Reviews
"I regard [Satellite Safari] as authoritative ... Amateur astronomers, wanting to get a photo of the ISS, could use it to plan the pass. Government and military people could use it for all kinds of planning operations. And teachers, students and even casual users just wanting to learn more about particular satellites could learn a lot ... It would be hard to ask for anything more."
- John Martellaro, The Mac Observer, May 2013
"Smart-phone and tablet-based planetarium programs are game changers... Many of these programs behave similarly and have comparable features, but Southern Stars' Sky Safari 3 stands out for its pedigree... The Pro version of Sky Safari 3 has completely replaced my desktop planetarium program. Before now, we could only watch the sky on computer screens. With SkySafari 3 we can touch the sky, and that's revolutionary."
- Joe Heafner, Sky & Telescope, December 2011
"Because of the careful attention to detail, the error free execution, the detailed dynamics, the fabulous documentation and the breathtaking visual implementation, this app earns a rare 5/5 rating."
- John Martellaro, The Mac Observer, April 2012
Read the full review!"This little box [SkyFi] is absolutely amazing! It runs on iPad + Sky Safari no problem, which is what I expected and is amazing in its own right, but the ability to log onto the house WiFi network and being able to run programs with virtual ports (using COM2TCP) wirelessly is not what I expected... You really need to get the word out that this box is not just for running your GoTo scope with your iPhone, but it is also a full-fledged wireless interface to your ASCOM platform that can control your mount drive from anywhere within your local WiFi network. Very satisfied."
- Suha, Hillsboro, NM, February 2013
"How did it perform? In a word: flawlessly. One simply chooses from a database of catalogued objects or selects from those visible on the screen, and the telescope goes to the object at your desired slew rate. Wondering what deep-sky objects can be viewed in Ursa Major? Use SkyVoyager to show that portion of the sky, and select a target. It's that simple."
- Todd Carlson, Sky News, November/December 2010
"Aside from the 'oohs and aahs' elicited by anyone witnessing the system's seemingly magical ability to control a telescope, we found the range and reliability of the setup equally impresive, controlling telescopes from up to 30 meters away... It really is a revolutionary way to navigate the sky."
- Adrian Ashford, Sky & Telescope, September 2010
We're now accepting new sponsors for SkyCube - the first satellite launched by mobile apps and crowd-funding! And check out our brand new Satellite Safari app. It's the official app of the mission, and when SkyCube launches later in 2013, you can use it to send messages and take pictures from space! View KGO-TV's network news coverage by clicking here!
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Satellite Safari - Now for iOS and Android!Satellite Safari is your tour guide to the universe of satellites that humanity has launched into orbit around our home planet. And later this year, it will become your personal gateway to a real satellite in orbit that you can take pictures and send broadcasts from! Satellite Safari is the official app of the SkyCube mission. The SkyCube satellite is scheduled to launch and deploy from the International Space Station in September, 2013. When it does, you'll be able to request your own images of the Earth, and broadcast your own radio messages from orbit as "tweets from space", using this Satellite Safari app on your iPhone or iPad. For more information on the SkyCube project, go to www.skycube.org. While we're waiting for SkyCube to launch, you can use Satellite Safari to learn more about the International Space Station and many hundreds of other satellites already in orbit. Satellite Safari will tell you where to find them in the sky, when they'll pass overhead, and where they are orbiting over Earth right now. Satellite Safari for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch is available today on the iTunes Store. The app is universal for both iPhone and iPad, and requires iOS 5 or later. Satellite Safari for Android is now available on Google Play, too! |
SkySafari 3 for iOSAs just reviewed in Sky & Telescope magazine, SkySafari 3 is "revolutionary" and a "game-changer" that can completely replace your desktop astronomy software. SkySafari 3 will change the way you do astronomy! The Mac Observer writes: "this app earns a rare 5/5 rating." Gizmodo says: "Of all the stargazing and astronomy apps available for iOS, SkySafari 3 is the best." SkySafari 3 is the most comprehensive astronomy app available for iOS. It's a powerful planetarium that fits in your pocket. It puts thousands of stars and planets at your fingertips. It lets you find objects in the sky using your iPhone's built-in compass and gyroscope. It includes hundreds of astronomical images, and contains encyclopedic descriptions of the constellations, stars and planets. With SkySafari Plus and Pro, you can now leave Earth behind, and fly into orbit around other objects in the solar system. Spaceflight has never been so easy! And SkySafari Plus or Pro can turn your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch into a 21st-century telescope controller. Using your iPhone's built-in WiFi, and our SkyFi wireless adapter, or SkyWire serial accessory, our apps can drive your computer-controlled GoTo telescope anywhere in the sky. SkySafari 3 comes in three versions - Basic, Plus, and Pro. All three versions require iOS 4 or later. All three are "universal" apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. And all three are exclusively avalable on the iTunes Store. |
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SkyFi Wireless Telescope ControllerSkyFi is our patent-pending WiFi-to-Serial adapter, designed for wireless telescope control. If you have a computer-controlled GoTo telescope, SkyFi can use the WiFi capabilities built into your Mac, PC, iPhone, or iPod Touch to point your telescope in the sky. SkyFi now includes both USB and serial ports! That means SkyFi can now control the latest USB-only telescopes from iOptron and Meade, as well as other telescopes with RS-232 serial interfaces. SkyFi is the only WiFi device on the market specifically designed for telescope control. It's battery-powered for field use; your scope, SkyFi, and iPhone all run off batteries, or from a 12V source. Unlike bluetooth devices, SkyFi requires no pairing, and no special drivers. It uses standard TCP/IP networking protocols. SkyFi can wirelessly enable almost any RS-232 interface - to GPS recievers, industrial monitoring and control equipment, internet routers and switches, and many more. Southern Stars has licensed SkyFi to Orion Telescopes & Binoculars as the StarSeek Wi-Fi Module. Orion's version is fully inter-operable with our SkySafari iPhone app. |
SkySafari for Mac OS XWe've brought SkySafari to your Mac! Based on our wildly successful iPhone apps, SkySafari's OpenGL astronomy engine soars on the Mac. And a full-sized monitor, mouse, and keyboard open up a universe of new possibilities! We've redesigned SkySafari's interface from scratch for Mac OS X, using 100% native Cocoa controls. Like our iPhone apps, SkySafari for Mac OS X comes in three versions - basic, Plus, and Pro. All three include the encyclopedic content and astronomical image gallery found in our iPhone apps. SkySafari Plus and Pro let you orbit other solar system objects, and include both wired and wireless telescope control! SkySafari and SkySafari Plus for Mac OS X are available on the Mac App Store. SkySafari Pro for Mac OS X is available exclusively by download from our web site. |
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SkySafari for AndroidSkySafari is the most comprehensive astronomy app available for Android - period. It's a powerful planetarium that fits in your pocket. It puts thousands of stars and planets at your fingertips. It lets you find objects in the sky using your Android's built-in compass and accelerometer. It includes hundreds of astronomical images, and contains encyclopedic descriptions of the constellations, stars and planets. With SkySafari Plus and Pro, you can now leave Earth behind, and fly into orbit around other objects in the solar system. Spaceflight has never been so easy! And SkySafari Plus or Pro can turn your Android device into a 21st-century telescope controller. Using your Android's built-in Wi-Fi or bluetooth capbility, and our SkyFi wireless adapter, or a bluetooth serial adapter, our apps can drive your computer-controlled GoTo telescope anywhere in the sky. SkySafari for Android comes in three versions - Basic, Plus, and Pro. All three versions require Android version 2.2 or later on a 1 GHz or faster Android tablet or phone. And all three are exclusively available on Google Play. |
SkyWireSkyWire is the simplest way to turn your iPhone into a 21st-century telescope controller. This brand-new "Made for iPod" accessory adds an RS-232 port to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch - and lets it connect directly to the serial port on your telescope. SkyWire isn't just a "dumb cable". Unlike other "iPhone serial cables" available on the internet, you don't have to jailbreak your iPhone to use it. It's the simplest, most reliable, and most affordable way to control a telescope from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. For a demo - with video! - of SkyWire and SkySafari at the MacTech conference in LA on Nov 4th 2010, click here. |
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... And More!
Southern Stars has developed custom iPhone apps for Orion Telescopes, and for Sky & Telescope magazine. If you'd like us to turn your idea for a mobile application into reality, let us know. We take pride in developing quality custom applications for third parties.
Southern Stars has expertise in both mobile and desktop application software development, as well as hardware and embedded firmware design. Collectively, our team has more than three decades of experience in developing astronomical software, telescope control systems, and instrumentation. We love a challenge. Let us know if you've got one!