Some space geeks are calling today “The Day the Earth Smiled,” because the Cassini probe is set to take a picture of our planet as seen from Saturn later this afternoon. To honor this momentous occasion, the maker of astronomy software SkySafari is giving away basic versions for iOS and OS X (and discounting the Android version) through Sunday.
The recently updated mobile apps, which usually cost $2.99, show thousands of stars and other features of the night sky and can help users locate Saturn. More advanced versions of the app — SkySafari Plus and SkySafari Pro, which come with loads more data on celestial bodies — will be sold at hefty discounts during the promotion, with 15 percent of today’s proceeds going to Astronomers Without Borders.
See how SkySafari works in the video below, which shows off a time-shifting 3-D simulation of Cassini’s mission to capture an image of Earth as seen from Saturn. (Note: The 3-D simulation is available only in the paid version of SkySafari.)
Follow the links below to download various versions of SkySafari.
Basic version of SkySafari:
SkySafari 3.8.1 for iOS (sale price free, regularly $2.99)
SkySafari 1.8 for Mac OS X (sale price free, regularly $4.99)
SkySafari 1.8 for Android (sale price 99 cents, regularly $2.99)
SkySafari Plus:
SkySafari Plus 3.8.1 for iOS (sale price $9.99, regularly $14.99)
SkySafari Plus 1.8 for Mac OS X (sale price $14.99, regularly $19.99)
SkySafari Plus 1.8 for Android (sale price $9.99, regularly $14.99)
SkySafari Pro:
SkySafari Pro 3.8.1 for iOS (sale price $29.99, regularly $39.99)
SkySafari Pro 1.8 for Mac OS X (sale price $39.99, regularly $49.99)
SkySafari Pro 1.8 for Android (sale price $29.99, regularly $39.99)
Image: Southern Stars Group
