Book Review and Giveaway: Earthrise: My Adventures As An Apollo 14 Astronaut by Edgar Mitchell

Book review by David Freiberg: Universe Today Book Reviewer

Most of us get up in the morning, shower, eat breakfast and sleepily make our way to work. Whether we work in an office, outdoors, with the public or in any number of exciting Earth-based careers, our daily commute can hardly compare to that of a moon astronaut! In Earthrise: My Adventures As An Apollo 14 Astronaut, Edgar Mitchell shares his personal story of how he came to share a career with a scarce 11 other people in history.

This new book tells the story Mitchell’s life; he started out as a farm boy from a small town in New Mexico who grew up in a normal family and lived a normal life but he worked hard enough and got lucky enough to go to the Moon. He wasn’t born into it, and he wasn’t so supremely gifted that he aced everything he tried in his life. He had the willpower to work through years of training, and he had the courage to get into a gigantic rocket that would launch him a quarter of a million miles through space, even though the last people who had tried to go to the Moon were lucky to get back alive.

And, being a real person doing an extraordinary thing, he came back changed by the experience.

Despite the trials and tribulations of training, of flying there, of a close call with a malfunctioning “abort” button, and of the moonwalk itself, Edgar details how the ride home was the most life-changing part of the entire journey. As he saw the Earth shining in front of him, he described a sensation he called metanoia that was to shape the rest of his life. He’d explored as much of outer space as current technology would allow: now he wanted to do the opposite and explore the mind. Though he’d always been interested in topics like ESP (he even conducted his own ESP experiment with a few doctors on Earth during the mission), it was easy to see how it changed his perspective on everything. And, from his descriptions, he’s not the only Apollo astronaut to have a different perspective on life after the mission: they were real people, after all, and if you went to the Moon, you’d probably be changed as well.

That’s where “Earthrise” really shines: you get the idea that you too could do the same thing if you were willing to work for it. This book is strongly recommended for all children who are interested in space; as Edgar Mitchell was inspired by stories of Roswell and of Buck Rogers when he was young, perhaps a child who reads this very book will someday fly around the Moon and watch the Earth come up.

About the authors: Dr. Edgar Mitchell was a pilot in the historic 1971 Apollo 14 mission and the sixth man to ever walk on the Moon. He is the author of “Paradigm Shift,” “The Space Less Traveled,” and “The Way of the Explorer,” and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, three NASA Group Achievement Awards and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. He is the founder of the renowned Institute of Noetic Sciences and lives in Lake Worth, Florida. Ellen Mahoney has worked for Walt Disney Imagineering and produced radio features for the BBC Science in Action show. She is an instructor of journalism at Metro State University of Denver and lives in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Brian Cox is a professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester School of Physics and Astronomy, Manchester, England. He presents space and science programs on BBC radio and television, including “Wonders of the Universe.”

Universe Today and Chicago Review Press are pleased to be able to offer three free copies of “Earthrise: My Adventures as An Apollo 14 Astronaut” to our readers. This contest is open to US and Canadian residents only. In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Wednesday, April 30, 2014. If this is the first time you’re registering for a giveaway, you’ll receive a confirmation email immediately where you’ll need to click a link to be entered into the drawing. For those who have registered previously, you’ll receive an email later where you can enter this drawing.

If you are not lucky enough to win one of our three free copies, or if you don’t want to wait, you can purchase the book from Amazon.com.

Book Review and Giveaway: Max Goes To the Space Station – Children’s Books

Book review by David L. Hamilton

Jeffery Bennett’s Max Goes to the Space Station is the newest addition to the series A Science Adventure with Max the Dog. This series introduces children ages 4 to 12 to the exciting world of scientific thinking through adventurous story telling featuring a lovable and intelligent dog named Max. Max Goes to the Space Station also includes age appropriate suggested activities spanning grades 1 through 8.

This book uses words and illustrations to tell the exciting tale of Max the dog and his journey to the International Space Station, his adventures while on the station and his return home to his family. The main story is written so that younger children can follow along with Max and his adventures while also providing a “Big Kid Box” on each page for the older children. A “Big Kid Box” is a text box on each page that has more in-depth information for older children. At the back of the book are suggested activities for children in the first grade through the eighth grade. Max Goes to the Space Station is one of the many books included in the Stories from Space program. In this program, astronauts read a book from space while on the International Space Station. This year; 2014, astronauts are scheduled to read this book as well as other books from the series.

Universe Today and Big Kid Science are pleased to be able to offer two free copies of Max Goes to the Space Station to our readers. This contest is open to US and Canadian residents only. In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Tuesday, March 24th. If this is the first time you’re registering for a giveaway, you’ll receive a confirmation email immediately where you’ll need to click a link to be entered into the drawing. For those who have registered previously, you’ll receive an email later where you can enter this drawing.

Max Goes to the Space Station and other books in this series are available on Amazon.com.

Max Goes to the Space Station A Science Adventure with Max the Dog [Hardcover] by Jeffery Bennett Illustrated. 32 Pages. Big Kid Science

About the author and illustrator:

Jeffrey Bennett is an astrophysicist and educator who proposed the idea for and helped develop the Voyage Scale Model Solar System—the first science-oriented exhibit approved for permanent installation on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In addition to writing the Science Adventures with Max the Dog series, he is the lead author of best selling college textbooks in astronomy, mathematics, statistics and astrobiology, as well as of critically acclaimed books for the general public. He lives with his family in Boulder, Colorado. Michael Carroll is a renowned space artist, a fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists, and a recipient of the Lucien Rudaux award for lifetime achievement in the astronomical arts. His work has been featured at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Air and Space Museum; in National GeographicSmithsonian and Time; and on NOVA. He is also the illustrator of Max Goes to Jupiter. He lives in Littleton, Colorado.

About the reviewer:

David and his wife live in Conway, Arkansas. They are amateur astronomers that love spending nights stargazing and their days working in Higher Education. David graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Master of Education degree.

Book Review and Giveaway: Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson

On July 23rd, 2012, Sally Ride died. As the first American woman in space and a true icon of the modern scientific era, her loss was felt all over the world. President Barack Obama said, “Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars.” Ride’s, well, ride into space was wonderfully inspiring, but how many Americans ever read of Kathryn D. Sullivan, Anna Lee Fisher, or the dozens of other American women in space? Outside of space enthusiasts, few people know that the first woman in space was actually a Russian cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, who visited the cosmos nearly 20 years before Ride! While Mae Jemison has reached international fame as a physician and the first African American women in space, few know of the African American women who came after her.

Thanks to our natural, but foolish, inclination to focus on “firsts” and benchmarks as if collecting trivia, it’s elusively easy to believe that these two or three women mentioned in our high-school science texts are the definitive ‘women of space’ and that’s that.

Hardly.

As accomplished author Karen Bush Gibson shows in her latest book, Women in Space: 23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity-Breaking Adventures, space is certainly not an all boy’s club. Throughout the just over 200-page book, Gibson relates the successes and setbacks of nearly two dozen women from ten different countries who made history and forged a path for countless females to follow. Gibson’s book features photographs and nods to access additional learning resources, valuable for any interested reader in showing that this book is truly only just scratching the surface of women’s enormous impact on spaceflight.

Studies seem to pour in almost daily stating that the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields are increasingly male-dominated, so it’s refreshing to read about the women who overcame the stereotypes and prejudices and dared to go where so few had gone before. Gibson’s book offers an informative, introductory overview of a group of unfortunately under-appreciated heroes – as well as an exhilarating perspective which emphasizes that there is so much more to come.

You can buy a copy of Women in Space from Amazon.com or visit the Chicago Review Press.

Universe Today and Chicago Review Press are pleased to be able to offer two free copies of Women in Space to our readers. In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Wednesday. February 26. If this is the first time you’re registering for a giveaway, you’ll receive a confirmation email immediately where you’ll need to click a link to be entered into the drawing. For those who have registered previously, you’ll receive an email later where you can enter this drawing.

Book Giveaway: Scatter, Adapt and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction

Annalee Newitz, Science editior, Science Fiction author and Editor-in-chief of IO9 is offering one, free, autographed copy of her book, ‘Scatter, Adapt and Remember: How Humans will Survive a Mass Extinction.”

Now, I like post apocalyptic disaster porn as much as the next guy, but this book offers something that most of the other books, shows or movies do not to the hungry reader: hope. If human folly is one of the potential causes of the downfall of our civilization, then human ingenuity can be its saviour. This book describes both on planet, and off planet ideas that can make sure man (as a species, not a gender :)) lives to see another millennium.

 

About Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz is the founder and editor-in-chief of io9. Read more about her here.

Scatter, Adapt and Remember is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Universe Today and Annalee Newitz are offering one free copy to win. In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Tuesday, December 31st, 2013. We’ll send you a confirmation email, so you’ll need to click that to be entered into the drawing.

 

Book Review and Giveaway: Physics: An Illustrated History of the Foundations of Science


Book review by David L. Hamilton

Tom Jackson’s Physics: An Illustrated History of the Foundations of Science is an enjoyable read for anyone who is fascinated by the world in which we live and curious about how the world works. Reading and comprehension of the material does not require one to have a background in physics or science. Jackson takes 100 important events that occurred throughout different periods in our history and presents them in such a way that they can be understood and enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds. Each event covers about a page and each page has beautiful illustrations and diagrams of the various tools of the trade that the physicists used in each of the 100 breakthroughs.

The book is divided into five sections ranging from antiquity to modern physics. The first section, The Dawn of Science, covers the important figures that set the stage for scientific inquiry for the next several centuries, such as Thales, Democritus, and Aristotle.

The second section, The Scientific Revolution, introduces us to Newton and his Laws of Motionand Theories of Light, John Dalton and his investigations into the characteristics of gases, and Thomas Seebeck and his discovery of the thermoelectric effect.The third section of Jackson’s book examines the Doppler effect, Absolute Temperature, and the discovery of X-Rays, all extremely important discoveries that are still relevant in the various branches of science today, such as astronomy and medicine.

The fourth section brings the reader into the subatomic age where contributions from Titians such as Max Planck and his Constant, Albert Einstein and his Theory of Relativity, and Dane Niels Bohr who gave us Bohr’s Model of an atom.

The fifth and final section of the book covers modern physics. Jackson does a great job of explaining how Slipher, Hubble, and Georges Lemaitre used Einstein’s theory of relativity to show that our universe is not static and eternal but an expanding, changing and evolving universe that had a beginning. In this final section, the reader will also learn about Quarks, Neutrinos, Dark matter and energy, and the famous Higgs boson.

Another great feature about this book is that it includes a foldout timeline that puts the people and their discoveries into the larger contexts of World events so that the reader can see the big picture more easily.

Universe Today and Shelter Harbour Press is offering free copies to two lucky winners. In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Thursday, December 26th, 2013. We’ll send you a confirmation email, so you’ll need to click that to be entered into the drawing.

David and his wife live in Conway, Arkansas. They are amateur astronomers that love spending nights stargazing and their days working in Higher Education. David graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Master of Education degree.

Book Review and Giveaway: Astronomy Photographer of the Year Collection 2

We have another book review and giveaway for you! Just in time for the holidays.

Book review by David Dehetre of Universe Today.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year Collection 2 is a large format, glossy book that covers the Royal Observatory at Greenwich’s annual Astrophotography competition. It covers Earth and Space, Our Solar System, Deep Space, Young Astronomy Photographer, People and Space, Best Newcomer, and Robotic Scope from 2009 to 2012. It also includes a brief how-to primer on astrophotography which, while fine, seemed perfunctory and tacked on.

The book is organized by years and category, with nice double page section breaks with clear, detailed info alongside each image; however, within each year, the categories aren’t delineated, either through typographic means, such as headers or section breaks, or through any indication alongside the images themselves. Usually the category was obvious enough, but it was somewhat confusing at times. Each category contains images by the winner, runner-up, and sometimes one or more ‘highly-commended’ entrants. Some categories also had other images without any designation of why they were included. This could be a typographic omission of some sort, or it could be that they were just additional entrants worthy of inclusion.

I was happy to see the consistently high caliber of work that came out of the competition. There isn’t one image in the book that was less than outstanding. I’ve spent many a night far out in the countryside doing astrophotography as a hobby, and I’ve never come up with an image to compare.

I was also happy to see the competition segmented into subject areas as well as the more expected age/experience categories. This seems to acknowledge that there are different metrics and merit for the broad scope of styles/subjects in astrophotography.

One other point worth mentioning is I found many of the astrophotographers presented were people I was already familiar with, some from Flickr, some from You Tube, and some from periodicals like Sky at Night. I knew these people, and not because they produced and continue to produce great images, but because they are some of the people I learned astrophotography from thus illustrating one of the great underlying aspects of astrophotography: that it is collaborative in nature. I find it heartening that the people who share the most, who help others and communicate, seem to be the ones who do the best work and are the most successful.

I’m of two minds about Astronomy Photographer of the Year though. On the one hand, it’s very well done, beautiful, and stunning: really everything a person could ask for in a book on this subject. At the same time, however, it is trying to document something that is bigger and richer than can be captured in a book.

While the images are flawlessly presented, they lack the backlit brilliance provided by a computer screen, and they aren’t zoomable to view fine details. Many astrophotography images are available on-line at resolutions equivalent to wall-size if they were printed out.

There is also the problem of completeness. While the book is cover-to-cover with great images, in large part it is singular images from outstanding photographers who have dozens or hundreds of stunning images on-line. I found myself flipping a few pages at a time, and then being overcome with a desire to go search out a photographer’s other images. This is perhaps an inevitable outcome of the fact that the competition was conducted on-line (via Flickr), so it’s hard to see it as a negative.

All in all, it really is a fantastic book and I love having it on my shelf that I often randomly flip through to find myself getting inspired, but I don’t think I would have searched it out for that purpose, and I’m not sure who the target customer is supposed to be. It seems incomplete and cursory, especially in the technical details, for someone already involved with the hobby and yet it has a price tag and scope that seems inconsistent with an introductory level book. It would make a great addition to a library collection.

One lucky Universe Today reader will win a free copy of this beautiful book. Here is how:

In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Tuesday, December 10th, 2013. We’ll send you a confirmation email, so you’ll need to click that to be entered into the drawing.

Don’t want to wait to see if you won? This title is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Giveaway and Review: Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Collection Two

Universe Today and Royal Observatory Greenwich are pleased to offer one free copy of Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Collection Two!

Universe Today Review by Dave Dehetre

Astronomy Photographer of the Year is a large format glossy book that covers the Royal Observatory, Greenwich’s annual astrophotography competition. It covers the competition years from 2009 to 2012 and subject categories: Earth and Space, Our Solar System, Deep Space, Young Astronomy Photographer, People and Space, Best Newcomer, and Robotic Scope. It also includes a brief how-to primer on astrophotography which, while fine, seemed perfunctory and tacked on.

The book is organized by years and then by category, with nice double page section breaks and clear detailed info alongside each image. However, within each year, the categories aren’t delineated, either through typographic means, such as headers or section breaks, or through any indication alongside the images themselves. Usually the category was obvious enough, but it was somewhat confusing at times. Each category contains images by the winner, runner-up, and sometimes one or more ‘highly-commended’ entrants. Some categories also had other images without any designation of why they were included. This could be a typographic omission of some sort, or it could be that they were just additional entrants worthy of inclusion.

I was happy to see the consistently high caliber of work that came out of the competition. There isn’t one image in the book that was less than outstanding. I’ve spent many a night far out in the countryside doing astrophotography as a hobby, and I’ve never come up with an image to compare.

I was also happy to see the competition segmented into subject areas as well as the more expected age/experience categories. This seems to acknowledge that there are different metrics and merit for the broad scope of styles/subjects in astrophotography.

One other point worth mentioning is that I found that many of the astrophotographers presented were people I was already familiar with, some from Flickr, some from Youtube, and some from periodicals like Sky at Night. I knew these people, and not because they produce great images, but because they are some of the people I learned astrophotography from. I think this points out one of the great underlying aspects of astrophotography: that it is collaborative in nature. And I find it heartening that the people who share the most, who help others and communicate, seem to be the ones who do the best work and are the most successful.

I’m of two minds about Astronomy Photographer of the Year though. On the one hand, it’s very well done, beautiful, and stunning. Really everything you could ask for in a book on this subject. But against it, in part it is trying to document something (astrophotography) that is bigger and richer than can be captured in a book.

While the images are flawlessly presented, they lack the backlit brilliance provided by a computer screen, and they aren’t zoomable to view fine details. Many astrophotography images are available on-line at resolutions equivalent to wall-size if they were printed out.

There is also the problem of completeness. While the book is cover-to-cover with great images, in large part it is singular images from outstanding photographers who have dozens or hundreds of stunning images on-line. I found myself flipping a few pages at a time, and then being overcome with a desire to go search out a photographer’s other images. This is perhaps an inevitable outcome of the fact that the competition was conducted on-line (via Flickr), so it’s hard to see it as a negative.

So it really is a fantastic book, I love having it on my shelf, and I often flip through at random and find myself getting inspired, but I don’t think I would have searched it out for that purpose, and I’m not sure who the target customer is supposed to be. It seems incomplete and cursory, especially in the technical details, for someone already involved with the hobby and yet it has a price tag and scope that seem inconsistent with an introductory level book. It would make a great addition to a library collection.

~

If you want to purchase a copy of Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Collection Two, it is available on Amazon.com.

Universe Today and Royal Observatory Greenwich are pleased to be able to offer one free copy of Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Collection Two to our readers. In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Monday, November 4, 2013. If this is the first time you’re registering for a giveaway from Universe Today, you’ll receive a confirmation email immediately where you’ll need to click a link to be entered into the drawing. For those who have registered previously, you’ll receive an email later where you can enter this drawing.

Giveaway and Review: Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years

Hello Readers! We have a new book review and giveaway for your enjoyment: Star Trek Federation: The First 150  Years. 

From the Publisher:

Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years
For the first time, an ‘in universe’ history of Star Trek, complete with excerpts from Starfleet records and intergalactic intelligence, including James T. Kirk’s official biography and newly translated Klingon reports.

Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the United Federation of Planets.

This unprecedented illustrated volume chronicles the pivotal era leading up to Humankind’s First Contact with Vulcan in 2063, the Romulan War in 2156, the creation of the Federation in 2161, and the first 150 years of the intergalactic democracy up until the year 2311. Meticulously researched, this account covers a multitude of alien species, decisive battles, and the technology that made the Age of Exploration possible. It includes field sketches, illustrations, and reproductions of historic pieces of art from across the Galaxy, along with over fifty excerpts from key Federation documents and correspondence, Starfleet records, and intergalactic intelligence.

David A. Goodman has spent the last 26 years writing for television. His credits include The Golden Girls, Star Trek: Enterprise, Futurama (where he wrote the Nebula Award nominated Star Trek homage “Where No Fan Has Gone Before”), and Family Guy where he was head writer for six years. This is his first book. He lives in Pacific Palisades, CA with his family.

You can purchase a copy of Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years through Amazon.com.

Universe Today Review by Kristopher A. Poskey

Hypothetically, in the year 2347, young students throughout the Alpha Quadrant of The United Federation of Planets have found the book Star Trek Federation, The First 150 Years an exhilarating 167 page chronological review of exploration and diplomacy in space. Yet, here we are in the year 2013, reading as if we had survived to see the end of the first 150 years.Perhaps 27 year old David A. Goodman, Memory Alpha Historian, has travelled back in time to the year 2013 and brought this book back with him.

Goodman is well known for his work on “The Golden Girls”, “Family Guy”,” Futurama”, and ultimately his work on “Star Trek: Enterprise”. Goodman first publicly expressed his interest in Star Trek when he wrote, Where No Fan Has Gone Before, a well-known Futurama episode from the fourth season dedicated to Star Trek (it was nominated for the Nebula Award). Perhaps Goodman may even speak Klingon, but this episode showed just how vast Goodman’s knowledge was of Star Trek, its characters, and its history. Goodman says the inspiration for this book came from “The Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology” that was published in December, 1979. As its title suggests, the original book chronicles humans’ space ventures from Sputnik I to the events depicted in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.

Goodman’s new book begins on April 5, 2063 with the events surrounding “First Contact” and extends to the year 2311. The year 2311 marked the first 150 years of The Federation. As any good historian, Goodman not only told the stories that built the federation, but included minute details, allowing the reader to get a full grasp on what kinds of dynamic situations, the early pioneers faced. Goodman teamed up with 4 artists (Joe Corroney, Mark McHaley, Cat Staggs, and Jeff Carlisle) to add a plethora of illustrations that bring the history and its stories to life. Depictions of your favorite characters and pivotal moments truly add a new perspective to this captivating story. Excerpts from the Captain’s Log, as well as newspaper clippings are scattered throughout the book. Documents written in Klingon, Vulcan, Andorian, Romulan, Tellarite, and Coridan are included, along with their English translations. These and many other surprises lie within the pages of this sophisticated historical document.

If you’re an avid Trekkie, this book is a must-have for your collection (you may even learn a thing or two). If you’ve never been a huge Star Trek fan, this book will still appeal to you, not only in an emotional but also in a logical way. While the book is particularly broad about specifics, it focuses on the Federation as a whole, and the more widespread effects of decisions the leaders made. While we may have enjoyed the detail and the excitement in each episode of Star Trek, from our younger days, this book truly takes the story to a whole new level: by evaluating the entire galaxy and plotting the historical significance of various events that occurred. This book is a must read for Star Trek and science fiction fans alike.

Universe Today and Titan Books are pleased to be able to offer two free copies of Star Trek Federation to our readers. In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Monday, November 4, 2013. If this is the first time you’re registering for a giveaway, you’ll receive a confirmation email immediately where you’ll need to click a link to be entered into the drawing. For those who have registered previously, you’ll receive an email later where you can enter this drawing.

 

Giveaway: Sky Live for iOS5 and Up

A new app called “Sky Live” was just released  from Vito Technologies and it will save you countless planning hours in your stargazing agendas. Vito Technologies, through a super-secret process, has discovered a way to give users a sky watching forecast anywhere in the world for up to 7 days in advance.

Were you planning a camping trip to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower? Is Venus going to be in the perfect spot in the sky to pull out your telescope and have a sky watching party? Sky watching is heavily dependant upon weather conditions and all that careful party planning is out the window when a bank of clouds settles in.

Universe Today and Vito Technologies is giving away 10 free copies of this app. How do you enter your name for this “appy” goodness?

In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Monday, October 7, 2013. We’ll send you a confirmation email, so you’ll need to click that to be entered into the drawing.

More info on this app from the Publisher:

What it does: The main screen gives you one number: let’s say 78%.

Same as Fahrenheit degrees in weather, this percentage gives you at-a-glance info on how good tonight is for stargazing. The number is calculated with a special formula that takes into account things like is there anything interesting in the sky tonight, how cloudy, how bright is the Moon, etc.

Why it is different:

The formula for our Stargazing Index is superbly original and highly confidential. Combined with stunning space images, we hope this will be the most beautiful and accurate stargazing forecast on the AppStore.

Highlights:

– New app from the developers of Apple Design Award winning stargazing app with over 7 mln users

– Designed specifically for iOS7 (but will work on everything starting with iOS 5): blur and parallax, stunning graphics

– Detailed info on stargazing conditions for any location in the world for seven days ahead

vito2

– Moon phases

– Rise, set, culmination/azimuth for the most important objects: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and the International Space Station

– Cloudiness

– Weather forecast

– Light pollution

– The International Space Station position over the map

– ISS crew data

Giveaway: 2014 Ice In Space and Southern Sky Calendars

We have another great giveaway lined up for all of our loyal readers. This one is quite cool. The Australian Amateur Astronomy group, “Ice in Space” created a contest for their members to submit their best astro photographs. The best images out of the 250 submitted were made into two calendars.

They are available for purchase if you are not feeling lucky enough to win one in this Universe Today giveaway.

Astronomy 2014 Calendar 

Southern Sky 2014 Calendar

Universe Today and Ice in Space would like to give away 5 free copies of each

calendar to 10 lucky winners. Here is how:

In order to be entered into the giveaway drawing, just put your email address into the box at the bottom of this post (where it says “Enter the Giveaway”) before Tuesday, September 17, 2013. We’ll send you a confirmation email, so you’ll need to click that to be entered into the drawing.

IceInSpace is a community website dedicated to promoting amateur astronomy in the southern hemisphere – including Australia, New Zealand, South America, Southern Africa and parts of Asia. We aim to help stargazers from around the world discover, discuss and enjoy the beauty of our night sky. 2014-southern-sky-front-330px