Life & fun · February 15, 2024
Galactic Compass – an app that points to the galactic center
I made a single-serving iPhone app with a floating green arrow that always points to the center of the Milky Way, 26,000 lights years away. It’s weirdly grounding. I’ve never made an app before, so here’s how it worked with ChatGPT.
Galactic Compass – an app that points to the galactic center launched on February 15, 2024 with 175 votes, #264 of 3,962 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 2 years on.
In plain words
Galactic Compass is an iPhone app that displays a floating green arrow constantly pointing toward the center of the Milky Way, located 26,000 light-years away. The app serves as a simple tool for users interested in astronomy and cosmic perspective. The developer, building their first app with assistance from ChatGPT, describes the experience as unexpectedly grounding, offering users a unique way to orient themselves within the galaxy.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Posted on Thursday 15 Feb 2024. 1,675 words, 12 links. By Matt Webb.
Hey I made an app! It’s a green floating arrow that always points to the middle of the Milky Way. i.e. 26,000 light years towards the supermassive central black hole, Sagittarius A*. Once upon a time I trained myself to always know where to look, and the centre of the galaxy moves of course over the day and the year: So I would end up pointing through the pavement, or down a street, and thinking, huh, that’s where it is. Eventually then I had this picture of myself, and the Earth, and the solar system, and the centre of the galaxy which had initially been whirling round me, and now it had flipped, I was turning around it. In my imagination I see an iPhone app which displays a 3D model,…from interconnected.org
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MBCompass – Android Compass App2025 · github.com · ▲61Hey HN, I built MBCompass, a lightweight, privacy-friendly compass app for Android. It works fully offline, doesn’t ask for unnecessary permissions (no GPS, no internet), and is open source. Most compass apps out there are bloated or ad-heavy. I wanted something clean, fast, and featurish. So I made this! It’s only ~1.7 in size and uses a low-pass filter to smooth sensor readings. I’d love feedback or thoughts – especially from others building simple, privacy-first apps! https://f-droid.org/packages/com.mubarak.mbcompass/…
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