Software

   There are a number of programs which are either shareware or freeware out there for you. The most useful of these are those which are easy to use. Many programs try to entertain but the real sky is where the fun is. Use these programs for guidance, and go outside and clear nights whenever you can.

    A relatively new planetarium program called Stellarium is available for free. As it says on the website, "Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope." The neat thing about this program is that one can add personalized landscapes. Go to stellarium.org to download.
   I have also created a panorama of the football oval at Cranbrook Kingswood. Click here to see how to add this panorama to Stellarium.

    The other free program that is truly amazing is called Celestia. It allows you to fly through our solar system nad beyond. If your computer is less than a couple years old, you should be able to enjoy all of the graphics capabilities of Celestia. Others have even contributed fictional planets and spacecraft to add to your universe. See the Add-ons section of the Celestia website.

    Here is a simple digital clock that is useful for keeping track of your astronomical observations.

    And a versatile clock display program.

    Here are some nice programs from Dan to help you observe the moon of planets and more.

   Here is Skyglobe, a humble DOS program which is elegant and indispensable.

   And here is an extensive list of planetarium programs, all designed to give you an idea of what's up. Some are free many are shareware and some are commercial products.

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Updated September 18, 2009