Programs for astromaniacs – macOS on steroids part 7

In addition, we have a fairly well-developed astronomical encyclopedia at our disposal. The program also offers an intuitive system of installing add-ons, among which you can find a lot of interesting simulations for free, such as the collapse of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet.

A description of the differences between the individual versions of SkySafari can be found here.
The programs can be purchased through the Mac App Store.

Kerbal Space Program

Kerbal Space Program is a fantastic game that allows you to lead an organization such as SpaceX or NASA, test dozens of solutions in the field of rocket technologies and conquer space. In short, you can play Elon Musk, who belongs to the fans of this unique production.

The program provides a lot of bricks from which we can build rockets modeled on existing ones or test our own, original ideas. At the same time, despite the somewhat cartoon character, the physics is perfectly reproduced here. Due to the fact that the release of the second part has been announced for 2022, you can probably expect significant promotions for the currently sold version in the near future.

You can buy the program on the manufacturer’s website or Steam.

You can consider

Stellarium

If you do not want to spend money at the beginning, let’s start with the free item of the planetarium application, i.e. Stellarium. The program is quite simple, not to say primitive when it comes to the user interface and offers an overview of the sky map that is characteristic for this type of application and allows you to simulate the view viewed through various optical devices. We can change telescopes, glasses or the type of view. The database of objects is large, although not all of them have good quality photos. The program provides only basic parameters of the objects and is not Polonized.

Stellarium download From this side.

Solar System Scope

The most glamorous program in my collection, strongly focused on our solar system. A very original way of showing information, fast and effective navigation. There is quite a lot of information about the objects in our system, we also have the opportunity to see the visualization of their internal structure. Unfortunately, the farther you go about the solar system, the more information about various objects decreases.

What deserves attention is… the musical setting. For advanced learners, the program will be rather simple, but it’s great as a first-contact astronomy app for kids. It is also one of the few with a Polish interface, although it must be honestly said that some translations are lame. The program also has the option of a planetarium view, but in a very simplified, even primitive form.

The program costs $ 9.80 and you will find it here.

Starry Night 8

A series of programs by the same company that is responsible for SkySafari. In short, where SkySafari ends, Starry Night begins. Unfortunately, this also applies to prices, which will be discussed in a moment. Compared to its predecessor, the programs offer much more extensive options for observing individual objects, advanced control of telescopes equipped with appropriate modules and access to a huge amount of scientific data.

The most expensive version costs almost PLN 1000, which means that without a telescope that is able to use its advanced capabilities, it is definitely too expensive an option. The more that a large part of the data can also be found in other programs mentioned here, and their total cost will be lower than SN8 Pro Plus.

Compare version and price you can watch here.