Halley's Comet

ZX Computing

By the time you read this the new government scheme to provide additional educational software support for schools should be well under way. This scheme will make new programs or the equivalent money available to schools, the differing procedures dependent upon the individual Education Authorities. If you are the teacher responsible for purchasing new software then unfortunately the age old problem of suitability still exists. If you are lucky enough to have access to a Teachers' Centre with a software library for reference then the problem is not so bad. Often however, word of mouth recommendation or impartial reviews are the only means by which it is possible to be sure of obtaining the right program for your needs. HALLEY'S COMET Finally to something entirely different; Halley's Comet (Your Own Planetarium). In view of the current mania sweeping certain sections of our populace this is very timely although by no means original in idea. There seems to be a superabundance of astronomy programs at the moment, however this deals specifically with Halley's Comet and after only a short time in which to look at it seems to be an extremely detailed program. It is possible to go backwards and forwards in time to see the differing star/planet configurations for any given date. There are extensive options for viewing planetary motions and star charts as well as being able to use one of the two programs as a computer equivalent of an Orrery (model of the solar system!). An almost endless list of key functions puts you in command of your own computerised planetarium and these take a little getting used to. A little practise however soon makes these second nature. The program has zoom facilities as well as being able to follow movements of planets and stars in daylight. One rather silly suggestion is to take your television outside at night to compare your display with the night sky. Notwithstanding this however, the program seems very competent. It has a comprehensive duplicated booklet which is very necessary to get used to all the different keys! If you require a program to keep tabs of the Comet on cloudy nights then this well worth a look. Halley's Comet, Spectrum 48K, £8.95 from Anima Scientific Computing, [redacted].

ZX Computing

Anima £8.95 With Halley's Comet just around the galactic corner there seem to be a number of comet related programs popping up at the moment. This one from Anima Scientific Computing actually consists of two programs, a Planetarium which gives a view of the sky and the progress of the comet during both night and day, and an 'Orrery' which is a model of the solar system and the comet's path through it. The Orrery initially gives a view of the sun and plots the orbits of the inner planets around it. Then, using the cursor keys you can rotate this view allowing you to observe the solar system from any angle, which creates quite a fascinating effect. You can also use the 'V' and 'Z' keys to enlarge or shrink the view to include the orbits of the outer planets as well. The Planetarium is less interesting visually, but perhaps more useful, since by showing you the path of the comet in the sky it will allow you to trace the comet (and the other planets in the sky) when it does arrive. There are options here to take into account atmospheric effects and to see below the horizon, and, as with the Orrery, to rotate the view so that you are looking at the sky from different directions. Both programs have options which allow you to manipulate the time scale - either to travel backwards and forwards in time to other appearances of the comet, or to speed up/slow down the passage of the comet as shown on the screen. Obviously an astronomy program like this will appeal only to a small specialist audience, but it does seem to achieve its aims quite well. It's a little expensive, but after all, Halley's Comet only turns up every seventy years or so, if you're interested why not contact Anima at; [redacted].