gentner@sdcsla.UUCP (Don Gentner) (04/26/85)
I recently bought a copy of Sky Travel (disk based, for the Commodore 64, distributed by Commodore, $23.57 + $3 shipping from Software Shack (216)953-9141). I'm very impressed. For anyone with an interest in astronomy, this is a fantastic program. It is essentially a home planetarium. You specify your position (by moving a cursor on a world map) and the time (10,000 BC to 10,000 AD) and the program displays a sky map showing the sun, moon, stars, planets, nebula, galaxies, and even Halley's Comet, when visible. There are many options that affect the display, such as lines connecting the constellations, names of constellations and planets, view angle and direction. Time can be stopped or move forward or backward up to 64 times real time, so you can watch the sun set, the sky darken, and the stars turn in the sky, or watch the progress of an eclipse. In fact there's no need to go outside ever again. Two features are especially useful. A FIND function will automatically find any of the constellations, sun, moon, planets, or comet and center it in the display. An INFORM function identifies any object in the display. Simply center the cursor on the object with the joystick (or cursor keys), press the fire button, and you get the name and description of the object. The interface is amazingly simple; you can learn to use all these functions within a half hour. The 138 page manual is primarily a description of historical observations you can recreate, and general information about astronomy. Don Gentner Cognitive Science Lab UC, San Diego