San Francisco, CA, May 18th, 2012 - On Sunday, May 20th, 2012, the first annular solar eclipse in the United States since 1994 will take place. To celebrate this spectacular celestial event and help millions of people follow it across the world, Southern Stars has released a major update to its SkySafari apps for iOS, macOS, and Android.
WARNING: Do not stare at the Sun without proper eye protection. Never observe the Sun through binoculars or a telescope without a solar filter. Viewing the Sun without proper equipment during a solar eclipse - or at any other time - may cause serious eye injury or even blindness. Fortunately, it is perfectly safe to watch a solar eclipse simulated by SkySafari.
SkySafari 3.5 is the only iOS astronomy app that correctly displays both solar and lunar eclipses from any place on Earth. Now, the Plus and Pro versions of SkySafari 3.5 add a new twist. As described by Southern Stars founder Tim DeBenedictis, "You can now leave the surface of planet Earth to view solar eclipses - and other celestial events - from any place in the solar system."
With this new ability to fly into orbit around other objects in the Solar System, SkySafari Plus and Pro provide a unique perspective on events like this Sunday's solar eclipse. By watching a solar eclipse from the Moon, for instance, it is easy to see where the Moon's shadow will pass across the Earth - and make travel plans accordingly. Southern Stars has created a short QuickTime video which shows how to do this with SkySafari 3.5 Plus on an iPad. The eclipse is shown both from Reno, Nevada, USA - where the Moon's shadow passes directly overhead - and from the Moon itself, looking back on Earth.
[VIDEO: QuickTime, 10.7 MB, 1 min 53 sec] How to simulate the annular solar eclipse of May 20th, 2012
with SkySafari 3.5 Plus on an iPad - seen both from Reno, Nevada, USA, and from the Moon!
SkySafari's new orbit feature isn't just limited to solar eclipses - and it isn't just limited to iOS. The new 1.5 versions of SkySafari for macOS and Android bring the same new features to those platforms. In addition to orbiting the planets, the new Plus and Pro updates also bring high-resolution maps of the moons and planets - with every named crater, mountain, canyon, and spacecraft landing site labelled. The new Moon map in SkySafari Pro 3.5/1.5 is based on 2009 imagery from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and has 8x the resolution of any previous SkySafari version.
The new SkySafari 3.5 updates (for iOS) and 1.5 updates (for macOS and Android) are free for current owners of SkySafari on their respective platforms. For new users, this weekend's eclipse is a perfect time to get on board. Southern Stars will offer sale pricing on all of its apps from May 19th through May 21st. During the sale, the basic versions of SkySafari (normally $2.99) will be free. The Plus and Pro versions, which add the ability to orbit the planets, will be priced at 30% to 50% off regular price.
To download SkySafari 3.5 for iOS from the iTunes app store, use the following links; all prices are in US dollars: | |
![]() |
|
To download SkySafari 1.5 for macOS from the Mac app store, use the following links; all prices are in US dollars. | ![]() |
|
To download SkySafari 1.5 for Android from Google Play, use the following links; all prices are in US dollars: | |
![]() |
|
Southern Stars Group, LLC is a world leader in mobile applications for astronomy, and has been developing planetarium software since 1993. In 2009, Southern Stars developed SkyFi, the first wireless iPhone-based solution for telescope control. That product, and the first version of the SkySafari iPhone app, won a MacWorld 2010 Best of Show award. Southern Stars was the also the first company to ship a Made-for-iPad serial cable for iOS devices (SkyWire). To date, Southern Stars' iPhone apps have been downloaded more than 1.5 million times, and have earned five-star reviews on the app store and by independent reviewers.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Southern Stars Group, LLC has more than three decades of collective experience in developing astronomical software, telescope control systems, and instrumentation.
Tim DeBenedictis
info@southernstars.com
+1 (415) 671-6254
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
The Sunday, May 20th annular solar eclipse is the first of its kind to take place in the United States since 1994. Click the eclipse image for viewing details provided by Sky & Telescope magazine. SkySafari 3.5 is a major update to SkySafari 3 for iOS that provides the ability to view the eclipse both from Earth and any other place in the solar system. SkySafari 3.5 comes in three versions - Basic, Plus, and Pro. All three require iOS 4 or later, and are universal apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. SkySafari is also available for macOS and Android. New version 1.5 updates bring the same features to these platforms. All versions of SkySafari for all platforms will be on sale May 19 - 21 at prices ranging from free to 50% off.