I bought my first telescope about 5 years ago. I purchased a Meade ETX 90EC from a local company that was going out of business. I was drawn to the goto feature that so many of the telescopes have today. What I quickly learned was that it was simple to goto an object, but I still needed to know what to goto.

So, I got myself a couple of star charts and a subscription to a magazine and started writing out lists of objects to view. This got really old really fast. I was spending more time researching than looking. I then decided that since I had a laptop, I'd let it do all the work searching for objects. But, what software would best suit my needs? There were so many!!

I wrote out a list of software features that were most important to me (of course at the top of my list was price). I looked at all the "big" names...you know the ones...the full color glossy advertisements in the magazines...the television commercials...the crazy high prices to pay for all that advertising. I was tempted...I admit it. But the price was too high.

My search continued. Then I came across the website for Deepsky 2000 (as it was called then). I started at the top of my list....price...BINGO! Now you have my attention. With the low price, I expected to run into a dead end on features. WRONG! It had all the feature of the "biggies" and a whole lot more. I have been using the program ever since and I love it!

What I did not have on my feature list that I now find to be one of the best features of this product is the support. You know how it usually goes with software issues....you send an email to the support team, you get that automated response, and 3 or 4 days later, you get an actual response that really does nothing to help.

Not with Deepsky Astronomy Software. You send an email to the author with a question and you can usually expect the correct answer in a couple of hours, not days. Or, you can log onto the software Yahoo group and post the question there and get answers from both the author and other software users. Most likely the question has already been asked and the answer can be found on the message board with a little searching.

The list of features is expansive and powerful and really easy to use. As with any software, there is a learning curve. The author has even helped out with that by creating online training videos. You won't find that at the other software websites. The bottom line is this.....Deepsky Astronomy Software is not about making money...it's about helping astronomers do what they love.

Steve:

I would like to say that your program is simply AMAZING! At first I thought the cost was a little steep for the DVD version, but I'll check it out. My jaw hit the floor (seriously) when I seen what this baby can do for me. I havn't had a clear night yet but I can already tell you Deepsky is going to be absolutly UNREAL. I would have paid four-times your asking price for this sweet, awsome, unbelievable, insane, kick-ass software. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to seeing more GREAT versions of this simply priceless software.

I started as amateur astronomer 8 months ago and I had been looking for a software for learning, star charts, control scope etc. but the options that I found (The Sky and Starry Night Pro) are very expensive here in Mexico. One day I found your software and I decided to buy it. I believe that I decided correctly!! Your software is valuable tool for learn more about the universe, an excellent complement for my telescope, and the cost is very affordable.

Congratulation for your great work and for your contribution to the amateur astronomers !!!! Greetings from Monterrey Mexico !!

What a great piece of software. If someone were to ask me to list all the components of the ideal observing software, I would not have included all the details in your software. What brilliance!

Terry Sandbek

This is one great piece of software! It is so robust and powerful, I stopped looking at other packages and purchased it the same day. I even abandoned my own project to create a logging package for Astronomy... I was out-classed!

Deepsky contains all the functionality that I, as a programmer and amateur astronomer, would write into an astronomical program if I had time. It has really met my needs for planning and logging observing sessions, and has saved me the time of having to write my own program of this nature. It's ability to control my LX-200 (or link to ACP to do so) is a great added bonus.

This software product is in a class by it's own. It is not a simple planetarium-type graphical skymapper - this is a powerful observation tool for the serious amateur astronomer, complete with skygraphs as an added bonus.

Deepsky is a great software package that just keeps getting better. The observation planning and logbook features are second to none. Deepsky is the one program that I use in the field every observing session. Logbook entries can be created with a single click. Detailed object information, observing notes, and just about anything else in the 400,000+ object database can be readily accessed through the easy-to-use interface. Author Steve Tuma provides excellent technical support and is dedicated to continuously improving the product.

What's up tonight? I can print out a list of Herschel objects in one or two Constellations that will be optimally placed for viewing, arrange them by magnitude and head outside. If I can't find that faint planetary nebula, I can create a detailed finder chart showing twelfth magnitude stars, or check the comments of other observers. There are magazines, books and web sites with lists of objects for intermediate level stargazers. The versatility and features of Deepsky2000 allow me to create my own lists, tailored to my observing site, my particular interests and my equipment. Best of all, Deepsky runs on my Pentium 75 laptop. Thanks for a great product.

Easy to use interface. Excellent technical support. Simply the best.

I just would like to say thanks for ending my quest for an all-in-one astro program that I can actually use in the field on clear nights, as well as on the pc during poor-seeing study sessions. I've tried many astronomy packages - you beat them hands-down and at a fraction of their cost. Just wish I had tried DeepSky first! Thanks again for a great product and your patience and timelineness in attempting to address my questions.

Clear Skies Without Skeeters!

The key to a successful and productive observing session is preparation. Normally I would spend some time (perhaps an hour or more) before the session leafing through star catalogues and books to hunt down and list the details of deepsky objects. Those days are over - DeepSky quickly generates detailed lists that are easily optimized, and even creates finder charts of those objects if you so wish. In particular, the 3 panel finder charts showing different field of views is an excellent idea which makes locating objects at the telescope a piece of cake. It doesn't stop there - the observer's logbook makes life so much easier in recording and cataloguing your observations.

All in all, Deepsky is an invaluable addition to the armory of any serious observer, and I for one would not wish to be without it.