First off, you should know that there is a LOT of astronomy-related software out there. Since I am an IBM-compatible owner, I do not have extensive experience with Mac or UNIX stuff. The majority of the available astronomy-related software is for the IBM-compatible, however, and there's a lot of it out there! I've probably tested every one of 'em, and found VERY FEW that are actually any good. My criteria for determining how good any specific piece of software is are the following (in order):
Accuracy:
It is useless (and senseless) to have (or write, for that matter) astronomy
software that isn't accurate. One of the most frustrating things in astronomy
is being able to locate those faint, elusive objects. If the software you
rely upon won't point you in the right direction, what's the point?
Ease of use:
Astronomy can be tough enough without having to fight with your software too.
The last thing anybody needs is to have to remember a bunch of cryptic commands
or keystrokes.
Availability:
I feel it is important for anyone to be able to test a fully functional piece
of software before plunking down their hard-earned cash for it. This is why
I subscribe to the "shareware" concept. On the other hand, most
software authors are getting royally ripped-off by people "testing"
software forever, and never paying for it! Therefore, if you find you actually
like and use a piece of software, pay the author. It's only fair. Besides,
in most cases, the cost of the software is usually much less than the cost
of a "professional" piece of software, works much better, and will
usually mean you get tech. support, upgrade notices, etc. ALL software available
from this site is available for testing, so you can make a more informed purchase
decision.
Cost:
Hardly anyone I know can afford to pay hundreds of dollars for anything, let
alone software. Also, most of us find it difficult to get the university,
observatory, etc to pay for it, since their funding is tight too. If any piece
of software on this site costs over a hundred bucks, you better believe it's
worth it!
OK, 'nuff said. Let's get on with the reviews!
Ok
folks, the search is over! I have discovered the ideal software for all you
'backyard astronomers'! It's called "Starry Night Pro", and boy, is it ever
comprehensive! This is one of those programs that MUST be seen to get a hint
of all it can do! Let's start with the basics: it's a planetarium program
that's FULLY configurable, plus has one of the most comprehensive databases
going. It even includes the Hubble Catalogue! This is SERIOUS software, at
an amazingly affordable price ($149.00US as of 01/24/00). It's going to be
hard for any program to beat this one folks, so pay attention!
It has an excellent user interface, that, despite it's many levels of depth, is easy to use and figure out. You have control over EVERY aspect of the sky, from the limiting magnitudes of the stars, right up to and including the amount of light pollution at your observing location! You can even edit the horizon to look exactly like your local horizon, including placement of buildings & trees, complete with haze & clouds! You can toggle such things as deep sky objects, planets, comets, artificial satellites, and asteroids. You have the option to toggle labels, and a LOT of options regarding the constellations: you can display the constellations as stick figures, and even as the figures represented on the old star charts! Absolutely beautiful with these on, but it makes one wonder what the 'ancients' were smoking when they saw these outlines! The control over the local horizon is amazing; as mentioned above, you can edit it to make it look like your local horizon, but watch it over time during the day, and you'll notice that the shadows cast by the sun move properly over time! What attention to detail!
Using the program as a planetarium program at night allows you to display information on just about any object just by right-clicking on them. You can zoom in on objects for a closer look (especially nice on Jupiter & Saturn!). Zoom in on a deep sky object, and you'll be presented with an actual picture of the object as it appears in the real sky! You can also import pictures of objects, either your own or from the web, and position them just as they are in the real sky. There is an option that allows you to actually 'fly through space', by going to another heavenly body and standing on it! With this option you can 'ride' a comet through the solar system, or stand on the surface of an asteroid! Plus, the views from wherever you go is an accurate depiction of the sky from that object!
This program has an extensive web interface available, which allows you to go get more information on almost any object, look up what's available tonight, as well as download pictures of pre-defined areas of the sky for import. You also have the ability to import your own databases if you want to, although you really won't have to, since the program includes almost every (visual) astronomical database ever created!
As for accuracy, there's no beating this program. I tested positional information of several stars, deep sky objects, and solar system objects, and found the positions reported by Starry Night Pro to be very accurate. In fact, several finder charts I created using this program put me right on target using my 7x35 binoculars, my 10x50 binoculars, an 8" dobsonian!
There are a lot of user-configurable aspects regarding your telescope as well: you can configure fields of view matching your eyepieces, finders (or telrads), as well as use the program to control your Meade LX-200 and Autostar scopes.
Another nice inclusion is the ability to create Quicktime movies! Set your parameters, drag the area you want included in the movie, and 'go'! Caution: these will take up a lot of space, so be sure you have a lot of room on your harddrive. I created a movie of the 01/20/00 total lunar eclipse, and it's nearly 2 meg! This is a nice addition if you ever need to do a presentation or just want to show someone how beautiful an eclipse or passing comet really is!
For us astrophysics nerds, the program includes an 'HR Diagram' module. Activating this will produce an HR Diagram of all the stars in your current view, a very nice addition. If the field is especially crowded however, this may take some time to complete on slower systems, so be careful.
There are a few bugs however, specifically when I push it to it's limits. If you plan on doing this, I hope you have a 'beefy' computer. My tests using an Athlon 550 w/256 meg of ram all ran fairly quick and smooth, but with all the stars turned on, the program sometimes crashes. I can just imagine that if your computer is not quite as 'beefy', your mileage will probably vary.
There's really no way I could explain all this program has to offer, there's just too much. All I can say is, THIS is the program to get if all you can afford is one!
If
you'd like to protect your monitor while you're not using it, but don't really
like the astronomical offerings that came with the operating system, then
you really have to try Kyosoft Screensavers! There are several to choose from:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus & Neptune (curiously,
Saturn isn't offered). Each screensaver includes a stunningly rendered image
of it's subject together with smooth animation of the different phases and
is fully configurable, including colour (ability to apply a colour filter),
size, and starting phase. There is a help file included with each screensaver
that can be accessed from the screensaver options menu or as a link in the
Start menu. Windows only.
Lunar
Phase is excellent software for anyone that needs to know the circumstances
of the moon & sun! This program sports a beautiful interface, with panes
that give you all the info you need. You'll find moon & sun rise, set
& transit times, as well as phase, distance and age. There's even a graphic
that shows you exactly what the moon looks like, with the option to view through
binoculars or a telescope! Flipping through the months will pop up an eclipse
icon when a lunar eclipse occurs; clicking on that icon brings up a screen
detailing the circumstances of that eclipse. This program is quite accurate;
my tests show it to be off by no more than 3 minutes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
JupSat95
is written by the author of LunarPhase (above). As seems typical from this
author, the interface is beautiful and the information presented is complete
and accurate. This program's purpose is to display information on the location
of the Galilean Moons relative to Jupiter. It also displays both meridian
systems. The user has many options: set the time & date, animate in real-time,
as well as display various lists. You can even zoom in & out, and the
image of Jupiter is faithfully reproduced at all magnifications! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
DeepSky 2000 is probably the most accurate ephemerides program I've ever used.
The layout is a spreadsheet format. You have control over every aspect of
this program, through SQL type searches. There is a logbook feature which
is extremely useful, in that it can also hold bitmap images of every object
in the database(s) or your logbook. The program has an extensive database
which includes all the Messier objects, NGC objects, plus many other objects.
You can edit the database(s), or make your own. Additionally, the program
produces an accurate ephemerides for the planets. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
This is absolutely the best all-in-one type package I've seen! This thing
does it all; from satellite tracking, to planetary ephemerides, to producing
planetarium views, plus chart production, as well as the ability to view the
Earth from the perspective of the moon, a satellite, etc. Try it out! Also
has the ability to import bitmaps and .wav files. Heck, it even has a cuckoo
clock! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
NGCView is an innovative approach to deep sky observational planning and logging.
Powerful filtering and sorting options. Prints text, altitude graph and finder
charts at 1 to 8 objects per page. Fantastic graphical interface! . HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED!!!
STSOrbit is an excellent satellite tracker. If you've ever watched NASA-TV,
and seen the wall panel they use to track the Shuttle, then you've seen STSOrbit!
It looks just like it! This version will also allow tracking of any satellite
you have the orbital elements for, which are easily obtainable on the web
(email me
if you need help with this), as well as multiple satellite tracking. GREAT
SATELLITE TRACKER!!!
WinOrbit is a program for computing artificial Earth-satellite
position and visibility, with the Amateur Radio satellite operator in mind.
It was written for the Microsoft Windows 3.1operating system. WinOrbit is
free
(not shareware). The latest version is 3.1. The principal feature of the program
is a series of tracking windows, one per satellite, which display the current
position of the satellite and the observer on a simple world map, together
with information such as footprint, past ground track, bearing (azimuth),
distance, and elevation above the observer's horizon. Sun position and terminator,
user-selected DX locations and a second satellite may also be displayed.
Traksat is, without doubt, one of the best satellite tracking programs I've
ever used! From it's earliest versions, I have found this program to be the
most accurate available. It is extremely easy to use, as well as quick. This
program allows you to track satellites graphically or textually. I have used
this program to obtain all of my satellite photographs. Using this program,
I was able to get a shot of the Shuttle set against the backdrop of the observatory
dome, from right here in central Ohio! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
MegaStar is probably the best planetarium software I've ever used! This one
does everything! It plots the stars, down to 16th magnitude(!) using the Hubble
Guide Star Catalogue, every type of deep sky object you can imagine, as well
as comets and asteroids, all VERY accurately! Cometary paths are also plottable,
and any chart you can make is printable via the Windows printer. The print-outs
look professional! All parameters are user selectable; what deep sky (if any)
are displayed, your location, the date/time, any solar system objects you
want displayed, etc. You can also print out a text ephemeris for the solar
system objects, etc. EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Without
doubt one of the easiest to use pieces of Planetarium type software available!
Here's the "official line" from the company:
Astronomica is a planetarium program designed for Windows 95 that offers very realistic views of entire sky from any place on the Earth. The main goal of Astronomica is its intuitive and easy-to-use interface that lets quickly navigate within the map, search for celestial bodies and obtain extensive information about them. It is also capable of displaying photographic images, animating the Solar System objects and creating high quality star charts like those in the sky atlases.
Astronomica is an astronomy program that can serve as an excellent aid for exploring the heavens. Astronomica is designed as an obseving tool for amateur astronomer, but is equally useful to the "armchair" astronomer or the other person interested in learning about astronomy. If you are an experienced amateur, Astronomica is a straightforward program that lets you quickly find "what's up" in the sky without leaving your house.
What does
Astronomica show?
9096 stars to 6.5 magnitude in colors based on their spectral types
Constellation boundaries and constellation lines
110 deep sky objects from Messier Catalog and 100 the most popular from New
General Catalogue
Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds
All planets, Sun and Moon with its phase
Equatorial coordinate grids, ecliptic, horizon and compass horizon points
Labels for stars, constellations, planets and deep sky objects
Main functions
of program
Draws the sky in equatorial mode or local horizon mode
Allows you to selectively display different kinds of celestial bodies and
enhance the display by drawing equatorial grids, constellations, object labels
and more
Draws the sky background in several shades of blue as well as in black depending
on daytime, twilight or nighttime
Allows you to manipulate with celestial sphere by panning and zooming in different
ways
Allows you to set the date and time of observation
Displays detailed information about any star, planet or deep sky object
Allows you to set an observer's location on Earth from a list of cities or
by entering latitude, longitude and time zone
Performs accurate calculations for stars, planets and deep sky objects which
depends on time and geographic location of an observer
Allows you to set limiting magnitude for stars and deep sky objects
Shows animation of Solar System objects and celestial sphere to simulate astronomical
events which are affected by changes in the time.
Allows you to search for different kinds of celestial bodies
Displays images on the screen in many popular graphical formats
Prints detailed sky charts on any printer supported by Windows operating system.
Allows you to preview a sky chart before you print it
Includes extensive help support
Interface
Astronomica has simple and very useful interface. This includes an easy and
direct way for changing the target, easy way of finding the desired objects
and if it is possible a general way of finding the different kinds of objects
(constellations, stars, planets and so on), convenient zoom operations and
of course a nice interpretation of the whole sky status. All operations are
implemented by mouse. Most of them are doubled by keyboard. Using the mouse
buttons as well as the menu commands and the toolbars, you can do everything
with the celestial sphere and the objects on it. And you can do it easy and
in a natural way.
Objects
info
You can get extensive and useful information about celestial bodies displayed
on the screen. This is implemented by the right mouse button. Just click on
any visible star and you will see a dialog box with info like: catalog number,
Bayer and Flamsteed designation, proper name, position in the sky, altitude
and azimuth, magnitude and spectral type. In the case of deep sky objects
the information includes additionally the Messier or NGC catalog number and
common name. For planets you will see additionally distance from the Earth
and Sun, angular size and phase.
Animating
One of the most interesting and educational features of Astronomica is its
ability to animate Solar System objects and celestial sphere. This allows
you to see the whole movement of stars, planets and constellations in the
sky over the time, as well as interesting astronomical phenomena. Animations
can be played in forward or reverse, in real-time or at one of several time-lapse
intervals. Just select a time step from the main toolbar and click adequate
button on it.
Displaying
photographic pictures
Astronomica is also capable of displaying photographic images on the screen.
This includes images in GIF, JPEG, BMP, PCX, TIFF and TARGA formats. There
are two ways to display pictures: from "Open File" dialog by selecting
them from any available drive and directory, or automatically from "Object
Info" dialogs. A small selection of image files you will find with your
ecaluation copy of Astronomica. Thousands of them are available on the Internet,
so you can easily build your own library that will be simply accessed in the
program.
Printing sky charts All you can see on the screen may be printed to take with you for a night's observation. You can use any printer supported by Windows 95/98/NT. Astronomica employees the WYSIWYG technology (What You See Is What You Get), which helps you to print a detailed image of any enlarged area of sky in its finest astronomical details. You can switch between the landscape or portrait charts.
Help system
Astronomica has an extensive help system. It is a hypertext system; you can
click on any underlined term shown in green to get the definition for that
term, or jump to another topic. The help system includes context-sensitive
help for all menu commands, toolbar buttons, status bar and dialog boxes.
It also includes the tooltips. Tooltips give brief descriptions of the icons
on the toolbars and appear when you position the mouse pointer over an icon.
System
requirements
Minimum: PC 486 DX , Windows 95/98/NT, 256 color SVGA, mouse, 8MB RAM
Recommended: PC Pentium 120 or above, True Color, 800x600 display or above,
16 MB RAM
Windows compatible printer