Crafting with Kids

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. Hobbyists have even made many amazing discoveries. In the old days it was the job of telescopes. Astronomy software makes it possible study the stars and other phenomena without them. Here are some of the programs available. Click through here for additional info about astronomy for kids.

One of the most well known programs is SETI@Home. Launched in May of 1999 this was a project to create a virtual supercomputer, made up of large numbers of Internet connected 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. But now it’s all being done during the spare cycles on people’s computers at home and the office. There won’t be some kind of alert if intelligent life is found. But people can take pride in being involved in the search for intelligence outside our home planet.

3-D screen savers are a more basic 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. A search engine like Google can help you locate one of these programs.

Most people don’t know about F.I.T.S. It’s NASA’s flexible image transport system that delivers data including 2-D and 3-D imaging. It’s used in a lot of software. These include freeware and software for sale. A web search will find many more. Try Duke University’s website.

Amateur astronomers can even find help with imperfect telescopes. 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 position. It is an ever growing field and more and more software is published on a daily basis. There are a lot of places where you can obtain 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 find extra info about planetarium software here.

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