- MacStronomy 2.0 runs on any Apple® Macintosh
or compatible computer with at least 2 megabytes of
RAM, a hard disk, and Mac OS 9.x
or Classic under OS X. That means it will run on your Macintosh.
- MacStronomy displays maps of the stars and planets
as they appear in the sky for any date, time, and location
on the earth that you choose. So, you will know what that bright
object is in the west just after the sun goes down, or when this
year you can catch a glimpse of Mercury.
- Maps of the sky can be displayed for any viewing direction
or field of view diameter, so you have total control
over what part of the sky you wish to see and how much of it.
- Over 10,000 objects are contained in the
database including the Sun and Moon, the major planets, the primary
moons of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, the four primary minor planets,
several comets, 110 Messier objects, about 1000 other deep sky
objects, and all stars to magnitude 6.5. This is enough objects
to give you stunning views of the sky, including every celestial
object that can be seen with the naked eye.
- You can add stars, planets, and other objects to
the database, so you can track your favorite comet or
deep sky object.
- Optional Larger Databases are available
for even more detailed views of the sky, like what you would
see through a telescope. The Mag 8 database
contains all stars to magnitude 8, nearly 50,000 objects. The
SAO/RNGC database contains the entire SAO star
catalog, plus the entire RNGC deep sky catalog, over 250,000
objects.
- You can see the sun, moon, and planets as they actually
appear in the sky or would appear through a telescope.
- You can fly to other planets anywhere in
the solar system and see what the sky looks like from there.
- Constellation lines can be shown on the sky maps to help
you identify groupings of stars and recognize
regions of the sky.
- The horizon can be represented by a line, transparent ground,
or opaque ground at your option. You can easily tell
which objects are up at a given time and which objects
aren't.
- MacStronomy can display more than one view at a time
so that you can simultaneously observe the sky from multiple
perspectives. For example, you can watch a solar eclipse from
two viewpoints at the same time--from the earth looking toward
the moon and from the moon looking back toward the earth. (This
is a great way to study and understand eclipses!)
- MacStronomy can find celestial objects by
name, display descriptions of them, and identify them in the
sky map. You'll never be left wondering what a certain object
in the sky is.
- Rise and set times of objects are automatically
computed, so you can know precisely when an object will be visible
and when it won't be on any given day.
- Watch eclipses of the moon or sun in the
future, the past, or as they occur. Know what to expect and what
to look for before the next eclipse occurs.
- Time-lapse and tracing features let you
see and understand the movement of the solar system and stars.
- Sky maps can be embellished with many features,
such as planet and star names, reference lines, and grids to
help you find your way around the sky.
- Advanced astronomers can perform coordinate conversions,
including conversions from one epoch to another, allowing precise
correspondence between MacStronomy's maps and tables published
by various astronomical institutions.
- The Basic control window makes controlling
MacStronomy easy for anyone.
- The Expert control window gives precise
control for more advanced users.
- Using the mouse, you can quickly zoom into
any part of a sky map.
- Sky maps can be printed so you can take
them places that you can't take your computer.
- Use the Macintosh clipboard to copy and
paste sky maps into other applications such as paint programs
and word processors.
- Since MacStronomy follows Apple's Macintosh user
interface guidelines, you will find it a snap to install
and use.
- MacStronomy is highly accurate. For example,
it finds conjunctions and oppositions to within
a few minutes of time, so you can know the timing of these events
with a high degree of precision.
- MacStronomy is simple enough for young children
to operate, yet has the depth needed by professionals.
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- The 100 page manual has an "Introduction
to Astronomy", a glossary of astronomical terms, and exercises
to help you become familiar with MacStronomy.
| Pricing (includes shipping & handling) |
| MacStronomy 2.0: |
$60 |
| Mag 8 database: |
$25 |
| SAO/RNGC database: |
$50 |
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Want to see some other cool things
that MacStronomy can do? |
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Want to try MacStronomy first?
Download the demo! (about 480 K-bytes) |
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