Its amazing how popular astronomy is. There are literally millions of people each day who love star gazing. Some are serious scientists who study it for a living, or who even teach it. Some are enthusiasts who delve into the stars as a hobby. A number of amazing discoveries have been made by amateurs. It used to be that astronomy required a telescope or at least binoculars. 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 through here for more info about planetarium software.

One popular application is SETI@Home. the point of this software was to use all the idle time on peoples home computers. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was set to search space for radio signals that indicated intelligent design. Scientists used supercomputers to go through all the data collected. Today, however, it’s up to people’s computers at home and at the office. People at home won’t be having discussions with aliens when they’re 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. These bring space objects to life when you’re not using your computer. 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. Search 3D Space Tour on Google or Yahoo to find some of these fun programs.

Not many people know what F.I.T.S is. It’s Flexible Image Transport System, which is a NASA and IAU endorsed format to store and deliver not only images but spacial data and multi-dimensional arrays such as 2-D and 3-D images. 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. A wide selection of FITS viewers can be found with a simple Internet search. Some are listed at Duke University’s web site: http://www.phy.duke.edu/.

There is even software that helps adjust for imperfections in telescope lenses. The software displays images that help the hobbyist adjust the telescope.

These are only a small sample of the astronomy software available. All you need to do is research 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 written on a daily basis. There are a lot of places where you can get both free and paid for computer software – all you really need to do is have a bit of a look. Download some and have fun. You can gain complimentary info about orion telescopes here.