Discover the Wonders of the Night Sky with WorldWide Telescope

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  • Thread starter Thread starter Daniel Y.
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the WorldWide Telescope software, focusing on user experiences, comparisons with other astronomical resources, and opinions on its size and usability. Participants share their familiarity with the software and how it aids in exploring the night sky.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express positive experiences with WorldWide Telescope, noting it has helped them understand the night sky better.
  • Others mention concerns about the software's large size, questioning why it is considered "huge" when it is only 20 MB.
  • One participant suggests that using other resources, like the Canadian Astronomy Data Center, may offer more flexibility and capabilities compared to WorldWide Telescope.
  • Another participant shares their frequent use of the software, emphasizing its value as a free resource despite its size.
  • There is a discussion about the reliability of connections to other astronomical databases, with some participants noting that while speeds may vary, the connections are generally dependable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the software's size and usability, with no consensus on whether the download size is a significant issue. There are also competing views on the effectiveness of WorldWide Telescope compared to other astronomical resources.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference specific features and functionalities of other astronomical resources, which may not be fully explored in relation to WorldWide Telescope.

Daniel Y.
So what do you guys think of this software? Do you use it often? Like it? Hate it? By some strange chance haven't heard of it or downloaded it?

Here's a link to the website:

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

I was astronomically challenged before using the software, but it's been really helped me familiarize myself with the night sky.
 
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I was going to download it but it's HUGE. Looked nice though.
 
It's OK, but you get less overhead and more flexibility if you will use other resources with non-unified interfaces. Like the Canadian Astronomy Data Center for example. You can also do batch queries. http://www2.cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/cadc/

In our M51-type galaxy association project, we relied heavily on IRSA, with its DSS, SDSS, and 2MASS front-ends. DSS was the most useful, and comparative observation between blue, red, and infrared bands helped us identify structure in the galaxies. Active star-forming regions tend to look more luminous in blue, as do HII galaxies, and the older materials tend to be luminous in the red bands. Also, we used the DSS plate scans in reverse grayscale, since that makes faint structure stand out more readily than positive images.
http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/applications/FinderChart/
 
Last edited:
I use it almost every day. A very satisfactory resources for no cost... it is indeed big though.
 
Evo said:
I was going to download it but it's HUGE. Looked nice though.

robertm said:
... it is indeed big though.

Huh!? It's 20 MB? I regularly download 2 GB+ stuff. How can you guys consider the download to be big?
 
What do you download that is 2Gb+? Jesus, that's huge...
 
Daniel Y. said:
Huh!? It's 20 MB? I regularly download 2 GB+ stuff. How can you guys consider the download to be big?
When you connect, the overhead is pretty impressive. If you connect to IRSA, the connections may not be really fast, but they are pretty reliable.
 

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