Explore the Solar System with iSolarScape!
iSolarScape is an interactive “astronomy clock” for the casual stargazer, while still providing plenty of detail to satisfy the seasoned observer.
 
The main feature of iSolarScape is the ability to tell you, in plain language, when and where to look for the most common objects easily visible in the night sky.
 
  1. •What time will I be able to see the Moon today?
  2. •Is that Venus in the west?
  3. •When does the Sun set?
 
iSolarScape has the answer for these questions and more!
 
Easy-to-understand language is used, not just a jumble of scientific numbers. Examples include:
 
  1. •"The Moon is High in the South"
  2. •"The Sun rises in 1 hour, 34 minutes"
 
Casual information is displayed in bright easy-to-read colors, while the more astronomical information is shown in dimmer, unobtrusive colors.  Many screens (or "pages") include a button at the top to display extra information with just a touch, and most time values are shown to the nearest minute for easy reading.  No other astronomy application is this simple to use and understand!
 
 
 
 
 
All information for your current location is calculated instantly using the power of the iPhone or iPod touch, so no Internet connection is needed.  Simply select a city from the built-in list of over 600 world cities, or let your device determine your location automatically.
 
The appearance of some heavenly bodies, such as the Moon, Jupiter and its moons, Mars, and the Solar System simulator, are displayed using a series of images.  You can animate the display of these images by touching the nearby "slider" controls.  For instance, you can watch our Moon transition through its monthly phases, or watch our Solar System's planets move through years of motion in just a few seconds.  All animations can be shown at faster or slower rates with just a touch, and turning off an animation returns the image to its current view.
 
Containing more than 30 pages of colorful images, animations and information, iSolarScape offers the following features:
 
Sun This is the first page displayed in iSolarScape, showing an image of the current sunlit side of the Earth. As the day progresses, this image rotates to follow the Sun's motion through the sky. At sunrise, your location will appear on the far left side of the globe, rotate through the center of the image at mid-day, and then appear on the far right side at sunset. During the night, you can see which part of the world is currently in sunlight with just a glance. Below the view of the Earth is the current view of the Sun's position in the sky. Facing South, the Sun page shows a diagram of the Sun presented in different colors based upon the time of day. For instance, an orange Sun is shown rising against a dark blue sky at sunrise, while a bright yellow Sun is shown high in the image against a light blue sky. When the Sun has set, the sky diagram and its data are drawn in varying shades of gray and black. A slider is available to control the animation of both of these views. By moving the slider to the right, the Earth image will rotate and the Sun diagram will change in synchronized fashion. Watching the transition from day to night and back again in both formats at once is very interesting and makes the Sun's motion easy to understand. Other text information available on the Sun page includes: Sun's current position in the sky (or today's coming sunrise or past sunset time). Sunrise, transit and sunset time for today, including the twilight start and end times. Amount of available daylight. Amount of daylight gained or lost since yesterday. Sun's position in the zodiac, including Right Ascension and Declination. Sun's nautical and astronomical twilight start and end times. Difference of sunrise and sunset times from yesterday.
Moon Moon's current phase displayed from 30 striking spacecraft images! Can you see the “Man in the Moon" and the "Old Lady in the Moon"? A slider to control the Moon's animation through its complete lunation cycle. Moon's current position in the sky (or today's coming moonrise or past moonset time). Moon's current phase description, such as "Waxing Gibbous" and "Full Moon". Moonlight percentage currently available. Moon's position in the zodiac, including current Right Ascension and Declination. Moon's orbit degree. Moon's Right Ascension and Declination. Moon's current Lunation Number.
Planets The central and most interesting page in iSolarScape, the Planets page, is a "Solar System simulator" that displays and animates the relative positions of the planets. The classical nine planets (including Pluto) are displayed in a row across the bottom of the screen in unique colors using their corresponding astronomical symbols. Above these symbols, their orbital positions are represented as dots in those same colors for easy identification. Touching a planet symbol displays a page of information for that planet. The current distance of each planet to the Sun and also to the Earth is shown, along with its image, current zodiac position and numerous related facts. A touch of the button at the top of the screen flips the view back to the Solar System simulator. A slider is available under the planet symbols to change the number of planets that are displayed. For instance, when the slider is positioned under Mercury's symbol, only the Sun and Mercury's position are displayed. When the slider is under Earth's symbol, three orbital positions are shown, one each for Mercury, Venus and the Earth. Sliding this control to the right toward the Outer Planets or to the left toward the Sun and Inner Planets instantly changes the display, giving you a sense of the scale and vast distances between the planets. Finally, another slider is available at the top of the screen to control the simulator's animation. By sliding this control, the planets can be made to move through time, from a slow day-by-day pace, to a much faster one-year-per-second rate. The date of each image is shown at the top, allowing you to note the passing of centuries as the animation proceeds. Watching this motion is fascinating as the "music of the spheres" is faithfully represented in its proper scale in the palm of your hand!
Mercury and Venus Where to look for each of these Inner Planets in plain language, such as "Visible High in the Evening Sky". Whether the planet is currently "approaching toward" or "receding away from" the Earth. Whether the planet is rising higher or descending lower in the sky from day-to-day. Telescopically-visible Moon-like phase, such as "Waxing Gibbous". Real-time information on NASA's MESSENGER mission to Mercury including elapsed and arrival times.
Mars Current side of Mars facing the Earth that is visible through a telescope. Currently visible planetary features for the Northern hemisphere, the equatorial region, and the Southern hemisphere. The current planetary longitude of the Central Meridian. The time of the next (or previous) Central Meridian crossing for today. A slider to animate the rotation of Mars.
Jupiter A button for the "Galilean Satellites" that offers another page for the 4 major moons of Jupiter, namely Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. A small version of the Solar System simulator itself, this view shows the relative orbital positions of these large moons both as seen from Earth through a small telescope or binoculars, and as seen from an "overhead" vantage point looking down on the giant planet. A single slider controls the animation of the motion of the Galilean moons around Jupiter from two vantage points, as well as an image of the position of the Great Red Spot. These three views change together in a synchronized fashion, showing the relative speed differences among the objects. Do you notice the special relationship among the orbit periods of Io, Europa and Ganymede? The current planetary longitude of the Great Red Spot, along with today's transit times. The orbit degrees of the four main satellites.
Pluto Real-time information on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto including elapsed and arrival times.
Asteroids Names, symbols and detailed information on the 4 largest asteroids: Ceres, Vesta, Juno and Pallas. Real-time information on NASA's Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres including elapsed and arrival times.
Zodiac Names, symbols and diagrams of the 12 constellations through which the Sun, Moon and planets appear to move. The dates when the Sun enters and leaves each constellation. Detailed information for each constellation or "sign" for Western astrology, including its symbol title, gender, House number, House name, House title, Element, Element Form, Quality, Concern, Keyword, Ruling Planets, and governing medical areas.
(ten samples of the more than thirty pages of content)
iSolarScape has a wealth of useful and interactive information at your fingertips, much more
than similar applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, and all presented in a fun and easy-to-use style. With iSolarScape, you control the entire Solar System in your hand!
 
Find out more about the evolution of iSolarScape by visiting our History page.
 
Acknowledgment Special thanks to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Space Telescope Institute (STSci), for which all credit for the amazing images from space within iSolarScape is placed.
 
iSolarScape
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iSolarScape Instructions