ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE
These software programs are so varied in content and download
size that I'll leave it up to you to make a selection. I have
many of them on my pc and use them often. Don't be mislead by
"Freeware". Some of them rival or exceed the
"Shareware" programs. Most are Planetarium programs,
that is, they depict the night sky, user selectable from your
location on the planet. They all have a homepage with
descriptions of their product.
If you are new to astronomy and don't know what to expect I
recommend you stick with the Freeware programs until you get
familiar with the sky. Then if you want a more complete program
go for the Shareware. It's up to you.
By all means, let me know if you try any of these selections
and whether or not you found them useful. mailto:nlpjp@aol.com
| My personal freeware and
shareware recommendations |

|

|
| StarFinder |
Added 9/23/02 Great for
beginners and only 300kb zip |
| Csgw
Skyguide |
An easy program for beginners to learn each
constellation |
| Hallo
Northern Sky |
Excellent planetarium software |
| Cartes
du Ciel |
(SkyCharts)Some say it's the #1 Freeware planetarium |
| Virtual
Moon Atlas |
Fantastic Moon observing tool by Patrick Chevalley |
| StarCats |
Viewer for the Bright, Hipparchos and Tycho catalogs |
| Winstars |
Free planetarium but it's a large download. $12 for
CD |
| Abberator |
Star test your telescope |
| StarCalc |
Planetarium software |
| Home
Planet |
Planetarium with many nice features |
| Celestia |
Space simulation with many add-ons |
| Spica |
Planetarium, skycharts and more |
| Stig's
Sky Calendar |
Displays viewing hours, astronomical twilight,
twilight, etc |
| MoonCalc |
Moon data and map. DOS but very easy to use |
| Meridian |
Information of the Solar System with images |
| Stargaze |
Draws naked eye charts of the sky and planets |
| WinAstronomica |
Skymap generator, planet orbit simulator |
| Encyclopedia
Galactia |
Planetarium software with solar system orrery |
| C2A |
Added 9/24/03 New
planetarium with nice graphics |
| Stellarium |
Added 6/2/04 Photo-Realistic
Sky Generator |
| NASA/JPL
Ephemeris |
Added 6/6/04 Free software
to calculate Solar System ephemeris |
| Ephemeris.com |
Added 6/6/04 Free online
ephemeris program. |
| Your recommendation |
email me your
favorite |
| Skymap Pro 8 |
Planetarium, planning and observing software |
| SkyChart
III |
Planetarium for Windows or Mac. Has scope control
feature |
| HyperSky |
Astronomical data display engine |
| DeepSky 2003 |
Planning, logging, finder charts, image processing,
scope control |
| Celestial
Maps |
Accurate maps of the sky in five projection types |
| Distant
Suns |
Complete planetarium package |
| ClySmic
Lunabar |
Lunar Almanak, folklore, lunar data,etc |
| CyberSky |
View constellations, deepsky, Solar System, print
charts |
| Virtual
Sky |
Planetarium software and ephemeris |
| Starrynight
Backyard |
Much publicized planetarium program |
| Earth Centered
Universe |
Planetarium and telescope control |
| DarkSky |
Deepsky starcharting program. Arizona database
included |
| JupSat
95 |
Calculates and displays Jupiter's moons |
| Megastar |
Sky atlas with great graphics |
| My
Stars |
Sky simulation, charts and Solar System included |
| NGC View |
Plan, plot, chart and log your observations |
| Planet
Watch |
Multimedia atlas of the Solar System |
| Power Age
Simulator |
Observe the sky on your computer |
| Sky3D |
Three dimensional display of the sky |
| SkyGlobe |
Displays the heavens similar to a planetarium |
| Starstrider |
Futuristic planetarium program |
| Easy Sky |
Sky charting and Solar System orrery |
| Voyager III |
Planetarium and charting software |
| Orbit
Xplorer |
Physics educational software for high school and university
students and teachers |
| Exephem |
Astronomical software ephemeris, Window, Mac, Unix,
Linux |
| Xplns |
Astronomy simulation and charting for Linux |
| Skymap |
Astronomical mapping program for Unix |
| Stellarium |
Added 6/2/04 Photo-Realistic
Sky Generator |
| Stars |
Added 8/16/06 Interactive star atlas |
| Starplot |
Added 8/16/06 3D
star chart viewer |
| KStars |
Added 8/16/06 Planetarium software |
All links were valid as of March 14, 2002.
Please report dead links here.
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