Simulation Curriculum Corp, which specializes in astronomy and science education software, has released new versions of its award winning SkySafari astronomy apps for iOS. They’re available at the Apple App Store.

The new SkySafari 5 apps are available today on the iTunes Store. All versions will be available at introductory discount pricing 50 percent off the list prices quoted below though Jan. 15, 2016.

° SkySafari 5 (US$2.99, 180 MB), basic version intended for the widest possible audience of casual stargazers: http://tinyurl.com/zn7ezps

° SkySafari 5 Plus ($14.99, 430 MB), enhanced version with telescope control and solar system fly-through mode: http://tinyurl.com/hk8sf76

° SkySafari 5 Pro ($39.99, 1.6 GB), premium version with all features of Plus, plus professional-grade astronomy database: http://tinyurl.com/jnyzrdw


All versions require iOS 8 or later, and are universal for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Android versions are planned for the first half of 2016.

New features in all three versions include: support for Apple Watch; social media sharing; refreshed look-and-feel, with enhanced sky and translucent horizon panoramas; a new Tonight at a Glance view, with notifications of planet and brightest satellite rising and setting; a complete audio redesign with new and user-selectable sounds; improved motion tracking for highly accurate celestial object identification; and revised and expanded encyclopedia of astronomical objects, with illustrations

The high-end versions, SkySafari 5 Plus and Pro, contain additional enhancements: iCloud sync for settings and observing lists; revised deep sky object database; on-line archive of astronomical observing lists, plus new “tour mode”; digitized Sky Survey viewer for import of NASA/STScI DSS images; improved multi-star alignment for telescopes with digital setting circles; and a Galaxy View with 3D representation of deep sky object positions in the Milky Way (Pro only)

For a complete list of improvements, go to www.skysafariastronomy.com.