Knowing when constellations of interest rise and set and what's in them is essential for both types of users. Programs like those reviewed here are excellent at introducing newbies to the sky and are also used by amateur astronomers to plan their evening observing schedule. From the website: "The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and UNESCO to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery."Īs a result, hopefully with the help of local amateur astronomy organizations and magazines like Astronomy and Sky and Telescope, people who want to find out more about their place in the universe will be buying telescopes (or dusting off old ones) and exploring the sky - as we move into spring and summer weather here in the Northern Hemisphere. The year 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. The three most popular products, all very mature in their development, are evaluated: Starry Night, TheSkyX and Voyager.
Uses include introducing novice amateur astronomers to the sky, learning constellations, planning an observing session, and controlling the movement of a telescope via the Mac's USB port. Virtual sky/planetarium astronomy programs can display the sky from most any location and time.