Microsoft Virtual Telescope

[gyro]

I have not had time to check this out yet, could be M/S version of Google Sky.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7397811.stm

[rogerg]

It surprised me with the introduction of Google Sky that there was enough interest in astronomy to warrant such a big company spending money on such a project. Again it surprises me with the introduction of the Microsoft alternative.

I know there's a lot of interest in astronomy and space travel from children, but I get the impression it dwindles with age to only a minority as adults. But obviously not? Or perhaps these are aimed at education and the younger section of society?

Interesting anyhow, and thanks for the link :smile:

[Radar]

Checkout the system requirements to use it. 1 gig of ram minimum! They recommend 2 gigs.


PC with Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 2 gigahertz (GHz) or faster, recommended
1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM; 2 GB RAM recommended
3D accelerated card with 128 megabytes (MB) RAM; discrete graphics card with dedicated 256-MB VRAM recommended for higher performance
1 GB of available hard disk space; 10 GB recommended for off-line features and higher performance browsing
XGA (1024 x 768) or higher resolution monitor
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing and scrolling device
Microsoft® XP SP2 (minimum), Windows® Vista® (recommended)
Microsoft® DirectX® version 9.0c or later and .NET Framework 2.0 or later
Required for some features; Internet connection at 56 Kbps or higher through either an Internet service provider (ISP) or a network. Internet access might require a separate fee to an ISP; local or long-distance telephone charges might also apply


Not sure if my system will run this.

Ray

[gyro]

Not sure if my system will run this.Ray

I am, mine won't. Typical M/S resource hungry application.

Probably aimed at Vista users (as recommended) since the reqired specs' are standard issue with most new computers I have ben looking at.

Still, I hope someone has the gear to review it for the forum.....hint hint.:wink: :wink:

[rogerg]

Those are some serious PC requirements! My observatory PC might just barely scrape through, but not my normal use laptop! gez.

[omaroo]

Downloaded it to my 2GHz AMD Athlon64 running 1Gb RAM and Vista - not a particularly quick machine by todays standard.

It actually runs very well. Installation was perfect - no glitches even when it updated my DirectX instance automatically. The interface is different, but quite comprehensive - smooth-as and actually very slick. Pretty good for a first effort and way better than Google Sky. ASCOM telescope control, location-based real-time views. Pretty quick and no more than 20Mb to download the core engine and basic graphics set.

Some very nice features, like the one shown that is a mag glass that you just drag over the screen at whatever view power you have going. It gives you a dynamic rundown of anything you drag the crosshairs across. Only one of dozens if things that no other program has. I'm not sure of any other that includes a choce from 30 or so overlays - including the galactic microwave background map for instance, along with others such as the Hydrogen Alpha Full Sky Map. Neato!

It's evident that there's a mind-boggling amount of work in this and they've recognised astronomers for once and are spending money on us. I, for one, applaud their effort.

The second shot here is the Ha Map Overlay of the Eta Carinae region.


http://www.omaroo.net/albums/album37/mswwt.jpg

http://www.omaroo.net/albums/album37/mswwt_ha.jpg

[gyro]

Hello Chris,
Many thanks for the review and screen shots....looks pretty impressive.
Seems like my new Laptop, with improved specs', will be sooner than later now. :biggrin: :biggrin:

[seeker372011]

tried on my PC..but no joy

errors at every stage..not enough grunt I suppose