iPhone stargazing aesthetics. LaunchDetect is the live operations dashboard for rockets, satellites, and orbital activity. Different problems, both worth owning.

TL;DR: Get Sky Guide if you want to identify stars and constellations beautifully. Get LaunchDetect if you want push alerts when rockets launch, a live 3D space map, AR satellite tracking, and the only public service that confirms launches from geostationary thermal imagery.

Side-by-side

Feature	LaunchDetect	Sky Guide
Stargazing identification	Yes	Best-in-class polish
Constellations and mythology	No	Beautiful
Rocket launch detection	Thermal-IR, 30-90s from ignition	No
Push alert on launch	APNs, < 90s	No
3D space map (Cesium)	Yes	2D star map only
Satellite tracker (10,000+)	Yes	Yes
Tonight's Sky pass predictor	Silver tier	Built-in
AR sky overlay	Gold tier, satellite trails	Constellation labels
NOTAMs / aircraft / vessels	Yes	No
Wildfire thermal layer	Yes	No
Per-launch citation archive	Permanent URLs with Event JSON-LD	No
Public API	Yes	No
Free tier	Full map + archive	Paid or subscription