San Jose, CA (PRWEB) March 05, 2012
First Light Design ([Distant Suns), today announced release of version 3.3 of its comprehensive, award-winning Distant Suns™ Astronomy App for iPad® and iPhone™. Among its new features are local, United States listings of astronomical events and activities direct from the NASA Night Sky Network and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, up to 100% improvement in display performance, and improved imagery of its realistic displays of the night sky. This enhances Distant Sun’s already extensive feature-set which includes augmented reality viewing and over 300,000 celestial objects. It is now one of the easiest to use astronomy apps for both casual sky watchers as well as serious professionals. Distant Suns is available for iOS® devices, including the new iPad3, on the App Store for $ 9.99.
Originally released for the Commodore Amiga®, Distant Suns has been bringing the cosmos to stargazers for almost 30 years. It takes advantage of iOS device’s GPS and compass, so all the user has to do is aim and stargaze. Augmented reality viewing overlays the sky with the local landscape. No internet access is required to use Distant Suns.
“The Astronomical Society of the Pacific and NASA Night Sky Network are thrilled to be partners with Distant Suns,” said Suzanne Gurton, Education Manager, Astronomical Society of the Pacific. “We believe astronomy should be a part of everyone’s lives, and now you can find a star party or your local astronomy club while exploring the sky with Distant Suns. It’s a great way to dig deeper and really have fun with astronomy.”
“We’re excited to have partnered with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and NASA’s Night Sky Network in order to provide their listings in Distant Suns,” said Mike Smithwick, Founder and President of First Light Designs. “Since Distant Suns original release in 1985, our mission has been to bring the wonders of stargazing and education about the universe to everyone. By listing local events, we are enabling users to take advantage of astronomy programs of all kinds.”
About Distant Suns Astronomy App
Features include:
View the stars from the Earth or out in the solar system
Augmented Reality Viewing overlays the sky with the local landscape
What’s Up? Offers an overview of the evening’s sky
GPS and Compass aware
NASA’s Night Sky Network of local astronomical events (US only)
Red Night Vision
Stories behind each constellation
Ability to touch the sky and reveal data for each object, including every planet
Over 300,000 planets, stars, galaxies, nebula and star clusters
Viewpoint Lock keeps any planet centered
Current Weather patterns on the earth, updated daily
Change the look of the stars
Hubble Space Telescope images
Interactive tour of the solar system
And much more…
About Astronomical Society of the Pacific
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), based in San Francisco, manages the NASA Night Sky Network. The ASP is the largest general astronomy society in the world, with members from over 70 nations. Go to http://astrosociety.org to find out more. The NASA Night Sky Network is sponsored and supported by NASA, JPL’s PlanetQuest, & the National Science Foundation.
About NASA Night Sky Network
The Night Sky Network is a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy clubs bringing the science, technology, and inspiration of NASA’s missions to the general public. They share their time and telescopes to provide the public with unique astronomy experiences at science museums, observatories, classrooms, and under the real night sky. For more information, go to Night Sky Network.
About First Light Design
First Light Design, LLC, is a privately owned company. It first released Distant Suns for the Commodore Amiga in 1987, followed by versions for Macintosh and Windows. First Light Design is a proud member of Moms With Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers with family-friendly apps. Details about the company and its products can be found at Distant Suns.
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Distant Suns is a trademark of First Light Design, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Frank Colin
distantsunspress(at)gmail(dot)com
First Light Design
450 Navarro Way, Suite 109
San Jose, CA 95134