SkySafari 3 Version Comparison
Southern Stars offers three versions of SkySafari that differ in the size of their database, and in their selection of features. All three versions require iOS 4 or later, and are "universal" apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The table below lists the main differences between the three versions of SkySafari:
App Version |
SkySafari |
SkySafari Plus |
SkySafari Pro |
| App Icon |
 |
 |
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| App Size |
59 MB |
204 MB |
588 MB |
| Price (USD) |
$2.99 |
$14.99 |
$39.99 |
Visual Comparison |
These images are screen shots from SkySafari running on an iPhone 4. They show an identical region around the Lagoon Nebula (M8) and Trifid Nebula (M20), near the center of the Milky Way in Sagittarius.
This provides a visual comparison of the depth of detail in the stellar and deep sky databases included with SkySafari's Pro, Plus, and basic versions.
Click any image to enlarge. |
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Database and Computation |
| Number of Stars |
119,889 |
2,637,760 |
15,466,327 |
| Star Magnitude Limit |
~8.0 |
~12.0 |
~15.0 |
| Number of Deep Sky Objects |
222 |
31,586 |
743,500 |
| Deep Sky Magnitude Limit |
~10.0 |
~15.0 |
~18.0 |
| Number of Planets & Moons |
34 |
34 |
185 |
| Number of Asteroids |
134 |
4,180 |
583,858 |
| Number of Comets |
237 |
492 |
3,139 |
| Number of Satellites |
151 |
828 |
828 |
| Planetary Position Accuracy |
10" - 1' |
< 0.1" |
< 0.1" |
Features, Graphics, and Interface |
| Compass & Gyroscope Support |
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 |
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| Wired & Wireless Telescope Control |
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| Orbit Solar System Objects (Leave Earth) |
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| Hi-Res Earth, Moon, Mars maps |
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| Ultra-Hi-Res Moon map |
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| Planet & Moon Surface Feature Labels |
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| Saves, Restores, and E-Mails Settings |
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| Creates Custom Observing Lists |
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| Imports Custom Horizon Panoramas |
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| Updates Solar System Orbit Data |
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| Includes Sky & Telescope SkyWeek |
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| Alt-Azimuth ("Local Horizon") Sky Charts |
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| Equatorial ("Star Atlas") Sky Charts |
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| Ecliptic ("Solar System") Sky Charts |
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| Galactic ("Milky Way") Sky Charts |
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| Coordinate Grids and Reference Lines |
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| Computation Precision & Precession Settings |
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| Date, Time, & Coordinate Format Settings |
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| Computes Conjunctions, Oppositions, Eclipses, Transits |
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| Computes Objects' Angular Separations |
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| Number of Object Descriptions |
486 |
1,188 |
1,188 |
| Number of Object Images |
531 |
865 |
865 |
| Number of Horizon Panoramas |
3 |
6 |
6 |