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Astronomy Programs
PC
Sky Globe is an archive file which requires a program such as WinZip or PKunzip which are available on the web or on any computing magazine Download SkyGlobe
Description:
SkyGlobe Planetarium is absolutely the slickest star gazer system we have ever seen. You can use it for serious astronomical study, or just enjoy the fantastic graphics. It realistically and beautifully displays the planets, the sun and moon, the constellations (about 29,000 stars), the Milky Way and Messier objects. You can display a PCX (PC-Paintbrush) or GIF image of an object if you have one. They're all are shown from the vantage point of any of more than 230 cities and locations. The on-screen menu allows you to dynamically control the zoom factor, the speed, direction, location, the time, the date, and what's displayed. You can also print the screens to take with you for a night's observation.
Company: KlassM SoftWareSize: 355kb
Requirements:
PC compatible with 640K RAM, DOS 3.x and graphics. Epson, 24-pin, laser, or color inkjet printer optional. SVGA and math coprocessor supported if present.Price:
US$20.00 (Plus US$5.00 for overseas shipping) Copyright (c) 1993 Mark A HaneyRegistration:
Registration benefits include: bulletin board support, expanded features, free customized version, manual, other, program disks.** I have been notified that the registration information available with this version is no longer valid. When the information is available I will be providing it here.
Earth
Centered Universe (ECU) Version 3.0C
(This is not the latest version please see http://www.nova-astro.com
for the latest beta version 3.1)
Earth Centered Universe is a self extracting file all you need to do is double click on the file icon to load the program once saved. Download ECU
Description:
ECU is a Planetarium and Telescope Control Program for Amateur Astronomers. It is capable of simulating many of the features visible in the Earth's night sky. You only need to enter your geographic location and the time; the local sky will then be simulated on the screen in a colorful display. This includes a database of over 15,000,000 stars (CD-ROM version), the planets, Sun, Moon, comets, asteroids, and 10,000+ "deep sky" objects. It prints high quality star charts using any Windows-compatible printer and also controls modern computerized telescopes. ECU is a tool for the observing amateur astronomer, but is equally useful to the "armchair" astronomer or any person interested in learning about the night sky.Size: 731 kb
Requirements:
MS-Windows 3.1/95/98/NT 386DX/486/Pentium (486DX recommended) 2M bytes free RAM from within Windows VGA or better monitor Math co-processor beneficial Windows-compatible printer supportedPrice:
ECU V3.0C with all features and databases: ~US$55, which includes postage and handling.Order Form for snail mail http://www.nova-astro.com/orderbymail.html
Registration Contacts:
The benefit of registering ECU is that it comes with the Hubble Deep Sky catalogue allowing maps down to magnitude 17.
David J. Lane
Nova Astronomics
PO Box 31013 Halifax,
Nova Scotia B3K 5T9
Canada Phone: 902-499-6196
Fax: 902-826-7957
E-Mail: info@nova-astro.com
Messier Logging System, by Luis Argüelles
Sky and Tel links for PC, Mac and Palm users.Description:
Logging observations is always a rewarding activity. It helps a lot to get experience in this hobby and it's very nice to read your own annotations when bad weather doesn't allow you to use your scope. Luis has written a FREE simple to use program in order to store your observations for Messier objects. You only need to "fill in the blanks" to really enjoy the system, because a lot of data is supplied. Each entry for the entire Messier catalogue contains: Messier id. Number. Constellation where the Messier object is located. Short description of the Messier object. Celestial coordinates in R.A. and declination. Magnitude. Dimensions in minutes of arc. Distance from Earth in K-light years. Detailed information about each object. Gorgeous image of the object.Requirements:
CPU: Intel 80486 or better.
Memory: 16 Mb of RAM.
Graphic Screen: 800x600 or better.
OS: Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0Price: Freeware
Registration Contacts:
E-mail Luis Argüelles to become a registered user to recieve technical support for this product.
A few of the best programs are listed here to try out from their site. Just follow the links to Astronomy shareware.
H-R CalcVersion: 2.0
Description:
H-R Calc uses luminosity and spectral class (effective surface temperature) to derive a star's theoretical radius. It's easy to use and includes ample documentation. Just use the available slider controls or enter the temperature and luminosity as text. Each change made provides a new scale model where the star's radius is compared to that of our sun. The program provides a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram that represents the star's properties and allows you to select a point to retrieve the corresponding temperature and luminosity. H-R Calc is designed for educators, students of astronomy, amateur astronomers, and anyone wishing to expand their understanding of the H-R diagram and the relationship between stellar luminosity, effective temperatures, and stellar radii.Size: 841,737 bytes
Requirements:
Windows 95 or Windows 98
Price: Free
Registration Contacts:
See readme file with program for details.
Moonrise Version: 3.5
Description:
Moonrise displays lunar phase, sunrise and sunset times, onset of twilight, and more for your location and almost any date and year. Select a nearby city or edit the site list to add your own location. This nicely designed package includes good user's notes and installs easily. You can also print a list of times for a 30-day interval, making Moonrise an ideal assistant for backyard astronomical observations.Size: 571,684 bytes
Requirements:
Windows 95, 98, or NTPrice: $20US? to register
Registration Contacts:
See readme file with program for details.
EarthWatch Version: 3.5r3
Description:
Earthwatch graphically displays passage of the Sun and Moon over a map of the Earth's surface, showing a 24-hour day and night cycle, the monthly phases of the Moon, and the Earth's annual trip around the Sun. You can calculate sunrise and sunset times for any location, and display the phase and position of the Moon numerically and graphically. An almanac screen shows sunrise and sunset times for the previous day, the number of days remaining until the next season, and the local time. You can highlight up to 10 cities or locations for display of local conditions. This minor update refreshes program dates.Size: 380,167 bytes
Requirements:
VGA and DOS 3.3Price: $25US? to register
Registration Contacts:
Registration benefits include: ASP-approved shareware, manual, program disks.
See readme file with program for details.
PlanetWatch v2.2f
Description:
PlanetWatch provides an animated simulation of our solar system that allows you to set viewing time and location. Select the date, time, and time zone for an animated equatorial or extrasolar show. For a closer examination, set the forward or reverse animation for intervals of an hour, day, week, month, or year, and view or print detailed ephemerides for any view. Clicking on an orbit displays a planet's image and clicking on the image displays a detailed description of the planet. You can add up to 16 of your favorite .bmp images to the program.Size: 688,297 bytes
Requirements:
Windows 3.1Price:$21US? to register
Registration Contacts:
See readme file with program for details.
This site contains hundreds of programs for PC and Linux to download. For direct Astronomy software go to : http://softseek.zdnet.com/Education_and_Science/Astronomy/
If anyone can tell me what they recommend I would appreciate it. I do not have access to a mac .
Planetarium 2000
Download Plantarium 2000
The Best palm astronomy program available The features this program has is innumerable! I have used it to locate all the planets at the 1999 QLD Astrofest (Venus was very close to Inferior Conjunction but we saw it)