Astronomy is a popular subject. Some are serious scientists who study it for a living, or who even teach it. Others are regular people who enjoy it as a hobby. Some of these hobbyists have even made important discoveries at times. It used to be that astronomy required a telescope or at least binoculars. But now thanks to astronomy 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.

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. But now it’s all being done during the spare cycles on people’s computers at home and the office. People at home won’t be having discussions with aliens when they’re found. But if SETI ever does find intelligence, then everyone who was part of SETI@Home can say they played a role.

A simple type of astronomy software is the 3D screen saver. These programs kick in when a PC is idle, and show various space objects rendered in spectacular 3D computer graphics. This can be as simple as an image or an actual 3D representation you can navigate. Try a handy search engine to find one of these programs.

F.I.T.S is something not many people have heard of. It’s a data standard called flexible image transport system that delivers spatial data and multidimensional arrays. There are a variety of programs that can read and display this type of data. there’s freeware such as FITSview and professional programs like AstroArt. Google can help you find more. Some are listed at Duke University’s web site: http://www.phy.duke.edu/~kolena/imagepro.html.

Amateur astronomers can even find help with imperfect telescopes. Images seen through the telescope are compared with those shown by the software and adjustments can be made.

These are only a small sample of the astronomy software available. Download some and have fun.

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