Distant Suns

I don’t know about you but I am a big fan of educational applications for iPhone. Distant Suns is certainly one of the top ones around. Whether you are a teenager or over 60 years young, you are going to learn a lot about our sky and the field of astronomy from Distant Suns. The app comes with thousands of stars, galaxies, and other objects that you can browse through to your heart’s desire.

The first time you start this app, you are going to be provided with a chance to sync your current location as well a peek at the guide that can help you get started with this app. The app is really simple to work with anyway. You can easily browse through the stars in the sky and get a better sense of admiration for our universe.

What I loved about this app was the inclusion of 88 constellations with articles on their mythology. As a casual astronomy fan, any additional information provided in this app helps me get a better understanding of what I am looking it.

As mentioned above, the application is GPS aware, which means you can always sync your position. You also have easy access to planets, the sun, and the moon. What I really liked about Distant Suns was the Monthly Highlights. This feature provides you with a whole lot of cool things to look at.  You could spend hours going through the list. And who can forget about the breathtaking images that are included with this app.

All in all, Distant Suns is a wonderful app for anyone who’s interested in the field of astronomy. You don’t have to be a master in this field to enjoy what Distant Suns has to offer. Whether you want to learn new things or just visit new objects in the sky, it’s all so easy with Distant Suns. Best of all, no matter how long you play with this app, there are always going to be new objects to explore and new things to learn. Now that’s what I call a super app.

Update – Version 1.3.1: Distant Suns have gotten a few very interesting features in this version. For starters, the new version takes advantage of iPhone 3GS’ compass to help you find out what exactly you are looking at in the sky. That’s especially useful for people who are not pro astronomers but want to explore the stars in a deeper fashion. Please note that you will have to have iPhone 3 OS to get this particular version to work. If you have the previous version of iPhone OS on your phone, you should wait for Distant Suns 1.3.2.

Update – Version 2.0: if you thought Distant Suns 1.3 was great, you are going to enjoy Distant Suns 2.0. The app has been significantly improved to provide you with even more speed. The artwork and creative have been improved and enhanced as well. Best of all, you now have access to over 130,000 objects in the sky, making Distant Suns 2.0 one complete package for astronomy fans. The interface has been improved and many of users’ suggestions have been implemented. Distant Suns has come a long way from its first version but don’t forget to give your feedback for further improvements.

Update – Version 2.1: some of the bugs in the previous version seem to have been fixed. The new version comes with a time-setting strip that lets you choose the time and date you want to look at the sky. The app will automatically adjust the sky for you. It’s certainly a nice feature to have to explore the sky more effectively. What I like the most about all these updates is that it shows the developers behind this app are interested in adding even more features to this already feature-rich app. The app has certainly gotten more smooth and faster with recent updates. Who knows what the next update will bring us.

Rating: 9.1

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