Deepsky's spreadsheet screen is the perfect way to find interesting objects to observe. There's a tool called the What's Up Wizard that displays objects that are visible at your location at any given time. Simply answer a couple questions and a customized observing list will be loaded into the spreadsheet for your review.

Add focus to your observing sessions by creating an observing plan. Plans are simply a user defined collection of galaxies, nebula, star clusters, planets, comets, and other objects. Before you go out and observe, create a simple plan that contains the objects you want to look for. You can create star charts and other reports to aid you in your quest to locate them or if you have a computerized telescope, you can use Deepsky to locate each object in your plan automatically.

As you are observing, it's nice to be able to keep track of what you see. Deepsky's log book and observing journal make it easy to record your notes, sketches, images, and other information. Deepsky includes an OBJECT OBSERVED filter which allows you to filter objects you have already seen from being included on observing lists. This is a great way to ensure you are always looking at new things.

A star chart is a map of the night sky which is used as a reference when locating objects. Just like points of interest on a map, objects from your observing plan show up in various constellations on the chart. To locate an object in the night sky, use the chart to find the constellation that the object is in. Once you recognize the constellation, simply compare the object's location on the chart to the night sky. Typically you will flip back and forth between the sky and the chart until you get it's approximate position. From there you can align your telescope to that position and scan the area using the finder scope. This is called "Star Hopping".

There's plenty of information available in Deepsky's arsenal of tools. Deepsky calculates information for the Sun, Moon, Planets, Asteroids, and currently visible comets. You'll always know what phase the moon is at and when it rises and sets. This information is invaluable when planning an observing session because when the moon is out, it makes it harder to see fainter objects like galaxies.

Deepsky is all about images. Having images for all your objects to confirm an observation has never been easier. In fact, Deepsky supplies over 410,000 detailed images of deepsky objects. These images are not only in standard JPEG format and can be copied to your hard drive, but are fully integrated into the software so you will have many access points as you use the Deepsky.

For example, to view an image, right click on any object in your observing plan and select OBJECT DETAILS. Instantly, an image of the object along with all of its important information will be shown on your screen. Now it's easy to confirm an observation while viewing the object through a telescope because you will have an actual image there with you.

In addition, Deepsky's powerful image processing functions lets you enhance your images and convert them to different formats.

Deepsky utilizes the internet to bring you digital sky survey images, and the ability to sync your PC clock to a highly accurate time server.

With computerized telescopes dropping in price, it's becoming incredibly easy for someone with little experience to locate objects in the night sky. When you join Deepsky observing plans with a computerized scope, you will be able to easily see many objects in a short period of time.

Many other features await you! Whether it's night vision mode for your laptop, or integration with Cartes du Ciel, you will have nearly all the computer based tools you need to observe the night sky.