Redshift for iPhone and iPad Puts the Galaxy at Your Fingertips

Somehow, astronomy apps just seem like a great fit for the iOS system - look at the gorgeous Star Walk, one of our early favorites. What's better than holding the night sky in the palm of your hand, hmm?

Redshift looks somewhat similar to Star Walk, but don't be fooled: this new planetarium app provides much more than a view of the stars. Redshift instead presents a 3D model of our slice of the galaxy, complete with major and dwarf planets, constellations and bright stars. You can travel on 3-D "flights" to the Moon and other planets in our Solar System, too. Meanwhile, its "Follow Sky" mode lets you track the current sky through Redshift—so you can identify the stars you see in the real sky. (This feature relies on GPS positioning, positioning sensors, and the compass.)

There's more to the feature list, of course. Redshift has won awards on other platforms for good reason. The developers claim that there are over 100,000 stars and other celestial objects in the catalog, and a lot of functionality is crammed into the app. Talk about taking astronomy apps to a new level.

If you've got a taste for astronomy, check out Redshift on the App Store. It's a universal app, meaning that one purchase covers both iPad and iPhone owners. Redshift is currently on sale for $11.99. (A premium price, perhaps—but knowledge is worth something, right?)