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The Sky Tonight® ©1981-2008 Stephen E. Hutson, All Rights Reserved Worldwide |
Programs number 1 through the current program (nearly 1,400 programs) are now available on two data DVDs, which play on most computers. These are all editions of the program from November 1981 through the current date, except for one, as described below.
Some of the content is dated — for example, Pluto won’t be in Libra tonight like it was in February of 1989 — but there’s a lot of historical data, and virtually every constellation and bright celestial object visible from mid-northern latitudes has been covered at least once. When constellations have been covered multiple times, the latest program will of course contain the most up-to-date information as the state of the science advances.
Programs 1 through 873 — November 1981 through August 1998 — were digitized from IEC type IV master cassette tapes, complete with their “vintage” sound. Programs 874 through 1255 were retrieved from master audio CDs.
All programs include their original equalization, although some that didn’t survive the ages very well have been cleaned up to improve their fidelity. Countdowns and other headers have been removed to improve the listening experience. Some two-part episodes were combined into one program. The DVDs employ quality Maxell media.
Only program #539 (The Sun, which aired in March of 1992) has been lost forever. Every other edition of the program that aired on WEFT is on the DVD set.
A portion of the proceeds ($5.00 per set) will be donated to WEFT to further support their outstanding contribution to the community.
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The Data DVD Set |
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| This two DVD set is delivered to your door via USPS Priority Mail. It’s a DVD-R set, which is compatible with the widest variety of computer DVD drives. The files are encoded in AAC format (also known as .mp4 or MPEG-4 files), which means that they’ll play in a wide variety of Mac and Windows media players, such as the free, cross-platform iTunes and QuickTime Player.
The files are encoded at a bit rate of 96 kbps and a sample rate of 44.1 kHz, except for the newer programs (the year 2006 and later), which are encoded at a higher-quality bit rate of 192 kbps. Your computer must be able to read DVD data discs in order to access the content. All programs are arranged by year for easy navigation, and are named by program number and title. A handy Index and Instructions file is included on the discs in .pdf format, so that you may search the program database and learn more about the series. You may also download the .pdf file now, as described below. The Data DVD set costs $25.00 plus shipping (remember, part of this goes to WEFT). You may safely purchase the DVD set from our secure online store, which accepts all major credit cards. Your DVD set will be on its way to you within five days. |
 Two (2) Data DVDs |
The Program Index and Instructions
You may separately download the file that’s included on the DVD:
Enjoy your time under The Sky Tonight®!
