=========================================================== README.TXT =========================================================== CyberSky 3.0.1 Shareware Version ----------------------------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION ----------------------------------------------------------- CyberSky is an exciting, entertaining, and educational astronomy program that transforms your personal computer into your personal planetarium. CyberSky provides an excellent way to learn about astronomy and to explore the wonders of the sky visible in the distant past, the present, and the far-off future. CyberSky displays accurate charts of the sky as seen from any location on the earth. Sky charts can include stars, constellations, deep sky objects, and solar system objects, and can be enhanced by the addition of labels, coordinate system grids, and reference lines. CyberSky's user-friendly interface allows you to easily change your view of the sky, search for celestial objects, and display data about those objects. CyberSky also prints attractive sky charts that you can take outside with you. CyberSky was designed to be simple enough to appeal to people who are just beginning to discover astronomy, yet provide enough information to be useful to people who've already learned the basics. CyberSky has the ability to quickly and easily show you what's visible today or next weekend, but it is also accurate enough to help with research involving the appearance of the sky in the distant past, for example, during the era of pyramid construction in ancient Egypt. CyberSky's ease of use and amazing animation feature make it an innovative and motivating learning environment. CyberSky provides an excellent way to learn the names and positions of the stars, constellations, and deep sky objects, and to become familiar with the motions of solar system objects across the sky. Many of the most basic and interesting astronomical phenomena can only be observed over weeks or months of time, and by observing the sky from widely separated locations. CyberSky lets you do this; it places the sky under your control. CyberSky is used by people all over the world who want to learn about astronomy, by amateur and professional astronomers who need a straightforward planetarium program, by parents who want to share the joys of astronomy with their children, and by educators who want to empower their students to learn in a way unimagined a decade or two ago. CyberSky has something to offer you, regardless of your level of astronomy knowledge. ----------------------------------------------------------- CYBERSKY FEATURES ----------------------------------------------------------- Features of CyberSky 3.0 include: GENERAL - Displays detailed, accurate, and dynamic views of the sky as seen from any location on the earth. You can move your viewpoint in any direction, even below the horizon, and can select from a wide range of zoom levels. - Allows you to search for stars, constellations, deep sky objects, solar system objects, and points on the celestial sphere. - Allows you to customize colors and fonts, and to customize screen and printer colors and fonts independently of each other. - Prints attractive sky charts on any type of printer supported by Windows. - Saves sky charts as bitmap files which you can use as Windows wallpaper. STARS - The registered version of CyberSky includes 80,179 stars to magnitude 8.5, but the shareware version includes only 1,671 stars to magnitude 5.0. - Displays stars in white or in colors based on their spectral types. - Labels stars with their proper names, Bayer letters, Flamsteed numbers, or magnitudes. - Displays information about any star, including the star's proper name, Bayer and Flamsteed designations, equatorial and horizontal coordinates, magnitude, the constellation it is in, its rising, transit, and setting times, and its spectral type. CONSTELLATIONS - Displays the official, internationally recognized constellation boundary lines that define each of the constellations, as well as attractive constellation figures. - Labels constellations with their official three-letter abbreviations, their official Latin names, or equivalent English or German names. DEEP SKY OBJECTS - The registered version of CyberSky includes 472 deep sky objects to magnitude 8.5, but the shareware version includes only 68 deep sky objects to magnitude 5.0. - Labels deep sky objects with their popular names or catalog numbers. - Displays information about any deep sky object, including the object's name, catalog numbers, equatorial and horizontal coordinates, magnitude, the constellation it is in, its rising, transit, and setting times, and its type. SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS - Displays the positions of the sun, moon, and all planets in the solar system, including the phases of Mercury, Venus, and the moon, the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter, and the rings of Saturn. - Displays the paths of solar system objects across the sky. The positions of objects along their paths can be marked and labeled with the date and time. - Solar system objects can be locked to the center of the sky chart, making it possible to watch many interesting astronomical phenomena, including solar eclipses, occultations of stars by the moon, and the motions of the Galilean satellites around Jupiter. - Displays information about any solar system object, including the object's equatorial, horizontal, and ecliptic coordinates, distances from the earth and sun, elongation from the sun, angular diameter, magnitude, the constellation it is in, its rising, transit, and setting times, and the illumination of its disk. REFERENCE GRIDS, LINES, AND POINTS - Displays and labels equatorial and horizontal coordinate system grid lines. - Displays the ecliptic, celestial equator, and galactic equator. - Displays and labels the north and south ecliptic poles, celestial poles, and galactic poles. HELP SYSTEM - Includes context-sensitive Help for all user interface items and for all dialog boxes. - Includes reference information about constellations and solar system objects, diagrams and tables, and a glossary of astronomical terms. - Includes explorations that suggest ways to use CyberSky to learn more about such topics as precession, proper motion, and the retrograde motion of the planets. ----------------------------------------------------------- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ----------------------------------------------------------- System requirements for CyberSky 3.0 are as follows: - Personal computer with an Intel Pentium or compatible processor. - Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, or 2000 operating system. - About 5 MB of space on your hard disk for the registered version, or about 2 MB for the shareware version. - Desktop area 800 by 600 pixels in size or larger. - Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device. ----------------------------------------------------------- INSTALLING OR UNINSTALLING CYBERSKY ----------------------------------------------------------- To install CyberSky, simply run the SETUP.EXE file located in the same folder as this README.TXT file. To uninstall CyberSky, click the Start button, point to Programs, CyberSky, and then click Uninstall CyberSky. ----------------------------------------------------------- PRODUCT SUPPORT ----------------------------------------------------------- If you encounter a problem while using CyberSky, or find an error in the program's documentation, please send e-mail describing your discovery to support@cybersky.com, or send postal mail to Stephen Michael Schimpf, 2444 West 230th Street, Torrance, CA 90501-5242. It is possible that the problem you've encountered has already been corrected. Please visit www.cybersky.com to find out if you have the latest version of the software. When reporting a problem, please be as descriptive as possible. Provide any relevant information about the hardware and software you are using, describe any messages you may have seen, and list the steps required to reproduce the problem. Be sure to mention which version of CyberSky and which version of Windows you are running. If the problem involves printing a sky chart, be sure to mention the make and model of printer you are using. ----------------------------------------------------------- ORDERING CYBERSKY ----------------------------------------------------------- CyberSky is not free software. You may use the shareware version of CyberSky free of charge on up to 21 separate days for the sole purpose of evaluating the software. Use of the software beyond this evaluation period requires that you purchase the registered version of CyberSky. Single licenses cost US$ 30 each, including shipping and handling. Site licenses are available at very reasonable prices to encourage use of the software in astronomy education. Upgrade licenses are available for owners of previous registered versions of the software. Please refer to the 'Ordering CyberSky' section of the program's Help file for instructions on how to purchase the registered version. Or, visit www.cybersky.com to order online using a credit card.