CelestialMatters News

[rthorvald]

We are happy to release the CM Website Mark II !

http://www.celestialmatters.org now runs on new server software, and we have used the occasion to both fine-tune our design and move from a member-centric to a project-centric site layout. The entire site has gotten an overhaul, the homepages are new and better, and we are finally indexing all the content and making it searchable.

The site should now be easier to navigate, and perhaps also more fun to browse in, as there are some interesting new functionalities underway...
Welcome!

- rthorvald

[t00fri]

New F-TexTools/Nmtools with Direct High-Quality DXT Output

Hi all,

I just released the first PRE version of my texture tools with direct high-quality DXT VT tile output in CelestialMatters. You are VERY welcome to test the new DXT functionality before I'll publsh a final release 2.0! This saves lots of time, "shell script" logistics AND -- most importantly-- the DXT tiles boost your performance on "monster" textures amazingly! ...

Here is the link:

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... =5628#5628

Enjoy,
Fridger

[ajtribick]

W Ursae Majoris stars

Hello,

I've now released my W Ursae Majoris stars add-on. These are contact binary stars, where each star has its own nuclear core but they share a single common photosphere. The add-on includes 43 such systems, and I hope you enjoy it. Go to the add-on page for more information and the download.

Andrew

[t00fri]

My New Titan 2009 texture

Have a look at my finalized Titan texture for Celestia.Sci that is based on the very recent Ciclops release of Feb 26.

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... 5&start=13

If you are interested in more detail, start reading from the beginning...

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewtopic.php?t=305

Enjoy,
Fridger

[ElChristou]

Attack of the flying sau...
...
No, wait all wrong!
Those are the new fantastic models by James R. Bassett.
Find them fro download here: http://www.celestialmatters.org/?q=node/137

Warning, these addons are 1.6 and later compatible.
Don't forget to play the scripts! (repeatedly, better!)

Enjoy!

[t00fri]

Hello, friends,

I just noticed that our CelestialMatters site is at the top of ibiblio?s homepage, followed by the Celestia Motherlode! I thought you might find this interesting... And Mona Lisa is there too!

- a nice acknowledgement!

http://www.ibiblio.org

Fridger

[rthorvald]

Due to a network outage, Celestial Matters is down today.
We expect it to be fixed within 24 hours.

- rthorvald

[John Van Vliet]

--- edit ---

[t00fri]

Let me draw your attention on a new thread of mine at CM, entitled

Fighting the Polar Pinch (ascii CMOD shape models)

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... =7308#7308

In this thread, I presented my new results about an almost complete reduction of the familiar polar pinch effect at the level of (ascii) shape models! I am quite happy how well this works.

Fridger

[t00fri]

Let me draw your attention to a new thread of mine at CM, entitled

Fighting the Polar Pinch for Normalmaps

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... =7467#7467

This work was in part stimulated by the new Kaguya/LALT topography data for the Moon and partly by my successful fights against the polar pinch in case of CMOD shape models

Enjoy,
Fridger

[t00fri]

...and the Galaxy-Coloration saga at CM is going on ...

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... 54&start=9

Enjoy,
Fridger

[t00fri]

Enjoy some first screenshots with Celestia from the brand new 32k Mercury imaging from several Messenger flybys!!

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... 56&start=2

Fridger

[Hungry4info]

Amazing o_O The best Mercury texture I've yet seen. If I may ask, when might we expect to be able to download this D:?

[John Van Vliet]

I am sure that t00fri will have a how to up soon on the CM .For me After i redo my Moon i will start on this one.

[t00fri]

...the next chapter of my Galaxy-Coloration saga at CM has been written ...

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... 4&start=12

Enjoy,
Fridger

[t00fri]

Hi all,

possibly, some of you are interested in my latest CelestialMatters thread, entitled
Marc Bluie's New Pluto Imaging in Celestia
http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewtopic.php?t=362

It is based on the brand new Hubble-based Pluto maps and my correspondence with Marc Bluie.

Fridger

[t00fri]

Celestia.Sci: Preview of New Tethys (11k), Enceladus (14k)
http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewtopic.php?t=363

Enjoy,
Fridger

[t00fri]

The Moon with new LRO-LOLA Altimeter Data

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... =7803#7803

I just started a hopefully fruitful CM thread about the new LRO-LOLA Moon imaging with a photoshooting in Celestia (.Sci), based on just 8k non-tiled Moon textures, with lots of useful links and some relevant notes about using my Nmtools in this context!

Enjoy,
Fridger

[t00fri]

"Singing" Pulsars in Globular Clusters

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewt ... =7953#7953

For my forthcoming Celestia.Sci release, I am currently working to create a beautiful rendering of millisecond pulsars in globular clusters, including the measured rotational sound patterns. Have a look at my new thread and see/listen how the 47 Tucanae pulsars are "singing"...

Fridger

[t00fri]

Porting the CMBEASY software package

http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewtopic.php?t=390

Relevant for people with a professional-level interest in Cosmology.

CMBEASY is a very well-known scientific software package for calculating the evolution of density fluctuations in the Universe. Most notably, the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature anisotropies. Both my daughter and I are using this code (and modifications thereof) for our scientific work. Actually, most scientific projects in Cosmology rely on this big program package (C++, Qt >= 4.2,...) in some way.

Fridger