In the shops
The latest books, apps, software, tech and accessories for space and astronomy fans alike
Our pick of the best books, apps, software and accessories for astronomy and space fans
Book 50 Things to See in the Sky
Cost: £9.99 (approx. $12.97) From: Penguin Random House
A beautifully presented, practical guide to 50 sights in the skies above us complete with a glow-in-the dark front cover. Explained with fascinating, easy-to-understand commentary from astrophysicist and science communicator Sarah Barker and illustrated throughout with captivating drawings by Maria Nilsson, each guide helps you locate an incredible sight.
The book is divided into three main sections, and whether you use the naked eye, a telescope or fall into a black hole of online research, you’ll discover the limitless wonder of the skies, from otherworldly phenomena on Earth like Sun dogs to planets, moons, stars, lunar craters and galaxy clusters. You can learn how navigators travelled in the past by finding the North Star, say hello to our astronauts and learn how to spot the International Space Station, see red supergiant star Betelgeuse and find out more about solar eclipses.
The book also includes advice on ideal conditions for observing the stars through telescopes and binoculars and navigating the skies. With extra tips and a rundown of useful tools, you’ll find everything you need to get out there and look up!
Software Celestia
Cost: Free
From: celestiaproject.net
Bringing the universe to your computer, Celestia offers a full threedimensional representation of planets, stars and galaxies, and is based on the Hipparcos catalogue of more than 100,000 stars. What we enjoyed the most about this software is that you’re not shackled to Earth – Celestia allows you to whizz off in any direction you feel like going, at any speed, whether it’s a leisurely stroll or travelling at the speed of light. While the graphics are impressive for a free software, we noted that due to computer memory limitations Celestia didn’t go out much further than 16,000 light years. As a result, we couldn’t investigate the ‘entire universe’ through our computer screens.
Celestia runs on a variety of operating systems including Windows, Linux and Macintosh and features a guided tour of the Solar System, an eclipse finder, an updated exoplanet database and an International Space Station tracker. The specially made Celestia website features a user manual, showing you how to use the astronomy software – we recommend downloading this and taking the time to read it. Celestia isn’t very user friendly, but once you’ve cracked how to use it, it’s perhaps one of the most powerful pieces of software you’ll ever get to operate. If you find that you’ve explored what Celestia has to offer, there’s the opportunity to download dozens of easy-to-install add-ons with more objects to explore in your virtual universe.
Book Dr Space Junk vs The Universe
Cost: £22.50 / $27.95 From: The MIT Press
A pioneering space archaeologist explores artefacts left behind in space and on Earth, from Moon dust to Elon Musk’s red sports car.
In this book, space archaeologist Alice Gorman examines the artefacts of human encounters with space. These objects, left behind on Earth and in space, can be massive or tiny. They can be bold or hopeful. They raise interesting questions: why did Elon Musk feel compelled to send a red Tesla into space? What accounts for the multiple rocket-themed playgrounds constructed after the Russians launched Sputnik? Gorman – affectionately known as ‘Dr Space
Junk’ – takes readers on a journey through the Solar System and beyond, deploying space artefacts, historical explorations and even the occasional cocktail recipe that make space meaningful.
Engaging and erudite, Gorman recounts her background as a nonspace archaeologist and how she became interested in space artefacts. She shows us her own piece of space junk: a fragment of the fuel tank insulation from Skylab, the NASA spacecraft that crash-landed in Western Australia in 1979. She reveals that the conventional view of the Space Race as ‘the triumph of the white, male American astronaut’ seems inadequate; what really interests her, she says, is how everyday people engage with space. To an archaeologist, objects from the past are significant because they remind us of what we might want to hold onto in the future.
App SkySafari 6 Pro
Cost: £26.99 / $39.99 From: iTunes
We have never been more impressed with an astronomy app than we are with SkySafari 6 Pro, which features 25 million stars from Hubble Guide Star Catalogs, over 740,000 galaxies all the way down to 18th magnitude as well as 630,000 Solar System objects. This upgraded version also features new Apollo 11 mission data.
With impressive detail and simulation quality, SkySafari 6 Pro simulates the view from anywhere in the Solar System – including from locations on Earth – and beyond as well as into the universe’s past or future. Even more impressive is that you get a real-time review of the rotation of the planets as well as a Telescope Equipment setting that enables you to enter a list of your telescope equipment and get an automatic field of view.
Its high price may put some off, but it’s compatible with iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone. Being so useful to all levels of astronomer, we felt that it was worth every penny. There is also the option of purchasing the less involved SkySafari 6 and SkySafari 6 Plus depending on your budget. Whether you’re a serious astronomer who wants to control a telescope or a novice who’s finding their way around the night sky, we couldn’t recommend this app enough.
“Being so useful to all levels of astronomer, we felt that it was worth every penny”