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Posts Tagged ‘astronomy’

What Varieties Of Star Charting Software Are Normally Available?

March 15th, 2010

Its amazing how popular astronomy is. There are literally millions of people each day who love star gazing. Many of these are men of science studied by train who study it by trade. Some are enthusiasts who delve into the stars as a hobby. Some of these hobbyists have even made important discoveries at times. For the longest time telescopes or at least binocular were the tools of choice. But now thanks to star charting software, everyone with a computer can take part in this interesting and at times exciting endeavor. Here are some of the programs available. Click over here for more info about astronomy for kids.

SETI@Home home is very popular. the point of this software was to use all the idle time on peoples home computers. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was set to search space for radio signals that indicated intelligent design. the data were analyzed with supercomputers. Today, however, it’s up to people’s computers at home and at the office. People at home won’t be having discussions with aliens when they’re found. But if SETI does find alien intelligence then there are going to be a lot of happy people.

A 3-D screen saver is another type of star charting software. With this software during idle time your computer can show vivid 3D worlds. This can include simple views as well as navigable planets, solar systems or other objects that the user can explore from any angle and distance. Try a handy search engine to find one of these programs.

Most people don’t know about F.I.T.S. It’s a data standard called flexible image transport system that delivers spatial data and multidimensional arrays. Many programs use this standard. These include freeware and software for sale. A web search will find many more. Some are listed at Duke University’s web site: http://www.phy.duke.edu/.

Software such as Aberrator allows an amateur astronomer to view images of stars through various telescopes with aberrations in the lens. Images seen through the telescope are compared with those shown by the software and adjustments can be made.

There is a lot more astronomy software out there in the world. All you need to do is search and you will discover some computer software that will be relevant to your position. It is an ever growing field and more and more computer software is published on a daily basis. There are a lot of sites where you can get both free and paid for computer software – all you really need to do is have a bit of a search. Web search for it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You can acquire more worthwhile info about celestron telescopes here.

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Interesting Astronomy Information That You May Not Know.

January 18th, 2010

Why do you think it is important to have some knowledge of astronomy}?what is the value of knowing a bunch of astronomy facts? The simple answer is because its a subject that a large number of people are interested in – and if you want to be able to talk to them about it, the odd fact never goes astray. In fact, its really important to know at least a few astronomy facts – you never know when you will be needing them – it might be at a party, at your school or while you are trying to impress that cute girl – who knows the exact reason – but it is very likely that you will need them at some point or other…… There must be a lot of information about astronomy you would believe – right? If you realize that the universe contains one times 10 to the 22nd stars, that’s a one followed by a string of 22 zeros. Then consider that many of those stars have planets surrounding them.

Then consider the moons that surround the planets, the asteroids, the nebula, the galaxies, and all the other stuff the universe contains. The number of facts and amount of data is staggering. Not every piece of information will be presented here. It will be a lot of fun. Click over here for additional information on nikon binoculars.

Looking at it only from the point of view of the very brightest stars we can see from earth is one way to approach it.. The sun is so bright that it simply smothers out all of the other stars in the daylight sky}. For the purposes of this discussion, lower numbers for brightness mean a brighter star. The sun would be about -26.73, while the full moon is -12.6. With that in mind, here are the top 5.

#1 goes to Vega, Arabic for vulture. It’s about 25 light years away from the Earth, with a magnitude of .03. When looking at these information about astronomy remember that brightest from Earth doesn’t mean largest or brightest. The Sun is not the largest or brightest star in the universe or even the galaxy, yet it appears so bright because it is so near compared to other stars.

#2 is, in arabic, centaur’s foot – Rigel Kentaurus. It scores a magnitude of -.01, and is only 4 light-years from Earth.

At #3, by the known information about astronomy is Arcturus. That’s the Greek word for Guardian on the bear. It’s 37 light-years distant from our home on Earth.

Canopus sits at #4. Named for the pilots of Jason’s vessel in Jason and the Argonauts, this star is the brightest of all of these top five. But it’s 313 light years from Earth so it’s just second on this list as seen from Earth. -. its magnitude is 62 as seen from the earth.

#5 is the Greek word for scorching, Sirius. It’s also called the Dog Star because it’s the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (the Big Dog. {). It’s only 9 light years from Earth. That’s second closest of these top five. At -1.44 magnitude it’s the brightest star we can see from Earth.

There is a whole host more information about astronomy that we haven’t discussed as yet. Think about magnitudes, however, next time you look up at the stars. You can get additional invaluable information on leupold binoculars here.

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Star Charting Software Programs – What Kinds Of Programs Are Ordinarily Available?

January 14th, 2010

Its amazing how popular astronomy is. There are literally millions of people each day who love star gazing. Some of these are professionals who work in observatories. Others are merely hobbyists who enjoy it. Some of these hobbyists have even made important discoveries at times. It used to be that astronomy required a telescope or at least binoculars. Astronomy software makes it possible study the stars and other phenomena without them. Here are some of the programs available. Click through here for extra information about planetarium software.

One popular application is SETI@Home. the point of this software was to use all the idle time on peoples home computers. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was set to search space for radio signals that indicated intelligent design. Supercomputers on site were used to analyze the data. But now it’s all being done during the spare cycles on people’s computers at home and the office. People at home won’t be having discussions with aliens when they’re found. But if SETI does find alien intelligence then there are going to be a lot of happy people.

A 3-D screen saver is another type of star charting software. These programs kick in when a PC is idle, and show various space objects rendered in spectacular 3D computer graphics. These are anything from static images to interactive 3-D views. Try a handy search engine to find one of these programs.

Not many people know what F.I.T.S is. It’s Flexible Image Transport System, which is a NASA and IAU endorsed format to store and deliver not only images but spacial data and multi-dimensional arrays such as 2-D and 3-D images. It’s used in a lot of software. These include freeware and software for sale. A wide selection of FITS viewers can be found with a simple Internet search. Try Duke University’s website.

Software such as Aberrator allows an amateur astronomer to view images of stars through various telescopes with aberrations in the lens. Images seen through the telescope are compared with those shown by the software and adjustments can be made.

These are only a small sample of the astronomy software available. All you need to do is research and you will find some software that will be applicable to your situation. It is an ever growing field and more and more software is composed on a daily basis. There are a lot of sites where you can find both free and paid for software – all you really need to do is have a bit of a search. Download some and have fun. You will get more information about astronomy magazine here.

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