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.