Exceptionally Cool, Free Astronomy Software
You know, every so often, I've wondered, "What star is that?" (Truth be told I've taken several cracks at astronomy because I find its math interesting...) But I've never managed to crack its language and notation... until now. I rarely recommend software because people have such a hard time time downloading it and installing it. Here's a rare exception: Stellarium. (Keep in mind that you acquire, install, and use software at your own peril! However, Stellarium seems about as benign as anything I've run across.) Anywho, a couple of nights ago I spotted a particularly bright object in the cloudy sky and used a cheap camera to take a snapshot just for the fun of it...
Granted, the thing was blurry, but there it was... But what was it? (And no, the thought of UFO never crossed my mind.) As usual, I rummaged through the Internet and found a ton of sites basically designed by astronomers for astronomers. I had all but given up when I found the Stellarium SW, (below and below...)
Is that sweet or what? Meet Jupiter...
As for the Stellarium program... It's painless to install (you just need to know your longitude and latitude -- easily obtainable off the Web), and its interface is intuition itself. You can look from anywhere on earth (or other planet), each star and planet has its own info box, you can adjust the date and time, blah, blah, blah... Seriously, if you're a backyard person (and I assume you are if you're reading this post), you should really check this out...
Looking up by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding
Live eBirdseed.com streaming cam
eBirdseed and misc. references
By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)
