Archive for the ‘free software’ tag
Exploring the Stars with KStars Planetarium Software
I’ve always been a big fan of backyard astronomy, and now that the weather is warming up (well, depending on where you live) I’ll be spending more time stargazing. For Linux users, KStars is a fantastic celestial navigation aid that offers tons of custom features. Designed to be easy for beginners, yet powerful enough to satisfy serious astronomy fans, this desktop planetarium package really delivers. Here’s the default start view, from my geographic location in Atlanta, GA. Read the rest of this entry »
Introducing Celestia: Open Source Astronomy
Parents and teachers looking for a fun new way to reinforce basic astronomy concepts need look no further than Celestia. This free planetarium software package allows students to explore the universe in three dimensions, freeing them from the monotony of standard science texts. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux (the screenshots shown here were captured under Ubuntu Linux), Celestia is open source software designed to please any astronomy buff.
Update (March 26, 2009): I’ve posted a Celestia video that shows what this application can do.
