I did not do this, as the package is over 100mb to download, and I have a bandwidth limited internet connection. You can also download and install an image package from the website. You can get the image by clicking on the little button that says "DSS." You'll have to zoom in quite a lot to be able to get the DSS image. But like KStars, it has the ability to get a DSS image of an object. Unfortunately, like KStars, it doesn't come with images of galaxies, nebulae, etc. It can control motorized telescopes (can't test that out because I don't have one). The interface is a bit cluttered, though. Navigating is still pretty similar, though you use the middle mouse button instead. I think it might be better suited for more advanced astronomers, not really beginners. I wouldn't really call Cartes du Ciel easy to use. And now we get to the third, and most complicated one. Unfortunately, I think the version in the repository is out of date. KStars is fairly user friendly and easy to use, but still not as much as Stellarium.Īnyway, KStars is awesome, and although it doesn't have the fancy graphics of Stellarium, it still has some great features. It might be that the package in the repository wasn't built with the INDI library. KStars is supposed to be able to control telescopes, but the version in the repository doesn't appear to have that ability. You can also download more catalogs of stars and other objects. You can also right-click on an object and click "Show SDSS Image" or "Show DSS Image," which will download an image of that area of sky. Unfortunately, the add-on only provides images for the Messier catalog of objects. Like I said, KStars doesn't come with images of galaxies, nebulae, etc. KStars also has satellite tracking, but again, I don't know how accurate it is. Time," "Solar System," and "Jupiter's Moons." Some of the other tools include: "Sky Calendar," "Moon Phase Calendar," "Altitude vs. Then, if you click "Execute the session Plan," you can log the observations you make. You can use it to make a list of objects you wish to observe. It has other interesting tools and features, but one useful tool is the "Observation Planner". And there's the "What's Interesting." tool, which shows you what's currently in the sky. It shows you what will be in the sky tonight. The "What's up Tonight" tool is quite useful. Why? Because, although it doesn't have the fancy graphics, it has useful tools and features that Stellarium just doesn't have. Stellarium is great and all, but KStars is probably still my favorite of the three. It's fairly easy to use, and the 3D graphics are really great. You can even load in more landscapes.Īll in all, Stellarium is an excellent program. There are also a number of different landscapes you can choose from. The latter meaning that when there's a bright object, like the Moon, near a faint object, the faint object will dim even more, if not become invisible. Stellarium can simulate star twinkling and also dynamic eye adaption. In the "Sky and viewing options window," you can set the light pollution level, which could be useful. With the "Oculars" plugin, you can get an idea of what the view through a telescope or camera might be like. It comes with a variety of interesting plugins, like "Meteor Showers," "Exoplanets," "Quasars," "Bright Novae," "Observability Analysis," "Oculars," and "3d Sceneries." "Observability Analysis" will display rise and set info for the selected object. Stellarium can simulate equatorial mount movement. Stellarium can control GoTo telescopes, but since I don't own one, I can't test that feature out. You can also download more star catalogs. It comes with catalogs of comets and asteroids, but you'll probably want to update that data as new comets and asteroids are discovered. It has the ability to show the locations of satellites, though I'm not sure how accurate it is. Stellarium also has a lot of imagery for galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, etc. Stellarium is pretty user friendly, therefore making it fairly easy to locate objects. As much as I like KStars, I'm giving Stellarium first place, mostly because of its ease of use and good graphics. Let's have a look at what there is in the repository. But Planetarium software can simulate the time of day and year, location on Earth, locations of stars, nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, planets, comets, asteroids, and with some software, satellites. In this short article, I'll review some astronomy related applications you can find in the PCLinuxOS repository.Īstronomers used to use star charts to locate objects they wanted to observe. But for others, astronomy is looking out into space, at the wonder, the beauty, of the universe. For some, astronomy is just looking up at a lot of boring stars.
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