Method and Apparatus for Automatic Identification of Celestial Bodies

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for automatic identification of celestial bodies comprises an imager and logic encoded in media. The imager is operable to accept incoming light from celestial bodies and produce a digital image. The logic encoded in media is operable to identify centroids of the celestial bodies within the digital image, and identify the celestial bodies by comparing angles derived from the centroids with catalogued values. The imager and the logic encoded in media are contained in a first enclosure. The first enclosure is sized to be held in a hand of a user or in a telescope mount.