Sky Safari puts the sky at your fingertips
Community Review for SkySafari
My Take
I've been using planetarium software for display of Earth's sky for at least 12 years. I started with RedShift, then went to Starry Night, and now I'm at Sky Safari. It's got all the features I need at a great price, and is available for iOS. Overall it seems to be less processor intensive and faster, and it seems geared toward the touch-screen generation. Everything pops and is very smooth, from lines to objects to illustrations. I immediately took to the interface with no problems, having had lots of experience with other apps. I don't think the new user would have much trouble.
How I Use It
I generally display this app with a projector on a big screen in a darkened room. I don't often look at particular deep sky or solar system objects, but they are wonderfully rendered. Mainly I use the time-lapse functions to show changes in the sun, moon, and sky over days, months, or years. I'm looking to expand my students spacial intelligence, meaning their ability to mentally visualize and manipulate the space around them. In this case, it is the space around Earth and the motions of our solar system and galaxy that serve to expand all students understanding of Earth and its environment.