This is a minor update which fixes the broken search link for longitude.

Download now for Windows Vista

SOHO changed the URLs of the Continuum and Magnetogram detectors and this update incorporates those new paths. Thank you to Larry G. for bringing it to my attention!

Download now for Windows Vista

Luminos 4.3.1 is now available in the App Store. This update fixes bugs introduced in 4.3 which caused satellites to sometimes crash while updating. It also fixes some minor glitches, such as satellites and comets/asteroids not always rendering after being turned on.

Luminos 4.1.1 is now available in the App Store. This minor update is primarily for iCloud compatibility in that it moves the Tycho 2 catalog into a folder where iCloud won’t attempt to back it up. This is necessary because the catalog is large and will consume a sizable chunk of your iCloud backup space. This update also addresses a few minor bugs, including some potential crashes.

Luminos 4.1 is available now in the App Store and is a free upgrade from all previous versions. The new version adds several new features including the ability to dial in any celestial coordinate directly by tapping on the coordinate display at the bottom of the screen. Seven new Hubble images have been added, as have constellation line figures for all constellations. UI changes have been made to improve the star lists and stars now spell out their Bayer designations for those who are greek-impaired (as I am ;). I’ve also changed my popover code to solve compatibility with jailbroken iPads running custom UIs as well as several other bug fixes.

Some users have reported (via reviews) problems with the popover menus in Luminos crashing when accessed. I believe this is being caused by jailbroken iPads running custom themes. It appears that some themes replace the Apple-supplied UI components with their own versions, and those replacements aren’t fully compatible with Apple’s original components. This is causing problems with my implementation of night-vision support in the popover menus and causes Luminos to crash. If your iPad is jailbroken and running a custom theme, please disable custom themes for Luminos if that’s possible, or wait for 4.1 which should be available within a few days and has changes to work around this issue.

I’ve completed Luminos 4 and it’s now available for download in the App Store. This update adds star labels, new constellation artwork, over 700 star essays by Jim Kaler and much more. The update is free to existing owners of Luminos or can be purchased for a new low price!

Luminos 3.2.1 is now available as a free update which fixes the constellation label bug introduced in 3.2. There are no other changes in this release, please see the 3.2 release notes for the full set of changes in this cycle.

I missed a bug in the latest version of Luminos which causes some (though strangely not all) constellation labels to be put on the wrong constellation. As a temporary workaround, turn off constellation labels using the Settings popover in Luminos.
Version 3.2 adds a display at the bottom of the screen showing the current constellation name and that display is working correctly. I’ll get this fixed quickly, and many thanks to Larry from Canada for reporting this.

Luminos 3.2 is now available for download in the App Store. I’m continuing to update the constellation artwork and this release features new detailed artwork for 5 constellations. I’ve also added some UI tweaks to improve usability and fixed several night-vision bugs in the observation tools. Click the “read the rest” link to see the complete release notes for this update.

FEATURE New constellation artwork for Hydra, Scorpio, Cancer, Hercules, and Cygnus
FEATURE Toolbar shows current constellation name in addition to coordinates
FEATURE Adjusted size and spacing of selection picker objects for easier tapping
FEATURE Constellation boundary and figure lines use transition effects
BUGFIX Adjusted brightness of various constellations
BUGFIX Corrected minor cosmetic issues under iOS 5
BUGFIX Space-track account button has proper margins
BUGFIX Changed constellation labels to Off by default since name is now shown in toolbar (upgrades will retain previous setting, use the Settings popover to change it if desired)
BUGFIX Text fields in Telescope popover correctly support night vision
BUGFIX Rectangular text fields no longer become rounded in night vision
BUGFIX Text fields use correct margins in night vision under iOS 5
BUGFIX Fixed rare crash when opening popovers
BUGFIX Info and Close buttons on selection picker are easier to tap
BUGFIX Minor performance improvements