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This section contains links to sites with PC software of interest to the astronomy hobbyist. These programs range from useful astronomical utilities to just plain fun. Some of this software is free and some is shareware. There are also a few demo versions of some commercial software products. Each entry contains a description of the software type as well as the last known price. Please read the online information on each site for more detailed information. These links are provided for informational purposes only, and Sea and Sky does not necessarily endorse these products.
Free Software | Shareware | Commercial Software
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Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X Cost: Free Demo: N/A |
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Celestia is a very unique 3-dimensional universe simulator. With it you can travel throughout the Solar System, to any of over 100,000 stars, or even beyond the galaxy. Celestia comes with a large catalog of stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and spacecraft. If that's not enough, you can download dozens of easy to install add-ons with more objects. The program is highly configurable and expandable. A library of add-ons and expansions is available including everything from additional stars & galaxies to science fiction worlds and spacecraft. For those with fast processors, you can even download and install super high resolution images of the planets and moons enabling you to zoom in close and explore every subtle detail. You can even take screen shots of your favorite scenes. Celestia is highly recommended by Sea and Sky! |
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Platform: Windows 95 and above Cost: Free Demo: N/A |
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Home Planet is a comprehensive astronomy, space, and satellite-tracking package for Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 and above. Features include an Earth map showing day and night regions, position of selected satellites, positions of the planets, positions and phases of the Sun and Moon, sky map based on either the Yale Bright Star Catalogue or the 256,000 star SAO catalogue, including rendering of spectral types, planets, Earth satellites, asteroids and comets, and much more. |
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Platform: Windows 3.1 and above Cost: Free Demo: N/A |
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Satscape is a Freeware Program for the PC. It produces real-time displays of where any Satellite is, and predicts passes for your locale. Their positions can be calculated very accurately using pure math, no need for a huge radar dish in your back garden. Satscape will do the math for you, and present their positions in a nice graphical way. Passes over your part of the world can be predicted weeks in advance in a matter of seconds. |
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Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X Cost: Free Demo: N/A |
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Stellarium is a free GPL software program which renders realistic skies in real time with openGL. It is available for Linux/Unix, Windows and MacOSX. With Stellarium, you really see what you can see with your eyes, binoculars or a small telescope. Loaded with advanced features, this incredible software will turn your PC into a virtual planetarium! This is definitely one of the best free astronomy programs currently available for download. Stellarium is highly recommended by Sea and Sky! |
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Platform: DOS Cost: Free Demo: N/A |
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STSORBIT PLUS, usually known as STSPLUS, will track the space shuttle or any satellite for which orbital data (TLEs) are available. The program is intended for use during Space Shuttle missions and for general satellite tracking using NASA/NORAD 2-Line Orbital Elements. One primary satellite and up to 32 additional "static" or "real time" satellites may be simultaneously tracked in real time on most computers. Both orthographic and rectangular VGA color map projections are available, displaying the Earth as a globe or the more traditional "flat map". A new "Night Vision" mode shows the maps in RED to protect the user's night vision, great for color laptops! |
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Platform: Windows 3.1 or later Cost: Free Demo: N/A
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WinOrbit is a free software package for Microsoft Windows (3.1 or later), which will compute and display the position of artificial Earth satellites. The principal feature of WinOrbit is a series of Map Windows, which display the current position of satellites and observers on a simple world map, together with information such as bearing (azimuth), distance, and elevation above the observer's horizon. The maps can be updated in real time, or in simulated time, or manually set to show the situation at any time past or future. An additional Table Window displays much more-detailed information about one or more satellites in a tabular form. |
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Astroviewer |
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Platform: Windows 95 and above Cost: $13.00 Demo: Download Available |
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AstroViewer is a planetarium software that helps you to find your way in the night sky quickly and easily. Due to its intuitive and easy-to-use graphical user interface, it fits well to the demands of astronomy beginners. |
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Cybersky  |
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Platform: Windows 95 and above Cost: $30.00 Demo: Download Available |
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CyberSky is an exciting, entertaining, and educational astronomy program that transforms your personal computer into your personal planetarium. CyberSky provides an excellent way to learn about astronomy and to explore the wonders of the sky visible in the distant past, the present, and the far-off future. CyberSky displays accurate charts of the sky as seen from any location on the Earth. Sky charts can include stars, constellations, deep sky objects, and solar system objects, and can be enhanced by the addition of labels, coordinate system grids, and reference lines. CyberSky's user-friendly interface allows you to easily change your view of the sky, search for celestial objects, and display data about those objects. CyberSky also prints attractive sky charts that you can take outside with you. |
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The Earth Centered Universe |
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Platform: Windows 3.1 and above Cost: $59.95 Demo: Download Available |
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The Earth Centered Universe 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, 30,000+ asteroids, and 10,000+ "deep sky" objects. It prints high quality star charts using any Windows-compatible printer and also controls modern computerized telescopes. The site also includes a parts list and instructions for building a telescope interface for use with the program. |
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MyStars! |
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Platform: Windows 3.1 and above Cost: $17.00 Demo: Download Available |
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MyStars! is a scientifically rigorous, yet simple and educational Windows astronomy program that helps you visualize and locate the positions of stars, planets, comets, minor planets, and Messier (M) objects from any location on Earth and any date/time. Features: Optional 32 Bit, Multi-lingual Installer, Orrery, Printing, Full Screen View, Help, Images, Zoom In/Out, Object tracking and Animation. Star & Constellation Names, Constellation Stick Figures, Alt/Azi, Rta/Dec, ELatLng lines. And the animations are amazing. The evaluation version is available free for download. |
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PlanetWatch |
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Platform: MSDOS, Windows 3.1 and above Cost: $20.00 Demo: Download Available |
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Take a tour of our solar system with PlanetWatch, Raben Software's multimedia atlas of the Solar System for Microsoft Windows. With PlanetWatch you can learn about our planetary neighbors motions, atmospheres, geology, and internal structure. Breathtaking color photographs, animated maps, and up-to-date information from Voyager, Galileo, and other space probes are combined into an informative and entertaining atlas of our solar system. Compatible with Windows 3.1, 95, and NT. |
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StarStrider |
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Platform: Windows 95 / 98 Cost: $49.95 Demo: Download Available |
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StarStrider is a three-dimensional star plotting program that allows the user to see the stars and constellations from distant points in the sky. With the help of StarStrider you will be able to travel to the stars and watch their alien skies. Travel to Vega and see how the Sun pales to a faint star, a star among thousands of others. Look at the Pleiades from behind! With ordinary red/blue 3D glasses your experience will be even greater. Now you can see the variable distances to the stars - without even leaving our solar system if you don't want to! Cassiopeia looks really different when you realize that the constellation aren't flat. You'll also learn to appreciate the fact that the closest stars are not always the brightest. |
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CCDSoft |
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Platform: Windows 95 and above Cost: $349.00 Demo: N/A |
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CCDSoft CCD Astronomy Software (previously released as SkyPro) combines both CCD camera control functions and astronomical image processing functions into a single package. With support for many CCD cameras, its powerful functionality and ease of use, CCDSoft is in a class by itself. No CCD imager's software library is complete without it. With CCDSoft, you can control many types of CCD cameras, including the full line of SBIG cameras. CCDSoft provides all of the functionality that you need to take spectacular CCD images - from helping you focus your camera to adjusting your CCD's resolution and temperature. |
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Deepsky Astronomy Software |
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Platform: Windows 98 and above Cost: Various Demo: N/A |
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Deepsky (for Windows) is a collection of observer friendly astronomy tools designed to make your observing sessions more productive. By using these integrated tools, you’ll be able to easily plan your observing sessions so you can be more productive and record what you see. This is no average planetarium software folks! Deepsky packs an enormous wealth of features all integrated together in one low cost solution. |
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Hypersky |
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Platform: Windows 95 and above Cost: $49.95 Demo: Download Available |
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HyperSky is an astronomical data display engine for IBM-compatible personal computers running Windows 3.1 or 95. HyperSky gives the user full control over what objects are displayed with "hypertext-like" information about those displayed objects. The HyperSky package comes with a basic set of catalog data files for a variety of deep-sky objects (see below). Additional catalog data files are available on a CD-ROM, and allow you to further enhance and customize your HyperSky fields. A demo version is available for download. |
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MegaStar Sky Atlas |
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Platform: Windows 95 and above Cost: $129.95 Demo: Download Available |
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MegaStar is the first software to integrate the Hubble Guide Star Catalog, and combine it with a massive deep sky database of 84,000 objects. It is also the first to implement the "eyepiece view," with deep sky objects plotted to scale and galaxies rotated to show position angle. This is an extremely detailed visual sky atlas program with too many features to mention here. Check out their site for more information. A demo version of the software is available for download. |
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TheSky |
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Platform: Windows 95 & above, Mac OS 8.5 & above Cost: $129.00 Demo: N/A |
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TheSky is a full-featured graphical astronomy program that turns your personal computer into a personal planetarium. With TheSky, you can view the stars as they were seen by Anaximander (the man who invented the star chart in 550 BC), or you can view them as they will be seen tonight - without the clouds, of course. But that's not all. TheSky will also create customized, publication-quality star charts, and it will even control your computer-driven telescope. TheSky is a native 32-bit application written for Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT. Since TheSky uses the Microsoft Windows user interface, you can experience the power of the program instantly. |
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SkyMap Pro |
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Platform: Windows 98 and above Cost: $99.00 Demo: Download Available |
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SkyMap is a planetarium and star-mapping program, running under Microsoft Windows. The primary purpose of SkyMap is to draw a map showing the sky as seen from anywhere on Earth for any date between 4000BC and 8000AD. SkyMap also offers the ability to interface to, and control, any of the Meade LX-200 range of computer controlled telescopes. Once connected to the telescope, a cross-hair cursor on the SkyMap map shows at all times the point in the sky at which the telescope is pointed, and the telescope can be instructed to show any object in SkyMap's databases simply by clicking on that object with the mouse. An evaluation copy of the program is available for download. |
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Starry Night |
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Platform: Windows XP, Mac OS X Cost: $49.00 - $149.95 Demo: Download Available |
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Starry Night is the most visually stunning and realistic astronomy program in its class. A powerful tool for both serious observers and casual stargazers, Starry Night lets you view the universe from anywhere in the Solar System. Explore over 19 million celestial objects and travel across 14,700 years of night skies. Features include a 19 million object Hubble Guide Star catalog and the ability to add new objects and databases. An evaluation version of the Basic version is available for download. |
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Stella 2000 |
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Platform: Windows 98 and above Cost: $49.00 Demo: Download Available |
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Stella 2000 is interactive astronomy, a Virtual Observatory in which to explore realistic skies in real time, complete with observing log and list builder, telescope optics, customizable reports, live ephemeris, location browser, and sophisticated searches embracing planets, comets, DSOs, and over 15500 stars. Stella delivers atmospheric effects such as scintillation, refraction, and extinction in realistic, spotlight, and the new photoplate sky display styles. Subtler color gradations accurately reflect a star's true nature, and the complete Messier catalog in ImageIcons, animation modes, multiple toolbars, custom and online options, and the facility to display JPEG imagery in response to mouse-clicks on a wide range of celestial objects completes Stella's essential feature set. A free trial version is available for download. |
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Visual Planets |
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Platform: Windows 98 and above Cost: $29.00 Demo: Download Available |
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Visual Planets has been created as an educational tour of the Sun and nine planets. The program includes information on the Sun, planets, satellites and the spacecraft that have visited them. The tour uses hypertext to allow space travel by simply clicking on a desired planet. This causes information and images about the planet to appear on screen. While visiting a planet, hyperlinks provide you with information regarding the planets moons, atmosphere, structure, rings, mythology, missions, statistics and a lot more. A free trial version is available for download. |
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