AstroGrav 5.3 Released for Windows and Mac

AstroGrav adds many new features and improvements to its precision solar system simulator

23rd December 2024 - AstroGrav 5.3 includes significant improvements to the facilities for handling JNow coordinates in solar system simulations. Several enhancements have been made to the evolution algorithm, the solar system sample simulations have been updated from 1st January 2024 to 1st January 2025, and there are many other improvements and bug fixes. Full details are available from:

New JNow Features

View windows now have four new commands for displaying JNow coordinates, which mirror the four already existing commands for displaying J2000 coordinates. These new commands display the JNow ecliptic grid, the JNow ecliptic, the JNow equatorial grid, and the JNow equator. At times within a few years of 2,000 AD, these JNow grids are very similar to the corresponding J2000 grids, but at times centuries or millenia from the present, the JNow grids are very different to the J2000 grids, due to the combined effects of both polar and orbital precession. These new commands are available both as menu items, and as buttons on the corresponding tool palette. In addition, some other commands (such as searching for a particular location on the celestial sphere) that used to work only with J2000 coordinates, now work with both J2000 and JNow coordinates.

Evolution Improvements

Several enhancements have been made to the evolution algorithm, which improve both its accuracy and its performance. Most simulations now run significantly faster than in previous versions of AstroGrav, and many simulations that used to require multiple processors / cores now only require a single processor / core. The overall effect is that AstroGrav now uses much less computing power to run significantly faster.

Other Improvements

A prominent central cross has been added to the grid guide that can be displayed on a view window, and this makes the location of the window's exact center much more obvious. The solar system sample simulations have been updated from 1st January 2024 to 1st January 2025, and a bug has been fixed that prevented the search options from working when attempting to import comets or asteroids into a solar system simulation. Several other minor improvements and bug fixes complete this major upgrade.

Upgrade

The AstroGrav 5.3 update is free of charge, and may be downloaded and installed immediately from:

About AstroGrav Astronomy Software

AstroGrav Astronomy Software produces astronomical and gravity simulation software for astronomers, researchers, educationalists, and students. For more information, visit the company's website:

Press Contact:
Russell Calvert
AstroGrav Astronomy Software
russcalvert@astrograv.co.uk

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