Author: Andrea Martínez Penados

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Star Walk 2 Free: Sky and planet atlas

Have you ever wondered what’s that shiny spot in the sky just after dusk, or the name of that star that calls your attention at night? With the Star Walk 2 Free App you will be able to discover it easily and begin in the astronomy science.

If you are a curious person, you ask these questions to yourself, and want to have basic knowledge of astronomy to identify what you see in the sky, Star Walk 2 can be you ally. It is as easy as to open the app, point to the sky in the direction of the object that interests you, and you will be able to discover what it is.

Star Walk 2 has a celestial atlas with which you will be able to identify stars, constellations, and planets in real-time and freely. With an additional payment, you can also see a detailed broad range of artificial satellites, comets or asteroids.

As I mentioned above, if you are curious about what’s in the sky and you don’t know where to begin, Star Walk 2 Free could be an option. According to several forums, this is one of the most complete astronomy apps that exist, since it uses astronomical data and cutting-edge technology to show 3D graphs, plus multiple visual and sound effects when navigating the app. You can hear relaxing music to match your night of discovery. Do you want to know at what time the Sun rises and hides, or the Moon phases? You can find that out too.

Something useful in the app is the news section, because you will be informed daily of what’s happening in the sky (i.e. eclipses, planet and moon conjunctions, meteor showers, comets, etc.). The app will send you notifications so you can see them live, if the weather allows it of course. This is important, because if from the beginning you don’t know what you can see in the sky, the app will guide you by sending you these notifications. The following images show some examples:

And this is not all, the app can also show you the name of the objects that you are seeing in real-time. When selected, you can learn a little about theory of its history, which will give you more advanced knowledge. The app also has options as “Night mode”, which will prevent the screen from dazzling you when observing the stars, or the “Time machine” option, which is useful if you want to see the position of objects in the past or future.

Versions

Star Walk 2 has multiple apps, where you can see different astronomical content. Star Walk 2 is useful for beginners, but if curiosity wins you over, and you can afford it, you can acquire additional packages of this app, as well as other complementary apps. Vito Technology, the developer, already has a broad range of useful apps for exploring the Universe.

If it interested you and want to try this app right now, it is available for download for both iOS and Android devices.

Disponible en Google Play
Disponible en App Store

* The screenshots are from the Android version.
** The free version for iOS is called Star Walk 2 Ads+

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Studying life

When we talk about Biology, most of people think about studying animals and plants, and although this science does include the study of them, reducing it to only two groups is a mistake.

Biology is defined as the science that studies living beings, and as complex as living things are, so is this science.

As biologists, we study from the chemical composition of a cell, to the most complex relations that occur between complete ecosystems. Inside and outside these ends, there are several ramifications that are necessary to comprehend life. Biology can explain how a species evolved, the reasons of its current distribution, its behavior, the traits of its embryological development, how Earth was thousands or millions of years ago, the function of microorganisms, the relation between organisms of the same or different species, the function of different molecules in a system, and a lot more. And this, without considering that we can specialize in one type of organism and study all of the above on it.

Studying life is not easy, and in many situations we depend on other sciences and disciplines to explain itself or other phenomena in nature. With frequence, biology is involved with anthropology, sociology, politics, geography, medicine, engineering, technology and even economy. When working altogether, these disciplines aid in understanding the relationship between humans and nature, how we have influenced it, and how it has influenced and been useful to us. Furthermore, it is only with them that we can search for more sustainable ways to exist as humanity.

As part of nature, humans rely directly and indirectly on ecosystems and their services. However, in the last decades, natural resources have been so damaged that we are causing the sixth mass extinction in the history of Earth. Only in Guatemala, natural forest covers about one third of the territory and is restricted, almost exclusively, to Protected Areas.

This is why Biology is so important, because is through it that we can find solutions to problems that threat our own existence in Earth. And this is not all; even industries, like the pharmaceutical and food ones, have used the foundations that biology has settled to create new products that improve the life quality of humans. Medicine, through parasitology, physiology, biotechnology, and others, is no exception.

In Guatemala, we still have a lot to research and discover. Research opportunities in biology are huge, but are hindered by the lack of interest of authorities in funding and promoting any kind of science, specially if it benefits the common good.

This is why we march.