Galactic Review: Stargazing Software for Amateur Astronomers : Galactic Emporium

The tools of Amateur astronomers have advanced light years since the Druids marked the solstice on Stonehenge. Case in points of light, Starry Night Widget 1.2.1 available for free download to your iMac dashboard which lets you see the sky (planets, constellations, and moon phases) for any location on Earth. Set your location by ZIP code or latitude and longitude, and the widget flips to show a view of the current sky. The number of labeled stars is small, but considering the quantity visible from most light polluted urban locations, one can learn enough names to show off at a roof party.

Click anywhere in the Widget mini star guide and off you go to Space.com for the online Beta site which doesn’t do much more, and always seems to lock up my browser. It does include a tab that shows the heavens as viewed from the moon, just in case you find yourself online 111km south of Frost Crater. The If you want a more extensive virtual astronomy experience, Imaginova Corp. has a slew of more pricey options with functions Copernicus himself could not imagine.

The entry-level ‘family’ choice is called The Complete Space and Astronomy Pack [49.95] , that is complete minus the bells and whistles of their premium products. 50 guided tours eliminate the need to break out the binoculars or establish a down link from the Hubble. Constellations in the enhanced Sky Guide naturally feature cute animals sketch overlays and star names include a pronunciation key to correct that nasty “beetle-juice” bug.

With their Starry Night Enthusiast software [$79.95], desktop observers can dress up the viewing experience with one of 11 photorealistic horizon panoramas and environmental ambient sounds. The ‘Event Finder’ feature will tell you when it is time to turn your eyes from the monitor to go outside and look up. Man-made spacecrafts can be tracked with 3D models until code glitches make them lose contact with JPL or an alien entity transforms it into V’ger.

Purchase their Starry Night Pro 6.0 [$149.95] package and one can now view the Milky Way in multiple wavelengths from infrared, radio to X-ray. Owners of popular brands of robotic telescopes are provided with controls to line up their lenses to the Messier object of choice. For an extra $100, the Starry Night Pro Plus version features the full-color AllSky CCD image mosaic of the entire night sky visible from Earth at 6,440,000,000 pixels in size, giving new meaning to Carl Sagan’s “billions and billions.” Pulp fans can channel Edgar Rice Burroughs hero John Carter as the fly over super-high resolution 24-bit color map of Mars land mass topography.

At $299.95, the Starry Night Astrophoto Suite hits hard on the wallet but makes galaxy gazing significantly easier on the eyes. Combining all the Starry Night Pro features with Maxim DL Lite digital imaging software, the Astrophoto Suite is a toolkit for optimizing home photography of nifty nebulae and gorgeous galaxies. If a roll of duct tape is not sufficient to connect your digital camera and telescope lenses, $186.95 will get you the StarShoot Solar System Color Imager II and one USB cable away from becoming a interplanetary paparazzi. Mac users, however, are not on the guest list.

For the budding Tycho Brahes on a budget, $19.95 will get you Constellation Adventure for the kiddies (age 9 and up). The junior scientist version includes the Big Dipper clock, a red Stargazing keychain light, and 30 glow in the dark stickers to construct a smiley star face or Orion’s car seat belt on the nursery room ceiling. Adolescents might consider returning this version for scrip then “Strap your self in – Your about to experience the Universe”

The Starry Night Screensaver seems perfect for stoners with the blurb, “The Universe Explodes onto Your Desktop.” Consider this mind-bending description of the effects to replace the random swirly things that appear when you nod off at work:

See the Universe as never before as Starry Night Screensaver takes you on a hypnotic tour of planets, galaxies, and other space exotica. Hitch a ride on a comet as it streaks past amazingly realistic 3D planets. Hop off at Mars for the red dawn; experience Pluto's perpetual twilight. Speed into deep space to witness stars spark into life. Let the subtle sounds of space help you escape to the boundless possibilities of outer space.

..and all this time we thought there was silence in a vacuum.

Imaginova’s products are by no means the only game in the galaxy when it come to amateur astronomy software. Choosing among the options, however, is similar to word processors and digital video editing suites as most of the functions are the same with different keystrokes. The Starry Night series is a good a place as any to start looking for the code that best guides you to looking for that undiscovered comet.

Posted by Mark DeCew