Terminal Eleven, developers of mobile applications, have launched a new app for the iPhone that allows users to see the stars like never before. The app, aptly named SkyView, uses augmented reality to make stars, planets and distant solar systems visible to the naked eye. Augmented reality turns the iPhone into a powerful, albeit virtual, telescope, and has already garnered rave reviews in the Apple App Store. Stargazers are likely to find the app useful, as it will let them scour the galaxy day or night.
SkyView makes use of an iPhone’s internal compass and gyroscope to work out the precise location of the phone. Pointing the phone’s camera at the sky will show a real-time, digital picture of space depending on where the user is at that time. The app renders just about anything that can be found in space, including the International Space Station orbiting the planet. Users will also be able to find out more information on what they are looking at with a simple tap of the screen.
Space has long been an intriguing subject, especially for those that have never been there. Augmented reality allows consumers to experience the world – and, perhaps, others – in a way that they may have never thought possible. With more mobile apps incorporating augmented reality, the future of the technology looks quite promising, especially if it continues reach beyond the boundaries of the earth.
