About NASA´s Blue Marble Data: using a collection of satellite-based observations, scientists and visualizers stitched together months of observations of the land surface, oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a seamless, true-color mosaic of every square kilometer (.386 square mile) of our planet.

Much of the information came from a single remote-sensing device-NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, flying over 700 km above the Earth onboard the Terra satellite.

The current version of BMV uses 5 levels of detail ranging from a virtual image of 2560 x 1280 pixels (level 0) to 40960 x 20480 pixels (level 4).

The Windows installation includes two cumulative packages. The first package (about 32 MB) installs the run-time software, some auxiliary data, and levels 0-2 of the base imagery. The second package installs levels 3 and 4 of the base imagery and is (about 260 MB in size).

Freeware charting software oriented to deep sky astronomy, including 25 million stars (GSC1.2), 1.25 million deep sky objects, 2300 comets and 300,000 asteroids (all the additional databases are available in the link indicated above). The full instalation requires around 250 Mb HD space, depending on the additional databases selected. It can link image files to show them as one navigate in the maps. Multitabbed interface easy to use. Controls Meade LX200 classic telescopes. Includes some basic ephemerids calculation (more facilities currently under development) and prediction of visibility of stellar and nonstellar objects. It also includes annotations of the visual appearance of thousands of DSOs, and the user can introduce his/her own notes. It can overlay the maps on digital images to identify deep sky objects. It also includes a library with tables listing deep sky objects that can be used to jump to the maps clicking on them. From panoramic planetarium views to powerful maps exceeding 15 magnitude in stars and galaxies up to 18th magnitude. Comets and asteroids ephemeredes. Full VSOP87 theory for planets (accuracy ca. 0.05 arc seconds). Local updates (EXE file) 1.05.65 with fast DSOs picker downloadable from the complements webpage and paralax corrections for the situation of the observer on the Earth. Full setup files are now in MS Windows Installer 1.1

UPDATE 1.06.04: Speed increased (1.06.04 exe). More than 200 nebulae outlines. Quick deep sky objects picker to list DSO by constellations and/or object type, and see also photos or maps. Especial tabs to find the best instant and night of observation. Progressive finders. Several common objects lists (Messier+Dyer, Herschel''''s 400, etc). Main databases corrected and recompiled. New files available: Pluto, Moon, visual binary stars, asteroids and comets (JPL September 1st 2006 databases), Milky Way, constellation boundaries, DSOs outlines. Digital setting circles mode. Corrections in printouts and clipboard images. Eyepiece overlays. Earth-view maps integrated in the main maps. Local horizon editor (mountains, hills, buildings). Enhanced observing list viewer (All-sky, horizontal, ecliptic and galactic views, and gradual-zooms). Visual binaries with ephemeredes. List of the last visited objects. Milky Way outlines. Constellation boundaries. Customisable tabs to set user''''s zoom levels and N, E, W and S Earth-views. Cluttering decreased. Time picker to select certain instants (twilights, midnight, moon/sun set, rise and transit, etc)

Root author website: http://www.uv.es/jrtorres/index.html Root CNebulaX website: http://www.uv.es/jrtorres/CNebulaX.html

Features include:

• over 7,400 craters, mons, et cetera including landing sites
• Full 3-D accurate topocentric libration
• upside-down and mirror reversed capability
• USGS texture, Clementine imagery, USGS-Clementine blend, wire frame
• Clementine and USGS high resolution imagery to 0.5km (0.3 mile) per pixel
• Dynamic shading of the USGS map: reversed highlights/shadows for post full Moon time, reduced texture for high Sun angles away from the terminator, and crater rims and peaks on the dark side of the terminator
• re-sizeable up to 1200x1200
• contrast/brightness/earthshine control
• "Go to" and "identify" features
• crater outline and grid overlays
• choice to create orthographic/geocentric rendering
• animating libration graphs; notes full Moon and whether limb light/dark
• search for similar or stronger librations
• search for young and old crescents that satisfy your criteria
• searches for altitude/aziumth conditions to satisfy your visual and photographic needs
• user specified (artificial) librations
• user specified prefered magnifications
• automatic grid spacing
• multiple observatory sites
• detailed HELP file

Registered users receive the NASA Vol 15 Clementine LDIM CD at no extra cost and the USGS texture map at 0.5 km (0.3 mile) per pixel

Important note: The program presents only a Southern Hemisphere perspective. Only the smaller phase window seen at right can be set for Northern Hemisphere views.