For those of us setting out to catch the lunar eclipse early tomorrow morning — here’s a great piece in the Christian Science Monitor on why it’ll be so spectacular out here west of the Rockies — there’s nothing like an iPad armed with a great astronomy app. But according to Tim DeBenedictis, developer of SkySafari 3, his app is the only one that can predict this — and any other — eclipse. That’s fine with us, since he’s offering his app for free all this weekend.
SkySafari 3 has all the standard goodies, like augmented reality, superimposed constellations, a database of stellar objects and little touches like night-time viewing mode to keep the pupils open. There’s also a $12 Plus version that adds telescope control and a deeper database, or for those who spend a lot of time at places like Lowell Observatory, there’s the $30 (wow) Pro version.
For most of us though, the basic version should suffice. Don’t miss it though, because even the basic version has a constellation’s worth of app awards to its name.
And if you’re catching the eclipse — it’ll hit totality at 6:32 a.m. PST
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of Wired.com and BIKE Magazine, among others. Hang with him on Twitter.
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