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Description: 
DISTANT SUNS will take both casual skywatchers and amateur astronomers to the outer reaches of the Universe and back. It allows viewing of the stars and planets as they would appear from anywhere on Earth, or in the Solar System. The demo includes online help. It has a 15 minute limit to each session, but can be restarted. The CD version gives access to hundreds of megabytes of pictures, movies, celestial information, 24-bit rendered planets, and the user's manual. Begin with the solar system. Select Lookdown-middle planets from the View (Viewpoint) menu. This shows the Sun, planets closest to it, and their orbital paths from space. Click on a planet or a star for information. Click on the fast button (right pointing double arrow) to make the planets revolve around the Sun. Notice that each planet revolves at a different speed. >From the vertical Planet window select the Hover radio button, then click on a planet. This sets the viewpoint to "hover" near the planet. Click on the planet for information. Now return to Earth and see what the sky looks like right now. Select When and where from the View menu. Click on the now button to set the time to match your computer's date and time. Click on the location button and select a city near your location. Now that Distant Suns knows where you are and what day it is, take a look at tonight's sky. Select The Sky Tonight from the View menu. This opens a 360 view (as if you stood in one spot and turned completely around) of the sky, laid out flat on your monitor. See stars and, possibly, the Moon, planets and other objects, just as they appear from your location on Earth. The Sunset and Sunrise buttons display the sky as it will be at the next sunset and sunrise, respectively. This is a very sophisticated package, but its basic features are of interest to younger kids (they might need parental help). My 8 year old enjoyed seeing the solar system and spinning the planets. Download Details Requires: Filename: ds_install.bin Filesize: 8 meg Download Sites: [ HELP! I can't download! ] |  |
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