An Interstellar-esque experience with NASA app for astronomy buffs

Imagine sitting in your car or standing in the train and virtually cruising the Martian atmosphere. This Interstellar-esque experience is now available on your smartphone in the form of an app called NASA.

A trip to the meteor belt or sightseeing across Mars. Take your pick on NASA's app. (Photo: iStock)

Imagine sitting in your car or standing in the train and virtually cruising the Martian atmosphere. This Interstellar-esque experience is now available on your smartphone in the form of an app called NASA.

Available in India since June this year, the app features images, tweets and updates by NASA — be it an artistic picture of the Gulf of Mexico or a close-up of the Pluto hills (just in).

The app also offers videos — taken by the various shuttles sent into outer space, since 1998 — that turn your phone screens into the lunar surface. Though the Indian version only features videos as of now, the US version features actual simulators that give you a closer look at extra-terrestrial objects.

The app's design is user-friendly and the interface is easy to navigate. For an overall astronaut-like experience, NASA offers a series of supplementary apps like Earth Now and Space Craft 3D that offer real-time satellite information on the earth's temperature and weather changes from space, and turn your phone cameras to an eye into the outer space.

This app is perfect for astronomy buffs as it keeps you clued in to all things space. Also, some of the images make for awesome desktop wallpapers.

(The writer tweets as @poorvajoshi93 )