Starry Night Pro 5.0 Astronomy Software Win/Mac Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had to jump in and write a review of this product (my first ever on Amazon!) after reading some of the comments on the porduct page. Not sure what happened in the cases of Steve S. and D. Frank but personally I have nothing but good things to say both about the software and the customer service I received.
On the software side, I found that the robust "pro level" functionality not only gave me what I was looking for in terms of features and tools but was also surprisingly easy to use from an interface perspective (not always the case with these sort of feature-rich products). The multimedia tours were a hit with my kids (who have since learned to use the more advanced tools better that me!) and some of the viewing modules (e.g. the horizon panoramas) are so amazing that after using them I think I have finally rid myself of my guilt for not pursuing that astronomy PhD. I did think the joystick feature is still a bit klunky, but overall this is a really well designed and thoughtfully made piece of software.
In terms of customer service, since I have had minimal software issues it has not really come up. The one time I did send an inquiry it was answered promptly and effectively (turned out the minor problem I was experiencing was caused by an OS level setting that I had turned on for another piece of software -- a problem that I was impressed they were able to diagnose).
In summary - this is a great product and a great company. A truly perfect xmas gift for your seriosu astronomy buff pals.

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Starry Night Pro 5.0 is an amazing tool for anyone with a fascination for space. It's asclose as you can get to owning your own planetarium! It's user-friendly enough for the backyard stargazer but powerful enough for a serious astronomy student. View the stars from your exact location on Earth or any other planet. Explore a database with millions of celestial objects -- all available to you, for exploring the mysteries and wonders of the universe. Travel through 200,000 years in minutes -- find out how the universe will look far in the future

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Starry Night Pro 6 Review

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(More customer reviews)The more I use this feature rich software the more I love it. It points out the location of any sky object from any location at any time, in both the past and future. The software will highlight and label any object you want to find and provides significantly more detail than any star chart. You can also define the maximum star magnitude to be displayed based on the visibility conditions of your location. Star patterns are shown as they would appear in the field of view of your equipment (telescope, lenses, finderscope, binoculars, etc.), which I find handy when navigating my telescope to find a particular object. You can even flip the image to see how the orientation of the objects would look through your telescope. (I use a manual Orion SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian telescope, so I do not use the telescope control features.) You can even have the program search for and point you to the location of any object you define (planets, stars, meteor showers, constellations, asteroids, Messier objects, NGC objects, etc.). Although the astrophotographs provided are better than what you will see with the naked eye through your telescope, they do help in locating the objects. (Their brightness can also be adjusted.) The pictures can be turned on or off at your discretion. What I described here is just a portion of the capabilities and features available. The bottom line is if you are interested in getting the most out of your telescope, this program is a must have!

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Increase your in-the-field observing success with Starry Night Pro version 6. Use the Events Finder to choose targets, or make your own Observing List for a specific night or for specific objects of interest. Print out three-view starhopping charts customized to your equipment that effortlessly guide you to challenging objects. With extensive data sets, advanced telescope control, and comprehensive observational tools, Starry Night Pro is a powerful program designed for the serious astronomer. Transform your computer into a sophisticated virtual observatory.Smoothly track and follow satellites with the Meade LX200/RCX400 telescopes (Mac only)Recognize 1000+ craters, valleys and more instantly with surface feature outlines for the MoonView the locations of 160+ extrasolar planetsEnjoy 8 additional photorealistic Earth horizon panoramasWatch the sun set over Gusev Crater horizon panorama created with data from Mars Rover SpiritExplore Moon panoramas taken by Apollo astronautsMultiple surface maps of Earth, Moon and MarsCustomize the sky with 3 additional cloud panoramasMimic effects of the atmospheric scatteringFollow the paths of over 25 interplanetary probesZoom in on 3-D models of comets, asteroids, satellites and spacecraftLibrary of over 100 Starry Night files

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Starry Night Pro Plus 6.2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Works great on my Macbook AND my Vista machine (which is used less and less as I revel in the joy that is "Mac OS X"). The amount of information available is staggering. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the AllSky survey, but when I consider it only adds 60 to cost (compared to Pro) and other enhancements are included as well, the "Plus" is well worth it. be prepared for a total install of almost 12Gb if you copy the AllSky to the local drive (recommended).
I can certainly understand passing up Pro Plus for just Pro, but if you have the extra, I think it's well worth the money spent...***Vista issues seem to have been addressed in the current version. You may need to DL patches from the site for older ones...***

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Travel where you've never been before! For the advanced amateur astronomer, the full-color AllSky CCD mosaic, sophisticated telescope controls and comprehensive observational tools included in Starry Night Pro Plus version 6 will engage you in the hobby like no other software. The biggest single addition to Starry Night software since its inception, the full-color AllSky CCD image mosaic of the entire night sky visible from Earth weighs in at 6.44 billion pixels in size. Named AllSky for its uniform coverage from pole to pole, it's a single picture of the whole sky that has been precisely mapped to Starry Night's computer generated stars and databases. View on your computer screen an image better than the best-trained human eye can capture in real-time viewing through a telescope on a "good seeing" night. See the entire Milky Way in exquisite detail and then zoom in to explore dust lanes and nebulae. Instead of dots and circles, you will see an actual photo of a star or a deep sky object. Smoothly and swiftly navigate this full color photograph of the entire night sky, to a limiting magnitude of 14-15. Five years in development, the AllSky CCD mosaic is comprised of about 20,000 individual images, originally imaged at a resolution of 12 arcseconds per pixel with a scientific grade, custom built AP9E CCD camera. In all, Starry Night Pro Plus version 6 has over 25 new features that bring more power and control to your observing and imaging. Starry Night Pro Plus will change how you look at the night sky.Hover over Earth and see details within 1 km (0.6 miles) resolutionCreate your own astrophotography using imaging plug-in to integrate Starry Night and MaxIm DL* imaging software (sold separately, Windows only) 1000+ craters, valleys and more instantly with surface feature outlines for the MoonControls most popular brands of robotic telescopes

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Redshift 4 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After using Redshift 3 which is excellent, and smooth running. I found Redshift 4 a big dissapointment. Main reasons is its sluggish speed. It sometimes crashes especially if you do not change back to disk 1 from disk 2 immediately. The user interface is more difficult than Redshift 3 , and unlike R3 appears to have NO keyboard commands or control. I noticed some things missing, like the 3d orbital view windows as with R3. No improvements in graphics, Open GL option would have improved and speeded up graphics. Other than the extra Tycho2 and Hubble information Redshift 4 is a BIG let down. Should have named it Redshift 2.5! I will stick to Redshift 3.

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RedShift 4 offers a presentation of our universe, created by experts and filled with scientifically accurate information. Penetrate millions of light years into space, plot out the constellations, analyze dramatic cosmic events, and print accurate star maps. RedShift 4 has been designed for both novices and professionals. The easy-to-learn and user-friendly interface helps beginners navigate around the heavens. The advanced astronomer can rely on accurate and in-depth information from comprehensive catalogs, including the new Tycho-2 Catalog, the Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Catalog, and the General Catalog of Variable Stars.
Features include the following:
Multiple windows allow simultaneous views of events from multiple locations. For example, you can watch an eclipse from the earth, moon, and sun all at the same time.
RedShift's real-time celestial mechanics engine plots the positions of over 18,000,000 stars, allowing you to see the universe at any point from 4713 B.C. to A.D. 9999.
The movie recorder feature lets you create videos of your own journeys through space and time.
Plan the best time for observations with the Sky Diary and Visibility reports.
Integrated multimedia Story of the Universe.
Over 80,000 other objects, including 7,000 deep sky objects, such as star clusters, nebulae, and non-optical sources.
A comprehensive and newly updated Dictionary of Astronomy.
A direct connection to the RedShift Web site for downloading new discoveries, upgrades, and tech support.

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Redshift 7 Premium Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First of all I am a beginner in astronomy. The guided tours proved to be very helpful, since they explain all kinds of phenomena in an understandable way. It is also fun to see how the sky would look like if it was dark at noon or go back in time and see what was going on in the sky on my birthday. Redshift 7 Premium is very powerful with many filters and functions. It takes some time to get to know the options and not everything is where you would expect it at first. However the help is very detailed and the service is excellent. So overall a Big Bang for the Buck :)

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Experience the official planetarium software of the International Year of Astronomy 2009!Redshift 7 Premium is your comprehensive guide to the heavens. A huge panorama of the Milky Way, photo-realistic horizons and a 3-D flight out of our galaxy are only a few ways in which Redshift turns astronomy into a breathtaking and inspiring experience.Countless unique features such as telescope and joystick control, over 100 multimedia tours, macro recorder to create your own tours, online access to the Digitized Sky Survey and Google Maps, high quality videos, animations and the extensive help make Redshift 7 Premium the indispensable guide to the night skies.New Features: * Realistic 3-D model of our galaxy with impressive 3-D flights * Now more than 100 million stars, planets and Deep Sky objects * Includes exoplanets and dwarf planets * New Horizon Panoramas for Earth, Moon and Mars * Direct access to star catalogs USNO-B1.0, SIMBAD and SOHO * Comprehensive observation planner for your in-the-field observation * Direct link to www.redshift-live.com for the exchange of guided tours and workspaces More Features: * Tracking and visualization tools; chart asteroids, comets, and meteor showers * Telescope control for most popular brands of robotic telescopes (ASCOM compliant) * Recording and exchange of guided tours * Numerical integration calculates the exact motion of comets and asteroids

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