Star Charting Computer Programs – What Kinds Of Computer Programs Are Normally Available?
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Its amazing how popular astronomy is. There are literally millions of people each day who love star gazing. Some are serious scientists who study it for a living, or who even teach it. Others are merely hobbyists who enjoy it. A number of amazing discoveries have been made by amateurs. For the longest time telescopes or at least binocular were the tools of choice. Today however, computers make it possible to practice astronomy without them thanks to star charting software. Here are some of the programs available. Click over here for extra information relating to starry night software.
SETI@Home home is very popular. the point of this software was to use all the idle time on peoples home computers. Before SETI@Home the SETI radio telescope, SETI meaning Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, scanned the heavens for radio signals that would indicate a pattern, an intelligence behind them. Scientists used supercomputers to go through all the data collected. But now all that computing power is distributed online. No red light will flash if intelligent life is located. But if SETI ever does find intelligence, then everyone who was part of SETI@Home can say they played a role.
A 3-D screen saver is another type of star charting software. These programs kick in when a PC is idle, and show various space objects rendered in spectacular 3D computer graphics. These are anything from static images to interactive 3-D views. Search 3D Space Tour on Google or Yahoo to find some of these fun programs.
Not many people know what F.I.T.S is. It’s Flexible Image Transport System, which is a NASA and IAU endorsed format to store and deliver not only images but spacial data and multi-dimensional arrays such as 2-D and 3-D images. There are a variety of programs that can read and display this type of data. These include free ware FITSview and AVIS to for sale programs like AstroArt and AIP. A web search will find many more. Try Duke University’s website.
Software such as Aberrator allows an amateur astronomer to view images of stars through various telescopes with aberrations in the lens. By comparing the image seen through the telescope with the image displayed in the software, the user can make adjustments to gain the best possible view of these vastly distant objects.
Astronomy software is as varied as the universe. All you need to do is look and you will find some computer software that will be applicable to your situation. It is an ever growing field and more and more computer software is composed on a daily basis. There are a lot of sites where you can get both free and paid for computer software – all you truly need to do is have a bit of a search. Web search for it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You will find additional invaluable information relating to astronomy software here.
