Easily my favourite app

I took a bit of astronomy back in university, but until I got this app it was only really a passing interest. Having a detailed, customizable starmap on my phone, however, has changed everything. The experience of stepping out at night into my own front yard and comparing whats on the screen to whats in the sky, easily being able to spot Mars and Saturn, and following the constellations as they inch westward night after night is almost, for lack of a better word, spiritual.

As for the program itself, its intuitive, well organized and offers a wealth of extra features, from the superfluous to the essential. I especially like the "Figures" option, which brings up the mythological figure associated with whichever constellation you bring to the centre of the screen.

The author has been diligent with updates, and the majority of tweaks over the past few months have been for the better. I do hope future editions will have more detail on the Jovial moons and other objects in the solar system. Id really like to see some integration between this app and the same publishers Grand Tour 3D. It would also be great to have a simplified version for children.

Im considering buying an iPad just so I can experience this software on a bigger screen.

Peter Vesuwalla about Distant Suns: The new way to look at the sky