sorry for that, I thought the PNG format would be smaller, (my screen caputure is from a monitor 1280 * 800) but I hope to have rectified the problem. I also read the post for posting images.
I use Kstars occasionaly, it's quite nice for checking out what's up but there are quite a few loose ends... Needs better support for DSOs for selecting types and magnitude limits, and stars fainter than mag 10. Also, it's quite sluggish. Kstars is still relatively immature. I'm sure it will improve in time.
I use Xplns for a quick look and Xephem when I want to get serious. Xephem has a bit of a steep learning curve, but it does everything. Great catalogs available for everything from DSOs thru to asteroids. It downloads faint stars selectively from online databases too large to download in their entirety.
the latest verson of Kstars has made a lot of improvement, and internet connectivity. It is not bad for a basic product, and the price is right. It is not, however, like starry night. But their development path for the product will eventually make it a hit.
L.
Houghy
