Astronomy Software...

[AndyMcCall]

Is there a list of must-have software for astronomers anywhere?

I've got Stellarium on my PC at the moment and it helped me identify two objects in the sky last night, okay, maybe its one as I already knew what "the moon" was but I saw Jupiter just underneath and to the right of it reflecting very brightly.

Also, how come there's not a dedicated forum or sub-forum just for software on SGL?

[barkis]

There is loads of Astronomy software available for download on the web.

Here's a start for you, it's all freeware.

Ron.

http://freeware.intrastar.net/astronmy.htm

[jgs001]

Andy, A lot will depend on what it is you're wanting to do... for instance, if you're into moon observing, then Virtual Moon Atlas is a very useful tool, if imaging, the choice is enormous and a lot will depend on what direction you're going in...

There's a lot of discussions around the various software in various threads in each section...

[E621Keith]

I don't think the is a list of must have software. What you need depends on what you do. If you do imaging, than you will need a library of software. On the other hand if you are purely visual, you can do everything with a red torch, a notebook, a star map, and a planisphere. Computer screen and software will just ruined your dark adaptation.

[Donkeyears]

Hi Andy,

If you have an android phone you could download google skymap, I have it on mine and it's great for finding all sorts of stellar objects with it's search function. That and stellarium rekindled my fascination with astronomy.

[umadog]

I recently tried The Sky X and didn't like it because I found the interface very unintuitive. I am now playing with Sky Tools 3, which I prefer. Stellarium is in many ways my favourite, however.

[Marmite]

The best ones are all free.

Yes, some pricey specialist AP-oriented stuff (Maxim-DL, etc) is very good too, but freebie apps such as Cartes du Ciel (aka "Skycharts"), HNSky (aka "Hallo Northern Sky"), Xephem, Stellarium and others are hard to pass up!

[garethmob]

iv got starry night pro plus 6 of course it was quite expensive, but iv use Stellarium on my eee pc (that comes out with me with its screen reddeded thanks to the lack of any moving parts!!

iv also used the meade autostar and imager program (when i had my CCD)