A cat and a mouse in space? Sounds like a rum episode of Tom and Jerry to me. But no: it’s a brilliant new children’s app called Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System.

This is a fun and inventive science app from a new developer called Minilab Studios, and based on their first release, we’re looking forward to seeing what else they come up with.

The app sees you exploring the solar system with Professor Astro Cat and his friend Astro Mouse – presumably they’re putting their traditional inter-species rivalry aside in the name of scientific research.

“Discover planets, moons, suns, spacecraft and everything in between,” explains the App Store listing for this iPhone and iPad app.

Children will get to build their own rockets, read about historic spaceships and the planets of the solar system, while testing their space knowledge with true-or-false trivia.

The app is based on a book called Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space, which we hadn’t heard of before now, but will certainly be investigating.

There’s lots of character to the prof’s first app, and plenty of engaging information about its scientific topic.

Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System costs £2.29 for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store. UPDATE: It is also now available for Android devices for £2.29.

Read about more space apps for kids on Apps Playground.