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. A number of amazing discoveries have been made by amateurs. In the old days it was the job of telescopes. But now thanks to star charting software, everyone with a computer can take part in this interesting and at times exciting endeavor. This is a discussion of just some of the available software. Click over here for additional info about astronomy magazine.

SETI@Home home is very popular. Launched in May of 1999 this was a project to create a virtual supercomputer, made up of large numbers of Internet connected home computers. SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, scanned through space with a radio telescope seeking intelligent patterns. Scientists used supercomputers to go through all the data collected. But now it’s all being done during the spare cycles on people’s computers at home and the office. No red light will flash if intelligent life is located. But if SETI ever does find intelligence, then everyone who was part of SETI@Home can say they played a role.

3-D screen savers are a more basic type of star charting software. These programs kick in when a PC is idle, and show various space objects rendered in spectacular 3D computer graphics. These are anything from static images to interactive 3-D views. Search 3D Space Tour on Google or Yahoo to find some of these fun programs.

F.I.T.S is something not many people have heard of. It’s NASA’s flexible image transport system that delivers data including 2-D and 3-D imaging. There are a variety of programs that can read and display this type of data. These include free ware FITSview and AVIS to for sale programs like AstroArt and AIP. Google can help you find more. Some are listed at Duke University’s web site: http://www.phy.duke.edu/.

Software such as Aberrator allows an amateur astronomer to view images of stars through various telescopes with aberrations in the lens. By comparing the image seen through the telescope with the image displayed in the software, the user can make adjustments to gain the best possible view of these vastly distant objects.

There is a lot more astronomy software out there in the world. All you need to do is search and you will discover some computer software that will be relevant to your position. It is an ever evolving field and more and more computer software is published on a daily basis. There are a lot of sites where you can obtain both free and paid for computer software – all you really need to do is have a bit of a look. Web search for it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You should acquire additional worthwhile info about orion telescopes here.