Distro Astro 2.0 is an excellent Linux OS to learn about the basics of a simple desktop environment as well as explore the marvels of the universe. It is also an excellent all-in-one Linux platform for astronomy enthusiasts and professional astronomers alike with some of the best celestial-studying software included. Distro Astro is an impressive and solidly performing Linux distro.

The Linux desktop offers distributions for many diverse interests and specialties. Distro Astro is for astronomy enthusiasts.

The latest version, Distro Astro 2.0, is dubbed "Pallas." It was released Nov. 20, 2013, at the South East Asian Young Astronomers Collaboration conference in Bandung, Indonesia. It is a major upgrade focusing on refinements for professional astronomers.

The next release, version Juno 3.0, is due next November. It will focus on the needs of amateur stargazers.

Astronomy software falls into two broad categories. It is designed either for amateur or for professional astronomers. Distro Astro addresses both of these user groups.

Generally, the best amateur astronomy software is written for Microsoft Windows. However, the Linux platform provides the best professional strength astronomy software. This Pallas release gives both amateur and professional astronomers a means of bridging that software divide.

This distro release supports the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface and Microsoft's Secure Boot extension. This means you can install Distro Astro 2.0 as a dual boot on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

Earlier Distro Astro versions could not dual boot with Windows 8. So this Pallas version could become a smooth migration path for astronomers of all stripes looking to run the best available astronomy software for both platforms.

While I am very conversant with both Linux and Windows OSes, I am less than a newbie on all things related to astronomy. So I walked a long-time colleague through Distro Astro. My cohort is an avid Mac user and devoted astronomy buff.

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