SkyWindow
A stargazing companion that finds the darkest sky within driving distance, counts down to peak Perseid hours, and uses AR to show exactly where to look for the radiant.
Casual stargazers, families, and amateur astrophotographers chasing meteor showers
- Light-pollution map that ranks the darkest reachable sites by drive time and current sky quality
- Hour-by-hour viewing forecast combining cloud cover, moon phase, and active-shower meteor rate
- AR sky map that points your phone at the radiant constellation and tracks where meteors will streak
- Photo-timer mode that triggers long-exposure captures when motion is detected above the horizon
The Perseids peak in mid-August under a new moon with up to 100 meteors per hour — the best conditions in years — and 10K+ Google searches in the US show broad public interest that current astronomy apps do not specifically serve.
2025 Perseid peak (Aug 12-13) confirmed by Space.com/timeanddate.com and stargazing app market growing ~15% CAGR, but timeanddate.com notes a bright Full Moon will wash out 2025 — undermining the idea's 'best conditions in years' premiseDon't miss Perseid meteor shower 2025 peak Aug. 12-13 ↗Perseid Meteor Shower 2025—When, Where, and How to See It ↗
Incumbents (SkyView Lite, Night Sky, Star Walk 2, SkySafari, Stellarium) already do AR + sky maps, and dedicated dark-sky finders (Light Pollution Map, Dark Sky Map, BortleBuddy) cover driving-distance dark sites — the integrated combo is incremental, not novelLight Pollution Map | Bortle Scale & Dark Sky ↗The 20 Best Astronomy Apps in 2026 | Night Sky & Stargazing ↗
Stargazing app market is growing at ~15% CAGR per Data Insights but typical ARPU is low (freemium/SkySafari-style $1-5) — premium subscription viable only if the meteor-shower-specific utility justifies recurring feesStargazing App Drivers of Growth: Opportunities to 2034 ↗Worldwide Stargazing App Market 2026 ↗
Meteor showers recur annually (Perseids, Geminids, Leonids, Quadrantids, Eta Aquariids) giving durable, calendar-driven re-engagement, but usage is highly seasonal and concentrated around peak nightsPerseid meteor shower 2025: All you need to know ↗
All required building blocks are commodity tech: ARKit/ARCore for AR overlay, public light-pollution datasets (World Atlas 2015), and Google Maps driving-time APIs — MVP achievable in weeksBortleBuddy Light Pollution Map ↗