RE: ATM astronomy software?

["Richard Klappal" <klappal@xnet.com>]

Skymap is good/excellent (but I've got to send in my renewal to Version 7)
and I've been using it since version 1.something.  So is Guide (from
www.projectpluto.com) which I've also used for years, ... (V1 or V2). I
started using MegaStar when it cam on 50 5-1/4" floppies, and you returned
the floppies for reuse to save cost. (It's avail. thru Willmann-Bell).  The
reason for recommending Starry Night in this case was reference to use by
children.  It's got a number of graphical details that'll hold the younger
attention spans much better than the more "professionally oriented"
programs.

It's a lot easier for them (children, and inexperienced adults) to
understand Cygnus the Swan, when it is displayed with a swan overlay.
Likewise, a goat with a fish-like/eel-like tail overlay makes the connection
much better than saying "a sea-goat where there is that kinda boat-shaped
collection of stars are";  or seeing an archer-centaur overlay instead of
"an archer-centaur at that teapot shaped star grouping."

Animated zoom-in, zoom-out, and sweeping animation for panning across a
somewhat realistic horizon scene don't do anything for 'professional' use,
but they emphasize and maintain the connection with the whole sky much
better than a disembodied dot-pattern being replaced by another, similar
dismebodied dot-pattern.

Rich

By the way, I have no connection with any of these or any other astro
software companies.  My stuff helps keep the phones working!


: -----Original Message-----
: From: owner-atm@shore.net [mailto:owner-atm@shore.net]On Behalf Of Ed
: Hood
: Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 07:37 PM
: To: Adrián Toledano; atm@shore.net
: Subject: Re: ATM astronomy software?
:
:
:
: I'll second Sky Map.  Have purchased two versions of it.  Hard to beat.  I