Depend on Stella's data quality and extendability . In the final analysis, an astronomical application stands or falls by the quality of its data, and Stella 2000's sources are second to none. For telescopic and binocular observers, we begin to climb the ladder of Stella's optional SAO extensions , all the way from magnitude 7.0 to those stars beyond magnitude 9 resolvable by more powerful amateur telescopes. The SAO and Hipparcos extensions are tiered in batches of 25000 stars , and may be purchased and loaded at your discretion. For Stella's representation of the sky, realism has been the watchword , and we are confident that this ideal has been achieved.
Color is the key .
The essence of a star is color, linked intimately to spectral class. Astronomers have given all the brighter stars a color index, and Stella's palette is based on it. Not that this may matter to you, but it will to many. The Concise HTML Dictionary of Astronomy and Coeli Solar Guide , Stella 2000 climbs into those rarefied realms where sit enthroned commercial products on CD ROM costing up to 5 times as much. The Cosmos is at your fingertips.