Astronomy buffs who live under city lights never quite get used to the lack of a bright night sky. This software can help make up for that loss, displaying a constantly changing version of the star-studded heavens as a computer's desktop wallpaper. Users simply select a location, and DeskNite shows the night sky as it would appear from that point, automatically updated to keep track of the time and seasons. The accompanying Sky Diver utility lets users who want more details on specific celestial objects zoom in on any star or planet, and get more information. The program does have a fairly large RAM footprint of about 8MB. Despite this, many astronomy enthusiasts will certainly find this a welcome addition to their desktops.
Where do I start? After downloading I couldn't get the dropdown menu to work, and therefore couldn't customise it. I ended up with a static screen of tiny stars which was unresponsive. I decided to uninstall it - this was impossible, and even my McAfee security system couldn't shred it. I then tried simply changing the wallpaper, but whatever I chose reverted to DeskNite within seconds. I eventually had to run System Restore to get rid of it. It was a total waste of time. Don't touch it with a bargepole.
I did not like it
notclay
Pros
I did not like it
Cons
I did not like it
Summary
<br /><br /><span class='notifyMsg'> Updated </span>on May 3, 2009<p/>It took over my desktop again. This is 15 days after I removed it! Now I Really do not like it.
Way cool!
BC1963
Pros
If you've ever wondered "what star is that?", this is a cost-effective way yo find out without shelling out cash. The default settings display a good rendition of the night sky at your location, and the toolbar lets you choose your orientation.
Cons
The guide only gives general information on the functions, so be prepared to play with the controls. You mignt need a book on astronomy to get a better grasp of the terms used. The Sky Driver toolbar is accessible from the system tray, but it was only by accident I discovered the right-click menus that allow fine-tuning of the display.
Summary
Practically adware
two25ml
Pros
It's small
Cons
Restricted installation options. Fills your desktop with more ad's than stars.
Display the dynamic night sky as your computer wallpaper.DeskNite is a free system-tray program that will display a dynamic, real-time view of the night sky as your desktop wallpaper, updating itself automatically as the earth turns. You can configure DeskNite to display views that you like: the sky as seen from your very own home location. DeskNite displays more than 3,000 stars, nine planets, the sun, the moon, and Messier and NGC objects in point source and photoplate display styles, with stereographic, equal area, equidistant, and orthographic projection models. It also features flexible alt/az viewpoints, constellation lines and boundaries, and horizon and equatorial grids.