Google is about to launch Star Droid, a mobile phone app that assists amateur astronomers identify stars and planets that are increasingly difficult to identify due to pollution..

Star Droid uses GPS technology to compare the position of the phone user with their maps of space. It then provides the name of the star or planet that is visible via the phone's viewfinder.

These maps of space, similar to its Google Earth and Google Street View services are provided by a company in California. The launch date is unknown.

Existing Google Spy space maps have been created in collaboration with Britain's Astronomy Technology Centre, the Palomar Observatory in California, the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Digital Sky Survey Consortium, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Anglo-Australian Observatory.

This innovation will be interesting to see especially with regards how much the phone’s camera actually picks up. The night sky is crowded and whilst some planets like Venus are bright many are really quite dim and difficult to distinquish!

If it works it will be very useful especially to school children and could renew people’s interest in planets.

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