Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Starry Night Pro meets almost all of my "perfect program" requirements. The learning curve, while not steep, isn't eased very much by the program's documentation. It is certainly usable right out of the box, but the deeper features take a bit of poking around to find. This is one of those programs that you'll want to keep the manual nearby when using, at least for the more esoteric functions.
However, the manual appears to have been rushed to press. (... acquired Sienna Software in May, 2000, and it's possible that the usual confusion which follows such acquisitions is to blame.) There are quite a few inaccuracies in my copy, the first of which I noticed when registering the program. Being told to look for the registration number at the front of the manual was confusing until I figured out that whoever wrote this was using an eyepiece which reversed east and west. The number is actually in the back.
There are a lot of frustrating little things like that in the manual. and there are no help files included with SNP. Clicking on help brings you to a FAQ on the Starry Night website. This is a Bad Thing. If I'm using SNP to guide a telescope from the back yard I shouldn't need to string a phone cable outside to the laptop when I need help with the program.
The online FAQ itself is okay, but it often refers you back to obscure text files located on the SNP CD-ROM itself rather than directly answering your question. To understand every feature of SNP you'll need several things - The manual, access to a modem so you can read the online FAQ and a subscription to the SNP support group at ..., where you can browse through the archives. To be fair, the support through ... is excellent and very prompt. The Starry Night support guy that hangs out there does a great job. But a mailing list shouldn't be something you need in order to fully understand a program. Starry Night Pro needs a comprehensive built-in help system.
Ephemeris and "event" data can't be exported, and there is no built-in observation log. (Honestly, these functions might be included but so well hidden that I can't find them. There's that help-file problem again...)
Overall, though, these complaints don't change the fact that SNP is a joy to use. Now that I've pointed out the few things I don't like about SNP, let's get to the good stuff.
First of all, Starry Night Pro is a jaw-droppingly beautiful program! My reservations about beauty vs. function don't apply here. SNP didn't sacrifice accuracy to become an attractive program, it's attractiveness is a wonderful bonus.
Zooming in on a random Messier object brings up a stunning photograph, blended well enough with the surrounding stars that it's hard to tell where the photo ends and the program-generated stars begin. Zooming more than 30 arc-minutes into any area of the sky allows you to bring up the corresponding plate from the Digitized Sky Survey via an internet connection. Occasionally you'll run into an error message on the DSS website, but that's the internet's problem, not SNP's. Trying again a few minutes later usually fixes things. You can also add your own photos to the program if you like.
Image maps for each of the planets and the major moons are included, so when you zoom in on Mars you'll see more than the typical wire-frame globe you usually get with other programs. These image maps can be replaced with your own if you're so inclined.
The database included on the CD-ROM includes 19 million stars, the Hipparcos star database, all the Messier objects and more. It is possible to display all the stars above the horizon on screen, even ones visible only to giant telescopes, but you'll probably only do it once. Displaying ten million stars at once is quite pretty, but it's a painfully slow process, and the sky doesn't really look that way to our eyes, anyway.
Easy-to-use database plugins are available at the SNP website as well. These databases include variable and double stars, meteor shower radiants, members of the Local Group of galaxies and many more. It's also possible to create your own databases if you're so inclined.
Satellite-watchers will be happy to know that SNP fully supports their addiction. Updating the satellite files takes only a few mouse-clicks, so if you want to watch the ISS as it passes overhead, SNP will help you find it. Comet and asteroid watchers enjoy the same benefits, with frequently updated orbital data just a few mouse-clicks away. You can also set the program to download the updates automatically. Finally, you can add your own objects manually, defining everything from orbital elements to appearance.
SNP's printed charts are highly accurate and useful, and show as little or as much detail as you need.
Being able to set your point of view somewhere other than on Earth makes illustrating difficult concepts easier. Because of this, Starry Night can be used as much as an educational tool as an observing aid. And it looks good enough to be engaging even to kids weaned on Playstation games. You can even save time-sequenced images as Apple Quicktime movies.
Clicking on any star will pop up a window displaying its various catalog numbers, size, temperature, luminosity, magnitude, and a plethora of other information. Similar information is just as easy to get to no matter what you click on.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend SNP to anyone interested in astronomy. Advanced amateurs and even professionals will find plenty to like, and beginners will find themselves glued to the computer while trying out different points of view and identifying various stars and constellations. This is the sort of program that can spark interest in someone who normally might not care about astronomy. Other programs may be as accurate, but SNP's output is far more "exciting" to look at from a non-astronomer's point of view.
Starry Night Pro won't replace my beloved SkyMap program, but it complements it beautifully and has earned a permanent place alongside it on my hard drive. And if I want to fire up a program to quickly illustrate a point, SNP is the one I'll reach for.
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This CD is a visually appealing guide to the planets, stars, constellations, and over 70,000 galaxies. Starry Night Pro comes with stellar databases, movable horizons, Internet updates, and a 240-page guidebook, Starry Night Companion, by John Mosley.
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