Fresco explores the cosmos from your Android smartphone

If you’re a fan of astronomy or simply enjoy looking up at the nighttime sky, you probably are already familiar with a number of space-related apps for smartphones, such as Google’s Sky Map.

This particular app is actually perfect for backyard stargazing because it shows what is in your field of view from your exact location, making it easier to locate constellations, for example.

Unfortunately, Google officially stopped supporting Sky Map, although Mountain View did donate the project to the open source community. So if you’re looking for a new app with similar capabilities, you might want to check out a new space program dubbed “Fresco,” courtesy of XDA Dev member d-fader.

The app offers up a number of beautiful and breathtaking images directly from NASA for you to peruse and enjoy. The images include everything from shots of nebula, the sun, to other celestial bodies. Plus, Fresco allows you to view more than 5800 images with at least one new picture downloaded every day.

Of course the app offers more than a pretty picture to stare at, providing explanations and details to accompany the various images. The software also allows users the ability to mark their favorite images, while viewing random images with the click of a single button. In addition, Fresco offers a grid view mode that supports the display of multiple images on one screen.

One of the sweetest features? The ability to automatically set the wallpaper to whatever the image of the day is as soon as it finishes downloading. Users can also share images via social networks like Facebook or email.

Interested? The app can be downloaded here free of charge.