Dust to Cosmos: Space Explorer

Featured in July 2026 in Best New Apps and Updates on the US App Store and Hot This Week in Canada, on iPhone and iPad. This is historical editorial recognition of the app.

From Earth's clouds to Saturn's rings, distant stars and black holes, Dust to Cosmos brings 3D space exploration to iPhone and iPad. Turn celestial worlds in your hands, compare their sizes and follow discoveries from real space missions.

Start with a simple explanation, then go deeper into observation images, measurements and the evidence behind each world.

EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM
• Visit Earth, the Moon, planets, moons, stars, galaxies, exoplanets and black holes.
• Move from a single world to the wider system around it.
• Compare bodies at a common scale and experience cosmic distance in Journey of Light.
• Save and share scenes, create wallpapers and enjoy space widgets.

FOLLOW REAL DISCOVERIES
• Explore the complete Voyager 1 and 2 observatories and the 1989 Neptune encounter for free.
• Discover spacecraft, space telescopes and stations through introductions, achievements and original sources.
• Zoom into space photographs in the Observation Desk and learn how they were captured and processed.
• Basic celestial information and source access remain free.

DUST TO COSMOS PRO — ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION
• Cinematic presentation: watch sunlight on oceans, blue atmospheric light, cloud shadows and city lights. Explore the Sun's modeled surface activity, prominences and corona.
• Current clouds: see recent satellite observations on Earth and replay available cloud records. Capture times are shown; observations may be delayed or missing.
• Black Hole Studio: adjust the disc's light, color and motion, plus lensing effects, while watching the result.
• Piloted flight: steer a spacecraft, boost toward destinations, avoid fictional obstacles and collect points and exploration stamps.
• Earth Through Time and Inside Earth: travel from early Earth toward today and examine the crust, mantle and core in a 3D cutaway.
• Deeper exploration: unlock additional mission observatories, AR guidance for supported sky targets, detailed science dossiers and comparisons, advanced observation guides and personal observation records.
• Pro Motion: explore at up to 120 FPS on supported devices. Actual frame rate depends on the display, scene, temperature and power mode.

Core exploration, Voyager 1 and 2 and Moon finding are free. Try cinematic Earth and Sun for one minute using the real renderer. Paid features share one Pro purchase with no subscription.

Observation, reconstruction and simulation are labeled with their sources. Clouds are not a live feed; ancient Earth, virtual flight and black hole visuals include explanatory models.