Comments on: NASA launches an iPhone app

By: JonB

JonB — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:21:36 +0000

I was at a party over the weekend out in Malibu, away from the light pollution of LA, and while I was stargazing, a fellow partygoer wandered over, aimed her iPhone at the sky and then announced, “That’s Vega.” I don’t know the name of the app, but it uses GPS positioning and the built-in camera, among other things, to look at the piece of sky the phone is aimed at and superimpose a star chart.

Needless to say, I had a nerdgasm over it. Almost enough to make me pay money to the evil kingdom of Apple. Almost… but not quite.

By: Randy A.

Randy A. — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:17:07 +0000

With respect, Cindy is wrong — real geeks use the iPhone, too. But only if they download an app that creates and speaks pirate curses…

By: NOYB

NOYB — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:04:54 +0000

Too bad AT&T sucks!

By: NASA launches an iPhone app | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine « gadgetzen

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:27:31 +0000

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By: Rosie

Rosie — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:38:26 +0000

awesome. hope they do it for the google phone (android) apps!

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:11:26 +0000

Phil,

Come on, real geeks use Android.

By: Danno

Danno — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:49:13 +0000

Argh! Need this for Blackberry!

By: Carey

Carey — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:29:53 +0000

Someday, Verizon Wireless’s network and Apple’s iPhone will join in glorious union, and there will be much rejoicing.

By: o rly

o rly — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:52:37 +0000

I downloaded the app this morning, I’ve been killing time with it since!!

By: StevoR

StevoR — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:45:40 +0000

@7. Patrick Says:

re: Launch : As much as I want this to succeed, there is still that part of me that roots for a result similar to that montage from ‘The Right Stuff’.

What the one where their drinking & driving in betwixt testing fighter jets or the ticker tape parade?

@ the BA :

If you start from the home page and tap the image icon at the bottom, you get a choice of pictures from NASA’s Image of the Day as well as the venerable Astronomy Picture of the Day. I checked those and they were up to date with the current day’s images, too. Nice.

Ah but can you get the Bad Astronomy Blog from there?

By: StevoR

StevoR — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:37:01 +0000

I may be a geek but I’m a broke one.

I’ve yet to even get a mobile phone of any sort.

But that’s okay, I’m quite happy with just enough money to run this computer and get the odd (well okay I never miss an issue & get quite a few!) astronomy magazines & books!

@ 9 IVAN3MAN AT LARGE :
(Your shout Ivan! )

Ah, what the heck, I just love, love, *love* both my cricket & my rocket launches! Frustrating sure, part of the game – yup. Fun and worthwhile nevertheless? Absolutely!

Launch scrubbed? Oh well, at least it’ll be clean!

(Yes. Its late where I am – how’d you guess? )

By: Tom Woolf

Tom Woolf — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:36:13 +0000

How ’bout a similar app for Android phone users?

Please?

By: IVAN3MAN AT LARGE

IVAN3MAN AT LARGE — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:31:25 +0000

Phil Plait:

NASA is trying to launch the new ARES I-X rocket, scheduled right now for 10:54 Eastern time. As I write this weather is not so great so it may be a scrub…

Well, as of now, it is a scrub… this is more frustrating than watching a bloody game of cricket — Rain Stopped Play!

P.S. Looks like Phil got up early this morning for nothing!

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:25:56 +0000

The launch is scrubbed.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:12:05 +0000

re: Launch

As much as I want this to succeed, there is still that part of me that roots for a result similar to that montage from The Right Stuff.

By: Naked Bunny with a Whip

Naked Bunny with a Whip — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:48:40 +0000

I assume jokes about “crashing” are to be avoided.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:48:20 +0000

I wrote them requesting a version for Windows Mobile and other phones, and was told it is in the works.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:46:09 +0000

Augmented-reality satellite flare predictions would be nice.

By: David

David — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:31:57 +0000

The individual mission Twitter feeds on the app don’t work well, though. The newest Constellation twitter is two months old, but they all show up in the main feed.

By: BigBob

BigBob — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:23:33 +0000

And it’s looking a little cloudy just now. Wouldn’t you think they would inform shipping that the danger zone was a no go area? What happened there?
Bob

By: Merijn

Merijn — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:19:05 +0000

Semi-off-topic: meanwhile it’s nailbiting time for the Ares 1-X launch!