Acolo: Point Me There
A 4D compass in space & time
Acolo is now a 4D compass: point through space and time. Pick any date from 1900 to 2100 and see where the Sun, Moon, and planets were or will be.
A compass in space and time
Follow the arrow
A translucent 3D arrow points at your target, even behind you or below the horizon. Hints like “Turn right” and “Tilt up” and gentle haptics guide you in.
Explore the universe
The Sun, Moon, all the planets and Pluto, 20 bright stars, the galactic center, and 40 constellations with their real star patterns.
Any place on Earth
Search an address, tap the map, or pin its center. For faraway places the arrow points straight through the Earth.
Stand anywhere
Point from another city, Earth’s Center, the Moon, Mars, or a distant star. Where is Jupiter from Mars?
Feel the distance
See how far it is, how long it takes to get there, from walking to light speed, and how high above the horizon it sits.
Choose any moment
Pick a date and time from 1900 to 2100 and see where the Sun, Moon, and planets were or will be. The chosen time syncs between iPhone and Apple Watch.
On your wrist
The Apple Watch app points with the top of the watch, with the same hints, haptics, and every target. Pin favorites with a swipe. Your selection, saved places, and pins sync through iCloud.
Ask Siri
App Shortcuts point Acolo at a target, even at a chosen time and place, on iPhone and Apple Watch.
Private by design
No account needed. Your location stays on your device.
Built with
For transparency, here is what Acolo is made of.
Apple frameworks
SwiftUI, RealityKit (the 3D arrow), Core Motion (phone orientation), Core Location (your position, on device), MapKit (map, search, addresses), WatchKit & WatchConnectivity, App Intents (App Shortcuts and Siri), iCloud key-value sync, StoreKit.
Open source
Astronomy Engine (MIT) for Sun, Moon and planet positions, validated against NASA JPL Horizons. Point-Free’s Sharing and Dependencies.
Data
Star positions from the ESA Hipparcos catalogue (VizieR I/239). Constellation figures follow the IAU star patterns.
Third-party service
RevenueCat records tip-jar purchases and Apple Ads attribution (which ad campaign led to the download). Acolo never sends it your location.
Questions, bug reports, or ideas?
Join the community on Reddit: r/AcoloApp
