StarStrider 2.8.5

Published by FMJ-Software, StarStrider is a software application that was developed by Markus Dimdal and Alexis Brandeker. Markus Dimdal is an independent software developer and has a M.Sc. in engineering physics. Alexis Brandeker also has a M.Sc. in engineering physics; he also has a Ph.D. in astronomy from Stockholm University.

When a software developer and an astronomer get together, only one type of application can result – an application that focuses on astronomy obviously. That application is StarStrider.

If you ever liked going to the planetarium, you are definitely going to like what StarStrider has to offer. To put it bluntly, this application will show you all the planets in our solar system, all the satellites on our solar system, and more than 100K stars in the solar system. But if you thought it stops there, you would sadly be mistaken. StarStrider also presents galaxies, nebulae, supernova remnants, and the band of the Milky Way.

StarStrider uses state of the art 3D technology to present all the planets and satellites and other things of the sort I mentioned above.

If you decide to give StarStrider a shot, you must first download the application. In this regard you must know that the download weighs in at some 15MB – on a lousy internet connection the download may take a while to complete. Once downloaded, the application can be installed on pretty much any version of the Microsoft-developed Windows operating system.

You can use StarStrider free of charge only during a 30-day trial period. Once the trial period is up, you will have to pay for a license to enjoy the application. During the trial period an “unregistered evaluation copy” banner will be displayed on top of the main window, which can prove to be annoying. And here’s something else that can prove to be annoying: the application will exit automatically after 10 minutes. All these annoyances can be dealt with by simply purchasing a license.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Nice 3D graphics
• Combines photo realism and scientific accuracy
• Includes a comprehensive database of common names for stars, constellations, galaxies, nebulae and planet surface features

Cons

• Free to use only during the 30-day trial period
• Demo version display an “unregistered evaluation copy” banner
• Demo version automatically closes after 10 minutes

StarStrider has been reviewed by George Norman on 11 May 2010. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated StarStrider 4 out of 5 stars, naming it Excellent