Astronomy Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Take a planetary tour with Solar Walk

by Mel Martin (May 21st, 2010)

Solar Walk is a nifty astronomy romp from the folks who did the popular Star Walk iPhone and iPad app. Instead of exploring the night sky and deep space, you get to tour our solar system in luscious 3D graphics. While the app is universal for the iPhone and iPad, the iPad version is breathtaking ...

Carry the Moon in your pocket with this free iPhone app

by Mel Martin (Feb 24th, 2010)

Last week I was pleased to suggest some free astronomy programs of interest to star-gazers. This week, I'm at it again hoping that space or science buffs get a look at Moon Globe. This very handy app gives you a complete map of our nearest space neighbor, showing you what is visible on any night ...

Keep your eyes on the Sun safely with free 3D Sun app

by Mel Martin (Feb 18th, 2010)

I really love to find cool, free apps, and I have a good one for you. 3D Sun, developed in collaboration with NASA scientists, will alert you to solar flares and storms which can disrupt communications on earth and trigger spectacular northern lights. Activating the push feature provides instant ...

Amateur astronomers: Log your sessions with Observation 1.1 for iPhone

by Steven Sande (Jan 18th, 2010)

Being proper geeks, a lot of us here at TUAW are amateur astronomers (we won't count Mel Martin, who is so incredibly good at astrophotography that he should be considered a professional). Although we've talked about numerous "planetarium" apps such as Pocket Universe, Star Walk, Distant Suns, and ...

Win a copy of Distant Suns to see the night sky on your iPhone

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (Oct 26th, 2009)

We've covered Distant Suns before, and we missed the Galilean Nights, but we're giving away 10 copies of Distant Suns [iTunes Link] for your iPhone or iPod touch this week. It's always a good time to have the "universe in your shirt pocket," right? The rules couldn't be simpler (unless we allowed ...

Star Walk still out of this world (and you might get it for free!)

by Mel Martin (Oct 3rd, 2009)

Star Walk [iTunes link] has been updated and improved with new features that let you leave the earth and look back at our home planet in beautifully rendered views. Star Walk uses GPS to get your location, and shows you the current sky above your head. Since we last looked at Star Walk the app has ...

Catch a satellite on your iPhone this weekend

by Mel Martin (Sep 5th, 2009)

As summer draws to a close for much of the northern hemisphere, try to get outside for some (hopefully) clear skies and a little star gazing. We've taken a good look at many of the star gazing apps available for the Mac and the iPhone, and I thought it would be fun to try the 'next step', an ...

Win a copy of Distant Suns for your iPhone and show us your Perseid meteor shots

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (Aug 11th, 2009)

The Perseid meteor shower should peak tomorrow, August 12, and stay spectacular for a few days after. If you've got the means, I highly recommend you check it out. Quite a show. I'm not sure an iPhone camera would do it justice, but you can prove me wrong by submitting your Perseid meteor shower ...

Distant Suns for iPhone update: Sky no longer the limit

by Mel Martin (Aug 6th, 2009)

In this International Year of Astronomy we're seeing a small explosion of astronomy apps updated both for the Mac and the iPhone. One of my favorites, Distant Suns [App Store] has updated the build that runs on the 3GS iPhone to include some augmented reality features. This means that if you ...

iPhone astronomy app, SkyVoyager, free today

by Mel Martin (Jul 20th, 2009)

Regular readers will know I'm hooked on astronomy programs, and we've reviewed quite a few in this International Year of Astronomy. Today only, Carina Software, one of the premier publishers in the field, is giving away Mac, PC, and iPhone versions of their software for next to nothing. It's in ...

Hope you got 'em while they were hot -- Carina Voyager and SkyGazer

by Steven Sande (Jul 20th, 2009)

Over the weekend, we posted information about Carina Software's software giveaway to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Today (July 20th) is the day, and for a limited time this morning you could get their two Mac applications (Voyager and SkyGazer) for one cent each. ...

Celebrate "One Small Step" + 40 with free Carina astronomy apps

by Steven Sande (Jul 18th, 2009)

On July 20th, 1969, I was an 11 year-old nerd who loved space. Along with billions of other people in the rest of the developed world, I sat in rapt attention in front of the family TV set watching the ghostly figures of Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin taking the first steps on the moon. ...

Pocket Universe ups the astronomy app ante

by Mel Martin (Jul 3rd, 2009)

When the fireworks stop and the smoke clears, it would be a great weekend to look at our beautiful summer skies. Pocket Universe [App Store] is a US$2.99 app that has been updated to make star finding easier for those that have a new iPhone 3GS. The app uses the position sensors and the compass to ...

The stars in your pocket: Pocket Universe for iPhone

by Mel Martin (May 14th, 2009)

I've always loved astronomy. There is something about the tremendous size and scope of our observable universe that is inspiring and humbling at the same time. It's why I get excited about the variety of astronomy programs for the iPhone. The latest is called Pocket Universe [App Store link]. For ...

Grand Tour for the iPhone is a grand exploration of the solar system

by Mel Martin (Apr 6th, 2009)

I admit I have a real love for astronomy and other science apps. Mike Smithwick, the creator of Distant Suns [App Store link] has come up with another winner for the space minded. Grand Tour [App Store link] is a $4.99US application that will let you tour the solar system in very smooth and ...