Home About Us Media Kit Subscriptions Links Forum
APPEARED IN


View All Articles

Download PDF

DIRECTORIES:

Job Opportunities

Tutors

Workshops

Events

Sections:

Books

Camps & Sports

Careers

Children’s Corner

Collected Features

Colleges

Cover Stories

Distance Learning

Editorials

Medical Update

Metro Beat

Movies & Theater

Museums

Music, Art & Dance

Special Education

Spotlight On Schools

Teachers of the Month

Technology

Archives:

1995-2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

JUNE 2004

PRODUCT REVIEW:
2Sky Planetarium Software
by Mitchell Levine

More and more, teachers are realizing that the most complex, fascinating, and instructive scientific laboratory in the world is open every night, and to access it, all you need to do is look up. The night skies can be used to teach astronomy as well as physics, chemistry, geology, optics, and even history. Because humans always are and have always been fascinated with the celestial bodies, using them as a means to teach all of the above has the built-in advantage of being intrinsically captivating to an audience—always the most important precursor to any educational presentation.

The only obstacle to taking advantage of these facts for a typical teacher has been all of the
built-in disadvantages. Astronomy as science requires a great deal of specialized knowledge which is hardly part of every instructor’s repertoire. Observation of the stars and planets requires fieldwork, and not only that but field work at night, which implies many logistical problems. There are millions upon millions of relevant phenomena to be observed, but using lists and charts in the dark while lecturing to a class is slightly unwieldy.

In the past, most first-rate astronomical software has been PC-based only, and even the popularization of laptop computers hasn’t made using the excellent traditional programs during a field trip any easier. However, a different solution has been made available with 2Sky, Inc.’s introduction of their PDA-based package 2Sky. It can’t be easy to produce an application that can provide a comprehensive array of planetarium features with graphics for handheld computers, but somehow 2Sky has done it.

The most basic download of the software, costing about $25, for example, offers scaled reproductions of 88 constellations in three-dimensional format with customizable views which can approximate what an observer might see from the vantage point of any of 170 cities throughout the world. Astronomical phenomena data-based within the program include 15,560 stars, 500 deep sky objects, and the Messier, SAC, Bennett, and Caldwell catalogues—actually more than what a typical K-12 teacher would be likely to use.

The total download of 2sky, for only additional $1, has more than just a larger warehouse of data: it provides superb graphics functions which not only enhance its ability to act as a guide to space, but even allow it to potentially serve as a substitute to observation for those that can’t coordinate nighttime field trips. It not onlysee the celestial sphere, for instance, and step through time to watch the objects orbit.

One limitation does make itself apparent—at this time, the Pocket PC platform—one of the most popular in the education environment is not supported—so you’ll need to have a PDA that runs at least Palm OS 2.5. Although the manufacturer now offers no educational license share, a teacher is allowed to make additional copies of the software to distribute to student users. All in all, this is an intelligently developed application that any handheld enabled classroom investigating astronomy can make use of. More information can be found at the company’s site at www.2sky.org.#

creates horizon and ecliptic lines, as well as galactic and cluster outlines, it has a host of powerful animation features as well. The user can zoom through space as if they were observing through a telephoto lens, to move out to

 

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

Name:

Email:
Show email
City:
State:

 


 

 

 

Education Update, Inc.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of the publisher. © 2005.