Pocket Stars (ARM / XScale) 5.5.0 for Windows Mobile Pocket PC

Pocket Stars is an integrated, real-time star finder, ephemeris, and celestial navigation tool for the Pocket PC. A Star Chart near as your pocket!

Pocket Stars is a portable guide to the heavens for casual stargazers, astronomers, and celestial navigators alike.

New for Version 5: Supports Windows Mobile 6, WM5, and all existing Pocket PCs utilizing an ARM/XScale processor, at all resolutions including VGA, QVGA, in landscape, portrait, and square orientations. 3D Solar system flythrough. GPS location support. Complete color skinning. Fast zoom control.

Pocket Stars is Designed for Microsoftฎ Windowsฎ for Pocket PC Logo certified, and winner of the 2005 Smartphone and PocketPC Magazine Award and other Best Education Application awards.

Star Chart Features

• Simple and fast star, planet, constellation and Messier object identification. Single click on any body to get the name, designation, calculated altitude, azimuth, and magnitude. Drag the cursor to scroll the chart. Zoom in and out with a single click.
• 3D Solar system flythrough.
• User location set by GPS, clicking on map, city selection, or by entering Latitude and Longitude.
• Complete user control of colors and skins.
• Orbital paths of inner planets and sun.
• Time Animation.
• Black, white, and red star chart colors for normal, bright, and night viewing conditions, respectively.
• Chart can be rotated to any of the 16 compass points and also flipped along the North - South axis.
• Chart can be "live, realtime", or static for any user selected time.
• Core positional calculation routines based on "Novas" (Naval Observatory Vector Astrometry Subroutines Version 2.0.1) from the US Naval Observatory.
• Star data is from the Bright Star Catalog (5th Revised Edition), comprising the 9110 brightest stars using J2000 equatorial positions and the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). Corrections are performed for proper motions and parallax.
• Planet ephemeris data from Jet Propulsion Laboratory using the DE405 database. DE405 is JPL's latest planetary ephemeris with correction for both nutations and librations. DE405 uses the J2000 International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). The portion of this database provided with Pocket Stars covers the years CE 2000 to CE 2020. Other ephemeris date ranges are available for download.

Celestial Navigation Features

• Reduction from sextant altitude to observed altitude for any of the 9110 stars, nine planets, and sun and moon.
• Corrections for observer height (DIP), refraction (temperature and atmospheric pressure), and vessel movement.
• Position from intercept and azimuth by calculation for multiple sextant observations following procedures in The Nautical Almanac by the United States Naval Observatory.
• Any number of sextant observations can be individually enabled to compute a best fit when computing a FIX. Results may be plotted, showing the assumed position (AP), FIX, and observations with intercepts and amplitudes.
• Intermediate calculations for each observation can be displayed, with selectable formats (DD.dddd, DD MM.mm, DD MM SS) for degrees, minutes, seconds.

Other Features

• Rise, set, and meridian times for all solar system bodies.
• Lunar Phase calendar and animation showing the relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun.
• Images and physical data for planets, moon and sun, Messier and Caldwell objects.
• Great Circle distance calculator
• Range and bearing calculator
• Horizon distance calculator
• Julian Day calculator
• Degree minute seconds conversion calculator

More information

• Screen shots, demonstration movies, additional ephemerides, and FAQ available at author's website.
• Separate versions are available for each processor family: ARM, MIPS and SH3. This version supports ALL Pocket PCs using an ARM/XScale processor.
• The trial version is fully functional for a period of 15 days. After this demo period elapses, some capabilities are disabled unless registered. A registration code enabling permanent full functionality will be mailed immediately upon purchase.
• Program updates are free for registered users.

Accurate, fast, fun!