Telescope Reviews: Wanted: joint effort on 3D virtual Lunar tool !

Hi all,
this came up as I downloaded the NASA World Wind Moon (that Mardi had recommended ). - In addition to Moon, one can browse with it on Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Earth and Sloan Digital Sky server material.

The World Wind Moon -program is apparently able to browse Clementine mapping data with "full 3D terrain". This requires 3D video graphics card, which I unfortunately don't yet have on my old faithful datamill, so I have to wait a bit more...

But - the downside of the World Wind Moon is that it does not (as far as I understand) have any database functionality - only names and an ability to "measure" craterlets and change the Sun angle and azimuth.

Would it not be sweet to combine this already existing 3D Clementine data (and 3D engine with camera tilt adjustment) into Virtual Moon Atlas (VMA) - or perhaps to Jim Moshers excellent Lunar Terminator Visualization Tool (LTVT) .

That would be marvellous: to have access to the databases that these programs can provide via the true and powerful 3D link!

In Jim's program the obvious advantage - among many other excellent features - is the ability of the program to predict exact terminator and to have ephemeris data even dating back to Galilean times - plus the ability to predict events. In addition, there is the ability there to project photos over the map most accurately.

In VMA, the apparent strength is in various easy access databases. The new Lunar photo database manager (VMA 4.0b version) that enables one to see all the pics together and scroll them horizontally with a bar on a window (in previous version it was pic per window).

What a wonder it is now to be able to see the best photos of Paolo Lazzarotti and Wes Higgins (a total 750 of them) side by side with the already familiar probe photos and maps - to provide a whole new perspective on the Moon!

BTW - I reckon folks here are familiar with Google Moon which seems to be a nice piece of program, too. That seems to have an excellent feature in combining maps and photographic texture...

So, it is easy for me to suggest these kind of ideas, as I have no abilities whatsoever in computer programming... only a dream

Who would - or could - melt all the best features in these into a single superb virtual Lunar tool - or do we really have to use three to four different programs for the single Moon!

Be well all!

--------------------
Share - and you shall have it all

Timo Keski-Petäjä

CtheMoon

Observation shelter KuuMaja (MoonHut)

TAL 250K*Celestron C8-N*SkyWatcher Skymax 150 Pro*TAL1(Mizar)*EQ6 Pro SynScan*Celestron Advanced GT (CG-5 GOTO)*Baader Hyperion Clickstop Zoom 8-24*17 mm UWA-70*TeleVue BIG 2x Barlow*Celestron 2x Barlow Ultima SV Series