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Distant Suns (Lite): Astronomy for the rest of us

Price: FREE
Rating:
Released: Feb 06, 2010
Version: Current 1.3.0
Size: 16.1 MB
Parental Rating: 4+
Languages: English
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
Requires iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later.
Description
Sporting a database of thousands of stars, nebula and galaxies, Distant Suns has earned the reputation of both having one of the most realistic displays of the night sky, while being one of the easiest to use astronomy programs available for the most casual sky watcher and serious telescope jockey alike.



Here's what people said about the original DIstant Suns:



•5 Stars from ituneappreview.com, http://www.ituneappreviews.com/2008/11/12/distant-suns.htm

•5 Stars in iphoneapplicationlist.com

• 4 Stars from AppVee.co: http://www.appvee.com/t/distant-suns



Features include:



•Best tech support in this and parallel universes

•Thousands of pinpoint stars scintillating like diamond dust in the palm of your hand (but not nearly as scratchy)

•Realistic ghostly band of the Milky Way

•All 88 constellations with articles on their mythology

•All 9 planets (yes, we feel that little Pluto got a bad rap so in the Distant Suns universe it is still a planet)

•Sun and Moon

•GPS aware

•What's Up? Gives a quick snapshot overview of where all of the important stuff is

•Easy one-handed operation.

•Point and Identify mode reveals the hidden data for each of the stars, planets and deep-sky wonders

•Planetary data and information

•IM the author with astronomical questions. And he may answer if he's not napping. AIM Handle: lazyastronomer. Also on twitter at distantsuns.



What does the full version have that this doesn't?



• The ability to change date/time and accelerate time to study the heavenly motions

• Over 130,000 stars, down to magnitude 10

• Mythical figures for all constellations

• The ability to fine tune the star's sizes and images from simple to stunning

• Be able to filter out dimmer stars to match your local sky

• Compass support for iPhone 3GS users, just aim the phone at the sky and see what you're looking at.

• Augmented Reality: displays the stars on top of your phones video image

• Nightvision mode keeps your eyes dark-adapted when outside at night

• Smoothly slews to each object when selected

• Limits the current-event alert to one showing.

• Additional landscape images

• Third toolbar for ease of navigation

• Extra in-depth data about each object







The Universe just got, well...uh..."smaller."
What's New In This Version?
• momentum swipes for smoother and faster navigation

• sound effects

• addressed some stability issues
Reviews (15 of 71 available)
Worth paying for!
By Rick Dove on Feb 06, 2010
9 of 9 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.3.0
This app is so great that I deleted the free version and installed the paid version purely to reward the developer. Although this app is obviously a long-term labor of love, nothing says 'thank-you" and encourages further projects like a few dollars.
what's the difference between the lite & full versions?
By Bob(OH) on Feb 23, 2009
2 of 4 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0
Not at all obvious from the description, unless there's a line or two difference somewhere in the long description. I do see a sentence about it on the website but it should be clearer in the descriptions in the App Store.

Haven't tried the app yet but it looks well-designed and I'm looking forward to trying it if the weather ever clears up!
Great Astronomy App for Novice to Intermediate
By Acedian on Jul 22, 2009
1 of 1 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0.1
The app was so good and useful in the lite version that I went ahead and purchased the full version on sale (Moon landing sale)... Nice price, great app, but needs more user control.
Free version better than Starmap
By e1237m on Jul 01, 2009
1 of 1 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0.1
I found this lite version of Distant Suns to be better than the $12 version of Starmap. As an amateur astronomer, I found that this program contains the fundamentals and is much more intuitive than the wildly expensive alternatives.
Great program
By Vulcanhammer on Nov 07, 2009
1 of 1 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.1.1
Is it possible to enter another date?
Best free astronomy app out there!
By BackroadsEm on Mar 13, 2010
1 of 1 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.3.0
I have not bothered to look at the full version, but I must admit this one is wonderful, just as it is. It's handy, chock-full of information, easy-to-work, and just looks great.
Pocket universe
By Sipfan on Feb 20, 2010
1 of 1 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.3.0
Does exactly what its designer desired. Places a map to the visible sky right where you can grab it. Only complaint is that I feel lost when changing perspective or rotating view. Gets away from me quickly.
Great app!
By Qxl on Oct 10, 2009
1 of 2 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.1.1
This app has everything I need when I observe the sky at night. More interactive and informative than other counterpart apps
Best astronomy app!
By catwithak on Sep 16, 2009
1 of 2 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.1.1
Best astronomy app out there that I've tried...and I've tried a lot! Very easy to use and wonderfully informative! Perfect for all levels and ranges of astronomers!
Wonderful
By MacTrooper on Jun 01, 2009
0 of 0 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0
Great interface, graphics and info. This app is an excellent way to explore new worlds for your kids.
Top notch app!
By Olde Astronomer on Jun 19, 2009
0 of 0 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0
As a longtime user of Distant Suns on the Amiga then Windows, the port to the iPod Touch/iPhone platform is well done. It's fairly intuitive and easy to navigate.
Distant Suns is a classic
By Astergawker on Jun 26, 2009
0 of 0 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0.1
I've enjoyed this application since my Amiga days, through several Mac versions. This is a rare instance where the perfect platform and a well-seasoned, mature program come together as if they had been meant for each other all along. Grab a pair of binoculars and your iPhone. Go outside on a dark night and enjoy the splendor above you.
So informative & fun
By Uncle Vinny on Jun 28, 2009
0 of 0 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0.1
I can't believe it's free... I've told all my friends, especially those with kids. Definitely worth trying out; you will love it, especially if you are a little nerdy like me. Beautiful job!
To the guy below
By *•* on Jul 22, 2009
0 of 0 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0.1
Even though pluto has offically been considered a "dwarf planet" many scientists still call pluto a planet. This is not suffisiant(misspell) information to rate this app low and say it is "outdated". I have not checked the app out yet myself but it's free so what can it hurt??
Good app
By Akron12101971 on Aug 07, 2009
0 of 0 iTunes users found this review helpful
Version 1.0.1
This is a wonderful itouch program I love it!