Cartes du Ciel v 2.75 "Sky Chart"

Cartes du Ciel is a great astronomy / planetarium program. More than that it is freeware.

Strengths: There is a seemingly unending supply of catalogs, indexes, and databases to add in. Many of these freeware sources are referenced from the Cartes site. The program is easily maneuvered. The asteroid and comet data update directly from internet sites. Time and ephemeris settings are easy to follow to plan upcoming observing nights. And it’s free!

Weaknesses: Finding and adding in all of the accessories can be a challenge. Tuning the appearance of the screen is not as clear as it could be. There are settings to save for the configuration which is separate from the index options. It is not always clear what is being saved. Be careful with some label settings, such as asteroids. Labels can easily fill the screen, obliterating all else.

Added:  Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Reviewer:  Cal Beard
Score:
Related Link:  Cartes du Ciel homepage
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