Sunday, September 27, 2015

Starmap

Since my first iPhone I've used an astronomy program called Starmap. There are several popular such programs but this has been my favorite and I've always been surprised it hasn't gotten more attention. They've just released a big upgrade, known as Starmap 2. It's a universal app available for free in the app store with basic features that will be sufficient for most users. It basically does everything, show the map, knows where you are and which direction you're pointing, show info about the stars, planets, etc. With additional purchases it can control telescopes, show more catalogs, show a view flying through the solar system, track satellites, speak stories explaining astronomy while pointing you at things to look at.

There are also a few in-app purchases for more features and those are on sale for Monday (but starting now, Sun evening). The Classic version, normally $5 is on sale (in the US) for just $2 and the Pro version is on sale for $7 (normal $15). Buying the feature on one device means you can use them on all of your devices, so for $7 I upgraded to Pro on both my iPhone and iPad (and Classic probably would have been fine for me).

I highly recommend downloading it and if you like it, buying some of the add-ons on Monday.

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