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“Starry Night is an excellent
aid for exploring the heavens...a superb, well documented program that
will transform you into an expert in no time.”
--ZDNet, 5 star rating
"There are few experiences as invigorating as being out in the countryside standing under a canopy of star on a still night. Starry Night conveys that feeling better than any other desktop planetarium"
--New York Times
StarGazer
Each week most PBS stations air Star
Gazer with Jack Horkheimer, the world's first and only weekly TV series
on naked-eye astronomy. The images on this page illustrate the show for
the week of Monday,
April, 17, 2000.
How To Time Travel Through The Big Dipper
The Big Dipper, Little Dipper and the "W" of Cassiopeia, as seen just before dawn in April from mid-northern latitudes.
One of the stars in the Big Dipper, Mizar, is actually a double star, as we can see in this image. The second star in the double is named Alcor. If we looked at Mizar through a good telescope, we would see it split again into two stars, known as Mizar A and B. In fact, scientists have discovered that both Mizar A and B are themselves double stars!
Still want to know more?
Click here for an archive of the past shows.
Introduce yourself to the wonders of the night sky with Starry Night Backyard. Astronomy software so realistic and easy to use that learning your way around the night sky has never been easier. Learn how to identify planets, stars and constellations. View the heavens from your own backyard or anyplace on Earth. Blast-off and explore the solar system, ride a comet or check out the view from the International Space Station. Do it all using Starry Night Backyard.
And for those whose interest in the night sky goes even deeper, you'll want to get the new advanced Starry Night Pro. With extended data sets, dozens of new Pro-only features and Internet support not found in any other program you'll wonder how you ever observed without it!
See the wonders of our Universe in all its three-dimensional glory. Pilot a starship through 700 million light years of space and 30,000 galaxies. See what's really out there, with Deep Space Explorer.
Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions about Starry Night that you can't find answered here on our website. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions.
