[X] My Assistant

[mhoward]

Hi all,

I've made my iPhone/iPod Touch app Moon Globe (iTunes link) free (as in free beer) for the month of November. It's currently #32 on the U.S. App Store list of Top Free Educational Apps, and going up. That translates into hundreds (maybe thousands) of downloads!

If things work out, I hope to keep it free indefinitely, as an educational outreach. There are a few things that could go wrong with that plan which are beyond my control, so I'm not making any promises. If you download the app, your positive (by which I mean five-star) reviews will help me keep it free.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Mike

[lyford]

This is so great! Thanks...!

[mhoward]

You're welcome. It was downloaded 5,439 times yesterday, so I hope some people get to see the Moon in a new way.

This screenshot shows the Top Free Educational Apps in the U.S. at the moment. Moon Globe is at number 2; second to NASA's app.

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[mhoward]

Moon Globe 1.1 is now out, incorporating the Kaguya laser altimeter data for much more realistic lighting. Since it went free, the app has been downloaded over 50,000 times. (And that's without any promotion at all from certain fruity companies which could feature it if they chose to, but haven't.)

[mhoward]

P.S. Here's a screenshot from the new version, showing off the new improved surface lighting.

[john_s]

Gorgeous! I just upgraded my copy and I'm admiring Mare Orientale on my phone as I type. Congratulations.

Now we've got Mars and the Moon, I want the Earth too! I don't see an equivalent app quite this elegant for our own planet.

John

[mhoward]

Thank you. For the Earth, there's always the Google Earth app. I think it would be difficult to compete with it.

[john_s]

Indeed, though I'd really like something that handles topographic shading as nicely as the Moon and Mars globes apps do- that's not Google Earth's strong suite (unless there's a way to tweak it that I haven't discovered yet).

John

[mhoward]

I think you're right; "Earth Globe" might be really pretty. I'll keep it in mind. No, I don't think even the desktop version of Google Earth does real lighting, as far as I remember. It really seems designed with a different (equally valid) set of assumptions. But I think it'd be really difficult to explain that to a mainstream audience.

[elakdawalla]

I think the point of an "Earth Globe" app would be to look at Earth as a planet -- with topographic shading, and maybe with overlays of volcano names, impact crater locations, etc. It would be cool if there were a map you could use color coded for the age of the crust. The key question would be what kind of global databases are out there for such physical geography -- Earth science is quite Balkanized compared to planetary science!

[mhoward]

That's an interesting way of looking at it.

On the subject of Moon Globe: Any desire to see a color topographic map in it? I don't find it to be as essential for understanding as it is for Mars, but it might at least be attractive, as Doug has demonstrated in the Kaguya Data thread.

[elakdawalla]

I think that'd be interesting, as it'd help the user compare topographic variation globally instead of just locally. It takes a color-coded elevation map to make the South pole-Aitken basin pop into relief.

[ilbasso]

Spec-freakin'-tacular! Thanks for making this beautiful app!

[mhoward]

As part of my ongoing tests to assess Moon Globe's accuracy, I made another screenshot-to-photo comparison using Stu's recent Moon Watch shot. The Kaguya elevation data definitely helps things along.

[john_s]

Fabulous! I'd say the app passes that test with flying colors. I especially like the perfect reproduction of the "jeweled handle" of Sinus Iridium in the upper left.

John