A Celestial Map Renderer Based on 3D Graphics System

It is not so easy for amateur astronomers or ordinary persons to find a specific celestial body on the night sky. We represent a celestial map rendering program which reproduces the night sky at the specific time and location. With the OpenGL-based full 3D-graphics features, our system brings a sense of spatial realism. For the more accurate celestial map rendering, we referred to a set of star catalogues including Messier list, Yale Catalog of Bright Stars, and others. Since it is developed on typical PC´s, our system can provide accurate celestial maps in an interactive manner, without any special equipment.