General Category

Table of Contents

1. Contents of General
   1. DVD's (Frequently asked questions and help files...)
   2. Constellations & The Zodiac (Finding your birth sign, seeing the sun on the...)
   3. General Run-Time Problems (Problems with the way the program runs )
   4. Installation Problems (Installing Starry Night on your computer )
   5. OpenGL (For high-end 3D Graphics)
   6. Orbital Elements (Where can I get orbital elements for new...)
   7. Plugin SDK (The Starry Night plugin SDK is needed to...)
   8. Printing & Making Movies (Printing star charts and making QuickTime...)
   9. Product Comparison (Product comparison chart and commonly asked...)
   10. QuickTime (Information about the multimedia program...)
   11. Registration Number (Questions about the Starry Night registration...)
   12. SETI@Home (The Starry Night plug-in that works together...)
   13. Solar System Bodies (Planets, moons, comets, satellites, and asteroids )
   14. Star Data (Information on the star data in Starry Night)
   15. Starry Night Discussion List (A free moderated forum for Starry Night discussion)
   16. Support (Where to turn for more help with the program )
   17. Time & Date (Time zones, daylight savings time,...)
   18. Updates/Upgrades (Updating to the latest version of Starry Night,...)
   19. Viewing Location (Setting or changing your home location or your...)

General

Starry Night Spotlight Plugin for Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger)

Product Manuals

Below is the latest version of our product manuals. You will require PDF reader to view these files.  You may download Adobe Acrobat Reader FREE from the Adobe Website.

Universal Version 6 Manual

Pro Plus 5 Manual

Pro 5 Manual

Enthusiast 5 Manual

Pro 4.5 Manual

Enthusiast Manual

Complete Space & Astronomy Pack QuickStart Guide

Starry Night EDU Manual

Deep Space Explorer Manual

Night Sky Explorer Manual

Astronomy Plus Manual

Astronomy Manual

How to make suggestions and report bugs

Expert users only. If you encounter a consistent and reproducible problem with the software or want to send us a suggestion to enhance Starry Night, please use our Bug Report form (you will not necessarily receive a reply, this form is for bug reports not general questions).

Bug and Feedback Report Form

Starry Night 6.2.0 Update

Pond



Red Mountain



Canebrake



Winter Star Party



Dead Sea, Israel



Judean Desert. Israel



Metzada, Israel



Ubeydia, Israel



National Observatory, Bulgaria



Forest Top, Bulgaria

Apollo Saturn V Third Stage



Apollo 13 Damaged CSM



Apollo 11 Lunar Lander

Late Cretaceous – 65 million years ago

Amphitrite
Antigone
Ariadne
Athamantis
Ausonia
Berbericia
Bettina
Bianca
Bohlinia
Camilla
Daphne
Davida
Dejopeja
Dembowska
Diotima
Elektra
Eleonora
Eugenia
Eunomia
Europa
Fides
Flora
Florentina
Fortuna
Geometria
Hebe
Herculina
Hertha
Hesperia
Hygiea
Ino
Io
Iris
Isis
Juno
Kalliope
Koronis
Lacrimosa
Laetitia
Liberatrix
Loreley
Ludmilla
Lutetia
Lydia
Massalia
Melpomene
Nassovia
Nausikaa
Nysa
Nyx
Pallas
Pandora
Penelope
Philomela
Phyllis
Pomona
Psyche
Semiramis
Sylvia
Thalia
Thisbe
Thyra
Unitas
Urda
Victoria

Asteroids in Starry Night

Why can't I see the new comet?

Tips and Tricks for New 6.3.3 Features

Is your computer ready for Starry Night?

Windows 7 and Starry Night College

Starry Night College 6 is fully compatible with Windows 7. If you have trouble installing or running Starry Night College on your Windows 7 computer, try the following steps.

A. Before Installing Starry Night College

Make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements

• Requires Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• 1GHz or higher processor
• 512 MB RAM
• 1 GB of hard disk space
• 64 MB OpenGL capable graphics card
• Minimum recommended monitor resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels

Make sure Windows 7 is up to date

Click the Start button in the lower left of your screen, and choose All Programs -> Windows Update. Follow the prompts to install updates.

You can also check for updates by clicking the Action Center icon in the taskbar and then selecting Check for Updates.

B. Installing Starry Night College

StarryNightCollege6.exe is not a valid Win32 application

When installing Starry Night for Windows, the installation may not complete and Windows may display the following message: "StarryNightCollege6.exe is not a valid Win32 application." Download Starry Night College again from the link found on your order confimation email and check that the size of the StarryNightCollege6.exe file you downloaded is about 551 MB.

If the problem persists, downloading Starry Night College using a different web browser may resolve this issue. If you do not have another web browser and use Internet Explorer, follow these steps to remove temporary Internet files which may be preventing the Starry Night College installer from downloading properly:

C. Running Starry Night College

Do not run in compatibility mode

Make sure you are not running the program itself in compatibility mode. Starry Night is Windows 7-compatible, and running it in XP or Vista mode may create errors. To make sure, right-click on your Starry Night desktop icon (the one you use to start the program) and choose Properties. Click the Compatibility tab and make sure the box for 'Run in compatibility mode' is not checked. You may need to leave the box for 'Run as administrator' checked.

Update your graphics card driver

If Starry Night College gives you an error message or crashes before loading the sky images then install the latest Windows 7 graphics card drivers. A driver is a piece of software that controls hardware in your computer. Updating drivers means keeping your computer working correctly with other programs.

You can update your video card driver by visiting your computer manufacturer's support website. Look for the Drivers or Downloads section. You will probably be asked for the model number or serial number of your computer and will be given links to download the appropriate drivers. Download and install anything related to Video or Graphics. This will make sure that your graphics hardware is working at full capacity.

Here are some links to common computer brands' driver download sites.

Dell

HP

Gateway

Acer

If you have a home-built computer, you will need to identify your graphics card. To do this, click Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Display Settings.

Here are some links to common video cards.

NVIDIA / GeForce cards

ATI / Radeon cards

Intel integrated graphics

If you are unable to identify your graphics card, find drivers for it, or find drivers for your computer, please contact technical support.

Starry Night College stops working after or during Home Location selection

Right-click the program icon on your desktop and choose Run as Administrator. This will ensure that Starry Night has access to all the folders where it needs to create files. You may be asked for your system password.

Still having problems?

Get in touch with Starry Night technical support by sending an email through our support site or by contacting starrynightedu on Yahoo! IM.

The application has failed to start because MSVCR90.dll was not found.

"An error occurred while extracting files. Please contact support."

DVD's

Are the DVD's compatible with my Region/Zone?

Starry Night DVD's do not have zone restrictions (region-free). However the DVD's are in NTSC format. All North American DVD players will read NTSC format DVDs. Many DVD players sold in Europe will read both NTSC and the European standard PAL. Check with your DVD retailer if you are unsure of your players capabilities

Constellations & The Zodiac

How do I find my birth sign?

How do I follow the sun's path through the Zodiac over the course of a year?

The sun appears to be in the wrong Zodiac constellation on a given date.

General Run-Time Problems

I get an error message when I try to run Starry Night.

I've tried everything and I can't get Starry Night to work? (windows)

It’s very important to have the latest display drivers for your video card installed. Display drivers can be downloaded from the web site of your video cards manufacturer. If you don’t know which video card you have, click here.

If the problems continue, try the following:

1. Change your Colour display to 16 bit. In windows, right click on your Desktop, and select Properties from the menu. Click on the Settings Tab and change the display to 16 bit if it was previously set at 32 bit.

2. Use half-size textures to save video memory. Select File-Preferences-OpenGL. Check the "Use half size texture" box.

3. Screen Resolution. If your screen resolution is set at 1400 pixels or higher, switch back to a lower resolution.

4. Close down other programs to save on memory resources. Look at your system tray (bottom right where the time is displayed), if you have a large number of applications running, this will affect performance. Right clicking on most of the items listed in the system tray will allow you to turn them off.

5. Keep your operating system up to date by doing a Windows update. Click the Start Button-Windows Update. This will download the latest patches to make your computer run smoothly with your applications. Consider also updating Internet Explorer to the latest version.

6. QuickTime. Starry Night 6 requires QuickTime 6.5 or later, which is available on the CD. Open the sample.mov file included in the installation (inside the QuickTime folder on your local hard disc) and see if this movie plays. If it doesn't, you might have to reinstall QuickTime.

7. Also try the following. Right click on your Desktop and select Properties from the menu that comes up. Then click on the Settings tab and click on the Advanced button. Click on the Troubleshooting tab and move the hardware acceleration tab a couple of ticks to the left.

Starry Night runs very slowly on my computer.

The installation seemed to go OK. How do I run the program?

The name of the application file is "starrynight.exe" and it is in the "Starry Night (version name)" folder under C:\Program Files on your hard drive. You can run the program by clicking the "Start" button on your desktop, then choosing "Programs | Starry Night (version name)".

On the Macintosh, Starry Night can be found in the Applications folder.

What are the system requirements for Starry Night?

Windows: Requires Windows XP, 800 MHz or higher processor, and 512 MB RAM.  64 MB OpenGL 1.4 capable graphics card (OpenGL 2.0 is required for features like shaded sky and animated grass). Minimum recommended screen resolution of 1024 x 768.

Macintosh: Requires OS X 10.3.9 or higher. Will not run on OS 10.2.x or earlier. 64 MB OpenGL 1.4 capable graphics card (OpenGL 2.0 is required for features like shaded sky and animated grass). Minimum recommended screen resolution of 1024 x 768.

Optimized for NVidia GeForce and ATI Radeon based graphics cards.

When I click on a saved Starry Night File (SNF), Deep Space Explorer comes up instead of Starry Night. How do i make it so Starry Night opens my saved files?

When I exit Starry Night, the following error message pops up: "Unhandled Exception c0000005 at Address 005abe4f" (Windows only).

Configuring your joystick for spaceship mode

Every joystick is slightly different and you may need to do some tweaking to get all the functions to work with your particular model.
Starry Night joystick support is configurable by editing the configuration files found in the following folders:

../Sky Data/UI Resources (Mac)/SpaceshipKeysMac.snf (for Mac)
../Sky Data/UI Resources (Win)/SpaceshipKeysWin.snf (for Windows)

To see the Sky Data on the Mac, Ctrl-click on the Starry Night Application icon and select Show Package Contents from the contextual menu that opens. Then navigate to the Contents/Resources/Sky Data folder.

Open these files through your text editor, clicking on the files directly might not work.

It works like this:

Starry Night enumerates any detectable joystick axis and assigns it an integer value. For Mac, possible axis values are within 1 and 9. On Windows, possible values are within 1and 6. Typically, the x and y axis of a joystick have enumerations of 1 and 2, respectively. Hence, the following values in the configuration file:

<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Yaw" value="Axis-1"> (Left, Right)
<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Pitch" value="Axis-2"> (Up, Down)

The other axis-related "Joystick” values in the configuration file seem to be less predictable. So, in anticipation that not every joystick will behave identically, Starry Night can tell you which integer values (corresponding to detected axes) it has detected.

If you have a joystick connected and Starry Night displays a green "Detected" message on the upper left corner of the sky window, you can press the backquote key “`” (usually left of the '1' key on the keyboard). This toggles the display of the enumerated axis numbers Starry Night has detected. So if the displayed digits are; "1247", that means Axis-1, Axis-2, Axis-4, and Axis-7 are valid values to use in the configuration file. So you may enter something like this:

<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Yaw" value="Axis-1">
<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Pitch" value="Axis-2">
<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Roll" value="Axis-4">
<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Throttle" value="Axis-7">

Note that this scheme allows one to assign whatever function to whatever axis they wish. In other words, you can select which controls on your joystick perform a specific function.

Other options:

Now there is the "axis sense" configuration to consider. Basically, the "sense" tells Starry Night how to interpret the direction an axis is deflected. So, if you're a pilot, you\'ll probably want pushing forward on a joystick to be translated as pitching down, instead of pitching up. So let\'s say the joystick axis are now configured but the pitch needs to be reversed, the following configuration values are required:

<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Yaw_Sense" value="Normal">
<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Pitch_Sense" value="Reverse">
<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Roll_Sense" value="Normal">
<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Throttle_Sense" value="Normal">

There is also the concept of a "neutral" position. This basically means that a small portion of the initial deflection of an axis will be ignored so that subtle, involuntary movements of the joystick are not responded to. The following value controls the joystick's neutral area:

<SN_VALUE name="Joystick_Neutral_Percent" value="0.15">

This means that 15% of the total available axis deflection is ignored.

Finally, there are configuration values for sensitivity. Larger values make joystick axis deflections more pronounced.

<SN_VALUE name="Sensitivity_Yaw" value="10">
<SN_VALUE name="Sensitivity_Pitch" value="10">
<SN_VALUE name="Sensitivity_Roll" value="6">

Note that there is no sensitivity setting for throttle. We put a standard 25 Giga Watt warp drive in the spaceship. If you want to accelerate faster, you'll have to pay big bucks for the engine upgrade.

Windows Vista and Starry Night

Windows Vista and previous versions of Starry Night

 
Click Apply and then OK, and then run the installer.

Starry Night 6.0.6 worked on my computer, but 6.2.0 does not

Quicktime incompatibilities

• Missing portions of the left-hand tabbed menu
• Missing object catalogues from the Options tab -> Deep Space menu
  
• Objects don't show up in searches, e.g. can't find ISS using the Find tab
• Objects failing to display in the sky even though images are in the appropriate Sky Data folders
  
• All-Sky Image mosaic does not display or does not show up under Options tab -> Stars menu
  
• Problems with panoramic horizons
• Corrupted or shortened filenames in the Favourites menu and under Options tabs
  
• Inability to find ASCOM telescope drivers and plugins

1. Make sure Starry Night is installed and updated. Its installer may try to detect and install Quicktime updates automatically, so this step must be done first. If you can't skip the Quicktime detection, just let it run and install what it wants.
2. After installing and updating Starry Night, uninstall Quicktime by clicking Start/Programs/ and looking for the Quicktime menu. There will be an uninstall icon there. (Don't use the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel, as it appears that that does not completely remove Quicktime. You need to use Quicktime's own uninstaller.)
   
3. Download and install Quicktime 7.3.1 from the Apple website.
   

The application has failed to start because MSVCR90.dll was not found.

Installation Problems

How do I install Starry Night?

To install Starry Night, insert Disc 1 into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive and follow the onscreen instructions.

I already have a previous Starry Night product on my computer. Do I need to remove them before I install Starry Night?

I'm upgrading from version 4/5 to version 6.0 of the same product. Do I need to remove it before installing the new version of Starry Night?

Yes, you should remove version 4/5 of Starry Night from your computer before installing the new version. You may have customized version 4.0/4.5 in some ways (for example, by adding images, creating custom settings or using the Orbit Editor).

To transfer this information to your new version of Starry Night, first create a new folder on your hard drive. Then save all of the customized files from version 4/5 in this folder. See “Backing Up Custom Data” in your User's Guide for information on the location of all customized files. The file structure has not changed between versions 4/5 and 6.0 of Starry Night.

Once you have backed up these files, uninstall the existing version of Starry Night 4/5, then install the new version. Once the new version is successfully installed, you can then place your saved custom files in the appropriate folders, overwriting Starry Night's default files when necessary.

The installation seemed to go OK. How do I run the program?

 The name of the application file is "starrynight.exe" and it is in the "Starry Night (version name)" folder under C:\Program Files on your hard drive. You can run the program by clicking the "Start" button on your desktop, then choosing "Programs | Starry Night (version name)".

On the Macintosh, Starry Night can be found in the Applications folder.

When I try to start the program I get a message which says "There may be a problem with your data folder". What can i do? (windows only)

To fix this, manually delete any Starry Night folder installed in your computer. The default path is C:\Program Files\Starry Night. After you remove the Starry Night folder, reinstall the program from the CD or DVD (depending on your product).

Starry Night and Windows 7

Starry Night 6 is fully compatible with Windows 7.

There are however two areas where people have encountered some issues:

If you have an older Starry Night 6 installation disc (6.3.1 or earlier), the installer may not work on Windows 7 without some easy changes.

First, visit http://www.java.com and install the latest version of Java on your computer. This is required for older Starry Night installers.

To use an older installer on Windows 7, follow these steps:

• With the disc in the drive, click Start -> Computer.
• Double-click on your optical (DVD/CD) drive to view its contents. (Ignore or cancel the program if it starts to install.)
• Right-click on the Setup or Install icon and choose "Troubleshoot Compatibility."
• Follow the instructions on screen. If you are asked for a compatibility mode, choose "Windows XP."

The program should now successfully install.

If you want to install older Starry Night software (version 5 or earlier) on Windows 7, you can try this same method.

If you have upgraded to Windows 7 on a computer that used to run Windows XP or Vista, you may need to update the driver software that controls your graphics hardware.

The best way to get these new drivers is to visit your computer manufacturer's support or downloads site, but you can also try simply running "Windows Update" from Start -> Control Panel -> Windows Update.

You can also try visiting the graphics card manufacturer's website to install drivers if the computer manufacturer doesn't have them. Consult your computer's manual or Control Panel to find out what kind of graphics card you have. The three main manufacturers are ATI, NVIDIA, and Intel.

Note that if your graphics hardware is not supported on Windows 7, the manufacturer may not provide drivers for that operating system at all. As a last ditch effort, you can try installing Window Vista graphics card drivers if Windows 7 drivers are not available, but there is no guarantee that they will work.

You can also try visiting the Microsoft Windows 7 Compatibility site to get more information on drivers and hardware compatibility.

OpenGL

Do I need an OpenGL graphics card to run Starry Night?

Yes. Upon startup, Starry Night will check your hardware to see if you have an OpenGL compatible graphics card. If you do not have such a card, Starry Night will not run.

How do i find out if I have an OpenGL video card?

Download an OpenGL diagnostic program (Windows and Mac) to determine the OpenGL properties of your video card.

How do I upgrade my graphics card video driver?

Your OpenGL graphics card driver should be up to date for best performance. To update your video card driver, visit the web site of your video cards manufacturer. Drivers are usually available in the Support or Downloads areas of the web site.

If you own a laptop and even certain PC's, it is best to visit the web site of your computer manufacturer. Often, video drivers are designed for specific makes and models. This could involve downloading the latest video driver and an updated video BIOS for your display adapter. Follow the manufacturer instructions for your computer.

Starry Night is optimized for Nvidia Geforce and ATI Radeon video cards. Their web sites are listed bellow. Support regarding the update of video drivers should be directed at the manufacturer of your video card.

I don't know what video card I have?

Windows XP

Right click on your desktop and select Properties from the contextual menu. This will open the Display Properties window.

Click on the Settings tab at the top of the Display Properties window and then click on the Advanced button. This will open a new window. Click on the Adapter tab to display information on the video card you have installed in your computer.

I have an OpenGL card but things are still choppy. How do I improve performance?

Upgrading to a 64 MB Video Card and greater will significantly enhance OpenGL performance. Switching from millions of colors to thousands of colors can improve performance, but will reduce image quality.

I have an S3 or SIS card and OpenGL does not work?

I'm getting an error message when I turn OpenGL on. What should I do? (version 5 only)

This can happen if you are using an older video driver. You should visit the web site of your video cards manufacturer and download the latest driver available for the make and model of your card.

The planets look like black sphere's when OpenGL is enabled.

This seems to happen with certain ATI video cards. ATI has released a driver update that fixes this issue.

The tooltips help feature does not work properly (Windows only)

http://support.microsoft.com/

What can I do if images in Starry Night look too dark or bleached out?

If your Starry Night display appears too dark, you should adjust you monitors gamma value. Gamma correction controls the overall brightness of an image. Images that are not properly corrected can look either bleached out, or too dark. A gamma value of 1.6-1.8 seems to give good results.

What differences can I expect if I run Starry Night on an OpenGL compatible graphics card?

Starry Night will run much faster because it takes advantage of OpenGL graphics rendering technology. In addition, OpenGL users will see much higher-resolution solar system object surface maps, and photo realistic panoramic horizons. Finally, stars will look more realistic and orbit and path lines will not look as jagged.

What do the various OpenGL options in the Preferences window mean?

OpenGL offers improved graphics on computers whose video hardware supports it. The OpenGL dialog box allows you to select a number of options.

Use OpenGL: Checking this option will enable OpenGL if your video card supports it. If for some reason, you have an OpenGL graphics card but do not wish to run the OpenGL version of Starry Night, uncheck this box.

Use sub-pixel accuracy when plotting labels: Sub-pixel accuracy gives labels a smooth feel as they move on the screen. However, depending on your video card this can cause labels to flicker.

Draw stars using polygon smoothing: Some video cards have trouble doing what's called polygon smoothing and this can cause "blocky stars". By default polygon smoothed stars on the PC are turned off and on the Mac they are turned on. If you are experiencing the "blocky star" effect on the Mac you can try turning this feature off. On the PC, if your card supports it, turning this feature on can have a speed improvement in how fast stars are drawn; if your card doesn't support it, it can result in slow stars or blocky stars.

Use half size textures: Checking this option will save on video graphics memory and should improve performance on slower computers or video cards with less than 32 MB of memory.

Force texture cache size: Specifies the amount of memory cached by your video card.

What is OpenGL?

OpenGL is a software interface for graphics hardware that allows programs to display real-time 3D graphics and interactive environments. OpenGL enables a suite of powerful visualization features such as rendering, texture mapping and other special effects. OpenGL is one of the most powerful graphics technologies out there.

When I turn on object labels, such as star labels, they tend to flicker or flash on and off?

After updating to 6.0.4 I see a large black area around the Sun

1. Close Starry Night.
   
2. Open up Windows Explorer. Navigate to the following folder: C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Imaginova Canada\Prefs\
   
3. Open up the file called Prefs.txt in this folder with Wordpad.
   
4. In this file, there is a line (toward the end of the file) that looks like this:
   <SN_VALUE name="UseOpenGLStateTracking" value="Yes">
5. Change this line to:
   <SN_VALUE name="UseOpenGLStateTracking" value="No">
6. Save the file

Orbital Elements

Entering Orbital Elements

How do I update my Comets, Asteroids or Satellites?

Select Update Comets/Asteroids/Satellites from the LiveSky menu.

Note: Menu items show on the graphic below will vary depending on your version of Starry Night.

Using the Orbit Editor

You can use the Orbit Editor to create new celestial objects. For instance, if a comet or Moon has been recently discovered, you can use the Orbit Editor to add it to Starry Night, simply by entering its orbital elements. The Orbit Editor also allows you to add surface and atmosphere maps to your new objects.

Adding your own objects to the solar system is a great way to learn about celestial mechanics. The Orbit Editor lets you view the shapes, sizes, and positions of a new orbit, as well as use sliders to adjust these aspects in realtime. This feature makes it clear what each particular orbital element means, and how the orbit is affected when adjustments are made.

To use the Orbit Editor:

1. Select File-New (Comet/Asteroid or Satellite) orbiting the Sun. Or,
2. Right-click (windows) or Ctrl-Click (Mac) the Sun or the planet (or moon, asteroid, etc) around which you want the new object to orbit, and select New Comet (or Asteroid or Satellite).

Starry Night opens an Orbit Editor window in which you can now define the orbit and characteristics of the new planet, moon, asteroid, comet, or satellite that you are adding.

Note: Starry Night calculates a preferred field of view for each tab folder, one that reflects the function of the tab. For example, the view of your new object from the Surface tab is closer than that of the view from the Orbital Elements tab.

Tip: The Orbit Editor window is resizeable.

When the Orbit Editor first appears the Orbital Elements tab will be selected. You can name your object, select the object type, such as Moon, planet, and so on from the fields at the top of the window. You can also adjust the diameter, and the Absolute Magnitude of the object in the Other Settings tab. Absolute Magnitude is the brightness of the object seen from 10 parsecs, or 32.6 light years.

Adding Multiple Objects

The Orbit Editor lets you add individual planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and satellites; it is also a terrific tool for learning about orbital elements. Sometimes however you want to add a number of objects at once. You can add multiple objects most easily by writing their data directly to the Satellites.txt, Asteroids.txt, or Comets.txt files stored in the Sky Data folder. You can also download updated versions of these files from this website. For more information on adding comets, satellites or comets as a batch or to update these file sees the links below.

Adding Asteroids

Adding Comets

Adding Satellites

Adding Asteroids

Starry Night looks for a file called Asteroids.txt when it starts up and, if found, will load the positions of the first 100 asteroids found in this file (Enthusiast and Digital Download is limited to 10 Asteroids). Since the orbital elements of asteroids are constantly changing it is a good idea to update this Asteroids.txt file from time to time. The Asteroids.txt file is based on astorb.dat produced by Ted Bowell at the Lowell Observatory. Astorb.dat is an ASCII file of high-precision osculating orbital elements and some additional data for all the numbered asteroids and the vast majority of unnumbered asteroids (multi-apparition and single-apparition) for which it is possible to make reasonably determinate computations. Each orbit, based on astrometric observations maintained by the Minor Planet Center, occupies one 187-column record. The research and computing needed to generate astorb.dat were funded principally by NASA grant NAGW-1470, and in part by the Lowell Observatory endowment.

• Asteroids.txt
  
  To download, right click (or click and hold on Macs) and, depending on which web browser you are using, pick "Save This Link As...", "Download Link to Disk", or "Save Target As...". After downloading, move Asteroids.txt to your Sky Data folder, replacing the older copy.

Single Asteroids

If you are tracking a specific asteroid that you want to add to Starry Night try using the Orbit Editor. The Orbit Editor is a good tool for learning about celestial mechanics. Celestial mechanics is usually passed over in introductory Astronomy courses, because the mathematics and time needed to grasp orbital concepts is just too involved for most students. Starry Night provides an interactive simulator where the orbital elements of an object can be changed in a visual manner making a complex subject understandable and, dare we say it, fun.

As an example let's put an asteroid into orbit around the Sun, and observe how the orbital elements affect the orbit. The goal is to gain insight into the meaning of each of the orbital elements.

1. Select File-New asteroid orbiting Sun. This will open an Orbit Editor window where we define the orbital elements of our new asteroid. By default, the name of the new object is \"Untitled\". Give the asteroid a new name.
2. For Type of Object, select Asteroid.
3. Click the Orbital Elements tab.
4. Use the sliders to interactively change each of the orbital elements. For example, try moving the inclination slider. You'll get firsthand knowledge of the meaning of "inclination" -- a tilt in the orbit -- and the slider provides almost instantaneous feedback to any changes you make.
5. Try the other sliders:
   • Ascending Node: moves the node markers around (the little triangles).
   • Arg of Pericenter: moves the pericenter marker around (the little line). The pericenter marks the spot where the new planet comes closest to the parent body around which it orbits.
   • Mean Distance: the size of the orbit.
   • Eccentricity: the higher the number, the more elliptical the orbit.
   • Mean Anomaly: the position of the planet in the orbit.
6. Click the Axis/Rotation/Size tab. Use the Pole Position and Diameter sliders to further customize your new asteroid.
7. If you like, you can paste in a new surface maps on the Surface tab.
8. Close the Orbital Editor window and Press Save.

The asteroid you have created is now a first class citizen of Starry Night, meaning that you can view from it, centre on it, etc.

Note: to remove an asteroid or planet you have created, select it on the planet palette and press Delete.

See also:

Detailed info about the asteroid positions from the Lowell Observatory

Adding Comets

Multiple Comets

Starry Night looks for a file called Comets.txt when it starts up and, if found, will load the positions of the first 100 comets found in this file. Since the orbital elements of comets are constantly changing it is a good idea to update this Comets.txt file from time to time. The Comets.txt file contains positions of comets calculated by the Planetary Services Division of the Smithsonian Astronomical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• Comets.txt

  To update Starry Night\'s comet data: open the Comets.txt file in your web browser by clicking the Comets.txt link above. Select "Save As..." from your browser\'s File menu and replace the Comets.txt file in Sky Data folder. Be sure to save the file as "text" and make sure the C in Comets.txt is a capital letter C.

Single Comets

If you are tracking a specific comet that you want to add to Starry Night try using the Orbit Editor. The Orbit Editor is a good tool for learning about celestial mechanics. Celestial mechanics is usually passed over in introductory Astronomy courses, because the mathematics and time needed to grasp orbital concepts is just too involved for most students. Starry Night provides an interactive simulator where the orbital elements of an object can be changed in a visual manner making a complex subject understandable and, dare we say it, fun.

For more information about adding a new planet, asteroid, satellite, moon, or comet to Starry Night see "Using the Orbit Editor".

See also:

Adding Satellites

Multiple Satellites

Starry Night can read satellite orbital elements directly from a two-line-element file. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) defined the TLE format as a way of succinctly describing a satellite's orbit in a small number of characters. NASA and the Goddard Space Filight Centre make available the TLEs for many current satellites.

Starry Night looks for a TLE file called Satellites.txt in its SkyData folder when it starts up and, if found, will load the positions of the first 150 satellites found in this file (in Enthusiast and Digital Download only 10 satellites are loaded). Since the orbital elements of satellites are constantly changing it is a good idea to update this Satellites.txt file from time to time.

• Satellites.txt
  
  To download, right click (or click and hold on Macs) and, depending on which web browser you are using, pick "Save This Link As...", "Download Link to Disk", or "Save Target As...". After downloading, move Satellites.txt to your Sky Data folder, replacing the older copy.

Alternatively you can download the TLE text file directly from Orbitessera website. This website also has a lot of good information on the structure of two line elements with some history and explanations. The TLE file found at the Orbitessera website is updated frequently, often once a day, so it is a good way to get the most recent satellite elements. Note however that you will need to change the name of the downloaded TLE file from the Orbitessera website to "Satellites.txt", place the file into the Sky Data folder and restart Starry Night before the new orbital elements are updated.

Single Satellites

If you are tracking a specific satellite that you want to add to Starry Night try using the Orbit Editor. The Orbit Editor is a good tool for learning about celestial mechanics. Celestial mechanics is usually passed over in introductory Astronomy courses, because the mathematics and time needed to grasp orbital concepts is just too involved for most students. Starry Night provides an interactive simulator where the orbital elements of an object can be changed in a visual manner making a complex subject understandable and, dare we say it, fun.

For more information about adding a new planet, asteroid, satellite, moon, or comet to Starry Night see "Using the Orbit Editor".

See Also:

Brightest Satellites
This page tracks the 100 brightest satellites and gives their NASA two line elements (TLE).

Iridium Satellites
Iridium bills itself as the worlds first handheld global satellite telephone and paging network. The satellites that were put into orbit for this network can be tracked using the TLEs found on this page. More Iridium info.

Other Satellites
A good collection of weather, navigation, military, and communications satellite elements from the Celestrack website.

Asteroids in Starry Night

Plugin SDK

Starry Night Plugin SDK

Starry Night Plugin SDK

The Starry Night plugin SDK is needed to develop plugins for Starry Night. This cross-platform (Mac and Windows) SDK contains example plugins, headers for creating your own plugins and other information. Since the SDK is being constantly updated please check back here from time to time to check for updates.

Download SDK For Starry Night (Macintosh, .ZIP) (380k)

Download SDK for Starry Night (Windows, .ZIP) (164 KB)

Macintosh SDK comes with telescope plugin for Starry Night version 5.0.5 and higher.  Windows SDK comes with ASCOM telescope plugin and ASCOM focuser plugin.

Printing & Making Movies

Can I print star charts showing the whole sky (180 degrees)? How can I do this.

Yes, but only in Starry Night Pro, Pro Plus and Astrophoto Suite. Digital Download and Enthusiast is limited to a field of view of 100 degrees (what a typical human normally sees).

Choose Preferences from the File menu (Windows) or the Starry Night Pro menu (Macintosh), choose General from the dropbox in the upper left corner of the Preferences dialog box, and check the box marked “Allow Maximum Zoom Out”. Then continue zooming out using the left zoom button until you have a circular field of view of 180°, which is the entire hemisphere of sky that is above the horizon at any one time. Then choose File->Print to print this image.

How do I print star charts?

Neither the "Export as Image" feature nor the "Make Movie" feature do anything. What's wrong?

Why do the movies I made with Starry Night have distorted colors when I play them back?

Why aren't the movies I made with Starry Night smooth when I play them back?

Can I print images in colour?

You cannot print images in colour by using the File ->Print command.

However, there is a way around this. Set up the screen so that it shows the image you wish to print out. Choose File ->Export as Image. This opens a window which allows you to save the screen as a graphical image. The bottom left corner of this window has a dropbox which allows you to save the image in several popular formats, such as a "jpeg" or a "pict". Once you have saved this image, you can open it a program such as Internet Explorer and choose File ->Print to print out a colour image.

Product Comparison

Do you have a product comparison chart?

A comparison chart describing the features of all of our current Starry Night software offerings can be found at the following link:

http://store.starrynight.com/compare.html

I’m not sure if I need Starry Night Enthusiast or Starry Night Pro 6?

Do you want to?

¶ Control your robotic or “goto” telescope

¶ Record and plan your observations

¶ Add sky events to calendars

¶ Access 500 million stars down to 21^st magnitude

¶ View dozens of deep sky databases containing thousands of objects

¶ Travel in time from 99 999 BC to 99 999 AD

¶ View hundreds of satellites, comets and asteroids

¶ Create your own databases

¶ Add images to any area of the sky

¶ Create custom full sky (180 degree) star charts

¶ Create custom Field of View indicators for your eyepieces and CCD’s

¶ Generate ephemerides

¶ Explore advanced topics in SkyGuide

¶ Preserve your night vision by reddening the display

¶ Want the best program that includes all the features

Then Starry Night Pro 6 is for you. Click here to learn about some of the features in Pro 6.

Starry Night Pro Plus 5 and NGC-IC Images

What is Deep Space Explorer and how is it different?

Unlike Pro or Enthusiast, which allows you to view the sky from anywhere on Earth or the solar system, Deep Space Explorer explores the realm of galaxies outside of our own Milky Way galaxy. It deals more with large-scale structures of the universe and cosmology.

Starry Night Deep Space Explorer is no longer available.

Note: All version 6 products contain the Deep Space Explorer database, allowing you to leave the confines of the Milkyway and explore 28, 000 galaxies plotted in 3D.

QuickTime

I am trying to install QuickTime, and it asks me to enter a registration number. Why doesn't my Starry Night registration number work?

The QuickTime registration screen is only for a more advanced version of QuickTime (QuickTime Pro) that is not included with Starry Night. Just leave this screen completely blank (no name or number) and press the Next button to install the regular version of QuickTime.

I get an error message when I try to install QuickTime.

This usually occurs if the “Temp” folder on your hard drive is full (this is the folder temporarily used by installers, including the QuickTime installer). If there is too much in this folder, the installer may not work properly. You should empty the “Temp” folder (if there are any old files in this folder which you need, move them to another folder) and then run the QuickTime installer again. You should close all other applications, including any anti-virus software utilities, when you run the installer. If you still encounter errors, you may wish to visit Apple’s QuickTime page for support help: http://www.apple.com/quicktime.

The buttons and sliders are missing from Starry Night?

Reinstall Quicktime and choose the "Recommended Install" option, as the buttons and sliders will be missing from the Starry Night interface if you choose the "Minimum Install" option.

What is QuickTime and why do I need it?

When I install QuickTime, what type of installation should I choose?

Where do I get it and how do I install it?

If you have a Macintosh, QuickTime is probably already installed on your computer. On Windows, QuickTime is installed at the end of the installation of Starry Night.

You can also download the latest version of QuickTime from Apple. Follow the instructions that appear onscreen to install QuickTime on your computer.

Quicktime incompatibilities

• Missing portions of the left-hand tabbed menu
• Missing object catalogues from the Options tab -> Deep Space menu
  
• Objects don't show up in searches, e.g. can't find ISS using the Find tab
• Objects failing to display in the sky even though images are in the appropriate Sky Data folders
  
• All-Sky Image mosaic does not display or does not show up under Options tab -> Stars menu
  
• Problems with panoramic horizons
• Corrupted or shortened filenames in the Favourites menu and under Options tabs
  
• Inability to find ASCOM telescope drivers and plugins

1. Make sure Starry Night is installed and updated. Its installer may try to detect and install Quicktime updates automatically, so this step must be done first. If you can't skip the Quicktime detection, just let it run and install what it wants.
2. After installing and updating Starry Night, uninstall Quicktime by clicking Start/Programs/ and looking for the Quicktime menu. There will be an uninstall icon there. (Don't use the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel, as it appears that that does not completely remove Quicktime. You need to use Quicktime's own uninstaller.)
   
3. Download and install Quicktime 7.3.1 from the Apple website.
   

Registration Number

Every time I start Starry Night, I'm asked for the registration number.

If Starry Night keeps asking you to register, this most likely means that you have not obtained your registration number yet. To do so, select Help>Registration and click the Get Registration button in the dialog box that opens.

If you entered your number in correctly but Starry Night still asks you to register, it could mean that some of your folders or files were marked as read-only, in other words write protected.

Windows

To fix this, right click on the Starry Night  folder and select Properties from the menu that pops up. This opens the Properties window. In the Attributes section, ensure the read-only box is not checked. If it is, uncheck the box and click on the Apply button. Apply the changes to all folders, subfolders and files.

How do I register my copy of Starry Night?

We encourage you to register by visiting our online registration page. This allows us to notify you of any bug fixes, upgrades or new plugins for Starry Night.

How do I update my registration information?

I want to move my copy of Starry Night to a new computer. How do I retrieve my registration number?

Choose About Starry Night (product name) from the Help menu (Windows) or the Starry Night menu (Macintosh). Your name and registration number should be in the bottom left corner of the window which opens.

Where do I find my registration number for the program?

(Your registration number is needed if you intend to purchase an upgrade)

Visit http://www.starrynightsupport.com/register/login/login.php to create or retrieve your registration number.

SETI@Home

Do you still support SETI?

SETI has recently updated their software. Unfortunately, this new SETI version does not work with Starry Night.

We do however plan to add support for SETI in the near future.

Solar System Bodies

How do I see the phases of the moon?

I have downloaded the latest comet/asteroid/satellite files, but some of the objects in this file don't show up in Starry Night.

Jupiter's great red spot doesn't appear to be in the correct position. Is there someway to reposition it?

The "Update Comets/Asteroids/Satellites" option is not working properly.

The "Weekly Sky Events" section of SkyGuide is outdated, even after I do the online update (Windows only)

Quick Solution: Delete the mainindex.html file from the Sky Data/Conductor/Scripts/SkyGuide/Weekly_sky_events folder on your hard disk. Then select Update Comets/Asteroids/Satellites from the LiveSky menu. The new and updated file will then be downloaded.

For more information read on:

When you install Starry Night, all of the files that are installed on your hard disk are given the same date. This date matches the date you installed Starry Night.

When you select Update Comets/Asteroids/Satellites from the LiveSky menu, Starry Night compares the dates of the files in both your local hard disk and on the Internet server where the latest files are stored (these files are updated weekly). The updated files from the Internet server are only downloaded if the dates of the files on your local hard disk are older than the ones on the Internet server.

Because the files on your local hard disk have a date that match the day you installed the program, there is a chance that Starry Night will think that the files you have on your hard disk are more up to date than the ones on the Internet server. The result is that you will receive a message saying that all the files are up to date, even thou the information shown in the Weekly Sky Events section of SkyGuide continues to be outdated (usually showing events starting in August 23, 2004).

The problem will correct itself, next time we update the files on the Internet server, thereby giving them a date that is newer than the files on your local hard disk. So one would have to wait until the next update for the Weekly Sky Events section files to be updated. It is important to note that this will only occur once – that is, after this initial wait period for the date of the files on the Internet server to be newer than the files on your local hard disk, the updates will work normally and instantaneous when you see outdated information.

To solve this right away and get the updated Weekly Sky Events information, see the quick solution tip above.

Future installers for Starry Night will not give files the same date as the installation date, so that the files on the Internet server are always newer.

When I view the solar system from above the sun by selecting Outer Solar System from the Favourites menu, why don't the orbits of Pluto and Neptune overlap?

Where can I get orbital elements for new objects I want to add using the Orbit Editor?

Why can't I find Halley's Comet at the Battle of Hastings?

Why doesn't the location of the International Space Station match what I see in the sky?

The orbital elements of artificial satellites (including the ISS) are constantly being adjusted slightly. You need to update satellite elements on a regular basis to keep the satellites in their proper position. You do this by choosing "Livesky->Update Comets/Asteroids/Satellites", which will download new elements from our website. You need to close and reopen Starry Night before it will use the new elements.

If you are comparing the predictions in Starry Night with those from another source such as www.heavens-above.com , ensure to use the home coordinates listed at this web site along with the TLE (Two Line Elements). You can copy the TLE's from Heavens-Above and paste them in the satellites.txt file located in the Sky Data folder.

There is also a known incompatibility between newer versions of Quicktime (7.4.x and later) and older versions of Starry Night (6.2.1 and earlier). One of the symptoms, if you have an older Starry Night version with a newer Quicktime version, is that some objects can't be found through the Find tab. Please see our detailed article on this problem to learn how to fix it.

Can I add a satellite around Mars or other planets/moons?

Yes. Right click (windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the planet or moon you want to add your satellite to.

Then select Add Moon orbiting ...

How accurate are the positions of the planets and moons in Starry Night?

How do I add my own objects?

Starry Night 6 now supports 3DS Models

3DS models are computer graphic entities that describe (in 3 dimensions) the shape and structure of any solid object. The 3DS model format is a common meta-format used by most 3D modeling programs such as Autodesk's 3D Studio, from which the name is derived. A 3DS model is typically stored in a file with a 3DS extension, as in Voyager.3ds.

Note: 3DS models can only be added to Starry Night Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School.

How are 3DS Models Used in Starry Night?

If you have a 3DS model of an object already in Starry Night, you can make Starry Night draw that object using your 3DS model instead of the usual way the object is drawn - ie. a 2D image. This is a great option for irregular shaped objects like man-made satellites, space probes and small moons and asteroids.

Note: Currently Starry Night does not support textures on 3DS models.

On Pro Plus 5, the features on Mars don't correspond with the information in the HUD

[Starry Night Pro Plus 5 only]

Please download the Mars.zip file to retrieve a new Mars image that corrects this issue.  The download is about 64 MB in size.

Unzip the contents of this file, and place the resulting Mars folder in the Sky Data/Planet Images folder - overwritting the existing Mars folder that is currently there.

Windows: Program Files/Starry Night Pro Plus/Sky Data/Planet Images

Macintosh: Ctrl-click on the  Starry Night Pro Plus application and select Show Package Contents.  Navigate to Contents/Resources/Sky Data/Planet Images

Planets appear black in my Starry Night Digital Download version 6 after upgrading from Digital Download version 5

The following patches fix an issue in the Starry Night Digital Download 6 upgrade where some planet surface images appear black:

Mac OS X black sphere fix

Windows XP black sphere fix

Why can't I see the new comet?

Impact scar on Jupiter

• Windows: C:/Program Files/Starry Night/Sky Data/Locations
• Mac OS: Applications/Starry Night -> right-click the application and choose Show Package Contents -> Contents/Resources/Sky Data/Locations

Star Data

Can I add recently discovered planets around stars other than our sun?

No. A future version of Starry Night may add this feature.

How do I search for stars in the various star catalogs?

When I zoom far away from the earth, the stars all appear to group together in a ball around the sun. Is this the Miky Way?

Where does the star data in Starry Night come from?

Digital Download

Contains 35, 000 stars from the Hipparcos catalogue.

Enthusiast

The star data for the nearest two million or so stars comes from the Hipparcos/Tycho 2 catalogue, which is the result of a recent mission by the European Space Agency. Find out more about this catalog at the Hipparcos Project home page.

Pro and Pro Plus

Contains the Hipparcos/Tycho 2 catalogue, plus star data for dimmer stars from the USNO Star Catalog. Stars from this catalog are distinguished by the "USNO" at the beginning of their names. In total there are about 16 million stars on the CD. In addition, stars down to 21st magnitude can be downloaded via the Star Download feature in Pro. That is over 500 million stars!

Starry Night Discussion List

How can I set up my e-mail account to place messages from the Discussion List in a special folder?

All messages from the Discussion List will have StarryNight@yahoogroups.com in the "To" field, and [Starry Night] in the subject line. You can use these facts to filter all mail from the Discussion List into a special folder. You may also wish to switch your user preferences so that you receive all the e-mails from the list in a daily digest, or receive no e-mail, but access the list through the web. Read on to learn how to filter your Discussion List messages in a special folder. The following instructions tell you how to do this using Microsoft's Outlook Express (Windows version). The procedure should be similar for most other e-mail programs:

(1) Open Outlook Express. The left side of the screen will list your mail folders. Right-click the mouse on your "Inbox" folder and choose "New Folder" from the popup menu. Name the new folder "Starry Night Discussion" and click "OK". This has created a new folder named "Starry Night Discussion" inside your Inbox.

(2) Choose Tools->Message Rules->Mail from the Outlook Express menu. Hit the "New" button in the window that opens. This opens a new window where you will choose the rules for your new filter. Under the heading "Select the conditions for your rule", check the box marked "Where the To Line Contains People". Under the heading "Select the actions for your rule", check the box marked "Move it to the specified folder". Under the heading "Rule description", click on the words "contains people". Type in the name StarryNight@yahoogroups.com. Click the "Add" button and then the "OK" button. Under the heading "Rule description", click on the word "specified". Click on the folder "Starry Night Discussion" from the list of folders and then click "OK". Under the heading "Name of the Rule", type "Starry Night Discussion Filter". Click "OK" twice to close the open windows.

After following this procedure, all incoming mail from the Starry Night Discussion List should be moved automatically to your "Starry Night Discussion" folder, so you can open this folder to browse through all Discussion List messages at the same time.

How do I change my e-mail preferences to receive messages over the web or in a digest format?

How do I download files that have been posted by Discussion List members?

To access these files, you will need to have a Yahoo! ID. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/starrynight, sign in and click the "Files" link on the left side of the screen. This will display an annotated list of all files that have been posted. If you are using Internet Explorer (Windows version), right-click on the file you are interested in and choose "Save Target as" to download the file to your hard drive. You can also post your own files to the group by clicking the "Add File" link.

How do I post messages to the Discussion List?

Compose an e-mail message and send it to StarryNight@yahoogroups.com. Your message will automatically be forwarded to everyone on the Discussion List.

How do I unsubscribe from the Discussion List?

To unsubscribe from this group, send an e-mail to: StarryNight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please do not post a message to the entire group! If you have more than one e-mail account, it is important that you send this e-mail from the account that is subscribed to the Discussion List, otherwise you may get an error message telling you that you are not signed up for the Discussion List.

Is there a moderator for the Discussion List?

Yes, the Discussion List is moderated, and messages sent by first time users are reviewed before they are posted. Occasionally you will receive a junk mail advertisement or other off-topic message. The best thing to do is ignore these messages. Several Imaginova employees and user moderators do monitor the list and will remove members who post objectionable messages.

Is there an archive of previous messages?

Yes. To access this archive, you will need to have a Yahoo! ID. Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/starrynight, sign in and click the "Messages" link on the left side of the screen. This will display a list of messages, sorted by date. You can browse the archive or use the search function to find messages related to a certain topic.

What is a Yahoo! ID? Why do I need one?

A Yahoo! ID allows you to access certain web-only features of the group such as the message archive and the files database. It also allows you to view messages on the web, instead of in your e-mail. A Yahoo! ID is not needed if you only wish to receive e-mail messages from the group and post messages. To get a Yahoo! ID, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/starrynight and click the "register" link in the top right corner. This will link your e-mail address to a Yahoo! ID. The next time you visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/starrynight, click the "Sign in" link in the upper right corner. This will prompt you to enter your Yahoo! ID and password. There is also an option to "remember my ID". If you check this box, you will not be prompted for your ID and password every time you access the Starry Night Discussion List web page. Once you are signed in, all of the links on the Starry Night Discussion List web page will be active. For more information, see the Yahoo Registration Help page.

Support

Are there any other support resources?

Yes, there is a Starry Night Discussion List for owners of Starry Night to share program information and ask other owners questions. Sign up for this list. The Usenet newsgroup "sci.astro.amateur" is also a good resource for general questions about astronomy and observing.

My questions aren't answered in the manual or this FAQ. Who can I contact?

You can Submit a Question for help with your problems.

Starry Night 6.2.3 update

Available First Week of March!

• starrynight.com/support/softwareupdates/

Updates for Starry Night Complete Space & Astronomy Pack, Pro, Pro Plus, Astrophoto Suite, and educational software are here!

Updates for Starry Night Digital Download will be available shortly.

New Features*

Apollo Space Missions – new models, trajectories and SkyGuide tours. (Available in Pro, Pro Plus, Astrophoto Suite and High School.)

Bug Fixes

• Added moons Nix and Hydra to Pluto.
• Fixed incompatibilities with QuickTime 7.4.1.
• Fixed incompatibilities with on-board Intel Graphics chips on Vista.
• Printing on windows fixed. Labels correct size, legend now prints on 1-pane printing.
• Surface Feature Outlines / Location Markers user interface now correctly updates when new files are opened.
• Google Maps links from right-click menu fixed.
• Added ability to not apply nighttime shading to horizon panoramas.
• Surface Feature Outlines now correctly save and read-in from files.
• Problem with certain files saved with a locked selection not setting correct FOV, now fixed.
• Export as QuickTime VR no longer crashes on OS-X.
• Fixed crash with space missions saved in file but not loaded on startup.

*Some features might not be available in your version 6 product.

Getting Started with Starry Night College

• Mac OS: Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen and choose Software Updates.
• Windows Vista: Click the Start button in the lower left of your screen, and choose All Programs -> Windows Update. Follow the prompts to install updates.
• Windows XP: Click the Start button in the lower left of your screen and choose Control Panel -> Windows Update. Follow the prompts to install updates.
  

• If you have a prebuilt Windows computer (e.g. a Dell, HP, Gateway, or other off-the-shelf model) you can download driver updates from the manufacturer's support site.
• If you have a custom-built or home-built Windows computer, you will need to identify your graphics card and visit its manufacturer's website for drivers.
• On Mac OS this is not an issue, as the Software Update utility described above will update hardware drivers as well as operating system components.
  

• Windows: My Computer/Local Disk/Documents and Settings/<user account>/Local Settings/Application Data/Imaginova Canada/Prefs AND Program Files/Starry Night College
• Mac: Home/Library/Preferences/Imaginova Canada AND Applications/Starry Night College

• If you are a teacher or professor, you will be asked to register the software the first time you start it up. Follow the instructions and you will receive a username, registration number, and referral code. Use the username and registration number to activate your own copy of the software, and send the referral code to your students so that they can access their download software.
• If you are a student with a downloaded copy, you will receive a four-digit referral code from your professor. You will need this code to download your software. Upon starting the software for the first time you will be asked to register your copy. Click the button that says "Get registration number" and follow the prompts. Use the username and registration number that you receive to activate the software in the startup screen.
  

Bug Fixes in 6.3.9 Update

• Mac Updater download no longer incorrecty reads from system cache in case of re-download.
  
• Windows Updater download now much faster.

• Application correctly respects user defined maximum frame rate.
• Application correctly throttles down frame rate when not focused/maximized.
• Several fixes and enhancements to maintain respectable CPU usage.
  

• Opens Starry Night Files at correct default FOV if none defined.

• Correctly prints legend in multi-pane printout.
• Printing: Fixed crash under certain circumstances when printing 180 degrees.
  

• Fixed incompatibility with setting FOV via a plugin.

Time & Date

Can I get Starry Night to show dates in the European format?

Yes. On Windows Starry Night looks to the Windows registry to determine the order in which to show dates. If it can't find a registry entry for regional date settings then it defaults to the US month, day, year. Unfortunately UK Windows does not automatically place the date format in the registry where Starry Night expects to see it. To work around this you should open the "Regional Settings" control panel, switch the date format to something other than the current setting, click OK, then reopen the "Regional Settings" control panel and switch to the UK day-month-year order. After restarting Starry Night it should be using the new date format. On the Macintosh you can reset the date format from the Date and Time control panel. After restarting Starry Night it should be using the new date format.

Can I get Starry Night to show the time using the 24-hour clock?

Do the sunrise/sunset times account for the refraction of light due to the earth's atmosphere?

Does Starry Night use the Gregorian or Julian calendar for old dates?

How do I find my Time Zone?

How do I find the time and date of eclipses and other events?

How does Daylight Savings Time work in Starry Night?

Starry Night doesn’t display the correct time when I start up. How do I fix this?

The correct time is shown when I start Starry Night, but the sun rises and sets at the wrong time. How do I fix this?

When I view from off the Earth, the time reads "UT". What does this mean?

Why is 1700 A.D. a leap year in Starry Night?

The Gregorian Leap Year

In general every Gregorian Calendar year divisible by 4 is a leap year, except if it is divisible by 100 but not divisible by 400.

The Gregorian Calendar was adopted in 1582 by Rome and by other countries between 1582 to 1924. Britain and possessions however, only changed from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar in 1752.

“Therefore, RC & GB used the same Julian rules before 1600; different rules but with the same result in 1600; different rules with different results in 1700; and the same Gregorian rules thereafter. Only 1700 differed in Leapness between RC & GB; the historical Year 1700 was a Leap Year in Britain and possessions. Note that many otherwise reputable authorities have omitted to consider this point; but the differing Leapness of Historical 1700 is what is needed to reconcile the 10- and 11- day jumps of 1582 and 1752*. Therefore, the Gregorian date 29th February 1700 occurred here in GB, but on the civil date 29th February 1699 (the new year number then starting with March 25th).

The Thursday which was Julian (UK) 1700-02-29 was MJD -57959 and Gregorian (Rome) 1700-03-11. “

Source: http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/leapyear.htm#1700

*Great Britain and Dominions: September 2 1752 was followed by September 14 1752. Eleven days rather than the 10 days when the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Rome (October 4 1582 was followed by October 15 1582)

Updates/Upgrades

Are updates free to owners of an earlier version of Starry Night?

Bug fixes and minor feature updates to Starry Night will be available as free Internet downloads to existing owners. Major feature updates will be available for an upgrade price.

How do I find out if I have the latest version of Starry Night?

First, retrieve your current version number by choosing About Starry Night from the Help menu (Windows) or the Starry Night menu (Macintosh). The version number will be shown on the bottom left corner of the window that opens. Then select LiveSky>Check for Program Updates. This will connect you to the updates page on our website, which lists the latest updates. If a newer version is available, click the appropriate link to download the updater file.

I own an earlier version of Starry Night. Can I upgrade to Starry Night version 6?

What changes were made from 5.0.0 to 5.0.1?

Bug Fixes from 5.0.0 to 5.0.1

-----------------------------------------------------------

[] Onscreen info options now exposed in the 'Options' panel (were previously unavailable).
[] Windows find pane no longer adds carriage return nto search term.
[] Graph tool now correctly plots all items for angular size (was limiting to 2).
[] Option to output graph data to text file added.
[] Find for Asterisms now correctly limits to asterims only (was adding some constellations.)
[] Exporting all logs no longer causes crash.
[] Crash on quit if more than one window open fixed.
[] Couldn't see interface well in Night Vision mode fixed.
[] CTRL-V in text imput boxes on Windows (e.g. registration number) now works.
[] Couldn't access telescope pane on lower resolution monitors. Added Show/Hide telescope panel to View menu.
[] Cursor now correctly changes over different interface elements on OS X.
[] Fixed comet and asteroid label drawing options.
[] LiveSky.com and other buttons in Info pane now draw correctly.
[] "Go There", "Centre" and "Magnify" now work in spaceship mode.
[] Prefs now stored on a per user basis on Windows.
[] "SN did not shutdown correctly last time..." dialog in non-adminstrator users on Windows no longer shows every time.
[] Limit by telescope magnitude now works properly in planner.
[] 3D galaxy options now correctly labels bounding box setting for groups/filaments as "highlighted groups" not "selected groups."
[] User can now click in the scene to switch focus away from the text input box in the Find panel.
[] Holding the Ctrl key while pressing the arrow keys produces smooth (albeit slow) pans in the scene instead of discrete jumps.
[] Rise / Set / Transit times now available as options in the Ephemeris Generator.
[] Raised maximum number of results in ephemeris generator from 2000 to 5000.
[] Half-hour timezones wrk properly again.
[] Changing timezone and DST info for a location now holds correctly.
[] Enthusiast no longer restricts elevation to 50000 ly.
[] Extra-solar planets now show their "Harvard" name as well as HIP/TYC name.
[] User FOV indicators now display at correct "astronomers" Az instead of mathematical Az.
[] Find improved when searching for Flamsteed numbers and stars by constellation.
[] Planet grid latitude labels on grids now show correct values for 12h - 24h.
[] Can now edit the surface image of the Sun without altering its size irreversibly.
[] Log entries now correctly delete themselves.
[] Button bar on windows now correctly shows/hides itself.
[] Solar lens flare no longer visible when the sun is behind a planet.
[] FOV indicators now print on all charts.
[] Centering Earth and increasing elevation no longer causes zoom in.
[] "Go There" no longer causes shake when you get to the object.
[] Can now centre on zenith if FOV is over 100 degrees.
[] Magnifying object now correctly causes smooth zoom in all the way.
[] Enlarge Moon size switched off by spaceship now switched back on after.
[] Incorrect "length of year" no longer shows for moons.
[] Hour angle added to HUD options.

Calendar Related

[] SkyCalendar pane reorganized for better viewing at low screen resolutions.
[] Calendars on remote web-sites can now be updated/refreshed.
[] Calendar now has icon for user-specificied events.
[] Can use right-click mouse button for common calendar tasks.
[] Log entries in calendar updated when log is added/changed.
[] Can now specify single icon or multiple icons for calendar events.
[] Clicking on date in calendar gives detailed view of of every event on that day.
[] Moon phases in calendar can now be toggled on/off.

What changes were made from 5.0.1 to 5.0.5?

NEW FEATURES!

Pro Plus Only
-------------------
[] Added 'Nudge Telescope' feature to both Mac and Windows.
[] Added brightness slider to AllSky image options.
[] Added default equipment databases for CCDs, telescopes and binoculars. Can now add equipment directly from this database.
[] Filters are now selectable using the "Settings" button (Maxim Plugin, Pro Plus only.)
[] "Aquire Image" now inputs object name and Ra Dec into FITS header of an image captured in MaxIm (Pro Plus, Windows only).

Other Products
-------------------
[] Improved accuracy of SGP4 and SDP4 orbital position and velocity calculations.
[] Improved accuracy of viewer's surface position calculation by using accurate oblate spheroid mathematics (previous implementation was approximation).
[] Improved reported position of object viewed from Earth surface by including atmospheric refraction correction.
[] Added ability to input dual-chip CCDs to equipment list (Pro, Pro Plus).
[] Dual-chip CCD FOVs now draw and are rotatable via slider interface (Pro, Pro Plus).
[] Approximate satellite launch dates now shown in Info panel.
[] Option to hide satellites based on launch date now added.
[] Turn on/off local (Alt/Az) grid (Enthusiast).
[] User can now add basic FOV indicators (Enthusiast).

FIXED BUGS

Pro Plus Only
-------------------
[] Improved All-Sky image fading transitions and eliminated inaccurate rendering of mosaic under some transient conditions.

Other Products
-------------------
[] Fixed JavaScript issue on Mac OS X 10.3.9 (and 10.4) in SkyGuide. Links now load correctly.
[] Corrected disconnection issues for most scopes (if physical connection is broken, now fails politely.)
[] Corrected 2-star alignment on Intelliscope driver.
[] No longer aborts a slew in progress when clicking on the screen.
[] Park, slew, snyc buttons now disable correctly while a slew is in progress.
[] Text Increase/Decrease in SkyGuide tooltips reversed.
[] SkyCalendar no longer draws over toolbar when window disabled.
[] SkyCalendar groups now draw separator line correctly.
[] Files now open correctly when clicked from the desktop.
[] Planet shadows no longer appear filled-in in printouts.
[] Export Info now works for items with a slash in their name.
[] No longer crash on quit if files are "Calculating..." in Favourites panel.
[] No longer crash if you close the Favourites panel while editing the name.
[] Only one window opens when opening a file from the desktop.
[] Improved SkyGuide interactivity when clicking on object for a centre or select.
[] Chosing another planet in location dialog now gives correct behavior in location list.
[] Copy and paste now works in log entries.
[] Databrowser views no longer scroll back to the left when sorting.

What are some of the new features in Starry Night Pro Plus 5? Why should I upgrade?

Weighing in at 6.44 billion pixels in size, the full-color AllSky CCD image mosaic of the entire night sky visible from Earth may be the biggest addition to Starry Night software since its inception. Named AllSky for its uniform coverage from pole to pole, it’s a single picture of the whole sky.

See the entire Milky Way in exquisite detail and then zoom in to explore dust lanes and nebulae. Instead of dots and circles, you will see an actual photo of a star or a deep sky object.

Smoothly and swiftly navigate this full color photograph of the entire night sky, to a limiting magnitude of 14-15. Five years in development, the AllSky CCD mosaic is comprised of about 20,000 individual images, originally imaged at a resolution of 12 arcseconds per pixel with a scientific grade, custom built AP9E CCD camera.

View on your computer screen what you would see if you were looking through a telescope. The overlay of the AllSky CCD image and data has been precisely mapped to Starry Night’s computer generated stars and databases.

Zoom in on any object in the AllSky image and see increasing detail as higher resolution images are loaded in. There’s more to explore in each of the 5 levels of the image resolution.

Create your own Astrophotography

For Windows users, we’ve added a plug-in to MaxIm DL/CCD Advanced Imaging software (sold separately). This innovative integration lets you find your target with Starry Night, capture the image with your telescope and camera, process the image with MaxIm DL and then import the pictures back into Starry Night.

Take advantage of the FOV pane to create customized field-of-view indicators for your CCD chips.

This integration requires Starry Night Pro Plus 5.0 and MaxIm DL version 4.0.7 or higher. For more information about MaxIm DL, click here:

http://www.starrynight.com/promo/maxim/

• Home Scope moves your scope to its home position for easier computer-to-star alignment.Sync Gaze synchronizes the scope’s internal gaze direction with Starry Night.
• Park/Unpark lets you set the position of your scope when you’re not using it. This is ideal for scopes placed in a permanent location or in one position over several days. Simply unpark your scope and start observing immediately without having to perform a star alignment again or recalibrating.
• Slew Limits prevents the telescope from moving outside a user-defined horizon in both altazimuth and equatorial configurations. This helps to protect your valuable equipment that would otherwise hit the mount or tripod of the telescope. Starry Night Pro Plus version 5.0 also allows you to display your slew horizon in the Starry Night sky.
• Quick Center immediately centers Starry Night on the telescope position indicator.

For Macintosh users, we’ve also added a Telescope Handbox Simulator which allows you to push the direction arrows in the Starry Night interface to move your scope.

Compatible with More Telescopes

Starry Night Pro Plus 5.0 is now compatible with the Orion® SkyQuest™ Intelliscope® series (XT6, XT8, X10 and X12) in addition to these scopes:

See ASCOM web site for Windows support with telescopes.

Get Unprecedented Views of Earth and Mars

Zoom in and explore the surface of Mars and Earth in unprecedented detail with new higher resolution surface maps.

Mars

The Mars shaded color map in Starry Night Pro Plus version 5.0 is a 24-bit color map representing the Mars land mass topography above the sea. Map was enhanced by Mario Rossi.

Earth

Hover above Earth and take a quick dive into the atmosphere for a detailed surface map of 1 km (.6 miles) resolution.

Expand Your Knowledge and Experience of the Universe

More databases… more to explore.

Delve into the fascinating science, history and mysteries of the cosmos with the SkyGuide’s interactive, multimedia tours. A whole new way to interact with Starry Night, SkyGuide acts as your guide to the night sky and Starry Night. SkyGuide provides you with an tips on using Starry Night; tours of the night sky for every season; Astronomy Dictonary; Record Holders of celestial phenomena; links to up-to-the-minute astronomy and space news; and much more.

With direct, down-home explanations and impressive visuals of all kinds of night sky phenomena, you’ll never be lost in space again.

Choose from over 30 Photo-realistic Horizon Panoramas

Enjoy Exclusive Constellation Illustrations

88 new high-resolution constellation illustrations exclusive to Starry Night offer new interpretations and details on classical illustrations.

Pilot your own spaceship to explore 800 Million light years of space. Plug in a USB joystick and pilot the old fashioned way. Go There, Center, and Magnify also work in Spaceship Mode.

Never miss a noteworthy celestial event. SkyCalendar displays monthly, weekly, and daily views of upcoming astronomical events and regional star parties. Starry Night now provides the ability to import, view and even create your own calendars (using the standard vCalendar format). Moon phases, your observing logs, star parties or even an observing club calendar can all be viewed and maintained through the Starry Night SkyCalendar pane. Check out the date of the next New Moon and plan your observing schedule around it.

Know exactly where an object is and will be when you observe in the field. The Ephemeris Generator exports positional data for any object over a specific time span or interval. Options include: Rise / Set / Transit times for any object.

Track artificial satellite positions more accurately as predicted by the SGP4 model.

Starry Night now has an updated look and feel. Darker interface elements and larger readouts aid usability and make for a better user experience.

More options in the find panel allow customizable object searching.

Control the brightness of almost every object, indicator line and image in the Starry Night sky with brightness sliders. Toggle items on and off.

What are some of the new features in Pro 5? Why should I upgrade?

Pro 5.0 features at a glance

Interface

New Databases

•  Principal Galaxy Catalog (PGC): with 980, 000 galaxies brighter than magnitude 18.
• Zwicky Cluster of Galaxies Catalog: Contains 9134 clusters.
• Location Database: Added observatory locations.

• Hubble Space Telescope image database: Contains 33 images from the Hubble image showcase.

• Chandra X-Ray Observatory image database: Contains 52 of the best images from Chandra.

I downloaded the 5.8 update but it still says version 5.0.5 or 5.7?

When you run the updater application, it must be in the SAME folder as the application itself. Move the updater into the "Starry Night " folder on your hard disk and run it again.

New features and fixes in version 5.8

New features in version 5.8.2

It is time for another free Starry Night update with the usual mix of new features and fixes.  We’ve been listening – hope you enjoy the improvements.

Note: For our Mac users, we’re happy to note the 5.8 update is a universal binary, so that Starry Night runs on both PowerPCs and Intel Macs.

Location Markers
[All]

Location markers can now be assigned to any predefined location on Earth or any other rocky planet or moon where have surface data is available.

Adding a Location Marker

Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the planets surface and select Mark “Location Name” On Surface from the contextual menu.  Repeat to add additional location markers.

To unmark a location, Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the location marker and select Un-Mark “Location Name”.

Searching Location Markers

Starry Night allows you to quickly find and label single or multiple locations. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the object of interest and select Show Info. This will open the Info Pane.  Then expand the Location Markers layer. 

By default, Show All Locations is selected.  To add a location marker, check the selection box to the left of a locations name.  You can mark all locations by clicking on the Mark All Shown button.  Press the Unmark All button to remove all location markers.

To search for a specific location, click the Show radio button.  To search for a specific location name, select Location Name from the dropdown menu and type in the name of the location in the adjacent text box.

To display a complete list by location type or feature, select Type from the drop menu and then narrow down your choice on the adjacent dropdown menu.

Saving Location Markers

Location markers you selected will not appear the next time you start Starry Night.  Location markers can only be saved by creating a Starry Night File (SNF).  Select File-Save or Favourites-Add Favourite to save your location markers.

Select Marked Locations from the Favourites menu to see a few pre-made SNF files showcasing this new feature.

3D object models can now display textured surfaces
[All]

3D objects in Starry Night support textured surfaces. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the object of interest and select Edit Surface Image/Model.  Then click on the Surface/Model tab.  Alternatively, you can create a new object and add a model via the Orbital Editor feature.

Applescripting added (Mac only)
[All]

Starry Night is now Applescript-able! We have added the ability to AppleScript a number of functions in Starry Night, including the ability to simply run a list of Starry Night files in sequence.

Click here to download a zip file with sample Applescripts.  Don’t forget to submit any Applescripts you create and share them with other users.

You can run the sample scripts by double-clicking on them. For now, we have supplied you the scripts as text, so it will open the OS X Script Editor. All you should have to do is click Run and it should compile and run the script.

If the script does not work for you, it may be trying to reference the wrong version of Starry Night on your machine. If this is the case, simply open the script in the script editor and replace the tell application \'starry night\' with tell application \'.

Horizon panoramas can now be associated with individual planet locations
[All]

This means that when you select New York from the location list, you will be greeted by a photorealistic landscape of Central Park.  Where possible, our panoramas have been associated with their respective locations.

Associating a panorama to a location

Select Viewing Location from the Options menu.  Select on the location you wish to associate from the list.  Then click on the Select Panorama… button. 

In the window that opens, select the thumbnail of the panorama you want to associate and click Select.

To select the default panorama that appears whenever your current location does not have an associated panorama, open the Options Pane, expand the Local View layer and click on Local Horizon to bring up the Horizon options window.  From here, you can select your default horizon and cloud panorama.

Stars now show a spectral class
[All]

Bug Fixes 5.7.x to 5.8.2

Asteroids positions tuned and now calculate more precisely.
Graph presets now working correctly.
Options Presets now save to user Prefs folder. Fixes wrong save location on Mac.
Double-Click to open files now works on first run.
Calendars can now be renamed properly after adding events and quitting/restarting the app.
Undo now works for zoom and magnify.
Strange characters no longer show in location names.
ESC key now stops a pan.
Tree shadows now appear in Custom horizon option

Starry Night 5.8 Update - Frequently Asked Questions

1) How do I know which version of Starry Night I have?

2) How do I get the 5.8 update?

I have Enthusiast, Pro, or Pro Plus version 5.7, 5.0.5, 5.0.2, or 5.0.1.
I have Enthusiast or Pro 5.0.0.
I have another version (lower than 5.0.0 or not Enthusiast, Pro, or Pro Plus).

3) How do I find the new features of Starry Night 5.8?

1. How do I know which version of Starry Night I have?

You can determine your current version number by choosing “About Starry Night” from the Help menu (Windows) or the Starry Night menu (Macintosh). The version number will be shown on the bottom left corner of the window that opens.

2. How do I get the 5.8 update?

I have Enthusiast, Pro, or Pro Plus version 5.7, 5.0.5, 5.0.2, or 5.0.1.

Great news! The 5.8 update is FREE – if you already have Starry Night version 5. Simply click Check for Starry Night Updates located in your Starry Night application folder to download the new features and fixes. Starry Night cannot be open while the updater program is running. See the screenshots below for the location of the updater.

Windows users should click on Start>All Programs>Starry Night (Enthusiast, Pro or Pro Plus) 5>Check for Starry Night (Enthusiast, Pro or Pro Plus) 5 Updates.

Macintosh users should click on Macintosh HD>Applications>Starry Night (Enthusiast, Pro or Pro Plus) 5>(Enthusiast, Pro or Pro Plus) 5 Updater.

When the update has completed, open your version of Starry Night and you will have version 5.8.

Note: This is an update within your version of the software. For example, if you had Enthusiast 5.0.1, you will now have Enthusiast 5.8.

To move from Enthusiast to Pro or Pro Plus, you’ll need to buy the upgrade pack.

I have Enthusiast or Pro version 5.0.0.

Starry Night releases regular updates to enrich your software experience. In the past, receiving these updates involved manually downloading a service patch, which then needed to be unzipped before you could run the installer application.

To serve you better, we have implemented a new automated update mechanism that will eliminate the need to manually download service patches, which can be time consuming and error prone.
To experience the benefits of this new automatic software update feature, please download and install the Update Application Installer. The Update Application Installer will add the automated download feature to your current version of Starry Night.

After installing, you can check for available updates to Starry Night by simply running the “Check for Starry Night Updates” Application at any time. It will let you know if an update is available. If there is an update, it will automatically download the necessary files and install them for you.

PLEASE NOTE:

You are NOT DOWNLOADING A PATCH. You are downloading a helper application that will, when run, check for updates for you. It will work for all future updates as well.

To update Starry Night, you must run the updater application. (See instructions during the install on how to run the updater application.)

This updater application is for version 5.0.0 users only, if you have already downloaded and installed the automatic updater, please run “Check for Starry Night Updates” to get program updates.

Please download and install the appropriate updater application for your platform.

• Enthusiast 5.0.0 Updater Installer (Windows)
• Enthusiast 5.0.0 Updater Installer (Macintosh)
• Pro 5.0.0 Updater Installer (Windows)
• Pro 5.0.0 Updater Installer (Macintosh)

Once you have this program downloaded, you will have version 5.0.1 of the software. Please follow the directions above to move to version 5.8.

If you have Starry Night Pro Plus version 5.0.2, you do not need to download the Update Application Installer. Starry Night Pro Plus 5.0.2 shipped with the Update Application.

I have another version (lower than 5.0.0 or not Enthusiast, Pro, or Pro Plus).

If you do not have version 5.0.0 of Enthusiast, Pro, or Pro Plus, you must purchase an upgrade to version 5.0 of Enthusiast, Pro or Pro Plus. To find and purchase the upgrade appropriate for you, please use the Upgrade Wizard.

You must have Enthusiast, Pro or Pro Plus version 5 in order to receive the new features and data available in the 5.8 update.

3. How do I find the new features of Starry Night 5.8?

Click on 5.8 Quick Start Guide to New Features for directions on how to access the new features of Starry Night 5.7.

Can I download the 5.8 update as a single standalone file?

Yes, you can download the 5.8 update as a standalone updater file.  This will allow you to save the update to a CD for example, and then install it later.

The updater will update Starry Night 5.x to version 5.8.  Standalone updaters are only available for the products below.  Size ranges from 20 MB to 32 MB in size.

Update for Astrophoto Suite 5.x to Astrophoto Suite 5.8.2 (Windows)

Update for Pro Plus 5.x to Pro Pus 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for Pro Plus 5.x to Pro Plus 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for Pro 5.x to Pro 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for Pro 5.x to Pro 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for Enthusiast 5.x to Enthusiast 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for Enthusiast 5.x to Enthusiast 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for High School 5.x to High School 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for High School 5.x to High School 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for Middle School 5.x to Middle School 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for MiddleSchool 5.x to Middle School 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for Digital Download5.x to Digital Download 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for Digital Download 5.x to Digital Download 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for Complete Space 5.x to Complete Space 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for Complete Space 5.x to Complete Space 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for Constellation Adventure 5.x to Constellation Adventure 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for Constellation Adventure 5.x to Constellation Adventure 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Update for Orion Special Edition 5.x to Orion Special Edition 5.8.2 (Windows)
Update for Orion Special Edition 5.x to Orion Special Edition 5.8.2 (Macintosh)

Starry Night Version 5.7 Guide to New Features

1. Space Missions (Probe Paths)
2. 3-D Object Models
3. Advanced Telescope Control panel
4. Google Maps Integration
5. Zip/Postal code look-up
6. Searchable Locations
7. Planner
8. Clear Sky Clock
9. Computer Controlled Focuser Support
10. Nebula Outlines
11. Field-of-View-Indicators for DSLR (digital) cameras

and much more…

1. Space Missions (Probe Paths)
[Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School]

Follow the actual path of a space probe’s orbit through the solar system in Starry Night. The space probe’s past, current and future paths can be drawn onscreen.

Explore interplanetary space missions and relive some of the spectacular views seen by the following space probes:

Voyager 1 and 2
Pioneer 10 and 11
Galileo
Cassini and Huygens
Mars Express

SkyGuide Space Mission Tour

The best way to explore space missions is by taking a guided tour in SkyGuide. Open the SkyGuide Pane and click on either the “Guided Tours” or “Enter SkyGuide” link depending on which version of Starry Night you own. Then click on the “Space Missions” link to start the tour.

Finding Space Missions

Space probes are listed in the Find Pane under Space Missions. The info (i) button listed beside each space probe provides you with a brief overview of the probe’s mission.

Check the box to the left of an object’s name to label it. Check the box to the right of an object’s name to turn on its orbital path line.

Space Mission Options

To modify the appearance of a space probe’s path, click on the Options Pane and expand the Solar System layer. Then place your mouse cursor over the words “Space Missions” – the Space Missions Options button will come up - click on it.

Clicking the Space Missions Options button will bring up the Space Missions dialog box. From here you have several options:

Path Colour: Allows you to select the color of the probe’s orbit.
Draw full path: Draws the past, current and future path of the object’s orbit. If left unchecked, only the past and current path is drawn.
Dim future path: Dims the future path of the object’s orbit.

Note: Orbital paths are also depth queued, meaning that the further away a line segment is away from your “eye” the dimmer it will appear.

2. 3-D Object Models
[Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School]

Starry Night now supports 3DS models, allowing for the display of irregularly shaped 3-dimensional objects such as spacecraft or small planetary moons and asteroids.

How are 3DS Models used in Starry Night?

Objects in Starry Night that have a 3DS model associated with them will draw using the model instead of the usual 2D image. You can associate a 3DS model you have downloaded yourself with almost any Solar System object (e.g. satellites, space probes, asteroids etc.)

Note: 3DS models in Starry Night 5.7 currently do not support texturing.

The following models are included in Starry Night:

Spacecraft

Pioneer 10 and 11
Cassini
Huygens probe
Galileo

Asteroids

Annefrank
Braille
Bacchus

How do I view the sample 3D models?

Open the Find Pane and expand the Space Missions layer. All the space probes available in Starry Night will be listed. Click on the contextual menu button to the left of Galileo for example and select Set Time to Launch Date. Then click on the contextual menu button again, but this time select Go There. Use the elevation buttons to get closer to the probe. Hold down the Shift key to rotate around the probe.

Where can I download additional 3DS models?

3DS models can be downloaded from several websites. A good place to start is:

http://www.celestiamotherlode.net

Interesting models to check out range from the tiny moons of Mars to sci-fi models from your favorite movies and TV series!

Adding a 3DS Model via the Orbit Editor

Additional 3DS models can be added via the Orbit Editor feature in Starry Night – after you have downloaded the 3DS models. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the object you want to add your 3DS model to and select either Edit Surface Image/Model or Edit Orbital Elements from its contextual menu.

In the dialog box that opens, click on the Surface/Model tab and then on the Open Model button to add your 3DS model.

3. Advanced Telescope Control Panel
[Pro, Pro Plus and High School]

Allows more precise control of robotic telescopes with \'nudge\' control and telescope slew limits.

4. Google Maps Integration (Internet connection required)
[Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School]

Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on any location on Earth while hovering and select Google Map (Surface ...) from the contextual menu to open a Google Map for that precise location.

A web page will then open, showing you a map for the coordinates you selected.

5. Zip/Postal code look-up
[Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School]

Find the latitude and longitude of your location by entering your zip code (US) or postal code (Canada). Open the Viewing Location window by selecting Viewing Location from the Options menu. Then click on the Zip/Postal Code tab.

6. Searchable Locations
[Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School]

Locations are now searchable by country, province/state, and location type (e.g. observatory). Open the Viewing Location window by selecting Viewing Location from the Options menu. Then click on the List tab.

7. Planner
[Pro, Pro Plus and High School]

Auto populate

Automatically fills the planner list with interesting, observable objects that can be viewed that night. Click on the Planner tab to access this feature.

Improved Planner Filters

Now you can filter objects using minimum altitude and visibility during observing window. In the Planner Pane, click on the Edit Plan button to edit or create a new observing list.

8. Clear Sky Clock (Internet connection required)
[Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School]

Check out your local astronomical weather forecast when planning your observing session. Click on the Check Observing Conditions button in the Planner window, or open the Status Pane, expand the General layer and click on the Clear Sky Clock Online button to view astronomical weather forecasts for your area.

9. Computer Controlled Focuser Support (Windows only)
[Pro, Pro Plus and High School]

Control your robotic telescope focuser (if supported) through the Telescope Pane in Starry Night.

Focuser support for:

AstroOptik telescopes
Astrophysics GTO mount
Finger Lakes focusers
Gemini equipped mount
JMI Smart Focus
Meade LX200 and Autostar
Optec TCF-S
PCFocus

10. Nebula Outlines
[Pro Plus]

Outlines and positional data for 1400 dark, emission, planetary and reflection nebulae have been added.

Open the Options Pane and expand the Deep Space layer.  Then expand the Nebula sub-layer for a list of all available nebula types. Check the box to the left of “Nebula” to turn on the outlines.

11. Field-of-View-Indicators (FOV)
[Pro, Pro Plus and High School]

Support for DSLR (digital) cameras

Digital cameras can now be added to Starry Night. A list of popular cameras has been added to the Equipment List database.

To access the Equipment List, select Equipment List from the Edit menu. In the window that opens, select “DSLRs” from the upper left drop down menu. Click on the Add button to select a DSLR camera from the equipment database or click the New button to add a new camera.

FOV Position Angle

FOV’s can now be rotated directly onscreen. Click-hold and drag the rotation (+) icon above “Position Angle”.

Other Features

For CCDs, telescopes, binoculars, and eyepieces added. Choose FOV indicators from a database of over 200 Orion, Meade, Celestron and Vixen scopes, binoculars, and SBIG, Apogee, FLI and Starlight Express CCD chips.

Improved Ephemeris Generator
[Pro, Pro Plus and High School]

Now allows minimum altitude to be set.

Star Cluster Catalogs
[Pro Plus]

With positional data for 1700 globular and open clusters.

Improved Toolbar
[Enthusiast, Pro, Pro Plus, Middle School and High School]

Now shows Zenith button.

Improved Digital Setting Circles Support
[Pro, Pro Plus and High School]

For non-motorized telescopes such as: Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope.
Coming soon: NGCMAX, Lumicon Sky Vector, Discovery Digital Star Finder, Orion SkyWizard III, and Celestron Advanced Astromaster.

Starry Night Deutsch 5.8 Update

Note: This update is ONLY for the German language version of Starry Night 5. English version updates can be downloaded from here.

Für die deutschsprachigen Benutzer von Starry Night 5 steht jetzt ein Update auf unserer Website zum Download zur Verfügung.

Das Update-Programm aktualisiert Starry Night 5.x auf die Version 5.8. Eigenständige Update-Programme stehen nur für die unten aufgeführten Produkte bereit. Die Größe der Dateien liegt zwischen 20 MB und 40 MB.

Hinweis: Dieses Update gilt NUR für die deutschsprachige Version von Starry Night 5. Updates für die englischsprachige Version können hier heruntergeladen werden.

Update for GERMAN Pro Plus 5.x to Pro Pus 5.8.4 (Windows)
Update for GERMAN Pro Plus 5.x to Pro Plus 5.8.4 (Macintosh)

Update for GERMAN Pro 5.x to Pro 5.8.4 (Windows)
Update for GERMAN Pro 5.x to Pro 5.8.4 (Macintosh)

Update for GERMAN Enthusiast 5.x to Enthusiast 5.8.4 (Windows)
Update for GERMAN Enthusiast 5.x to Enthusiast 5.8.4 (Macintosh)

Update for GERMAN Complete Space 5.x to Complete Space 5.8.4 (Windows)
Update for GERMAN Complete Space 5.x to Complete Space 5.8.4(Macintosh)

What changes were made from 6.2.1 to 6.2.3?

Bug Fixes from 6.2.1 to 6.2.3

Bug Fixes from 6.0.6 to 6.2.0

• Horizontal lines on graph no longer creep at low scale.
• Graphing satellites now shows accurate altitude maxima and minima at mid-low scales.

• 3DS models now rotate correctly (correct attitude).
• 3DS Models now scaling properly.

• Observing List (planner) filters now working properly for 'above horizon' times.
• Observing List (planner) date no longer incorrectly sets to 1/1/4713 BC when "On specific date" is selected.
• Observing List (planner) now correctly filtering for double/multiple/variable stars.
• Event finder moon phases visibility filtering now fixed.
• Meteor Shower events now properly being found for all dates.
• Meteor shower event dates now included for years other than 2006.
• Ephemeris Generator end date no longer jumps to 99999 after changing start date.

• Smoothed out "Go There" animation.
• Large black distortion around sun halo on some video cards no longer occurs.
• Horizon drawing now taking into account daylight fade level on liftoff.

• Saturn rings now show when printing.
• Milky Way panorama no longer has artifacts after printing.

• Removed extreme jitter of planets when location scrolling around.
• View from centre of planet now correctly reports planet name.
• Changing a location preserves a centre-on object or location in the sky.
• Magnify function now correctly works on stars.

• Altitude column widened and resizable.
• Orbits and paths line thickness now adjustable.
• Coordinate grid labels text now has configurable font/colour.
• Saving or loading an SNF file with XYZ orbit lines enabled no longer causes displayed lines to disappear.
• Saving Planet image options now possible through right-click on any planet. Save as default saves this selection.
• Can now save a planet/moon Surface Image/Model setting as default. (Also added right-click to select.)

• Eyepiece barrel size in equipment list no longer reports with strange characters instead of inches symbol.
• About Dialog now correctly listed in the Help menu (Windows.)
• No longer crashes when attempting to magnify an object below horizon using right-click.
• Files double-clicked on windows now open correctly again.
• OpenGLInit.log now in application directory instead of root.
• Registration windows misspellings fixed.

Bug Fixes from 6.0.4 to 6.0.6

• Loading time for 3D Models has been reduced.
• Resolution and quality of images of Io, Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Uranus and Venus have been improved.
• A bug affecting Mac telescope plugin which prevented re-establishment of a connection while using BlueStar has been fixed.

Bug Fixes from 6.0.3 to 6.0.4

• Fixed change to Animated Horizon allowing to to again work on most systems.
• Fixed bug where horizon would switch back to animated if changed to flat or custom before photorealistic.
• Additional fix for unnecessary visual updates to calendar panel.

 Bug Fixes from 6.0.1 to 6.0.3

• OpenGL now starts correctly (as in 6.0.0) for low-capability video cards.
• Opening and closing the side panels no longer resizes the FOV!
• Several significant fixes to Calendar event adding and display. Events are now correctly added and displayed in local times.
• Added new buttons to set Calendar date to date shown in Starry Night view.
• Saved presets now load correctly when saved with no file extension and selected from menu.
• Printing in CSAP fixed. No longer centers pole.
• Ambient Sounds fixed. Now turn on correctly on first try.
• Correct object limiting magnitudes set for PGC catalog.
• Fixed adding log entries to an item after deleting them.
• Fixed significant leak (sometimes causing crash) when using HUD.
• Fixed horizon pinning when in non-local orientations.
• Fixed FOVs "(this chart only)" printing
• Changing locations no longer changes object lock, including locks on random RA/Dec.
• Preferences dialog no longer hidden under menu bar on some Intel Mac systems.
• Several spelling mistakes corrected in locations database.
• Cursor keys now move view correctly in non-local orientations.
• Planet ordering in Find panel re-establishes correctly after find.
• Asteroid diameters correctly reported. Were showing as 2x actual value.
• 3DS models now load significantly faster.
• 3DS models no longer look washed out after zooming in on sun.
• Limit stars by distance and other fields like this now work correctly.
• Prevented annoying redraw of Calendar panel when changing locations in space.
• F8 in spaceship mode no longer used to show/hide the legend. Uses 's' to prevent conflict with toolbar.
• Highlighted text now correctly turns white in events or lists.
• Satellites can again be added orbiting the Moon.

Bug Fixes from 6.0.0 to 6.0.1

Performance Enhancements

• Significant improvement in Windows startup times. Cut in half (more if Event Searching is turned off) on most systems.
  

Bug Fixes

• Added "selection" checkbox and other info columns to Observing Lists.
• Fix draw error/crash when viewing objects containing a slash ('/') in their names.
• Hour Angle now reported using JNow coordinates instead of J2000.
• Added "Add to Observing List" to selection popup. Missing in 6.0.0.
• Minimum view altitude no longer pinned to Local horizon when using other orientations.
• Text Descriptions now show correctly for TYC and USNO stars.
• Added preference to omit event searching at startup. (Preferences>Startup)
• Horizon now draws correctly during daytime when in "transparent" mode.
• Nebula Outlines now have user selctable colour and draw as black in printouts.
• Users can now re-attempt to enable shaders after a crash.
• Fixed crash when editing and saving observing lists.
• Dark Theme fixed.
• Adding panoramic horizons to specific locations now saves with "Save Current Options as Default."
• Guide layers now draw correctly with shaders off.
• Zoom lock (max FOV) fixed.
• Fixed intermittent random crash when closing any sky view (printing/orbit editor etc.)
• Fixed Observing Lists 'type' filter on Intel Macs.
• Map in location dialog now shows correctly for "hover".
• Filtered events now correcty reflected in calendar panel.
• "Visible Tonight" filter in events and observing lists now more accurate.
• Database descriptions now show correctly on Intel based macintosh computers.
• Hitting <return> in the find panel to centre an object that is below the horizon no longer crashes.
• "Starry Night Classic" theme now more visible in Red Screen (night-vision) mode.
• Added menu item to refresh Favourites menu.
• Fixed crash when viewing Sun lens flare from outer-space.
• Fixed problem with manually entering longitude.
• Labels for planets now correctly listen to magnitude filter.
• Fixed formatting in several text description files
• Cancelling viewing of an event that is not visible now works correctly.
• All-Sky Image now flips correctly at small FOVs (hardware permitting.)
• Jupiter image position corrected.
• Menu items now correctly enabled when Today's Events window is closed.
• CSAP "User's Guide" menu item now works correctly.
• Fixed drawing of several types of 3DS models (was causing hang.)
• Several location updated to include correct timezone info.
• Equipment - Filters now correctly saved out and recalled.
• "Companion Book" help menu item added to several Mac products where missing.
• F8 now correctly hides toolbar on Enthusiast (Windows).
• HTML "anchors" no longer span a browser window when click inside SkyGuide.
• Favourites rename edit box fixed when button-ar is visible on Windows.
• Stonehenge pano direction fixed.
• Star distances now given to more logical precision.
• Rise / Set / Transit times for stars now use more precise calculation when displaying this info.
• Cardinal Direction markers no longer flipped when view is flipped horizontally

Starry Night 6.2.0 Update

Pond



Red Mountain



Canebrake



Winter Star Party



Dead Sea, Israel



Judean Desert. Israel



Metzada, Israel



Ubeydia, Israel



National Observatory, Bulgaria



Forest Top, Bulgaria

Apollo Saturn V Third Stage



Apollo 13 Damaged CSM



Apollo 11 Lunar Lander

Late Cretaceous – 65 million years ago

Amphitrite
Antigone
Ariadne
Athamantis
Ausonia
Berbericia
Bettina
Bianca
Bohlinia
Camilla
Daphne
Davida
Dejopeja
Dembowska
Diotima
Elektra
Eleonora
Eugenia
Eunomia
Europa
Fides
Flora
Florentina
Fortuna
Geometria
Hebe
Herculina
Hertha
Hesperia
Hygiea
Ino
Io
Iris
Isis
Juno
Kalliope
Koronis
Lacrimosa
Laetitia
Liberatrix
Loreley
Ludmilla
Lutetia
Lydia
Massalia
Melpomene
Nassovia
Nausikaa
Nysa
Nyx
Pallas
Pandora
Penelope
Philomela
Phyllis
Pomona
Psyche
Semiramis
Sylvia
Thalia
Thisbe
Thyra
Unitas
Urda
Victoria

Starry Night 6.0.6 worked on my computer, but 6.2.0 does not

Starry Night 6.2.3 update

Available First Week of March!

• starrynight.com/support/softwareupdates/

Updates for Starry Night Complete Space & Astronomy Pack, Pro, Pro Plus, Astrophoto Suite, and educational software are here!

Updates for Starry Night Digital Download will be available shortly.

New Features*

Apollo Space Missions – new models, trajectories and SkyGuide tours. (Available in Pro, Pro Plus, Astrophoto Suite and High School.)

Bug Fixes

• Added moons Nix and Hydra to Pluto.
• Fixed incompatibilities with QuickTime 7.4.1.
• Fixed incompatibilities with on-board Intel Graphics chips on Vista.
• Printing on windows fixed. Labels correct size, legend now prints on 1-pane printing.
• Surface Feature Outlines / Location Markers user interface now correctly updates when new files are opened.
• Google Maps links from right-click menu fixed.
• Added ability to not apply nighttime shading to horizon panoramas.
• Surface Feature Outlines now correctly save and read-in from files.
• Problem with certain files saved with a locked selection not setting correct FOV, now fixed.
• Export as QuickTime VR no longer crashes on OS-X.
• Fixed crash with space missions saved in file but not loaded on startup.

*Some features might not be available in your version 6 product.

Can I download the 6.2.1 update as a standalone file?

Yes, you can download the 6.2.1 update as a standalone updater file.  This will allow you to save the update to a CD for example, and then install it later. If you currently have a later version of Starry Night and need to revert to 6.2.1, you can do so by uninstalling Starry Night from your computer, reinstalling from discs, and then installing the appropriate 6.2.1 updater from below.

The updater will update Starry Night 6.x to version 6.2.1.  Standalone updaters are only available for the products below.

Note: Windows XP users, you will need Java VM installed on your computer in order for the update to install. If you receive the following error message - "Installer User Interface Mode Not Supported"- please download the Windows installer that includes the Java VM.

Complete Space & Astronomy Pack:

Windows XP & Vista (37M)
Windows XP & Vista (with Java VM) (64M)
Mac OS X (36M)

Digital Download: coming soon

Apollo: coming soon

Enthusiast:

Windows XP & Vista (66M)
Windows XP & Vista (with Java VM) (94M)
Mac OS X (65M)

Pro:

Windows XP & Vista (130M)
Windows XP & Vista (with Java VM) (157M)
Mac OS X (129M)

Pro Astrophoto:

Windows XP & Vista (129M)
Windows XP & Vista (with Java VM) (157M)

Pro Plus:

Windows XP & Vista (162M)
Windows XP & Vista (with Java VM) (190M)
Mac OS X (161M)

Elementary: coming soon

Middle School: coming soon

High School: coming soon

Impact scar on Jupiter

• Windows: C:/Program Files/Starry Night/Sky Data/Locations
• Mac OS: Applications/Starry Night -> right-click the application and choose Show Package Contents -> Contents/Resources/Sky Data/Locations

Starry Night 6.3.3 Enhancements and Fixes

Enhancements 

• New minor planets and their moons have been added and updated.
• Distance Spheres can now be added to any solar system body with any radius and color. (All programs except C.S.A.P.)
• Shadow Cones can be displayed to show the shadows of orbiting bodies.
• New update technology built directly into Starry Night. Will check for updates automatically if registered.
• Animated trips between planets now use more visually appealing planet avoidance.
  
• Tully galaxy rendering now implemented as particle systems.
• Tully database improved to allow for more galaxy types.
• Saturn's rings and ring shadows now draw even more precisely, and look much better.
• Universal Time can now be displayed and edited in the toolbar. (Pro, Pro Plus, Astrophoto Suite only.)
• The precessional path of the celestial poles can now be displayed.
• The circumpolar region, based on your latitude, can now be displayed.
• The value of DeltaT has been improved and can now be overridden by the user. (Pro, Pro Plus, Astrophoto Suite only.)
• All planets now draw with softer edges.
• Updated LiveSky links and images.
• Some lines now draw thicker on high-DPI displays to maintain visibility.
• Added more features that can help Customer Support track down issues.
• Spaceship responsiveness dramatically improved.
• Various space mission data sets have been broken into smaller, logical segments to improve rendering speed.
• Added 5 new horizon panoramas.
  
• Improved Find feature for multiple objects of same name.

Bug Fixes

• Exported data of the sky view now contains a header row.
• Galaxy types in several databases have been fixed.
• Horizon drawing improved when looking at the nadir.
• Spaceship speed controls now work when Starry Night time is stopped.
• Telescope name now indicated in Windows 3-pane print settings dialog.
• SkyCal. Adding event times between 12am and 1am now save properly.
• Pluto now correctly classified as a Dwarf Planet in the orbit editor.
• Satellite eccentricities now correctly imported from source file.
• Moons can now be added to dwarf planets.
• Adding/editing planet surface images or 3DS model assignments now works.
• User-specified images are now correctly rendered on moons.
• One-pane printing FOV fixed.
• Print legend now shows correct size on all Windows machines.
• Cardinal points can now be controlled independently of horizon using horizon layer labels.
• Increased delay in Find search box autosearch.
• Observing list filters fixed.
• Comets are now correctly indicated on printed output.
• Observing lists can now display the objects constellation.
• Coordinates now export in the format selected in the preferences.
• Peak times for Meteor Showers are now listed.
• Ambient sound has been restored.

"An error occurred while extracting files. Please contact support."

Bug Fixes in 6.3.9 Update

• Mac Updater download no longer incorrecty reads from system cache in case of re-download.
  
• Windows Updater download now much faster.

• Application correctly respects user defined maximum frame rate.
• Application correctly throttles down frame rate when not focused/maximized.
• Several fixes and enhancements to maintain respectable CPU usage.
  

• Opens Starry Night Files at correct default FOV if none defined.

• Correctly prints legend in multi-pane printout.
• Printing: Fixed crash under certain circumstances when printing 180 degrees.
  

• Fixed incompatibility with setting FOV via a plugin.

Viewing Location

How do I enter my home coordinates? It doesn't seem to work.

There are several way to enter your coordinates into Starry Night. The two most popular are discussed below.

1. (Degrees:Minutes:Seconds)

xxd xxm xxs (N, S, E, W)

d represents degrees
m represents minutes
s represents seconds

An example would be:

Latitude: 43d 15m 15s N
Longitude: 78d 15m 15s W

2. Decimal format

xx.xxxx (N, S, E, W)

An example would be:

Latitude: 39.739 N
Longitude: 104.9840 W

A popular source of decimal format coordinates is http://heavens-above.com .

When you enter your coordinates in the Set Home Location window, Starry Night will always change your coordinates to the following format:

xx° xx.xxx'

Don't be alarmed. Although your coordinates are in a different format, they are identical to the ones you entered. Only the format as changed.

As a double check, ensure the "red x" is over your approximate location in the world map.

How do I go to a star or Galaxy?

How do I go to Mars or another planet?

How do I remove the feet or spacesuit in Starry Night?

I have tried changing my home location, but everytime I restart the program, it reverts to the old location. How do I change my home location?

My city is not in the list of cities in Starry Night’s location window, and I don’t know my latitude and longitude. Where can I find this information?

Just click the Lookup Lat/Long On Internet button in the Latitude/Longitude tab of the Viewing Location dialog box to visit a website with information on finding your latitude and longitude.

See “How do I find my time zone?” on your User's Guide if you do not know your time zone.

How do I open Starry Night so that it is facing in a direction other than south?

In Starry Night Pro and higher:

Select File-Preferences and choose "General" from the dropbox on the upper left corner of the Preferences window. Move the "Default Viewing Direction" dial to the cardinal direction you want Starry Night to face at startup.

In Starry Night Enthusiast/Digital Download:

You can change the startup viewing direction by editing the text file \"Prefs.txt\" which is in the following folder on your hard drive: "C:\\Documents and Settings\Local Settings/Application Data/Imaginova Canada/Prefs" (Windows) \"Library-Preferences-SPACE.com-Enthusiast (Macintosh) There is a field in this file called "DefaultAzimuth" which has a value of "180.00". Change this value to \"0\" if you want Starry Night to open facing north, "270.00" to face west, or "90.00" to face east.