Telescope Reviews: The Sky is Falling - and SkySafari is on sale!

The Sky Is Really Falling!

On Friday, February 15th, planet Earth gets a close shave from a nearby asteroid, 2012 DA14. This 180,000-ton space rock comes within a few thousand miles of the Earth's surface - closer than our geosynchronous communication satellites, and a record close approach for an asteroid of this size. Amateur astronomers in Europe, Asia, and Australia should be able to catch a glimpse in their telescopes! The view from North America won't be as good, but still within reach of larger backyard scopes.

There's something else unique about this asteroid flyby: it's the first one that you can follow on your smartphone! We've updated SkySafari Plus and Pro to predict the motions of asteroids and comets using the same highly-accurate solar system physics as NASA and JPL. As a result, unlike virtually every other planetarium program, SkySafari Plus and Pro can pinpoint 2012 DA14 accurately in the sky. As far as we know, ours are the only mobile apps - and maybe the only desktop apps - that can do this!

Here's a 6-minute YouTube video which shows the new SkySafari Pro update in action.

Best of all, this new update is free for current SkySafari Plus and Pro owners! If you haven't done so yet, now is the time to upgrade. Starting February 14th, 2013, and running through February 17th, our premier apps for iOS, Mac, and Android will be on sale at record prices to match this unique event.

To download SkySafari Plus for iOS, Mac, or Android, use the following links:

SkySafari Plus 3.7.3 for iOS(sale price USD $9.99, regularly $14.99)

SkySafari Plus 1.7.3 for Mac OS X (sale price USD $14.99, regularly $19.99)

SkySafari Plus 1.7.4 for Android (sale price USD $9.99, regularly $14.99)

To download SkySafari Pro for iOS, Mac, or Android, use the following links:

SkySafari Pro 3.7.3 for iOS (sale price USD $29.99, regularly $39.99)

SkySafari Pro 1.7.3 for Mac OS X (sale price USD $39.99, regularly $49.99)

SkySafari Pro 1.7.4 for Android (sale price USD $29.99, regularly $39.99)

Please note: the basic version of SkySafari does not support the new asteroid/comet orbit integrator. This new feature is exclusive to SkySafari Plus and Pro.

The year 2013 is shaping up to be a good one for asteroid and comet observers. Two new comets, PANSTARRS and ISON, have the potential to be "great comets" of the sort which haven't been seen in decades. SkySafari's new update will help you find them accurately, too.