Free Software

acropolite (Phil) · #1 19-03-2005, 05:02 PM

This month's (April) edition of Australian PC World has a free copy of Starry Night Enthusiast 4.5.

It downloads updates from the net and even lists Launceston Tasmania. When I put in my exact Lat/Long it even told me I was "near Launceston" Zooming in on the moon produces a photo image with features nicely identified by placing the cursor over. Looks comprehensive but I haven't had time to play with it yet but from first impressions I would say it's a lot easier to drive than Cartes du Ciel.
If you're like me and don't read the instructions on the CD first then here's the guff on registration.

To install, unzip starry.zip and run Setup.exe. Once installed, run the program and when prompted, enter your name and the serial number: space2005.

johnno · #2 20-03-2005, 12:44 PM

Hi Phil,
Thanks for the info on this program,I read your report last night,and went straight to the newsagency this am,and got a copy,like you, I have installed the program but havent gone through it yet.
Can you tell me where to find the registration number so I can register the program?
Thanks,Regards.John

johnno · #3 20-03-2005, 01:37 PM

Hi Phil,
No problem I found the registration code,it was in page 11 of the users manual,
Cheers Mate.John

Starkler (Geoff) · #4 20-03-2005, 01:40 PM

One question, is it worth having?
Is it better than Cartes Du Ciel which you can get for free?

Ok so it was two questions

iceman (Mike) · #5 20-03-2005, 02:04 PM

I think it's heaps better than CDC.. much friendlier and easier to use.. nicer graphics, user interface etc.

I'll definitely be getting that mag.. thanks for the heads-up!

johnno · #6 20-03-2005, 02:54 PM

Hi Geoff and Mike,
I havent had much of a chance to check this program out fully yet,But so far it is FANTASTIC,for eg,once you enter your location you can get it to go forward in time steps so you can see the stars appearing as it gets darker,the stars appear AS WE SEE THEM,Orions sword is up,not underneath as in most programs,which drives me mental.
I have a program called "Star Calc",which is good but no matter what I do Castor and Pollux are upside down ie castor is on top of pollux,which to a newbie like me makes finding your way around frustating.
I suggest you grab this mag and program asap.
Cheers to all.John

johnno · #7 20-03-2005, 02:56 PM

Sorry Geoff,
I forgot to answer your question re cdc,Leaves it for dead,in fact I am about to uninstall cdc,and Star calc right now.
Cheers.John

thomo · #8 21-03-2005, 11:28 PM

Thanks for the heads up Phil - picked a copy us this arvo.

johnno · #9 22-03-2005, 12:07 AM

Love this program Phil,
Thanks again for the heads up.
regards.John

slice of heaven · #10 23-03-2005, 12:48 AM

The lad and I cruised through it today. Both really happy with it. The zooms are great . The lad gained a better insight into what he's seeing in the ep. But he said only one fruit tree was in the right spot on the landscape.

Anybody found a quicker way to the alt/az co-ord than right clicking the object and following the breadcrumbs?

Well posted Acro. Very much appreciated.

Thanks
Slice

Starkler (Geoff) · #11 23-03-2005, 04:41 PM

Thanks for the feedback ill go get myself a copy

Moving to the software section

MiG · #12 23-03-2005, 09:23 PM

Thanks for posting this. I've now got it too. Would be nice to have eyepiece equivalent presets for the zoom like CDC, but hey, that's a pretty small thing.

Rohan · #13 24-03-2005, 12:52 PM

Just installed it, nice little program. Anyone know how to get a full 360 degree of the sky, like a sky chart? I just find the layout a little annoying and disoriantating at times.

ving (David) · #14 24-03-2005, 01:28 PM

gee! I'll have to borrow this from work... we get APC here

bye CDC, been nice knowing you...

ving (David) · #15 24-03-2005, 01:51 PM

does anyone know what magnitude stars it goes down to?

i know it probably has 2,500,000 stars and 40,000+ deep-space objects (well in vers 5.0 anyhow)

slice of heaven · #16 24-03-2005, 02:08 PM

Ving .Better than we'll see with our little scopes . I didn't check how low or high it'll go I set it up for what I know I can view. There's a slide to adjust it to suit your preferences.

Rohan Go to Favourites open Guide and open atlas. It's a full 3D skychart .Change your star preferences to suit .(how bright a star you want to see)

It'd be easier (to learn)with a printed copy of the guide.But it's a top program considering what we paid.

Slice

Starkler (Geoff) · #17 24-03-2005, 05:29 PM

Well its very pretty and attempts to give a realistic image of the night sky. My impression so far is that its more about eye candy than function. eg if I select an object, there is a pane on the left with the word "info" , but it shows nothing !

Maybe Im not driving it correctly. The "centre object" function gives an animated shift rather than just doing it! I find that slightly annoying also.

slice of heaven · #18 24-03-2005, 06:07 PM

Play with it a bit more Starkler. Hit space to centre the object straight away. Ive saved 2 versions of it one is a bareboned setup, ' no frills ' ,affair for myself. The popup now only shows the object name,constellation and az/alt co-ord. And the other for the kids has all the glamour.
I'll check the info problem. I'm ony just coming to terms with it myself. Stripping the glitz certainly helps.

Slice

On the taskbar , in view ,click -show all controls. Then youv'e got the info available when you right click the object and select - show info.

iceman (Mike) · #19 24-03-2005, 08:33 PM

As Geoff says, they're mostly configurable options Geoff

Play around in the options and set it up so it gives you less of the pretty stuff and more of the practical stuff.

It really is quite nice and much easier to use than CDC, imho.

Thiink · #20 25-03-2005, 01:11 PM

I picked up a copy, looks like a nice little app. Haven't had a lot of time to play with it yet. Does anyone have a list of tips and tricks they want to post?