Luminos renders textured 3D planets and moons, constellations, and deep space catalogs and imagery. Deep space objects render as familiar star chart representations, properly sized and aligned, while images are positioned and scaled to their actual position in the sky. All celestial objects include detailed position and catalog information. Zoom in on any object for a better view.
With a few taps you can fly to any planet and view it from a high orbit, or touch down and see the universe from another world. Or, see our own planet from a new perspective by riding along on the International Space Station or any other satellite and serenely watch the world go by (satellite data requires free space-track.org account).
View over 2,500,000 stars, thousands of galaxies, asteroids, nebulas, comets and satellites from anywhere. Optional, extra catalogs download into Luminos at no additional charge. Satellite and small body tracking information is seamlessly integrated into the Luminos display.
Full night vision mode lets you browse the sky without affecting your low light eye adaptations, and is adjustable on the fly.
With a simple gesture, Luminos will switch to free look mode that allows you to point your iPad in any direction and match up your view with the actual sky. Tracking in free mode supports full rotation at any angle, ensuring you can identify objects even when they're directly overhead.
The Luminos time picker gives you control over the direction and flow of time. Watch the planets orbit Sol at a rapid pace, or follow the many man-made satellites as they swarm the Earth.
Real 3D terrain shows the actual horizon around you which allows you to quickly determine what you can see while out stargazing; the lunar calendar helps you determine the best times for viewing by showing you illumination levels, rise, set, and transit for both Luna and Sol.
With easy navigation features and an intuitive interface, you'll never be lost as you tour the cosmos.
What's new in Version 2.5
New feature: Constellation illustrations created using actual Tycho 2 stars with descriptions and highlights for every constellation
New Feature: Added RCW catalog of H-alpha regions
New Feature: Added Sharpless catalog of H-II regions
New Feature: Added ability to show direction labels independently of the alt/az grid
New Feature: Reduced memory use
New Feature: HCNGC entries expand summary notation for easier reading
New Feature: Crosshairs are shown in the center of the view while panning
New Feature: Minor rendering performance improvement under iOS 4.0
New Feature: Boundary for the centered constellation is highlighted
New Feature: Constellation figures fade out when zoomed in closer than 10°
New Feature: Only the constellation figure at the center of the screen is shown (reduces clutter)
New Feature: Constellations are labeled
New Feature: Added Zenith/Nadir markers
Bug fixed: HCNGC correctly decodes extended characters in notes
Bug fixed: Camera panning speed
Bug fixed: Various random low-memory crashes
Bug fixed: Automatic labels no longer disappear after an object is selected and then de-selected
Bug fixed: Orbits are shown while animated into orrery views
Bug fixed: Alt/Az grid is hidden while in space
Bug fixed: Earth no longer flashes white when animating into space
Bug fixed: Gestures are disabled during animations
Bug fixed: Earth doesn't get selected by tapping while terrain is hidden
Bug fixed: Canceling downloads no longer sometimes crashes
Bug fixed: Potential crash when terrain loading is canceled due to a location change
Download here!
