Jimco Software Reviews - TheSky6 (continued)
Exploring the Heavens
Exploring the night sky is a snap with TheSky6. Simply click on any object to get more information on that object. The Object Information dialog shown in figure 5 provides a wealth of information and changes according to the type of object selected. In some cases, TheSky6 may not be able to tell exactly which object you intended to click. In those cases, you will need to choose the correct object from the object dropdown as shown in figure 5.
Figure 5 - Object Information
Once you've selected the object you are interested in, you will be presented with a comprehensive list of object properties, among which are:
- Type of object
- Distance of object from Earth
- Magnitude
- Air mass
- Spectral class
- Rise, transit, and set times
You also have the option from the Object Information dialog of entering any observation notes if desired.
When a star is selected, the spectrum of the star is also visible in the Object Information dialog as shown in figure 6. For many other objects (such as planets, deep sky objects, etc.), TheSky6 will display pictures of the object from within the Object Information dialog. TheSky6 comes with 100,000 images (professional version) and they are beautifully incorporated directly into the interface.
Figure 6 - A Star's Spectral Class
The Telescope tab will allow you to automatically slew your computer-controlled telescope to the object you've clicked on. This functionality works with just about every computer-controlled telescope available. I tested it thoroughly with my Meade AutoStar, and it was impressive to say the least. As the telescope slews, the field of view in TheSky6 changes automatically so that it is always showing the part of the sky that the telescope is observing.
In addition to telescope control, TheSky6 also allows you to configure your eyepieces so that you can display accurate field-of-view indicators (FOVIs) as shown in figure 7. Multiple FOVIs can be displayed at once.
Figure 7 - Creating a FOVI
Once you've created your FOVI, it appears in the visible sky as shown in figure 8.
Figure 8 - A FOVI in TheSky6