Starry Night Pro 4.5 Astronomy Software Win/Mac

by Imaginova

Product Features

• Everything the experienced astronomy enthusiast needs to explore the universe
• Enhanced observation planner lets you create detailed lists of targets
• New observation logs to store notes, times, sky conditions, equipment used, and images on targets
• Equipment list allows you to store all scopes, eyepieces, binoculars, and accessories
• LiveSky panel lets you see up-to-date images of the Sun and Earth

Product Details

Product Manual [4.03mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000C7FSH
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 25, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,741 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Starry Night Pro version 4.5 has everything the experienced astronomy enthusiast needs to explore the universe. New version 4.5 features include enhanced observation planner and logs; equipment list to store all scopes, binoculars, and accessories; and LiveSky panel with up-to-date images of sunspots, auroras, and weather patterns around the globe from ground and space-based observatories. Navigate and open your saved Starry Night files easily with the new "favorites" panel. Now with more than 2.5 hours of video multimedia featuring dramatic, accurate visualizations of astronomical objects, and phenomena and engaging guest experts. Add custom field-of-view indicators to match your telescope eyepieces, binoculars or CCD. Add 360-degree photos of your own backyard and favorite observing sites. Track the latest satellites, comets, and asteroids, and control most popular brands of computerized telescopes including Meade LX-200 and AutoStar and the Celestron Nexstar series. Includes bonus DVD of "Atlas of the Sky" to enrich your celestial explorations.

Features:

• Enhanced observation planner lets you create detailed lists of targets for an observing session
• New observation logs allow you to store notes, times, sky conditions, equipment used and even images on targets
• Equipment list allows you to store all scopes, eyepieces, binoculars and accessories
• LiveSky panel lets you see up-to-date images of the Sun and Earth from ground and space-based observatories
• Navigate and open your saved Starry Night files easily with the new "Favorites" panel
• View from anywhere on Earth or select from a database of over 8,000 cities
• See the sky from any location in the universe up to 700 million light years away
• Print personalized star charts of any area in the sky
• OpenGL support renders high-end 3D graphics
• Create QuickTime movies and export images
• 16 million stars and corrected NGC/IC catalogs
• Online access to 500 million stars
• Tycho 2/Hipparcos 3D star database
• PGC catalog with 70,000 galaxies
• Control most popular brands of computerized telescopes (additional cable required)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Value, February 26, 2004

By 

Jonathan Sabin (Ellenton, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starry Night Pro 4.5 Astronomy Software Win/Mac (CD-ROM)

Starry Night Pro (SNP)is an incredible software package. I had used used TheSky version IV for a few years (which was 2 1/2 times the cost), and SNP is MUCH easier to use, and offers features that TheSky simply does not have.

It does help to have a pretty good background in Astronomy though, so I could see where someone with virtually NO knowledge on the subject would have a difficult time knowing where to start. Since they do offer more basic versions of Starry Night, I'd imagine that they might be more appropriate for a true beginner.

Some of the highlights: Each time you run the program, you have the option of having the database updated via the Internet, so that all of your satellite, comet and asteroid information is current. This function is very easy... you don't have to go looking for it... it'll ask you at start up.

You can "center" on any object, and zoom in (up to) a high-powered telescopic view. With the object centered in the field, the object will remain frozen in the center of your screen as time elapses, rather than moving across the screen. You can then set the time-step to anywhere from "normal" to 30,000x normal. One of the coolest things to do, is to center Saturn, zoom in until it fills about a quarter of the screen, and then speed the time up... You'll watch in amazement as the planet and it's splendid ring system rotate before you, and the moons dance around the planet.

You can change your viewing location to anywhere on Earth... or for that matter, anywhere in the Solar System --and beyond. Try looking back at the Earth during a Solar eclipse! You'll see the Moon's shadow skirting across the surface. Or, if you set your viewing location on the Moon during a lunar eclipse, you'll see a Solar eclipse FROM the moon. Again, pretty neat.

You can zoom completely out of the galaxy, and look back at the Milky Way so it is no longer a band across the sky, but rather a pinwheel of stars (depending, of course, on which direction you are looking from.) You can also zoom out to the edge of the known universe until all of the galaxies are a faint blob in the middle of the screen.... Zooming IN quickly from this point is also a cool effect.

If all of what SNP did was for "effect" only (in other words, it didn't actually reflect the REAL sky, it'd be worth the money.) But of course, it DOES reflect what you CAN see. What you WILL see. And what you DID see. (Up to several thousand years in the past, and about ten thousand years into the future... just for planning purposes!)

Starry Night Pro is worth every dollar... and more!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars armchair astronomy as its best, June 8, 2004

By 

Mosh (Mumbai INDIA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starry Night Pro 4.5 Astronomy Software Win/Mac (CD-ROM)

If you are fascinated by the sky, get this software now. I was
amazed by the photo realisitic rendition of the sky map
on the PC. Both the Backyard Edition and Pro Edition are
well worth the price. Many a times I do star watching
on my desk, watch the librations of the moon at high speed
(see the moon wobbling on its axis by zooming and
locking on the moon and running time at higher speed).

Many a day, this is my screen saver, locking on the sun
as it cuts thru the zodiac. Yesterday I watched the transit
of venus across sun ahead of time on my PC.

On my linux, I use xephem (it comes with source code in c),
and on dos I use alw.exe (astromony lab) to generate the almanac.
And finally pscal.sh to generate the moon phases in my
printable calendar (see google for pscal,xephem,alw.zip).

Of course, you can use to identify stars, by using on your
laptop, when you do star watching.

- Mosh http://www.cs.albany.edu/~mosh

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Verstile intuitive astro program you won't get tired of., February 26, 2004

By 

David J. Friedlander "Play it with heart" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starry Night Pro 4.5 Astronomy Software Win/Mac (CD-ROM)

This is an astronomy program that really takes advantage of the high powered graphics and speed of todays PC. There are also many features in the program that are highly useful. Probably the greatest aspect of the program is that it is so practical but yet doesn't limit your imagination. In other words, if you want a session to set up your telescope for astrophotography or to print up star maps, you won't have to change programs later if you want to take a visual ride to some distant star or galazy.

Another excellent feature is the realism. Earlier astro programs would have M31 and an oval in the sky to depict the Andromeda galazy. The earlier program might also have the name or NGC number available. With Starry Night when you zoom in, you get an image that is truly representative of a telescopic view. As you continue to zoom in, it's like changing from your 6 or 8 inch scope to a 25 or 30 inch scope. Go further and you have a view that rivals the best that anyone has ever had the privilage of seeing. Another nice touch is that as you increase the "power" more stars become visible just as they would through a real telescope.

The amount of data in the program is staggering. Point at any star or object and you get multitudes of information. This is also user changeable and the combinations available are practically limitless. If you're not happy with all the known stars down to the 9th magnitude, you can download more to your heart's content. You can even set the program to automatically add new stars in whatever field you choose to explore.

Perhaps one of the most fantastic features of Starry Night is the galactic travel mode. Go to Andromeda and see what galaxies are visible from there. Go to the Virgo Cluster and be surrounded by galaxies of virtually every type, size and brightness. The program does use some generic images in this mode, but all of the messier objects and well known galaxies are shown with realistic representations. In other words, if you go to M81, you will see M82 and if you know what that looks like, you will recognize it.

As I mentioned earlier this program has so much to offer that I really don't have time to mention it all here. Suffice it to say that I was so happy with the program, I wrote emails to the company to praise their work. I got a reply saying thank you and it's nice to know the work is appreciated. It's not only appreciated, I love this program and haven't begun to explore it's limits completely. If you love astronomy and the feeling of awe it can inspire, get this program and you will have that feeling even if the night sky is cloudy.