www.stellarium.org

[eqfan592]

I mentioned this in another post, but it deserves it's own thread IMHO. Stellarium is a free, open source planetarium for your computer! It honestly looks amazing when using it! I hope you all have a chance to take a look. :)

[Avalux]

1. I downloaded the program a few months ago - fantastic!

We sit outside with the laptop and are able to bring up on the screen exactly what we see overhead - it moves in real time, loads of descriptions and views. Hours go by easily; we love it.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. It's cool as heck.

We used it the other day to plan a night for watching the Perseids. We know where to be, where to look and what time.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. It's a good one, but I also use Winstars,...

Cartes du Ciel, and Celestia. They all end up doing much the same thing, but a few features are easier with some than others.

[eqfan592]

6. Thanks for sharing those!

I'll have to check those all out. :)

:toast:

[TreasonousBastard]

7. FWIW, I probably use Winstars more than the others because...

I find it easier to search for planets or "Whuzzat star..." sort of questions. Its planetarium ("real sky and horizon view") works better for me than the others do.

But, they are all excellent programs, and there's something for everyone in that group.

[AlecBGreen]

4. Starry Night is shwweeeeeeet....

Ill have to check out Stellarium but SN is gonna be hard to top :evilgrin: I think its The Original software for astronomy buffs

[eqfan592]

5. Starry Night is pretty awesome :)

But it's also $50 bucks. I just wanted to share Stellarium with everybody because it's very good for being a free, open source project. :)

[AlecBGreen]

8. they charge $50 for it now!?

it used to be free for DL. bummer.

[eqfan592]

9. Yeah, I remember those days!

But when I did a quick price check it was 50 bucks. :( Maybe there's still a demo or freeware version that they offer, but I didn't spot it right away.

[pokerfan]

10. Another vote for Stellarium

I used to run SkyMap but Stellarium is awesome. Incredibly feature rich but as easy to navigate as Google Earth.

http://www.stellarium.org/wiki/index.php/Category:User%27s_Guide">Stellarium User Guide