
Solar System for iPad
By Marc Saltzman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Well-written interactive book with lots of multimedia.
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Solar System for iPad
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Stunningly beautiful app for space enthusiasts
What’s It About?
Solar System for iPad lets kids explore the universe by reading articles and facts about our solar system -- be it the rings of Saturn or the atmosphere of Mars -- as well as viewing hundreds of photos, artist illustrations, videos, and animation sequences. Kids touch the iPad screen to interact with the content, such as zooming in and out of Uranus or Jupiter, or to flick through interactive portions, such as "How to spot a planet?"
Is It Any Good?
SOLAR SYSTEM FOR IPAD is an extraordinary – and extraordinarily attractive -- resource for amateur astronomers with text provided by best-seller author (and former radio astronomer) Marcus Chown, along with interactive 3D imagery of the sun, planets, moons, and more. You can "touch" Saturn's rings (based on images from NASA's Cassini mission), flick through the icy rubble of the Kuiper Belt (rocky bits left over from the birth of planets), or pinch and zoom into Earth to study the continents from above (with or without cloud cover). Along with an opening song set to space imagery, this app features dozens of articles; high-resolution galleries; extensive videos and animated sequences; and key data for each planet or moon (diameter, mass, volume, gravity, atmosphere, and so forth). While relatively pricey at $13.99 as of the time of this review, Solar System for iPad is an out-of-this-world pick.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Visit a local planetarium, observatory, or air and space museum to learn more about astronomy.
Consider buying or borrowing a telescope and looking at the stars with your kids. Or spend some time stargazing together with the naked eye on a clear night.
App Details
- Device: iPad
- Subjects: Science : astronomy, geology, physics, Social Studies : geography, Language & Reading : naming, reading, Math : numbers, patterns
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence, making conclusions, thinking critically, Creativity : imagination
- Release date: December 21, 2010
- Category: Books
- Publisher: Touch Press
- Version: 1.0.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 3.2 or later
- Last updated: August 23, 2016
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