![]() You can view a 3D representation of the spacecraft approach, pass, and then recede from the planet. When you launch a flyby, the app's time is reset to the date of the encounter. They are accessible through a flyby list, which opens when you tap a space-probe icon, or from the calendar page. With all its content unlocked, Solar Walk 2 is priced the same as Solar System, an exquisitely produced app that includes fewer asteroids and doesn't render individual comets, but provides more detailed information (and in many cases, shows images as well) of the Sun, the planets, and their satellitesĪlso included with premium access are space missions (flybys of planets by space probes), which were absent from the original Solar Walk. In sheer number of objects, this is actually a step backwards from the original Solar Walk, which boasted Pluto, six dwarf planets and asteroids, and four comets in its basic version. ![]() Prices range from 99 cents for a month's access to $9.99 for unlimited access. A single purchase unlocks all of the app's premium content, and its price depends on how long you unlock it. The comets, asteroids, and other dwarf planets, as well as additional content discussed below, are only available by buying "premium access" through an in-app purchase. In addition, Solar Walk 2 presents more information about these worlds, plus infographics. Solar Walk 2 displays the same objects as the free Planets iPad app, except the latter app lacks Pluto. None of the comets or asteroids is accessible without an in-app purchase, and the only dwarf planet the basic app includes is Pluto. New Worlds, for a Price Solar Walk 2 significantly expands the number of objects the app is able to depict compared with the original Solar Walk, adding four dwarf planets, more than 20 asteroids, and more than a dozen comets, but there is a price to pay for them. You can then set it in motion by speeding up the time. If you set your view for the Sun and zoom out far enough, for instance, you can see the entire solar system. Time is less critical in Solar Walk 2 than it would be in a planetarium app, but there are several instances in which the slider is useful. By default, it is set to the current time, but by moving the slider up or down, you can speed up, slow down, or reverse time. Among them are visual effects, mission effects, captions, and music.Īt the right edge of the screen is a slider that controls the passage of time within the app. You can also access a Settings menu, which lets you turn various features on and off. You can see the cross section of the Sun or a planet by tapping an "internal structure" icon.įrom the Menu icon, you can share a screenshot from within the app (via email, IM, Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr), run a tutorial on its operation, rate the app, or get information on other Vito Technology apps. A calendar page highlights important dates related to the object, such as spacecraft flybys and launches, astronomical events, such as planetary conjunctions and oppositions, and (in the case of the Sun) solstices and equinoxes. You can read a description of the object (several paragraphs), or open its Wikipedia page from within the app. You can access additional content about whatever object you're examining by choosing from a set of icons running down the left margin. For the Sun, for example, there are diagrams comparing its radius and mass with Earth, one comparing a person's weight on the sun (if one could actually stand on the sun and not vaporize) and Earth, and one comparing the rotation period of the Sun and Earth. Tapping the information icon takes you to a page of useful infographics about the object that's currently in view. To navigate, you pan by swiping in any direction, zoom out by pinching the screen, or zoom in by stretching it.Īt the top of the screen is a bar, with the name of the current object being displayed at the center, the name of the previous object (with a back arrow) to the left, and three buttons identified by icons in the right corner: information ("i"), objects (a miniature solar system), and a menu (bulleted list). As is typical of astronomy programs, the center of the screen is open to show space scenes, leaving the perimeter for icons and to display information. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Softwareĭesign and Features When you open Solar Walk 2, you see a wide-field view of our solar system, which quickly zooms in on the Sun, displaying it as an active star with prominences and corona surrounding a mottled yellow-orange disk.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |