Decent Astronomy software

[XabbaRus]

Anyone recommend some decent planitarium or astronomy programs, like Redshift but shareware or freeware that I can download. Something that has flybyes of planets and animations of the solar system would be good.

It's mainly for my daughter as she loves stars and the planets and it would be fun. Also any games that a 4 year old could get to grips with that are linked to this would be good.

[Skybird]

search for a program called Celestial. It is a planitarium simulation. You can fly around freely and zoom freely. A lot of objects also can be collected and inserted (planets, suns, but also science fiction stuff like Babylon-5 space sation, and more).

I only have an old exe, and no link, sorry.

[XabbaRus]

Cheers

[Skybird]

Edit:

http://www.shatters.net/celestia/

screenies: http://www.shatters.net/celestia/gallery.html

[UglyMowgli]

for me it s Stellarium:

http://www.stellarium.org/

Screenshoots:
http://www.stellarium.org/screenshots.html

[Perilscope]

XabbaRus, the link that Skybird gave you is in my opinion the best of the best, I use it myself.

However, watch out, that program should not be used over long periods, as it will overheat your microprocessor. The software calculates in real time the whole galaxy.

When you start that software, you will notice that it uses 100% of your CPU, so try not to stay to long on it, I know it's hard not to stay long, as the software offers the galaxy to explore. :D :up:

[Skybird]

XabbaRus, the link that Skybird gave you is in my opinion the best of the best, I use it myself.

However, watch out, that program should not be used over long periods, as it will overheat your microprocessor. The software calculates in real time the whole galaxy.

When you start that software, you will notice that it uses 100% of your CPU, so try not to stay to long on it, I know it's hard not to stay long, as the software offers the galaxy to explore. :D :up:

Aua! :-?

Just tried that Stellarium software, and liked it. It, too, is a very nice and tidy toy!

[Skybird]

Task Manager says that Cellestia uses 53-54% of my CPU ressources, but the graphs on the right side (CPU history) indeed spike to the top of the window. Pentium 4 3.0 GHz over here, 1 GB RAM.

[Gizzmoe]

However, watch out, that program should not be used over long periods, as it will overheat your microprocessor. The software calculates in real time the whole galaxy.

When you start that software, you will notice that it uses 100% of your CPU, so try not to stay to long on it, I know it's hard not to stay long, as the software offers the galaxy to explore. :D :up:
You can let the program run for years as long as your system is normally cooled. It doesn´t stress the system more than a modern game.

[Perilscope]

Task Manager says that Cellestia uses 53-54% of my CPU ressources, but the graphs on the right side (CPU history) indeed spike to the top of the window. Pentium 4 3.0 GHz over here, 1 GB RAM.
I just downloaded the latest version as I had the 1.3.2. However, same thing happens, when using it, my CPU goes to 100%.:cry:
I have an old 2.4 Pentium and 1gig memory, bah, I will see next month when I will change everthing to fit the dual core AM2.:D

You can let the program run for years if your system is normally cooled.
True, but it would be unwise not to advise.:D

It doesn´t stress the system more than a modern game.
Well I do not know what you play in general, but me, I do not have any games that continuously use 100% cpu. Excess heat does carry out shorter life span for the CPU, in other words, a premature failure of the integrated circuits. Now how much shorter, who knows? These dam CPU nowadays are extremely reliable?:D

[Gizzmoe]

True, but it would be unwise not to advise.:D
It was a fairly stupid advice! ;) It doesn´t harm CPU´s and GPU´s to continously run at 100%, even at high temperatures. It´s their job. :) Just make sure that the CPU and GPU fans are clean and everything will be fine (as long as your room temperature isn´t higher than like 30°C, then additional cooling would be useful).

[Perilscope]

Just make sure that the CPU and GPU fans are clean and everything will be fine (as long as your room temperature isn´t higher than like 30°C, then additional cooling would be useful). And that was my point with my stupid advice I gave XabbaRus, it's to make him aware that it will use lots of CPU and heat will build up, and be ready for it. I know he is not a render guy and might not be well cooled for such long-term use.


You Gizzmoe, and you're rendering friends, you guys know that a heavily working CPU needs good cooling, so you don't need this advice, since you know what to do and how to avoid problems related to overheating. Others might not and advice they "might need". Now it's up to them to do what they want. :D

-----------------------------
By the way, you guys use quite heavy scenes for rendering at top peak, I use Rhino, and it never passes 80% CPU. I guess the complexity must be greater than my simple objects. I never do full scenes thought.:hmm:

Where do you hang out for 3D stuff?

[Gizzmoe]

And that was my point with my stupid advice I gave XabbaRus, it's to make him aware that it will use lots of CPU and heat will build up, and be ready for it.
Ok, but instead you wrote that the "program should not be used over long periods, as it will overheat your microprocessor" and "try not to stay to long on it". You stated that as a fact, as an absolute. But it wasn´t. When Skybird read that he replied "Aua" ("Ouch"), because he believed you. When you give advice on a forum you should try to make it as clear as possible. Don´t write "B" when you actually mean "A", especially when "B" is totally wrong! :)

[Perilscope]

Ok, but instead you wrote that the "program should not be used over long periods, as it will overheat your microprocessor" and "try not to stay to long on it". You stated that as a fact, as an absolute. But it wasn´t. When Skybird read that he replied "Aua" ("Ouch"), because he believed you. When you give advice on a forum you should try to make it as clear as possible. Don´t write "B" when you actually mean "A", especially when "B" is totally wrong!
Okay so let me be as "clear as possible"
Do not stay to long with that software open or you will overheat your CPU, if not properly cooled.

Is that clear enough, are you happy now Gizzmoe.

In addition, I still repeat that excess heat does carry out shorter life span for the CPU.

[XabbaRus]

He he, I use 3DS MAX and sometimes make renders of scenes when doing little 20 second movies.

Got a 3.2 Ghz P4 and there is a huge cooling chimney to help drawa off the heat and direct it out the box.

Also my room is chilled :)

[tycho102]

I have an old version of Starry Night Pro. Although it's severely outdated for near-Earth objects, all the light-year stuff is still accurate. It's also OpenGL, so it renders well in 3D. The interface is decent. Navigation is easy, but time changes could be made quite a bit easier. Maybe they've changed it with more current versions.


On a related note, I've been looking at the truss-tube dobsonian scopes. My old scope has seen better days (not to mention the optics). I figure 8" is more than what I could use with all the city-glow, and they are compact (and lightweight) enough that I could find a place to store it. Anyone messed around with a Lightbridge (http://www.opticsplanet.net/meade-lightbridge-telescopes-dobsonian-reflector-telescopes.html)?

[Skybird]

Anyone messed around with a Lightbridge (http://www.opticsplanet.net/meade-lightbridge-telescopes-dobsonian-reflector-telescopes.html)?
No, but I used to use an Scottish-made NGC1701 Beamer for that certain plus in immediate experience.

[Perilscope]

He he, I use 3DS MAX and sometimes make renders of scenes when doing little 20 second movies.
Got a 3.2 Ghz P4 and there is a huge cooling chimney to help drawa off the heat and direct it out the box.
Also my room is chilled :)
So I see that you do render, and well equipped to take any beatings too. cool! :D

[TteFAboB]

Great suggestions here. :up:

[3Jane]

Anyone recommend some decent planitarium or astronomy programs, like Redshift but shareware or freeware that I can download. Something that has flybyes of planets and animations of the solar system would be good.

It's mainly for my daughter as she loves stars and the planets and it would be fun. Also any games that a 4 year old could get to grips with that are linked to this would be good.

I am still using Redshift 4, but the latest version is probably available. The best I have seen so far.

[Wim Libaers]

If you have Linux/Unix with KDE, Kstars is good.
http://docs.kde.org/stable/en/kdeedu/kstars/
There's also Xephem, however the full system is not free or gratis.
http://www.clearskyinstitute.com/xephem/

[XabbaRus]

I got both Stellarium and Celestial

Both me likee very much.

I'm going to go to some field nearby and do a panoramic photo job so I can put my own scene in Stellarium
Celestial I'm going to use to teach my daughter about the solar system and also learn to write scripts to do a fly by set to Holst's The Planets suite. I know original but what the hell.

What I want to do is a script that follows Voyager from earth to exiting the solar system.


cheers Sky and MS you have come up trumps.

[Skybird]

also learn to write scripts to do a fly by set to Holst's The Planets suite.

try to find an old CD with Tomita'S version of Holst's The Planets. If you do not know him, in the 70s and 80s he used synthesizers for electronical interpretations of classical music, some of these have resulted in really famous albums. Tomita's The Planets is like a radio play in sound and music, from countdown and launch of the rocket to leaving the solar system, having memories of man's cradle back on earth - more impressive than the classical original (which is not true of all his works).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planets-Tomita/dp/B000003F1P/sr=8-2/qid=1159661151/ref=pd_ka_2/026-7457915-4218800?ie=UTF8&s=music

[Camaero]

Awesome program guys! I am having fun with this thing. Space is just so amazing.

[lesrae]

for me it s Stellarium:

http://www.stellarium.org/

Screenshoots:
http://www.stellarium.org/screenshots.html

Nice bit of software - cheers :up:

[XabbaRus]

How about a script competition. See who can come up with fun stuff.

[Skybird]

anyone here who has tried the blue marble textures for Earth - more than 1 GB of data, that is? some detail-screenshots would be appreciated.

[Camaero]

anyone here who has tried the blue marble textures for Earth - more than 1 GB of data, that is? some detail-screenshots would be appreciated.

What blue marble textures are you speaking of?

[Gizzmoe]

What blue marble textures are you speaking of?

http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/earth.php

[Skybird]

I finally found some "hidden" pictures at the page describingn what blue marble is:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/

Screenshots here:
<LI class=head>High-resolution images:
1024 by 1024 screen (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/Images/BlueMarble_2005_SAm_09_1024.jpg) (190 kB JPEG)
4096 by 4096 screen (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/Images/BlueMarble_2005_SAm_09_4096.jpg) (1 MB JPEG)
4096 by 4096 print (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/Images/BlueMarble_2005_SAm_09_4096.png) (12 MB PNG)

[lesrae]

I finally found some "hidden" pictures at the page describingn what blue marble is:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/

Screenshots here:

<LI class=head>High-resolution images:
1024 by 1024 screen (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/Images/BlueMarble_2005_SAm_09_1024.jpg) (190 kB JPEG)
4096 by 4096 screen (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/Images/BlueMarble_2005_SAm_09_4096.jpg) (1 MB JPEG)
4096 by 4096 print (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/Images/BlueMarble_2005_SAm_09_4096.png) (12 MB PNG)

Downloading now ;)