Cosmonium

Space. The final frontier. This is… the most cliché way of opening a review for this type of application, but it’s also my first, and I’m excited, so I’m going to leave it at that. And how can I not be excited, when every day it seem like we’re getting closer and closer to colonizing Mars, interstellar travel, discovering alien life, all that stuff?

Simply put, today astronomy is something you want to learn more about. And while there are many online sources which you can use, there are also applications that can offer you a very interesting perspective on the matter (and energy). Cosmonium is one such application.

It should be noted that, while everyone has a unique relationship with the idea of the Universe, Cosmonium isn’t exactly the most unique app. Its interface is strikingly similar to that of Celestia, another space exploration app. Mind you, this isn’t a bad thing, since Celestia is also an open-source program and it hasn't been updated for a few years.

It’s also safe to say that any app which tackles space exploration is ambitious, and even though Celestia seemed a bit more polished visually, Cosmonium looks like it’s more functional and more accessible to its explorers.

When you first open the application, you may be tempted to start moving by yourself, like a wandering space spirit or something. Unfortunately, you soon find out that not only is space too vast, but that trying to get to your targets by mouse wheel is a little ineffective. Your best bet is to search for the locations you want to reach and just let the app hyperspace you there (without any cool SFX, unfortunately).

Keep in mind that the visuals are far from perfect and that the app still has many glitches. Also, there many more celestial bodies that need to be added. Nevertheless, the program offers you a bit of info about each astronomical body, and you still get a feeling of amazement when you see a star like Arcturus or Polaris up close. This is why I urge anyone with a passion for astronomy to play with Cosmonium for just a little while, even if there are probably better astronomy apps out there.