Free App Fridays: Astronomy
Posted 05/28/2010 at 12:08pm
| by Florence Ion
With summer fast approaching, and a well-deserved three-day weekend just around the corner, we thought we'd equip you with a few free apps that help you learn more about the world above us--the stars. The galaxy is a place in a long, long time ago that's far, far away and though there's no epic John Williams music blasting through our brains when we're staring up above, there's definitely plenty to learn about it. And if you're not interested in the stars, then maybe you can use these apps as ideas to spark up conversations at future cocktail parties.
iPad

Astronomy Picture of the Day
When you're bored on your commute home and you need some visual stimulation, the Astronomy PIcture of the Day application not only houses some of the most epic photos of the sky we've ever seen, but it could also inspire you to spend a little time on the roof top this evening admiring the atmosphere up above. You can easily cycle through images from days before, and there's an info button that lets you know from where the photo was taken and what you're looking at.
Mac

Stellarium
You probably never thought about having such a gorgeous application installed on your MacBook, but Stellarium has some pretty neat features. For starters, it's used in Planetarium projectors around the globe. The program pulls information from GPS satellites to show you exactly where the stars and planets are aligned at any given moment, regardless of time of day, though you'll have to select what city you're currently in. This is definitely one of those free apps that you should have installed on your computer because not only is it pretty to look at, but it's also very educational. Fire up the app before nightfall and then head outside to see if you can match the constellations on the application with the ones up above.
iPhone

Horoscopes and Tarot
Oh, stop it. We know that some of you out there are really into Astrology, and are just dying to know what's in store for the future up ahead. Fortunately, this free app gives you instant, free advice at just the touch of a button, including a daily reading from a live psychic representative. So, if you're leaving your fate up to the stars above, this might be an app to include in your daily routine. Bonus: you can even spam your Facebook wall with your horoscope for the day!