If you've got an interest in Space, then you'll probably like SkyORB which is basically a collection of tools for staring into the universe.

A beautifully crafted 3D insight into the universe

SkyORB is consists of seven tools, including a 3D star map, 3D planetarium, ephemeris, search engine, weather, sun clock and more. SkyORB brings the entire universe to your screen enabling you to search for stars, planets, moons, comets and asteroids all of which are regularly updated with the latest findings and discoveries in Space.

Choosing a viewpoint from where to gaze at planets is one of the most interesting things to do with SkyOrb. It's fascinating to see how the Universe looks from Jupiter and Neptune for example, especially how the Earth just shrinks into yet another star in the sky. The overall detail in SkyOrb is particularly impressive, with even real-time weather patterns and updates for the various planets. If you want to take a closer look at the surface of a planet, you can land on it although the level of detail is very limited.

Although there is plenty to keep you occupied in the free version of SkyORB, the premium version offers some enhanced features including removal of annoying reminder pop-up windows, the ability to zoom to up-to one degree in local view and enhanced information dialogs about the various planets.

Superb 3D navigation of Space

SkyORB's new look 3D interface is very slick and basic navigation of the solar system in 3D is easy and fun. It would, however, be useful if some of the control symbols at the top of the screen had labels to indicate what they do too because learning how to use them is very much trial and error.

SkyORB is also available on almost all platforms meaning it makes a particularly good learning tool for kids when they're on the move or on a PC at home. The really fun thing about using SkyOrb on a mobile device is that it can use your GPS to show you exactly how the stars and planets relate to your actual location.

The biggest problem with SkyORB is that it can be quite slow to use. The 3D graphics render well on a PC but on a mobile device, it's not as responsive and navigation can be extremely sluggish.

Great for anyone with an interest in astronomy

SkyORB is fascinating for those with an interest in the solar system although you'll probably find it works better on PC than on mobile devices.