Google Sky Map a little off

[parlayguy]

I've been trying out Google Sky Map and it seems a bit off. I hold my phone in landscape mode and point it at the moon as if I were going to take a picture of it. The application shows the moon about 5-10 degrees off from where it actually is. Is this just the accuracy of the compass and orientation detection of the phone?

 

[Hangdog42]

I've wondered the same thing. I can't decide if is error because of the hardware or if it is intentional so your phone isn't "covering up" what you're looking at.

 

[dazzler22]

mmmmm weird, mine has been like this since the last update... before that it seems to be bang on bug in the new update maby?? Cheers Dazzler

 

[cjt]

I'm having the same trouble except it's more like 30 degrees rather than 5-10 and even get it in portrait.

 

[indianajonze]

same here, more like 30 degrees off. for me it's actually ruining what otherwise would be a brilliant app...

 

[athegn]

Mine is also a fair bet off.

 

[Booya]

Google Sky map is a bit off on my Droid X. I would point it at the moon but it would not show up on screen.

 

[hood420]

Phones have a digital compass that has to be "calibrated" every once in a while. There are different ways to calibrate them. The one that has worked the best for me is to rotate the phone three times or so on each axis: vertically, flat on its back and on its side. Be sure to keep it level while your doing it too.

Another way to calibrate it is to hold the phones and wave it in a figure 8 a few times, that method hasn't worked well for me.

 

[FMan]

You need to calibrate the magnetometer to have skymap show properly.

Menu > Settings > Location & Security > Calibrate Compass

The figure8 works well for me. Wave it in a figure 8 in the vertical plane in front of you.