Starry Night planetarium software.
From version 1.x through the current version 4.5x, this has been a fun way to explore the sky. I first downloaded Starry Night 1.x as shareware sometime in the mid-nineties. It was surprisingly fast on what is now a pokey 300 MHz G3 Mac. Since then it has gotten better, faster, and offered more and more features. As of 2004, Starry Night Pro version 4.52 is my current workhorse, and I use it frequently. I especially like how it automatically updates comet, asteroid and satellite information, since I often use SNP outdoors to help me find these items. It’s fun to be outside, notice a satellite flying by, then using SNP to find out what it was. Or using it to spot the Hubble Space Telescope or the International Space Station as they fly overhead.
February 5, 2008 at 11:56 am
[...] that was light, not too bulky to carry, and easily transportable. I also wanted to interface it to Starry Night Pro software on my Mac laptop, which meant a motorized goto scope, possibly with an equatorial mount. Ed Ting [...]
February 5, 2008 at 12:26 pm
[...] Log 2/11/04 2/11/04 10:00-10:30PM- naked eye- traced Leo for first time! Starry Night Pro helped. With Canon 10×30 Image Stabilizing binoculars- traced Crab Nebula, found M44 Beehive [...]
February 23, 2008 at 12:45 pm
[...] to 11:30PM. It was just too clear to not go out for while tonight. I brought the laptop, Starry Night Pro software, and the Canon 10×30 Image Stabilizing binoculars. Everything was naked-eye, except as [...]
February 26, 2008 at 9:51 am
[...] that tonight is the best chance to see SuitSat for at least a week, so I spent a few hours with my Starry Night Pro software. I plotted its track overhead, with times and a Field Of View indicator overlaid on the track, in [...]