#STELLARIUM ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE#

The terms server and client refer to the respective role in TCP/IP communication. The telescope server program (short: server) is a stand-alone program that can operate exactly one telescope, and can simultaneously serve one or many clients (like Stellarium). Supported by the old telescope servers Main page: Telescope Control (client-server) 'SynScan' is also the name of the hand controller used in other Sky-Watcher GoTo mounts eg EQ6, HEQ5-Pro etc, and it seems that any mount that uses a SynScan controller version 3.0 or greater is supported by Stellarium, as it uses the NexStar protocol. the Sky-Watcher SynScan AZ GOTO mount, used in a number of telescopes (a list is available at Optical Vision's website).Any telescope compatible with the Celestron NexStar.

Just don't forget to set it to Meade compatibility mode and set the baud rate to 9600B.

the Wildcard Innovations Argo Navis Digital Telescope Computer (an advanced digital setting circle).

the Losmandy G11 (with gemini) telescope mount.

It is a bit slow, so its default setting of 'Connection delay' is 1.5 seconds instead of 0.5 seconds.

the Meade ETX-70 with the #494 Autostar controller and the #506 Connector Cable Set.

Any telescope compatible with the Meade LX-200/Meade Autostar controller.

The Telescope Control plug-in should work with: All devices listed in the 'Device model' list are convenience definitions using one of the two classes. The Telescope Control plug-in supports two classes of telescopes: telescopes compatible with the Meade LX200 (the Meade Autostar controller) and telescopes compatible with the Celestron NexStar. Supported by the Telescope Control plug-in Main page: Telescope Control plug-in This is an incomplete, badly maintained list of the telescopes, telescope mounts and other hardware that can be controlled by Stellarium without the help of third-party software. Please read the explanation on the Telescope Control page first. If you abuse this feature to point your telescope to the sun and ruin your telescope, your eyes, your children's eyes or whatever, then this is not our fault, but yours.

Even if you don't do it deliberately, a slew during daylight hours may cause your telescope to point at the sun on its way to the given destination, so it is strongly recommended to avoid using the telescope control feature before sunset without appropriate protection.

The powerful light amplified by the telescope WILL cause irreversible damage to your eyes and/or your equipment.

Never point your telescope at the Sun without a proper solar filter installed.

Stellarium can help attain a large number of objectives in introductory astronomy education, from truly understanding basic phenomena to making and interpreting quantitative measurements.WARNING: Stellarium CANNOT prevent your telescope from being pointed at the Sun. Data in these is not directly measured as are the variables in planetary motion labs, but an observational feel can be added to labs that otherwise (if done using published tables of data) could seem divorced from observation. Most recently we are exploring the possibility of replacing our HR diagram and Hubble Law plots with data gathered from Stellarium. For both inner and outer planets, the relation of synodic and sidereal periods may be explored quantitatively. Plotting retrograde loops for outer planets corrects the misimpression students sometimes develop that this is a phenomenon restricted to Mars. The Moon's daily motion can be measured in degrees with local declination lines as a reference, allowing the eccentricity of its orbit to be demonstrated. Plotting the Sun's position at noon (allowing for Daylight Savings Time) gives an analemma from which the obliquity can be readily calculated. Our Science-stream freshman course emphasizes quantitative analysis, and Stellarium is also useful for this.

A night, or even a year, can be presented in sped up time, or with large time steps allowing to see changes. Stellarium is useful for giving a qualitative idea of sky movements that take place slowly in nature. Stellarium is useful in this respect in being available as downloadable freeware for Windows, Mac, and linux, and available from third parties for other platforms.

#STELLARIUM ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE#

A recurring theme has been the challenge of matching available software to the computers available to students in their homes. Athabasca University has been offering distance education astronomy courses using computer simulations of the night sky for nearly three decades. The freeware planetarium program Stellarium (provides a high quality astronomical simulation which can be stimulating for students of all ages.

Stellarium astronomy