REVIEWED: Wonders of the Universe app

Brian Cox’s app is great for long journeys to dark sky destinations

Thanks to his presenting of January’s Stargazing Live series on the BBC, Professor Brian Cox is the face of astronomy in the UK, and his app for the iPhone and iPad is a great way to get a dose of both inspiration and hard physics. Combining stunning visuals and graphics with swipe-based navigation, written information panels and short video clips from the Wonders of the Universe series for the BBC from a few years ago, Cox tells the story of stars in a way that neither baffles nor condescends the viewer.

Inspiration

Although it’s short on practical information about finding Cox’s examples in the night sky, the names of well-known stars can be looked-up and searched for using one of the many other stargazing apps. Mainly, however, this is about inspiration.

Animation

With such great animation and music, wandering through Wonders feels less like a science lecture and more a lesson on what modern books can – and should – be like.

Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
Price: £3.99

First published on MSN Tech UK