Nice but not worth £1.49
This is overpriced. I would expect a lot more features for my money. Possibly worth 69 pence at most.
Exactly what I was looking for
This app perfectly simulates a real Orrery. I was looking for one online and they were either cheap crap or $4,000. $2.00 is nothing to pay for something like this, especially considering the 3D engineering skill and time required to make all the simulated gears interact properly.
Still a few bugs
Visually, this app's display is beautiful. I've seen other astronomy apps try for a 'floating in space' type look, but this just makes it difficult to visualize the 3D relationship of the planets.
By duplicating the look of an orrery with planets mounted on poles stuck in a large disk, it is much easier to see when a planet is close or far.
I was disappointed to see that the date setting isn't fully functional. Although the controls allow you to dial back two thousand years to January 1 of the Year 1, the app will ignore any setting previous to December 13, 1901.
I like the fact that you can zoom on all the planets, but it would like to do the Same to the clock dial on the main platform too.
Tapping on each body in the system brings up some interesting facts about each. But some of these essays suffer from a number of typos. The mass of the sun is said to be "2 X 1030 kilograms" and the density of the moon is "181 of Earth." Undoubtedly the info on the sun was meant to be expressed in scientific notation and one of the digits in the figure referring to the moon was probably meant to be a percentile sign.
There are many great features to play with on the app. With a little tweeking I would be happy to give it a full five stars.
By duplicating the look of an orrery with planets mounted on poles stuck in a large disk, it is much easier to see when a planet is close or far.
I was disappointed to see that the date setting isn't fully functional. Although the controls allow you to dial back two thousand years to January 1 of the Year 1, the app will ignore any setting previous to December 13, 1901.
I like the fact that you can zoom on all the planets, but it would like to do the Same to the clock dial on the main platform too.
Tapping on each body in the system brings up some interesting facts about each. But some of these essays suffer from a number of typos. The mass of the sun is said to be "2 X 1030 kilograms" and the density of the moon is "181 of Earth." Undoubtedly the info on the sun was meant to be expressed in scientific notation and one of the digits in the figure referring to the moon was probably meant to be a percentile sign.
There are many great features to play with on the app. With a little tweeking I would be happy to give it a full five stars.
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Good but not great
Not a bad orrery for the price, I just wish there were a few more options, like being able to turn off the distracting blue background and replace it with a much more simple black background. (Ideally including accurate star positions, but maybe that's asking too much for my £1.50). Also a couple of bugs meaning you can't pick a date to jump to and the speed selecting slider makes it difficult to select slow speeds. Also to be able to remove the orrery workings would be nice and have just the planets on screen as I'm sure it's not required to make it work in a digital form.
But apart from that it does exactly as expected and described.
But apart from that it does exactly as expected and described.
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Beautiful app
I'm so glad the price was set low enough to just jump in for my five year old. How easy to explain days, months (lunar), and years plus seasons. There's just so much good about it. This is real craftsmanship!
One thing I'm not sure I understand is the apparent precession of the earth. I suspect its axis should remain constant with respect to the starfield. Ah, one other thing is the earth's axis of rotation isn't colinear with the metal shaft it's mounted on.
Some text explaining navigation wouldn't be bad.
I love the Oort Cloud. Excellent!
One thing I'm not sure I understand is the apparent precession of the earth. I suspect its axis should remain constant with respect to the starfield. Ah, one other thing is the earth's axis of rotation isn't colinear with the metal shaft it's mounted on.
Some text explaining navigation wouldn't be bad.
I love the Oort Cloud. Excellent!
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So nice to watch
I enjoy watching this and interacting with the model. Whether setting it to today, or advancing at any rate I choose, it is like having a copy of the ancient Orrery they found in the sea.
Worth buying, I would recommend this version.
Worth buying, I would recommend this version.
Beautiful
This is everything you could want in a digital version of 18th century technology. Beautiful spinning movements.
It does absolutly nothing. Total Ripoff
It does absoluty nothing. Total Ripoff
The Solar System on a Golden Platter
This is a beautiful app, inspiring awe for all of existence. It is a 3-D model of an antique orrery, showing the planets, Earth's moon, the sun and the inner and outer asteroid belts. I don't know how accurate it is, but for a basic understanding of the movements of planetary bodies, it is an elegant visual aide. And somehow, once you select to see the asteroids, the platter makes the solar system seem to hang adrift in the starry heavens, creating in my mind the mental leap of how, in reality, it must actually be--the planets naked in the heavens, and surrounded by the dusty universe. Especially seen from overhead. This is in some ways so much more true than seeing a realistic animation--ala NASA, or Star Trek's opening credits.
Just beautiful. The music--of the spheres--is also very nice. Thank you for all your artistry.
Just beautiful. The music--of the spheres--is also very nice. Thank you for all your artistry.
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