Here’s the setup for a joke: once there was a mathematician, a physicist, and an engineer, and… Oh, wait, that’s not the setup for a joke. That’s a description of my house in grad school. Okay, it was actually a trailer, not a house, but that’s not important. For the purposes of today’s story, what you need to know is that I was the engineer in the trio, and Dan was the physicist. Dan is now on the faculty at Weber State in Ogden, Utah. He has a blog that I enjoy reading, and as an iPhone owner I was especially pleased to come across his very thorough review of iPhone star charting applications.
I always liked looking over Dan’s shoulder when he was evaluating products he was considering buying (camera lenses, star charts, baking supplies), because Dan is the most thorough evaluator I know. Go look at his star chart reviews and you’ll see what I mean. He’s a one-man Consumer Reports! Read what he has to say and buy one of the recommended apps. It’s a good thing to know the stars in your neighborhood.
Thanks Dan!
Rambles Blog at Star Chamber 
And thank YOU, Ned! Sorry I fell behind with my StarChamber reading and didn’t see this until now. What an honor to be linked from such a venerable blog!
I got the free version of Distant Suns, which I’ve been enjoying. My favorite part of it is the Preferences section, which includes this option: “I believe Pluto is still a planet. Take that IAU!“
Yes, Distant Suns may have the most “personality” of all the star-charting apps. I love the way the App Store has enabled one-person software companies to thrive again–though I wonder how long that’ll last.
Anyhow, you’re a cheapskate if the free version of DS is the only star-charting app you’ve installed. Try some of the others! I notice that GoSkyWatch is on sale for only $5.99.