Milky Way rising above snow-covered Pacific Northwest mountains

Milky Way field planneriPhone & iPad

Milky Way Scout

Plan the dark. Capture the core.

On-device Milky Way timing, moonrise and moonset, dark-site search, composition planning, Sky View, field tools, and a saved-night calendar for iPhone and iPad.

See what it does Get support

Milky Way Scout Home on iPhone — Inside Milky Way ScoutTonight's Milky Way window, Moon events, night-quality estimate, and planning status on iPhone.

Original photography · Steven Smith

On-deviceAstronomy calculations

iPhone + iPadOne field workflow

0Accounts, ads, or trackers

Built for photographers who work after dark

Know where the core will be before the tripod comes out.

Milky Way Scout puts the astronomy, darkness window, Moon, foreground alignment, dark-site research, and practical exposure tools for a field night into one focused interface. The core calculations run on your device, saved nights stay local, and every sample or network-dependent value is labeled honestly.

Find darker ground

Search Apple Maps or compare five bundled dark sites by Bortle class, sky brightness, distance, and clearly labeled sample cloud cover.

Screen the night

See the Galactic Core window beside astronomical darkness, Moon illumination, moonrise, moonset, altitude, and azimuth for the selected site.

Frame and save

Align the core against a foreground, check Sky View, calculate a starting exposure, and save the composition to your field calendar.

Real product. Current interface.

See Milky Way Scout at work.

Milky Way Scout Home showing tonight's core window, Moon events, night quality, and seven-day planning sample — Tonight at a glance

Milky Way Scout Locations showing dark-site search and ranked curated sites — Dark Sky Finder

Milky Way Scout composition planner aligning the Galactic Core over Cannon Beach — Composition Planner

Milky Way Scout Sky View dome with stars and Galactic Core overlay — Sky View

Milky Way Scout field tools with the NPF calculator, Field Guide, privacy, and Settings — Field tools

Built around the real workflow

Tools that earn their place.

On-device Milky Way timing, moonrise and moonset, dark-site search, composition planning, Sky View, field tools, and a saved-night calendar for iPhone and iPad.

Milky Way and Moon timing

Calculate Galactic Core rise, peak, set, altitude, and azimuth beside astronomical darkness, Moon illumination, moonrise, and moonset in the selected site's local time.

Dark Sky Finder

Search places, switch between a ranked list and Apple Maps, and compare bundled sites by Bortle class, SQM estimate, distance, and labeled sample cloud cover.

Composition Planner

Adjust camera heading and field of view, align to the Galactic Core, review the Moon window, and save a planned composition for the field.

Sky View

Explore a calculated celestial overlay or sky dome for the chosen place and time. On supported devices, camera, motion, and compass data help align the planning guide with the foreground.

Field tools and guide

Use a no-trail exposure calculator, low-glare red screen tint, practical Field Guide, saved-night calendar, unit preferences, and transparent data-source notes.

Private by design

No account, advertising, analytics, or cross-app tracking. Astronomy runs on-device and saved nights remain on the device unless you choose to share information yourself.

Apple distribution

Preparing for TestFlight

Milky Way Scout is being prepared for iPhone and iPad beta testing. Its first release is planned outside the European Union while storefront, field, and accessibility verification continues.

Listing pending

Built for the field, clear about the limits

Your plans stay on your device.

01PrivacyHow Milky Way Scout handles your work and data 02SupportHelp for the next dark night 03TermsStraightforward terms for a planning tool

Privacy PolicyEffective August 4, 2026

Overview

Milky Way Scout is a night-photography planning app for iPhone and iPad. It does not require an account and is designed around on-device astronomy calculations and local saved-night data.

Solution 7 Media does not collect personal information through the app, sell personal information, use advertising SDKs, use analytics SDKs, or track you across apps or websites.

Location, camera, and motion

Milky Way Scout can request location access while you use the app so Sky View can use true heading. Astronomy planning uses the site you select; your precise device location is not sent to Solution 7 Media.

Sky View can request camera and motion access to align a calculated celestial planning overlay with the foreground. Camera frames and motion readings are processed for the feature and are not collected by Solution 7 Media.

Apple Maps and network use

The Locations tab can use Apple Maps for place search and map tiles. Search text and map requests are handled by Apple under Apple's privacy terms. The five curated dark-site coordinates and darkness ratings remain bundled in the app.

Milky Way Scout does not currently provide live weather or hazard monitoring. Any bundled sample weather values are identified as samples in the interface.

Saved nights and preferences

Saved-night plans and app preferences are stored locally on your device. Deleting a saved night removes it from the app's local calendar; deleting the app removes its local app data according to iOS and iPadOS behavior.

App Store privacy summary

Data Not Collected by the developer
No tracking
No third-party advertising
No account or sign-in

Contact

Privacy questions may be sent to support@solution7media.com or directed by phone to 503-257-6177.

SupportHelp for the next dark night

Getting started

Choose a site in Locations or search for a place using Apple Maps.
Use Home to screen the Galactic Core, darkness, and Moon window.
Open Planner to align the core with your foreground and save the night.
Use Sky View on location to confirm the calculated direction against your horizon.

Understanding the data

Milky Way and Moon calculations run on-device for the selected site and date. Curated darkness values are bundled. Apple Maps place search and uncached map tiles require a connection.

Milky Way Scout does not currently monitor live clouds, smoke, lightning, road closures, or space weather. Sample cloud values are for interface planning only; always check trusted live sources and local access conditions before travel.

Sky View on iPhone and iPad

Allow location, camera, and motion access when you want live alignment. If camera access is unavailable, Sky View still provides its calculated overlay and sky-dome planning modes. Recalibrate the compass if the heading does not match the horizon.

Contact support

Email support@solution7media.com or call 503-257-6177. Include your device model, iOS or iPadOS version, Milky Way Scout version, selected location, and a short description of what happened. TestFlight testers may also use Send Beta Feedback.

Field safety

Astronomy and darkness estimates are planning aids, not safety guarantees. Confirm weather, smoke, tides, closures, road conditions, land access, and emergency guidance with authoritative sources before heading into the field.

Email Milky Way Scout support

End User License AgreementStraightforward terms for a planning tool

Milky Way Scout is offered under Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement. Astronomy, map, darkness, and exposure outputs are planning aids and do not replace current safety, access, weather, navigation, or emergency information.

Read Apple’s Standard EULA