Hi all,
Sorry, This is going to be a long post 
Is it just me, or has somebody also noticed it? I haven't seen any post or discussion about it but this is too cool not to share!! I know pilots don't spend time star-gazing at night while flying, let alone people like us on a flight sim with very limited visibility.
So there I was on a parking ramp at Page Municipal (KPGA) in the cockpit of the F-18 facing south. While playing around with the T and SHIFT-T keys to cycle thru time of day, something familiar caught my eye at my right hemisphere as the sky turned dark. Through the bubble canopy of the F-18 looking up/right, I caught the familiar formation in the heavens - the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) constellation!
I thought it was just a random placement of the stars (just like in the other sims) so I looked again, and with my little familiarity about the stars I immediately scanned the surroundings, and Lo and Behold - the constellations are there and exactly where they should be!! Orion, Taurus, Gemini, M45 (Pleiadis), Small dipper, Big dipper, etc.... and Oh! I immediately found Polaris (the North Star!) It is between Big and Small Dipper.
I said to myself, you gotta be kidding me... so I put Polaris near the monitor center and pressed/hold T/Shift-T and presto... it is indeed the North Star Polaris.. The whole night sky rotated around this star as it held steadily dead center. It is just freakin' UH-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Now, did I hear you say "Does it matter in a sim? How is that important? Not that we are using stars for navigation... etc." You are right. Why do we even care, let alone in a sim? That is not what I am trying to say. It just shows how the team behind FS2 are really putting effort in recognizing and depicting an accurate sky map and placement of the stars even though it has no bearing with our virtual flights. How many of you even care to glance up in a virtual sky while you fly at night? I know this is irrelevant, but correct me if I'm wrong to say that I haven't seen any flight sim that depicts the accurate placement of the stars in my nearly 15+ years of simming! I didn't give a damn about it in a sim, but noticing this in FS2 is something impressive. KUDOS to the team of FS2. Have you been consulting with Neil deGrasse Tyson about this? LOL!!
Try this:
- On any aircraft with bubble clear canopy, set location at KPGA Page Municipal. Pick the only parking ramp with that grey plane icon. This positions you with a heading due south.
- Now change Time to UTC 11h 50mm (dawn)
- On your 9'oclock high, there is Orion's belt (those three lined up bright stars). From that point in the sky, if you are familiar with the sky map you will immediately locate the familiar neighboring stars.
- On your 3'Oclock high is Polaris (North Star).. immediately to the right (your 5'Oclock) is the Big dipper (Ursa Major).
- Now put Polaris roughly at the center of your monitor, and press Shift-T repeatedly. Notice how everything in the sky revolves around it?!?
The question I ask the devs is what time of the year did you chose to map the stars the way it is in FS2? ( Had FSX modelled these placement accurately, it could have been fascinating to see them in different positions at night - remember FSX can let you choose the season/time of year.). Secondly, does the moon ever rises/sets at different times or is it modeled in one particular time of the year only? I know this doesn't matter, but it'd be cool if they are simulated. 
Anyways, my salute to the artists and devs!! Looking forward for more features and goodies for FS2.
Cheerio
Santiago