Orrery

Latest

  • Emerald Observatory for iPad is stunning to look at, and it's useful too

    by 
    Mel Martin
    Mel Martin
    06.29.2010

    I can't think of another iPad app that looks quite as striking as Emerald Observatory. This US $0.99 app is the kind of thing you'd be proud to display if it was a physical object; even when it's running on the iPad, I'm tempted to leave it on as a conversation piece. The single display gives you your local time, the position of the sun, the rise and set times of the sun and moon (and the 5 brightest planets), twilight start and end times, the current moon phase, a display of day and night on a world map, the current day and date (with a leap year indicator), and the ability to move forward or backward in time in order to see different planetary alignments and sun positions. The app is certainly nice for star gazers, and it's also handy for photographers who may be looking for the best time of day to shoot outdoors. %Gallery-96497%