How to see deep space imagery with Worldwide Telescope on your PC

Stuart Andrews | May 22, 2009 3:37 PM
Have you ever wanted to stare into the heavens and see what the universe holds? You can, with Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope. We show you how

Here is the complete walkthrough to getting plantary and deep-space imagery with Microsoft's free Worldwide Telescope:

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1) WWT is set to a US location by default. Click on the View tab, then Setup in the Observing Location box. Now, select an Australian city.


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2) Clicking View will show the current view, with horizon. Use the Observing Time panel to move forward a few hours for tonight's sky.


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3) Click on the Telescope tab, then the Ascom icon on the right, to download the Ascom platform, then specific drivers for your telescope


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4) Now click on the Choose button in the WWT telescope panel and select your driver from the list. Click Properties to set up your telescope.


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 5) The exact settings will depend upon the telescope model, and you may need to run an alignment procedure. Consult your manual.


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6) Now drag and click to highlight objects, using the Sync and Centre buttons in the Telescope tab to focus your telescope on them.

This article appeared in the June, 2009 issue of PC Authority.