It was only when our children started looking up at the night skies and asking us about the stars, that we realised how little we actually knew about the constellations.

Kiwaka is an app that can help. Released this week, it’s from developer Landka, which worked with the European Space Agency, European Southern Observatory and other science bodies on the project.

And that project is… Well, on the one hand it’s a game for iPhone and iPad that aims to help children learn about the stars above.

“The adventure begins in Kiwaka, a small place in the African jungle (it actually exists!) where the strangest creatures live. They want to discover the night sky and your goal is to catch fireflies to help them - each firefly will light one of the stars in the sky,” explains its App Store listing.

The idea: as your children light up the stars, they’ll learn about the ancient myths behind the names of their constellations.

“Do you know the story of Cassiopeia, the vain Queen of Ethiopia? Or the myth of Perseus and how he killed Medusa who turned all who gazed upon her to stone? Have you heard of Orion, the great hunter, and his enemy, the giant Scorpion?”

That’s the game, but Landka has also released a separate storybook-app called Kiwaka Story. It’s based on the same jungle creatures, but presents it all as an interactive, musical story.

If you have budding starspotters for children – and/or if you want to brush up on your own galactic knowledge – both of these apps look well worth a go.

Kiwaka costs £1.99 for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, while Kiwaka Story costs £1.99 for iPhone and iPad too.

Read about more space apps for kids on Apps Playground, and check out our 100 Best iPad Apps of 2013 e-book – £1.99 from Apple’s iBooks Store