Professor Brian Cox's popular astronomy series now has a companion mobile app offering television footage, text and a 3D tour of the universe.
Publisher Harper Collins has created the Wonders of the Universe app for iPad after agreeing a deal with the BBC for footage from Cox's TV shows Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe.
The app features two and half hours of video footage from the shows (viewable over Wi-Fi), and the full text from Harper Collins's companion books, written by Cox and Andrew Cohen.
Users can also take a "mind-blowing 3D tour" of the Universe with Cox as their guide, pointing out the moons, planets, stars and distant galaxies on the edge of the known universe.
Sites include Red Giants, beautiful Nebulae, pulsing Neutron stars and a "daunting vision of a Black Hole sucking down a hapless star", all rendered in 3D.
Cox, previously a keyboard player in the band D:Ream, provides more than 200 articles within the app pinned to stars, planets and wonders.
Alex Gatrell, digital publisher for Harper Collins, said: "Brian Cox's Wonders Of The Universe app is heaven-sent for fans of astronomy and of Brian Cox, but also meets a growing public thirst for knowledge in the astro-physics field.
"We've set a new frontier for digital publishing by positioning Brian's written narrative and related BBC video content in a bespoke 3D environment which changes dynamically as you journey deeper and deeper into the realms of the Universe, making for a jaw-dropping product that can be enjoyed on several levels."
London-based Other Media has created the technology underpinning the app, utilising a 3G engine capable of creating textures and animations for iOS 5 devices, optimised for the high resolution display in the new iPad.
Rather than developing 3D models in a desktop, Other's technology allows the models to be created directly within the iPad itself, providing more flexibility.
Other Media managing director George Crabb said: "Brian Cox's contribution to the understanding of the universe has been immense and we wanted to use his television and publishing contributions to deliver something truly ground-breaking for the iPad.
"So we threw out conventional thinking on multimedia experiences to instead come up with a revolutionary platform that can take complex narratives but deliver them with an intuitive clarity."
The app is available now on iPad for the promotional launch price of £4.99. An iPhone version will follow soon "at a lower price point".
