Viewing the Skies

• Google Sky Map has two major modes: Normal mode and Night Vision mode. Normal mode itself has two modes: manual and automatic. The app comes by default in automatic mode, in which you can point the phone in any direction to see stars in that direction. Manual mode works more like Google Maps -- the map stays in one place unless you move it yourself. Tapping the screen while in Normal mode lets you choose to "Toggle Night Mode" to turn that mode on and off; while in Night Vision mode the screen is not backlit and all objects and lines appear in red to avoid ruining your night vision.
  
  

Layers

• If you tap the screen while viewing Sky Map, you will see six icons appear at the left of the screen. In order from top to bottom they are "Stars," "Constellations," "Messier Objects," "Planets," "Right Ascension and Declination Grid" and "Horizon and Cardinal Points." Simply click one to turn it off and click it again to turn it back on. Layer icons are orange when enabled and gray when disabled. Notice on this same screen that below these six icons is a toggle for manual mode, as well as zoom controls with which you can also zoom in and out just like you can on a normal map.
  
  

Searching the Heavens

• While viewing Sky Map, tap the screen and tap Search to search for objects in the skies. Google Sky Map will even help you find the item in the skies after you search. For example, if you search for Jupiter, the app will superimpose a circle with an arrow on it on the screen telling you which way to turn the phone to see Jupiter. Stars and planets are represented on-screen by larger-than-real-life images to help you find them.
  
  

Uses for Google Sky Map

• Google Sky Map has so far been just a "really cool app" for Android that can help you figure out which stars you're looking at in the sky, but it has legitimate uses, too. For example, Sky Map can help you with GPS functionality by letting you search for the North Star (assuming you're in the Northern hemisphere) to help you find your way back to where you need to be.