The universe won't look the same again, give SkySafari Beta 3 a Shot

There is something satisfying about getting your hands on a beta app and testing it out. Being offered the chance to see what someone is working on before it lands in the market and subsequently costs some coin. Being part of the feedback process, explaining issues and making suggestions that getÂ implementedÂ just makes a person feel all warm and fuzzy all over. That is exactly what you get to do with a new app that is in beta testing right now by Southern Stars.

The app is called SkySafari and is currently at beta 3. The original SkySafari is available for iPhone and has done fairly well for its self. The application allows you to look at the night sky even if it is day light. Letting you see the stars andÂ constellationsÂ that above you at the current date and time. It also allows you to take a look at the sky at any given point in time that you choose. For instance, if you miss the total eclipse on Dec 10th at 2:30 EST, you can select that time and date in the app and watch a time-lapse of it happening. Kinda like you were there the whole time.

The has a lot of potential, even for star gazers with highly advanced telescopes. Check out the video below of the app on a Droid 2 Global controling a telescope remotely via Bluetooth. It is pretty amazing.

Below is the full press release with links to download the app and find out more information. The beta app will only be available and usable until December 31st. So if star-gazing is your thing, check it out, provide some feed back and be ready to buy it when it lands in the market at the end of the month.

Â Total Lunar Eclipse brings SkySafari to Android

Award-winning iOS app developer launches Android version
with free public beta to track last total lunar eclipse until 2014.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, December 8th, 2011 – During the early hours of Saturday, December 10th, 2011, the last total lunar eclipse until more than two years from now will take place. To celebrate this rare celestial event, Southern Stars, a developer of award-winning astronomy apps and accessories for Apple mobile devices, is launching a free public beta of its SkySafari app for Android mobile devices.

The iOS versions of SkySafari have been downloaded more than 900,000 times from the iTunes Store. SkySafari has won multiple awards, including a MacWorld 2010 Best-of-Show, Sky & Telescope Magazine’s Hot Product award for 2012, and an endorsement by Astronomers Without Borders. SkySafari is the only mobile astronomy app which can correctly reproduce this December’s total lunar eclipse, or any other. SkySafari’s Plus and Pro versions have the largest database of any mobile astronomy app, and are the only ones which can control backyard telescopes.

And now, SkySafari is coming to Android. Southern Stars founder Tim DeBenedictis writes, “A total lunar eclipse is a spectacular celestial event that everyone can see. It’s the perfect occasion for us to launch our Android app, help millions of viewers follow the eclipse, and give them a high-quality introduction to the hobby of amateur astronomy on the mobile devices they use every day.”

Although not yet for sale on the Android Market, Southern Stars is making a free public beta of SkySafari for Android available from its web site. To download the beta, view this page from the web browser built into your Android device:

http://www.southernstars.com/products/skysafari_android/beta.html

The beta requires Android OS version 2.2 (“Froyo”) or later. It will run on Android tablets as well as phones. The beta will expire on December 31st, 2011. The final version of SkySafari will be available for sale on the Android Market by that date.

The iOS and Mac OS X versions of SkySafari will also be offered for sale during the eclipse. Starting Friday, December 9th, 2011, the basic versions of SkySafari 3 for iOS and SkySafari for Mac OS X will be offered for free on the iTunes Store. The Plus and Pro versions of SkySafari will be on sale at up to 50% off regular prices. Sale prices will run through Monday, December 12th, 2011.

To download SkySafari 3 for iOS, go to the iTunes store by clicking this link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skysafari-3/id437108143?mt=8

To download SkySafari for Mac OS X, go to the Mac App Store by clicking this link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skysafari/id451895081?mt=12

More information about Saturday’s total lunar eclipse, including video and instructions for how to track it, can be found here:
http://www.southernstars.com/eclipse/details.html

About Southern Stars

Southern Stars is a world leader in mobile applications for astronomy, and has been developing planetarium software since 1993. In 2009, Southern Stars developed SkyFi, the first wireless iPhone-based solution for telescope control. That product, and the first version of the SkySafari iPhone app, won a MacWorld 2010 Best of Show award. Southern Stars was the also the first company to ship a Made-for-iPad serial cable for iOS devices (SkyWire). Southern Stars was the also the first company to ship a Made-for-iPad serial cable for iOS devices (SkyWire). To date, Southern Stars’ iPhone apps have been downloaded more than 900,000 times, and are now available for Mac OS X and – very soon – Android.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Southern Stars has more than three decades of collective experience in developing astronomical software, telescope control systems, and instrumentation.