Planets from Q Continuum is the app that’s going to take you to the planets and stars. It’s educational, but it’s a lot of fun too, combining features of astronomy with a planetarium, and the presentation makes for an engrossing exploration of the constellations.
When you launch the app you have the option to view the planets just like in a planetarium, and you also get a detailed look at the various constellations. Aside from viewing in 3D you can also view these in microwave or infrared, and the amount of detail is as good as you’d see in many paid planetarium apps.
The app also comes with a visibility meter for each of the planets, and this tells you when they can be seen by the naked eye and the level of visibility. This makes Planets not just an educational app, but also useful for anyone who is into star gazing. The layout is easy to grasp, and the visuals are suited properly for mobile as well.
For many, it’s the 3D rendering of the planets that will draw the most attention, and the details are sharp enough you can see the textures and special features unique to each planet like the storm on Jupiter. And you also have the option to switch to constellation view, and you just need to tap the option at the bottom of the screen to switch between 2D and 3D views.
Bottom line: Planets is one of the best free planetarium / astronomy apps for the iOS and Android.
Related Links:
Download Planets