Reviews
"This app has a really professional feel to it but nevertheless retains a simple, intuitive interface that is well thought-out and works perfectly. The settings and search facilities are extremely comprehensive and it is the only app of its kind that I have found that shows man-made satellites on the celestial sphere moving in real time. Great for identifying those 'moving stars'. In addition it contains what amounts to a mini-encyclopaedia of astronomy in the help section... Very impressive."
- WestendWendy, July 2010
"The naked-eye star gazer will never need any other app, quite a deal for three bucks. An astonishing combination of encyclopedic depth and ease of use... Built-in Help's introduction to astronomy is itself more than worth the price... Unlike many competing apps, the display is never cluttered... Overall, in conception and depth, this app is close to perfect."
- BozoCity, January 2010
"Stunning... I can't give this app justice with words. I have learned more in one night than all my schooling. Well worth my hard earned cash."
- Datamad, September 2009
"I teach high school astronomy, and at this price, I even feel I can recommend it to my students who have iPhones or iPod Touches (it's actually cheaper for them than buying an old-fashioned planisphere with a rotating plastic disk). I'm absolutely delighted with this app!"
- AstronomyTeacher, July 2009
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SkySafari Lite
for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
SkySafari Lite (formerly SkyGazer) is a celestial travel guide - an easy-to-use planetarium app to help you explore the night sky. It is the intro version of SkySafari, our professional iPhone astronomy software.
SkySafari Lite accurately shows you the sky from any place on Earth, at any time up to 100 years in the past or future. SkySafari shows you nearly 120,000 stars, plus 220 of the best-known star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies in the sky. It displays all the major planets and moons of the Solar System using NASA spacecraft imagery, and includes a database of several dozen asteroids, comets, and artificial satellites.
Here are some of the other features of SkySafari Lite:
Compass & Accelerometer - If you have an iPhone with a compass, SkySafari Lite can show you the sky in same the direction that you're holding your phone. Shake the phone to activate its compass and accelerometer - now you can identify stars and planets by holding your phone next to them. You can find any object in the sky by following an arrow that points in its direction.
Night Vision - SkySafari Lite contains interface themes let you change the look-and-feel of the app. In addition to the "Classic" look, there's a cool black "Onyx" theme, and a "Night Vision" theme that preserves your dark adaption as you're exploring the night sky.
Time Flow Animation - The Time Flow feature lets you animate the night sky using simple VCR controls. Follow the motion of the stars and planets as SkySafari Lite compresses days, months, and years into a few seconds.
Descriptions and Images - SkySafari Lite includes more than 500 informative, plain-English descriptions of the constellations, planets, moons, stars, and deep sky objects. It contains hundreds of images from NASA space missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the world's foremost amateur and professional astro-photographers. Unlike other astronomy apps, which just give you Wikipedia links, our object descriptions are carefully researched and fact-checked - and you can use them anywhere, without needing internet access.
iPhone 4 and iOS 4 Support - SkySafari Lite utilizes the "retina" display of the iPhone 4 at its full resolution. And, it multitasks happily on devices running iOS 4. Drop out of your observing session to make a phone call, and pick up again exactly where you left off!
SkySafari Lite's simple user interface makes it an invaluable tool for exploring the night sky.
SkySafari - The Pro Version
For advanced users, the full version of SkySafari contains a much larger database of 2.5 million stars and 31,900 deep sky objects. If you have a computer-controlled GoTo telescope, SkySafari can use your iPhone or iPod's built-in WiFi to point your telescope in the sky.