Comparison

天球模擬器 vs First Light

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

Head to head
About

天球模擬器

Features
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Astronomy Teaching System is an interactive application designed for learning and exploring basic astronomy. Through visual simulations, it helps users intuitively understand complex celestial geometry and the patterns of celestial motion. Core Features: • Celestial Sphere and Diurnal Motion Simulation: Observe the celestial coordinate system with support for toggling Right Ascension RA and Declination Dec grid lines. Users can freely adjust the observer's latitude 90°N to 90°S via a slider to see real-time changes in the starry sky and stellar tracks at different latitudes. • Dual Perspectives and Relative Motion: Provides Earth Rotation and Celestial Rotation modes, allowing you to thoroughly understand the principles of diurnal motion from different reference frames. You can tap stars on the screen to hide or show specific celestial bodies. • Solar Path through the Seasons: Explore the changing position of the sun on the ecliptic. Use an intuitive date slider 1/1 to 12/31 to observe changes in solar altitude angles and daylight tracks during the equinoxes and solstices. • Space and Earth Mode Toggle: In Space Mode, view Earth's orbital path and axial tilt in the solar system from a bird's-eye perspective. In Earth Mode, view the daily solar path in the local sky from an observer's first-person perspective. • Rotation and Revolution Control: Supports independent toggling of Earth's rotation and revolution, with an acceleration feature for quick demonstrations of long-term astronomical changes. This application offers intuitive touch-to-zoom and perspective adjustment features, making it an ideal supplementary learning tool for students, educators, and astronomy enthusiasts.

About

First Light

Explore the universe's earliest light with real cosmic microwave background data. Pan across the oldest light in the universe, switch between satellites, and observe shifts in frequency bands. This educational app brings real science and cosmic history to your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Explore cosmic microwave background data
  • Immersive sky exploration via phone movement
  • Switch between COBE, WMAP, and Planck satellites
  • Adjust frequency bands to see universe shifts
  • Utilizes real scientific data
Features
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Look up. What you're seeing isn't the night sky. It's the afterglow of the Big Bang, captured by three of the most important space missions ever launched. First Light turns real cosmic microwave background data from COBE, WMAP, and Planck into an immersive sky you can explore by simply moving your phone. Pan across the oldest light in the universe. Switch between satellites. Dial through frequency bands and watch the universe shift. This is real data. Real science. And it fits in your pocket.

Screenshots

天球模擬器4 screens
First Light4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: 天球模擬器 at every 3 days against First Light's every 3 weeks. 天球模擬器 also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

天球模擬器 ships an update every 3 days, First Light every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
天球模擬器 versus First Light: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter天球模擬器First Light
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHan-Chiang ChouThomas Sola

In-app purchases

None

天球模擬器

No in-app purchases

None

First Light

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 天球模擬器 free?
天球模擬器 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is First Light free?
First Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do 天球模擬器 or First Light have ads?
Neither 天球模擬器 nor First Light shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 天球模擬器 or First Light?
天球模擬器 ships an update every 3 days, and First Light every 3 weeks. Most recently, 天球模擬器 was updated on October 16, 2026 and First Light on October 15, 2026.

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