SkyDome is a starmap including the radio sky with an original user interface.

SkyDome is a star chart utility which eneables you to study stars, planets, galaxies andradio sky using an interactive interface.

SkyDome is one of the few electronic skymaps that display the multiwavelength milkyway, or The Radio Sky.

Different types of radiation are visualized via the interface, like 408MHz radiowaves, gamma-, x-rays,.... Each frequency shows different aspects of the universe. SkyDome has maps created by satellites like COBE, EGRET, IUE etc.

The movement of the stars in the constellations during the earth's rotation is easy to understand when looking 'at a distance'. This is the alien's view. The alien (you) looks from outside the universe at fixed spot on the planet and sees the nightsky of the observer.

Here are some key features of "SkyDome":

· Data from approx. 120'000 star's from the Hipparcos catalogue from ESA, 1989. Real-time and fastforward rendered. The user's perspective (longitude and latitude) can be changed using the mouse.
· Planetary body's like Sun, Moon and planet positions are the map.
· The Multi Wavelength Milky way and Radio Sky is rendered at real-time.
· A Radio source from El Arecibo (Puerto Rico) is included and drawn using IFS.
· The Fish-eye view displays the sky from the earth's ground (and looking straight up).
· Controllable Light-Transfer-Function The nightsky looks very differently under different conditions. This has to do with the light-pollution and other atmospheric conditions. You can simulate this using keyboard controls.·


Limitations:

· SkyDome was made using OpenGL/C++ , using FFTW and a rather slow engine: it's slow, very slow and so you need a fast computer to make it workable.·