MyStars! Features

 
GENERAL FEATURES

  • Planetarium
    • View from any location around the world
      • By Specifying Latitude / Longitude, or
      • By Clicking on the map of the world, or
      • By selecting from the database of cities (user xpandable)
    • View on any date from 2000 BC to 6000 AD
      • Supports Daylight, Standard, GMT times
      • Automatically interprets to Julian / Gregorian Dates
    • View towards various coordinates or items
      • Lock Onto Fixed Altitude/Azimuth
      • Lock Onto a Right Ascension/Declination (J2000 or 'of Date')
      • Lock Onto an Ecliptic Longitude/Latitude
      • FIND & Lock Onto any astronomical object in database
  • Tilting orrery (view the orbits from above the sun, or from the ecliptic)
    • View on any date from 2000 BC to 6000 AD
      • Supports Daylight, Standard, UT times
      • Automatically interprets to Julian / Gregorian Dates
  • Fast animation mode
  • Tooltips on stars, planets, etc.
  • Click on any object to find positional info about it
  • Dynamic Saved Views
  • Save image as GIF
  • User definable magnitude limit
  • View Below horizon feature
  • Automatically computes precession
  • Optional local effects:
    • Parallax Correction
    • Extinction
    • Refraction
    • Scattering
    • Scintillation
  • Various coordinate grids can be added to display as required
  • Quick Zoom-In / Zoom-out Feature
  • Friendly help system
  • Tool-bar and Tooltips
  • VCR-style animation controller
  • Full screen Display mode option
  • Scroll-bar control of view
  • Full colour Printing
  • High accuracy calculations
  • Installation Help in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Portugese

STARS

  • Shows complete Yale Bright Star Catalogue of over 9000 brightests stars up to Magnitude 6.5
  • Registered version shows Hipparcos Star Catalogue of over 118,000 stars up to Magnitude 11
  • Brightness of stars on display is adjustable
  • Stars can be labeled by name, Bayer / Flamsteed ids, or HR or HIP Catalog numbers
  • Constellation labels can be added to display if required
  • Constellation stick figures can be added if required
  • Constellation boundary lines can be added if required

SUN/PLANETS

  • Actual NASA images of the planets are included and shown in the display
  • Images are shown to correct scale
  • Rise/Set times take into account angular size of objects. Accurate sun rise/set times

MINOR PLANETS (ASTEROIDS)

  • User-expandable database allows one to update data as equired
  • New datafiles can be downloaded from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and used directly

DEEP SKY OBJECTS

  • Complete Messier List of Deep Sky Objects are shown in display
  • DSOs can be labelled by name, M number or NGC number
  • Positions for DSOs are shown to correct scale
  • Rise/Set times take into account angular size of objects.

THE MOON

  • Actual image of the moon is shown to correct scale rotated to correct parallactic angle
  • Shows correct phase of moon and shows solar/lunar eclipses
  • Rise/Set time take into account angular size of objects. Accurate moon rise/set times

COMETS

  • User-expandable database allows one to update data as required
  • New datafiles can be downloaded from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and used directly