Overview

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Real Time Telescope Control 

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SkyTools in the Hand

The world’s best observing software in your hand and on your desk  

The affordable Dell Venue 8 Pro puts the power of SkyTools in your hand for around $200. 

Whether it be the powerful Microsoft Surface, the small and affordable Dell Venue 8 Pro, or any other Windows tablet, SkyTools and a tablet make for an unbeatable combination. 

• The best of all worlds. Our license allows you to install SkyTools on more than one computer. The Sync feature ensures that they all have the same data. Plan your observing from the comfort of your desk, then go out to the telescope with your tablet. Enter your observing logs on the tablet, and access them later at your desk.

• Control any telescope from your Windows tablet. When people ask if ASCOM supports their GOTO mount, the answer is almost always "Yes." ASCOM supports more telescopes than any other platform, and it is only available for Windows. In addition to all ASCOM mounts, SkyTools has PushTo support for DSC's, including the Argo Navis and Sky Commander; simply push until the bars are centered and a voice announces that you are there. Choose from one of the many inexpensive third party options to connect your scope via a USB-to-serial adaptor or even wirelessly.

• The most powerful Real Time Planner. Go beyond the same tired old Messiers and bright NGC's by harnessing the power of SkyTools at the telescope to accurately tell you which little-known objects you can count on to be able to see right now.

Always current, always accurate, and always smart.

• Accurate predictions of the visibility of comet as seen in your eyepiece so you don't waste time looking for ones you can't see.

• The most comprehensive and corrected databases available in any software.

• Blow a friend's mind by showing her a supernova in a distant galaxy that was discovered just yesterday, find a faint galaxy cluster with confidence that you can see it, or star hop to a little-known planetary nebula. 

Report: attending the Oregon Star Party with a Windows Tablet

The author of SkyTools was recently invited to speak at the Oregon Star Party. He decided to bring only a Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet with him. Greg reports that he was very pleasantly surprised at how well this compact and affordable tablet worked. Not only did he run SkyTools 3, but he kept up on his email and did the usual trip stuff, such as street maps and watching TV on the plane.  When it was time to speak he hooked it up to the projector for his PowerPoint presentation and software demo. No more lugging a laptop around for him!

SkyTools 3, because it's the astronomy that matters.