Comparison

Distant Suns 5 vs Asteroid Close Approach

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Distant Suns 5

Explore the cosmos with a realistic and user-friendly astronomy app. Discover constellations, planets, and celestial events with detailed information and stunning visuals. Perfect for both casual stargazers and serious astronomers.

Highlights
  • Realistic night sky display
  • View from Earth or solar system
  • Over 18 million stars
  • Integrated NASA space events
  • Stories behind constellations
  • Night vision color mode
  • Hubble Space Telescope images
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Distant Suns: The night sky, reimagined. 2013 finalist in the Family category of TabTimes' best tablet app contest; "I am putting together some mobile astronomy apps for our local "Sky's the Limit" Observatory in Twentynine Palms, CA. I have been searching for something as good as, or better than, Distant Suns. Short answer: I have not found it yet. ...nothing portrays the night sky as well as Distant Suns. Distant Suns has been your personal guide to the cosmos since 1985. First on the desktop, now right in your hands. While others play games, you can travel to the stars. Award-winning Distant Suns has the reputation of both having one of the most realistic displays of the night sky, while being one of the easiest to use astronomy apps for casual sky watchers as well as serious astronomers. •Named in the "100 Essential Apps" by iLounge •Featured on NPR's MarketPlace Features include: •No Internet required. Just a sense of wonder. •View from the Earth or out in the solar system •Simply aim and gaze. •Over 18 million pinpoint stars scintillating like diamond dust in the palm of your hand (18 mil? Yup.) •Integrated with NASA's Night Sky Network space events in your area (US only at present) •What's Up? Gives a quick one snapshot overview of the evening's sky •Realistic ghostly band of the Milky Way •Stories behind each constellation •Viewpoint Lock keeps any object centered •Current weather patterns on the earth, updated daily •Change the look of the stars •Galaxies, nebula and star clusters •Hubble Space Telescope images •All 8 planets (or 9 for you purists) •GPS aware •Special color mode preserves your night vision. •Touch the sky to reveal hidden data for each object •Planetary data and information First Light is a proud member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers with family-friendly apps. Twitter: @distantsuns Support: www.distantsuns.com

About

Asteroid Close Approach

Get real-time updates on near-Earth asteroid close approaches, including dates, distances, and impact energies. Access NASA's Sentry database for collision predictions and use a built-in calculator to estimate asteroid mass and energy.

Highlights
  • Real-time asteroid data on Apple Watch
  • Comprehensive approach details
  • Access to NASA's Sentry database
  • Asteroid mass and energy calculator
  • Collision monitoring for the next century
Features
Read full description

Stay informed about the most recent near-Earth asteroid encounters—right from your iPhone or on your Apple Watch. Easily check the upcoming dates and times of close approaches, along with their distances, velocities, magnitudes, and estimated impact energies in kilotons. Dive into NASA’s Sentry database, a powerful collision monitoring system that continuously scans the latest asteroid catalog for any potential impacts within the next 100 years. Curious about an asteroid’s mass and energy? Use the built-in calculator to estimate these figures based on its absolute magnitude and approach speed. Features: • Latest Encounters on Your Wrist: View real-time asteroid data at a glance on your Apple Watch. • Comprehensive Tracking: Check each asteroid’s approach date, distance, velocity, magnitude, and potential impact energy. • Sentry Database Access: Keep tabs on NASA’s up-to-date collision predictions for the next century. • Asteroid Mass & Energy Calculator: Estimate physical properties and potential impact energy with a simple input of magnitude and speed. Stay informed, prepared, and captivated by the wonders of our cosmic neighborhood—anytime, anywhere.

Screenshots

Distant Suns 54 screens
Asteroid Close Approach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Distant Suns 5 at 77% against Asteroid Close Approach's 0%. Distant Suns 5 also leads on chart position (#186 vs unranked). Asteroid Close Approach's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 5 months). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99 and Asteroid Close Approach $1.99 up front. Distant Suns 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Asteroid Close Approach asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Distant Suns 5 ships an update every 5 months, Asteroid Close Approach every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Distant Suns 5 versus Asteroid Close Approach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDistant Suns 5Asteroid Close Approach
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.3 (97 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings97 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#186 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size815 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike SmithwickArpacore B.V.

Customer experience

Distant Suns 5

All ratings97 ratings
Positive79.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews337 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral5.0%
Negative18.1%

Asteroid Close Approach

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Distant Suns 5

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when accessing preferences
  • Inability to sync with iCloud
  • Unresponsive or freezing app
  • Incorrect or outdated information displayed
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more detailed information on celestial objects
  • Improve compass and tracking functionality
  • Provide better support for astrophotography
  • Introduce a dark mode for night viewing
  • Add more customization options for the user interface

Asteroid Close Approach

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Distant Suns 5

One-time1
  • Hubble Guide Star Catalog$0.99
None

Asteroid Close Approach

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Distant Suns 5 free?
Distant Suns 5 costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Asteroid Close Approach free?
Asteroid Close Approach costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Distant Suns 5 or Asteroid Close Approach have ads?
Neither Distant Suns 5 nor Asteroid Close Approach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Distant Suns 5 or Asteroid Close Approach?
Distant Suns 5 ships an update every 5 months, and Asteroid Close Approach every 4 weeks. Most recently, Distant Suns 5 was updated on November 6, 2026 and Asteroid Close Approach on November 3, 2026.

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