Hope you got 'em while they were hot -- Carina Voyager and SkyGazer

Over the weekend, we posted information about Carina Software's software giveaway to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Today (July 20th) is the day, and for a limited time this morning you could get their two Mac applications (Voyager and SkyGazer) for one cent each. That's right – US$0.01 for each app. The iPhone / iPod touch versions are available for free downloads from the App Store, and my colleague Mel Martin is posting about those apps. The Mac downloads were stopped at 9 AM PDT at the request of Carina's web hosting provider, as the huge number of downloads were overwhelming their available bandwidth.

Mel and I felt it would be a great idea to let TUAW readers get more information about these applications, so we're doing a pair of First Look posts to fill you in on the details. Even if you didn't get the low-cost downloads, you might be inspired by the Apollo anniversary to purchase one of these applications at the usual price. Be sure to read Mel's look at the iPhone apps here.

The two applications have different target audiences. SkyGazer is aimed at the beginning or novice astronomer, and at educators who can use the program to demonstrate astronomical principles. Voyager, on the other hand, is a full-functioned astronomy package for the professional or serious amateur astronomer, and includes such important features as the ability to control computer-driven scopes. Read along for more information about these two guides to the night sky.
SkyGazer 4.5.4
It's best to think of SkyGazer 4.5.4 as a home planetarium application. It has a database of stars, deep-sky objects, planets, moons, and asteroids. Updates are available from the Minor Planet Center and other Internet sources so new spacecraft, comets, and asteroids can be added to SkyGazer.

For amateur astronomers who are planning an evening observing session, SkyGazer can print out detailed star maps tailored to a particular point on earth and a specific time period. These maps can be very useful when observing with the naked eye, binoculars, or small telescopes.

Star maps aren't the only trick in SkyGazer's bag. It can also show you a number of historical celestial events in a simulation, allow you to learn more about eclipses and Earth's seasons, and demonstrate precession and retrograde motion.

I love the fact that SkyGazer can put in horizon objects such as trees to make the simulation much more realistic. You can also add in outlines of the constellations, have deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and clusters highlighted with small circles, and even add the tracks of Earth-orbiting satellites to your sky.