hello from a new scope owner

my daughter has been asking for a scope for over 2 years and she is 10 years old so a month ago i decided its something i should help her with and learn myself also we have purchased a 8" skywatcher dobsonian scope second hand for £150 , we have joined the neas club and have attended 1 of their star watching evenings and a telescope workshop night , had a great time on both occasions and obtained some fantastic advice from some of the guys there so thought id join here also

Hi Darren & Darcy - Stellarium is a large 'Planetarium-Program' that shows you the nighttime sky from your location - including just about anything you want such as stars, nebulae, galaxies, even artificial-satellites. Quite easy to operate. Similar star-charting software can cost over £200 - but Stellarium is FREE. You read that right - free. It's as detailed as you wish, or as simple as you wish - it's all up to you. So here's a 'cut & paste' to walk you through downloading a