C2A

Although for most individuals the sky is simply an area that's either the source of light in daytime and filled with wonder at night, there was a time when it served as a means of navigation. With powerful tools guided by computer applications, thorough sky maps and celestial body observations are done for both leisure and research. What's more, using specialized applications such as C2A it all becomes practical, efficient, and why not fun.

The application is not strictly targeting a specific public and can be used even by beginners, but with a little time spent accommodating due to the amount of features and complexity. On the other hand, if used in specialized environments such as planetariums, it becomes a powerful tool, with integrated components that enable you to connect a telescope via COM ports.

Running the application brings up the interface with a simple design in terms of visuals, but filled with various components that are not difficult to understand. What's more, most of the space is taken up by the preview section which updates in real time if your computer is connected to the Internet.

Enthusiasts most likely get to spend a significant amount of time analyzing all possibilities, with nearly every known celestial body displayed, along with several grids you can toggle and edit for better identification.

Each item can be hidden or made visible at the press of a button. Observation is a plus, with thorough tools to set up, including location with fields for coordinates, as well as a list of predefined locations for easier setup. There's also a log book so you can write down any observations or upcoming events.

As mentioned above, the application comes equipped with support for telescopes you can connect via COM ports. Controller types let you choose from Native LX200, Skysensor 2000 PC, PicAstro, Celestron NexStar and a few others.

You can play with a manual controller to point the telescope to a specific location, or simply mark a point on the star map in an attempt to have the telescope automatically focus it.

All things considered, beginners and enthusiasts can put this trustworthy application to good use for observations or research. The amount of features and tools C2A comes equipped with is staggering and can take some time to get familiar with. Needless to say that it is an incredibly powerful utility with a real time updating sky map and telescope support, making a test run become a sensational joyride.