StarShow Help Index

Explore the Universe with Out-of-this-World Software

         StarShow™ Viewer by Warme Software™

Commands

File menu

Action menu

View menu

Help menu

Procedures

How to Register this ShareWare

How to Install StarShow

How to Install the ScreenSaver

How to Use Help

Windows Shortcut Keys

Background Information

Notes and Requirements

Movie Descriptions

Acknowledgments and References

New Products

StarTrax Astronomy Software


File menu commands

The File menu offers the following commands:

StarShow Setup	Change configuration options.
Exit	Exit StarShow.


StarShow Setup command
StarShow Setup command (File menu)

This command presents the StarShow Setup dialog box, where you select the type of display and other options.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Click the [Setup] button in the initial control bar.


StarShow Setup dialog box

The following options allow you to select the type of display and other options:

Display Type

Movie File:	click on the dropdown listbox and select one of the movie files listed.
Time Increment:	enter the time interval (-60 to +60) between each frame and select the units of time (minutes, hours, days, months, or years) in the dropdown listbox.
Rotate Azimuth:	enter the number of degrees (-90 to +90) each frame is rotated around the vertical axis.
Rotate Altitude:	enter the number of degrees (-90 to +90) each frame is rotated around the horizontal axis.
Zoom In/Out:	enter the percent change of the field of view (1 to 100) for each frame.
Smooth Transitions

Check this box if you want the view to change smoothly from one frame to the next.  If this box is not checked, you can watch the drawing of each frame, but the motion may be jerky.

Delay between frames

Enter the number of seconds (0 to 60) to delay between frames.  To determine the fastest frame rate for your computer, set the Delay to zero and count the number of seconds between frames.  The frame rate also depends on the Display Type.  For smooth motion with a uniform delay between frames, choose a Delay value at least one second larger than the fastest frame rate.

StarShow Pathname (ScreenSaver only)

Normally, the program will find the StarShow directory automatically and enter the Pathname for you.  However, if the search fails, a message will ask you to enter the correct pathname.  The Install program copies all of the files on the StarShow disk to a subdirectory named STARSHOW (for example, C:\STARSHOW).  Only the file called STARSHOW.SCR is copied to your \WINDOWS\ directory.

Control Buttons (Normal version only)

At the bottom of the control bar, the following buttons let you control the action:

[Prev]	returns to the previous frame of the sequence (shortcut <F2>)

[Start/Stop] starts or stops continuous display of the sequence of frames (shortcut <F3>)

[Next]	advances to the next frame of the sequence (shortcut <F4>)

[Close]	hides the Setup control bar and widens the main viewing window

[Apply]	while running, this button lets you change options without Stopping

[Help]	presents this Help screen


File Exit command
Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to end your StarShow session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click the application's Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


Action menu commands

Commands in the Action menu control the sequence of movie frames:

Previous Frame	Returns to the previous frame.
Start/Stop Movie	Starts or stops continuous frames.
Next Frame	Advances to the next frame.


Previous Frame command
Previous Frame command (Action menu)

Use this command to go backwards in the sequence of movie frames.

Shortcuts

Keys:	F2


Run/Stop Movie command
Start/Stop Movie command (Action menu)

This command starts or stops the continuous sequence of movie frames.  At the end of the movie, the sequence starts over at the beginning.

Shortcuts

Keys:	F3


Next Frame command
Next Frame command (Action menu)

Use this command to go forward in the sequence of movie frames.

Shortcuts

Keys:	F4


View menu commands

The View menu offers the following commands:

Control Bar	Shows or hides the control bar.
Status Bar	Shows or hides the status bar.


View Dialog Bar command
Control Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Control bar, which initially shows the StarShow logo on the left side of the StarShow window.  After you click [Setup] or select StarShow Setup in the File menu, the StarShow Setup dialog box appears in the Control bar.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Control bar is displayed.


View Status Bar Command
Status Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the Status Bar, which is displayed at the bottom of the StarShow window.  Each time the star view is redrawn, information about the present view is also shown in the Status Bar.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed.

The left area of the status bar describes actions of menu items as you use the arrow keys to navigate through menus.  Information about the present frame is also shown in the status bar.

The right-hand areas of the status bar indicate the center position of the view and the field size:

Indicator	Description

Azm	Azimuth of the center of view (Altazimuth coordinates).

Alt	Altitude of the center of view (Altazimuth coordinates).

RA	Right Ascension of the center of view (Equatorial coordinates).

Dec	Declination of the center of view (Equatorial coordinates).

Lon	Longitude of the center of view (Ecliptic or Galactic coordinates).

Lat	Latitude of the center of view (Ecliptic or Galactic coordinates).

Fld	Field width of the view in degrees.


Help menu commands

The Help menu commands provide assistance with this application:

Index	Offers an index to topics on which you can get help.
How to Register	Gives information about registering this ShareWare.
How to Use Help	Provides general instructions on using help.
About StarShow	Displays the version number of this program.


Index command (Help menu)

Use this command to display the opening screen of Help.  From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using StarShow and various types of reference information.

Once you open Help, you can click the [Contents] button whenever you want to return to the opening screen.


How to Register (Help menu)

Thank you for evaluating StarShow, which is distributed as ShareWare (try before you buy).  If you enjoy using StarShow, please support this method of distribution by paying the registration fee.  Your support will encourage the author to release future programs as ShareWare, and you will be notified as they become available.

You are welcome to try StarShow on your computer for up to 10 days.  If you continue to use it after the 10 day trial period, please register by sending $20 to:

Warme Software

StarShow Registration

120 South Patterson Street

State College, PA 16801

You will receive a floppy disk (specify 3.5 or 5.25 inch high density) containing the latest version of StarShow with your name in the registration message, plus additional movie files.  You will also receive information about our new StarTrax™ Astronomy Software, which lets you create your own movie files and offers unlimited possibilities for exploring the universe.

You are encouraged to pass along exact copies of the StarShow disk to your friends, provided that you include all files on the original disk and mention that it is ShareWare, not Public Domain (free) software.  You are authorized to upload the complete ShareWare package (STARSHOW.ZIP) to Bulletin boards, which are authorized to distribute it electronically without any fee beyond time charges.

Selling (or requesting donations for) this program is prohibited, but a copying fee or distribution charge of $5 or less is permitted.  Commercial distribution of this program alone or in combination with other programs is prohibited without written permission from Warme Software (at address above).  The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that we can send updated versions to distributors, so that only the most recent version of this program will be distributed.


How to Use Help command (Help menu)

Use this command for instructions about using Help.  Press <F1> now for further informaion.


About command (Help menu)

This command displays the copyright notice, version number, and registration status of your copy of StarShow.


How to Install StarShow

Although Windows can run StarShow directly from floppy disk, it will run faster from your hard drive.  The ScreenSaver version will work only if StarShow is installed on your hard drive.  The Install program copies all of the files on the StarShow disk to a subdirectory on any hard drive (for example, C:\STARSHOW), and copies only the file called STARSHOW.SCR to your \WINDOWS\ directory.  Install then adds the StarShow icon to the Applications group in Program Manager (Windows 3.1 only) and optionally, lets you run StarShow or run Control Panel so that you can configure the ScreenSaver.

1.  If you are starting with a floppy disk containing INSTALL.EXE, STARSHOW.EXE, and various movie (.TRX and .TXT) files:

a.)  If necessary, start Windows by typing WIN at the DOS prompt.

b.)  Run the Install program by selecting Run... from the File menu of either File Manager or Program Manager.  In the Run dialog box, type A:INSTALL (or B:INSTALL) in the Command Line: box, and select [OK].

c.)  When the Install StarShow dialog box appears, edit the drive and directory (for example, C:\STARSHOW\), and then click [Install StarShow] or press <Enter>.  The Install program will copy all files to the given directory.

d.)  After successful installation, you can choose [Configure StarShow ScreenSaver] (see StarShow Setup dialog box) or choose [Run StarShow] to run the standalone program.  For Windows 95, the [Configure StarShow ScreenSaver] option is not yet available but the ScreenSaver can be installed manually (see How to Install the ScreenSaver).

2.  If you are starting with a single file called STARSHOW.ZIP or you wish to install StarShow without using the Install program:

a.)  Create a directory called STARSHOW on any disk drive and copy all StarShow files to this directory, as follows:

From Windows File Manager, select the root directory of any drive.  From the File menu, select Create Directory..., type STARSHOW as the name of the new directory, and select [OK].  Select (highlight) all StarShow files in the source (floppy disk) drive and directory.  Select File:Copy... and, in the To: box, type [drive:]\STARSHOW, where [drive:] is the letter for the drive chosen above.  Click [OK] to copy all files to your hard drive.

Or, from DOS, switch to the root directory of any drive (for example, type C:<Enter> and then CD\<Enter>).  Make a directory called STARSHOW (MD STARSHOW) and then change to this directory (CD STARSHOW).  Next, switch to the source (floppy disk) drive and directory containing the StarShow files (for example, type A:<Enter>).  Copy all files to the new STARSHOW directory (for example, type COPY *.* C:\STARSHOW).

b.)  If you are starting with a single file called STARSHOW.ZIP, it must be unzipped using PKUNZIP.  Otherwise, go to step c.

From Windows File Manager, find and select (highlight) the file called PKUNZIP.EXE.  Select Run... from the File menu and edit the Command Line box to say PKUNZIP.EXE [path]STARSHOW.ZIP, where [path] is the disk drive and directory containing STARSHOW.ZIP.  Click [OK] or press <Enter> to unzip all files.

Or, from DOS, change to the directory containing PKUNZIP.EXE (for example, CD C:\ZIP).  Then, type PKUNZIP [path]STARSHOW.ZIP where [path] is the disk drive and directory containing STARSHOW.ZIP.

After successfully unzipping all files, run the Install program (INSTALL.EXE) to complete the installation.  If the files were unzipped to a directory called STARSHOW, you can install to the same directory; in this case, the Install program only copies STARSHOW.SCR to your \WINDOWS\ directory.

After successful installation, you can delete STARSHOW.ZIP, INSTALL.EXE, and FILELIST.TXT from your hard drive.  However, you might want to keep a copy of these files on a floppy disk in case you need to re-install the program later, perhaps on a different computer.

c.)  To run StarShow:

From Windows File Manager, change to the STARSHOW directory and then double-click the file called STARSHOW.EXE.  Or, select (highlight) STARSHOW.EXE, select Run... from the File menu, and click [OK] or press <Enter>.

From Windows Program Manager, select Run... from the File menu, type [path]STARSHOW.EXE, where [path] is the disk drive and directory containing STARSHOW.EXE, and then click [OK] or press <Enter>.  If you want to run StarShow from an icon in Program Manager, arrange your windows so that both Program Manager and File Manager are visible at the same time.  In File Manager, click and drag the filename STARSHOW.EXE and drop it into any Program Group in Program Manager.  Then you can run the program by double-clicking the StarShow icon.

Or, from DOS, type WIN [path:]\STARSHOW.EXE<Enter>, where [path] is the disk drive and directory containing STARSHOW.EXE.  You may want to create a batch file containing this command.


How to Install the ScreenSaver

Before installing the ScreenSaver, you must first install StarShow (see How to Install StarShow).  The ScreenSaver version will work only if all files are installed on your hard drive.  To install and configure the ScreenSaver, follow this procedure:

a.)  If StarShow was installed successfully using the Install program, skip to step b.  Otherwise, copy the file called STARSHOW.SCR from the source disk or directory to your WINDOWS\ directory.

From Windows File Manager, select the source disk or directory and then select (highlight) the file called STARSHOW.SCR.  A quick method is to drag STARSHOW.SCR to your WINDOWS\ directory.  A slow-but-sure method is to select Copy... from the File menu and then, in the To: box, type [drive:]\WINDOWS, where [drive:] is the drive containing your main Windows directory.  Finally, select [OK] to copy only the STARSHOW.SCR file.  All of the other StarShow files should remain in the STARSHOW\ directory.

b.)  Configure the ScreenSaver.

Run the Windows Control Panel and double-click the Desktop icon (for Windows 95, double-click the Display icon and then select the Screen Saver tab).  Next, click the Screen Saver Name: dropdown listbox.  Select StarShow ScreenSaver from the list of names.

To configure the ScreenSaver, click the [Setup...] pushbutton.  If the StarShow Pathname field at the bottom of the dialog box does not contain the path to your StarShow directory, enter the correct pathname (for example, C:\STARSHOW\) and click [OK].  You will then have five choices of Display Type.  For the first trial, choose Movie File and select Constars.trx from the list of movie files on the right half of the dialog box.  Check Smooth Transitions and enter a Delay: value of 5 seconds.  Click [OK] to accept these choices.  See StarShow Setup dialog box for more details.

Back in the Desktop dialog box, enter the Delay in minutes, which controls the minimum time period that your computer must remain idle before the ScreenSaver starts.  Click [Test] to start the ScreenSaver immediately.  To end the test, just move the mouse or click any mouse button or press any key.

NOTE:  If the ScreenSaver is triggered while you are already running StarShow, the ScreenSaver will not run.  Instead, the StarShow window will be maximized, the Control bar will disappear, and the movie will start running automatically, using the current Setup options.  The only notable difference between this mode of operation and the ScreenSaver is that the caption and menus will remain visible so that you can resume normal control of StarShow when you return to your computer.


Program Notes and Requirements

StarShow Viewer is a shareware astronomy program that displays stars, constellations, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters.  You can change the location, angle, or time of view and zoom in or out to see the universe from any perspective.  Versatile animation features can change the view automatically at selectable time intervals.  Ten animation files demonstrate features of the program, accompanied by informative descriptions of each frame.  StarShow can also be used as a colorful screen saver, showing any of the supplied animation files.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:

80386SX or faster CPU, 2 Mbytes RAM or more, VGA or better display, Math coprocessor recommended but not required.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:

Windows 3.1 or newer, DOS 3.0 or newer, 500 Kbytes disk space.


Movie Descriptions

This section describes each of the standard movies included with StarShow, in alphabetical order.

COLORBLK.TRX

This movie shows 18 different color combinations, using a black background.  The grid line color changes from blue to green to red.  For each grid line color, the constellation line color changes to one of the other two primary colors.  For each constellation line color, the constellation name color changes to the third unused primary color or magenta or yellow.  The grid numbers change most rapidly, choosing among three other unused colors.  As you can see, there are many color combinations, even with these few colors.  With StarTrax, your choices of color are virtually unlimited.

EXPERIMENT:  Stop the movie when you find a color combination that pleases you.  Then, switch to one of the other Display types (Time, Azimuth, Altitude, or Zoom) and select [Start].  Notice that the color combination that you chose is used for subsequent frames.

COLORBLU.TRX

This movie is similar to COLORBLK.TRX, except that it uses a dark blue background.  See COLORBLK.TRX for more information.

COLORWHT.TRX

This movie is similar to COLORBLK.TRX, except that it uses a white background.  See COLORBLK.TRX for more information.

EXPERIMENT:  If you want to print a hardcopy of any StarShow frame, a white background works best for many printers.  To print a frame, press Alt+PrtSc to copy it to the clipboard.  Next, run Windows Paintbrush and press Ctrl+V to paste the picture into Paintbrush.  Select Print from the File menu and select Whole to print the entire picture or select Partial to print only part of the picture.

NOTE:  If your display card provides more than 16 colors, it may be necessary to paste the picture into an application (such as Word for Windows) that knows how to print palette colors.  StarTrax can print detailed star charts in color or black and white without copying them to another application.

CONSTARS.TRX

The Find option in StarTrax lets you center the field of view on any constellation, prominent star in a given constellation, named star, planet or non-stellar object.  This movie was made by Finding each of the 88 constellations, in alphabetical sequence.  The status bar gives a short interpretation of the constellation name.  Many stars are labeled with a name, a Greek letter, or a number.  Equatorial coordinates are used for this movie, as indicated by the Right Ascension (RA) and Declination (Dec) values in the status bar.

EXPERIMENT:  You can change the frame at your own pace by clicking [Next] when you are ready to advance to the next frame or clicking [Prev] to review the previous frame.  To quickly select any frame without viewing every in-between frame, hold down the <F4> or N key to go forward or hold down the <F2> or P key to go backward.  (If pressing N or P just produces a beep, click [Next] or [Prev] to set the focus on a button.  Use <Alt+N> or <Alt+P> if the focus is on an item that would be changed by pressing N or P.)

CONSTELL.TRX

This movie shows each of the 88 constellations and is similar to CONSTARS.TRX, except that the stars are not labeled and Altazimuth coordinates are used, as indicated by the Azimuth (Azm) and Altitude (Alt) values in the status bar.

EXPERIMENT:  Click [Stop] on any constellation, switch to Zoom mode, and then click [Start].  The field of view will zoom in to show details of this constellation and then will zoom out, allowing you to see other constellations near this one.

FEATURES.TRX

This movie demonstrates some of the StarTrax options that are not otherwise available in StarShow.

Frames 1 to 4 increase the limiting magnitude from 2 to 5.5, showing more stars at each level.  StarShow includes all of the 2710 stars up to magnitude 5.5, the limit of naked eye visibility.  The magnitude scale in the lower left corner shows the size for stars of each magnitude shown on the screen.

Frames 5 and 6 Enhance (brighten) the stars by 2 and 3 magnitude levels.

Frame 7 shows the stars in colors denoting their spectral type or temperature (O=white, B=cyan, A=lilac, F=yellow, G=orange, K=red, M=brown).

Frames 8 to 10 decrease the Enhance level to zero, making the stars appear smaller.

Frame 11 returns to white stars and adds constellation outlines.

Frames 12 to 14 show constellation labels in several styles.

Frames 15 to 17 zoom out to a 180 degree field, and frames 18 to 26 zoom in to a 10 degree field with the Auto-Enhance feature turned on, which causes the star sizes to change with the field width.

Frame 27 zooms out to a 30 degree field, with Enhance level 3.

Frames 28 to 30 show star labels in several font styles.

Frames 31 and 32 zoom out to a 60 degree field, with Enhance level 0.

Frame 33 reduces the font size and frames 34 and 35 zoom out to a 90 degree field.

Frame 36 omits star labels except for stars with full names.

Frame 37 adds grid lines and frame 38 adds grid numbers for Altazimuth mode.

Frame 39 removes the star names and magnitude scale.

Frame 40 shows Messier objects (galaxies, clusters, and nebulae) in a 90 degree field.

Frame 41 zooms in on an 8 degree field in the Virgo cluster of galaxies.

Frame 42 shows a 45 deg field of clusters and nebulae near the center of our galaxy.

Frame 43 turns on planets and planet names, and then frame 44 adds the ecliptic.

Frame 44 is the result when all Show and Label options are enabled.

EXPERIMENT:  The differences between frames are listed in the status bar.  Since the changes from one frame to the next are quite abrupt, it is better to click [Next] and advance by single frames, rather than starting the movie by clicking [Start].

FINDMESS.TRX

StarTrax makes it easy to find any object (Messier or NGC) or SAO star by entering its number, or by clicking [Next] or [Prev] to view the next or previous item in the list.  This movie was made by simply turning on the movie recorder and clicking [Next] to find each of the 110 Messier objects (galaxies, clusters, and nebulae) in sequence, using a 20 degree field.  Galaxies are shown as red circles, globular clusters are violet diamonds, open clusters are cyan triangles, nebular clusters are orange squares, diffuse nebulae are yellow X marks, and planetary nebulae are brown plus (+) marks.  The status bar provides a brief description of each object, including its popular name (if any), its magnitude, type, size, and New General Catalog (NGC) number.

EXPERIMENT: The symbol for each object is shown at the approximate size of the object.  If the symbol is too small to see clearly, zoom in to get a closer look.

LATITUDE.TRX

Your position on the Earth determines which stars are visible at any particular time.  The Earth is a moving observation platform.  In Altazimuth coordinates, the position of any star is specified in terms of its Altitude (relative to your horizon) and its Azimuth (direction relative to true North or 0 degrees).  For a given date, time, latitude and longitude, StarShow can show you exactly where each star is located.  Star positions depend on the latitude of your location.  Star positions also depend on your longitude, but your time zone automatically compensates for this factor.

This movie changes the latitude in small steps from the North pole (+90 degrees) to the South pole (-90 degrees) and lists various cities at each latitude in the status bar.  The stars in the center of the view (at the 90 degree mark) are directly overhead.  Notice that the altitude of the celestial North pole for your location is the same as your latitude.  This sequence is not particularly interesting visually, but it allows you to see how the stars look at almost any latitude.

EXPERIMENT:  To see what stars are visible right now in your back yard, stop the movie at the frame closest to your own latitude and then switch to Time mode and adjust the time to the present time.  If you are using daylight savings time, add one hour to the time shown by StarShow.  At any given local time, the stars will be in about the same positions, regardless of your longitude.

The initial direction of view is to the North (0 degrees Azimuth), but you can change the direction of view by switching to Azimuth mode and setting the Azimuth to 90 degrees for East, 180 degrees for South, or 270 degrees for West.  To change the Altitude of view, switch to Altitude mode and adjust the Altitude to position the horizon (the magenta horizontal arc) near the bottom of the screen; stars above the horizon are visible, but stars below the horizon cannot be seen at the present time.  To see which stars will be visible one hour from now, switch to Time mode and advance the time by one hour.  Notice that the star positions change with time, due to rotation of the Earth.  See TIMESEQ.TRX for further information.

PLANETS.TRX

This movie demonstrates the planetarium view in StarTrax.  In frame 1, we see the entire Solar System from a position about 15 degrees above the ecliptic plane, at a distance about 50 Astronomical Units from the Sun.  The orbits of most of the planets lie in the ecliptic plane, and their orbits around the Sun are nearly circular.  The orbit of Pluto is quite eccentric, moving far above and below the ecliptic plane, and its orbit is also especially non-circular.  Between the years 1973 to 2001, Pluto is actually closer to the Earth than is Neptune.

Frames 2 to 9 zoom in closer and closer to the Sun, which is always at the center of the view.  In frame 9, we clearly see the orbits of the inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.  In frames 10 to 13, the orbits are omitted and the sizes of the planets are increased.  Frames 14 to 74 show the positions of the inner planets at 6-day intervals over a period of one year.  The Earth orbits the Sun in one year (365.26 days), but the other planets have different orbital periods: Mercury 88 days, Venus 225 days, Mars 687 days, Jupiter 11.9 years, Saturn 29.5 years, Uranus 84.1 years, Neptune 164.8 years, and Pluto 248.5 years.

EXPERIMENT:  Stop the movie at one of the frames between 14 and 74.  Switch to Zoom mode and zoom out (click [Prev]) to a field of 50 to 60 degrees, where Jupiter and Saturn will be visible.  Switch to Time mode, set the time period to about 6 days, set Delay to 0 seconds, and click [Start].  Notice that while the inner planets race rapidly around the Sun, the outer planets move very slowly.  Stop the movie (click [Stop] or press the S key), change the time period to about 6 months, and click [Start] again.  If you watch long enough or increase the time period to 1 or 2 years, you will also see Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

You can also change your viewing position (Latitude or Longitude relative to the ecliptic plane) by switching to Altitude or Azimuth mode.  Notice that when you are above the ecliptic plane (Latitude less than zero) the planets seem to move around the Sun in a counter-clockwise direction, whereas below the ecliptic plane (Latitude greater than zero) the planets seem to move in a clockwise direction around the Sun.

TIMESEQ.TRX

This movie shows how the stars move with time.  The North Pole is at the center of the circle.  Polaris, the North Star, is close to the North Pole.  Polaris is part of the constellation Ursa Minor.  Another name for Ursa Minor is the Little Dipper.  The handle of the Little Dipper ends at Polaris.  Time is advancing by one hour for each frame.  Notice how the Little Dipper rotates counter-clockwise.  Let's think of the Little Dipper as the hour hand of a gigantic clock in the sky.  This hour hand circles the clock in about 24 hours.  But the hour hand is going backwards with time.

The stars seem to rotate around the North Pole because the Earth is rotating around its axis.  Actually, the stars stay in nearly the same place, but our observing platform is moving with time.  In 24 hours, the Earth completes one rotation.  This accounts for our cycle of nights and days.  During daytime, our position on Earth faces the Sun and at night, our position points away from the Sun.

The celestial clock doesn't quite match normal clocks.  The Earth rotates in 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one Sidereal day), relative to the stars.  Astronomers use Sidereal time to track star positions.  After 24 hours, the hour hand completes one cycle.

Now, time is advancing by one month per frame.  Again, the Little Dipper rotates counter-clockwise.  The hour hand circles the clock in about 12 months.  The hour hand still circles the clock every 24 hours, but its starting point is changing slightly each day.  The starting point changes because the Earth revolves around the Sun in about 12 months, or one year.  This accounts for our yearly cycle of seasons.  A Solar day is the length of time for the Sun to appear at its highest point (meridian) on successive days.  Since the Sidereal day is 4 minutes shorter than the Solar day, there are about 366 Sidereal days per year.

EXPERIMENT:  The text above is listed in the status bar, line by line, as the movie runs.  This text is loaded from a disk file called TIMESEQ.TXT.  When you open a movie file, StarShow looks for a .TXT file with the same name.  If such a file exists, one line is listed in the status bar for each frame of the movie.  You can modify the text or add text to a movie by using any text editor, such as NotePad or the text editor included in StarTrax.


Acknowledgments and References

Thanks to the many astronomers who have tirelessly measured the positions, magnitudes, and spectral types of the stars included in this program.  Thanks also to the NASA Astronomical Data Center and the National Space Science Data Center for providing data on a CD-ROM called ADC Selected Astronomical Catalog Data, Vol 1.  Some of the calculations in this program are based on algorithms described by Peter Duffett-Smith in Astronomy with your Personal Computer, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1990.  The program AA5 Version 5.0 (July, 1991) by Stephen L. Moshier was very helpful for checking planet positions and precessing star coordinates to epoch 2000; AA5 was included on a CD-ROM called Our Solar System by Chestnut CD-ROM, Inc., 1992.  Some of the algorithms and data employed in this program are described in The Astronomical Almanac and Almanac for Computers, 1986 published by the Nautical Almanac Office, U. S. Naval Observatory, U. S. Government Printing Office.  Some algorithms are also described in Astronomical Formulae for Calculators by Jean Meeus, 3rd ed., Willmann-Bell, Inc., 1985.  Constellation outlines and descriptions are based on SkyGuide: A Field Guide to the Heavens by Helmut K.Wimmer (Golden Press, New York, 1990).  Data for bright stars up to magnitude are based on Petersons Field Guide to Stars and Planets by Donald H. Menzel and Jay M. Pasachoff (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1983).


NEW PRODUCTS:  StarTrax™ Astronomy Software

Explore the Universe with Out-of-this-World Software

StarTrax™ Astronomy Software by Warme Software™

StarTrax is a full-featured astronomy program that lets you explore the universe of stars, planets, galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae in the comfort of your home, without concern about the weather outside.  StarTrax is amazingly easy to use, with menus, toolbars, status bars, scroll bars, and pushbuttons that respond to your every command.  Detailed, context-sensitive help screens will answer any questions you may have as you explore the universe.  The help screens also contain background information that makes StarTrax educational, as well as fun.

With StarTrax, you can:

*  record your own movie files in endless variety,

*  choose your viewing location anywhere in the world,

*  set the precise time and date of view (from 1 AD to 30000 AD),

*  select the objects in view: 88 constellations, more than 39600 stars of magnitude up to 8.0, 109 Messier objects and 7840 NGC objects (galaxies, clusters, and nebulae), and planets of the Solar system,

*  choose star colors (either white or selectable colors representing star types O, B, A, F, G, K, and M),

*  adjust the sizes of stars of different magnitudes, and automatically adjust the sizes as the field of view changes,

*  label star views with constellation names, equatorial grid, star names, Greek letters, magnitude scale, Messier or NGC numbers,

*  find any constellation, prominent star in a given constellation, named star, or planet by choosing from extensive lists; the selected object instantly appears at the center of the screen.

*  find any object (Messier or NGC) or SAO star by entering its number,

*  identify any star or object on the screen by clicking the mouse nearby,

*  select the colors used to draw various items (the colors update instantly as you change them on displays with 256 or more colors),

*  zoom in to view details or zoom out to get a broad view, using either the mouse or convenient pushbuttons,

*  scroll the view in any direction with the versatile scroll bars,

*  view the motions of planets accurately, either in a planetarium view or superimposed on a background of stars,

*  print detailed star charts in black and white or color on any printer supported by Windows,

*  and much more.

For more information about our full-featured StarTrax Astronomy Software, contact:

Warme Software

120 South Patterson Street

State College, PA 16801


Windows Keys
Windows Shortcut Keys

The keyboard topics below come from Help for Windows.

Cursor Movement Keys

Dialog Box Keys

Editing Keys

Help Keys

Menu Keys

System Keys

Text Selection Keys

Window Keys


Cursor Movement Keys

Key(s)	Function

DIRECTION key	Moves the cursor left, right, up, or down in a field.

End or Ctrl+Right Arrow	Moves to the end of a field.

Home or CTRL+Left Arrow	Moves to the beginning of a field.

PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN	Moves up or down in a field, one screen at a time.


Dialog Box Keys

Key(s)	Function

TAB	Moves from field to field (left to right and top to bottom).

SHIFT+TAB	Moves from field to field in reverse order.

ALT+letter	Moves to the option or group whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

DIRECTION key	Moves from option to option within a group of options.

ENTER	Executes a command button.

Or, chooses the selected item in a list box and executes the command.

ESC	Closes a dialog box without completing the command. (Same as Cancel)

ALT+DOWN ARROW	Opens a drop-down list box.

ALT+UP or DOWN ARROW	Selects item in a drop-down list box.

SPACEBAR	Cancels a selection in a list box.

Selects or clears a check box.

CTRL+SLASH	Selects all the items in a list box.

CTRL+BACKSLASH	Cancels all selections except the current selection.

SHIFT+ DIRECTION key	Extends selection in a text box.

SHIFT+ HOME	Extends selection to first character in a text box.

SHIFT+ END	Extends selection to last character in a text box


Editing Keys

Key(s)	Function

Backspace	Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.

Or, deletes selected text.

Delete	Deletes the character to the right of the cursor.

Or, deletes selected text.


Help Keys

Key(s)	Function

F1	Gets Help and displays the Help Index for the application. If the Help window is already open, pressing F1 displays the "Using Windows Help" topics.

In some Windows applications, pressing F1 displays a Help topic on the selected command, dialog box option, or system message.

SHIFT+F1	Changes the pointer to [image] so you can get Help on a specific command, screen region, or key. You can then choose a command, click the screen region, or press a key or key combination you want to know more about.

(This feature is not available in all Windows applications.)


Menu Keys

Key(s)	Function

Alt	Selects the first menu on the menu bar.

Letter key	Chooses the menu, or menu item, whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

Alt+letter key	Pulls down the menu whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

LEFT or RIGHT ARROW	Moves among menus.

UP or DOWN ARROW	Moves among menu items.

Enter	Chooses the selected menu item.


System Keys

The following keys can be used from any window, regardless of the application you are using.

Key(s)	Function

Ctrl+Esc	Switches to the Task List.

Alt+Esc	Switches to the next application window or minimized icon, including full-screen programs.

Alt+TAB	Switches to the next application window, restoring applications that are running as icons.

Alt+PrtSc	Copies the entire screen to Clipboard.

Ctrl+F4	Closes the active window.

F1	Gets Help and displays the Help Index for the application. (See Help Keys)


Text Selection Keys

Key(s)	Function

SHIFT+LEFT or RIGHT ARROW	Selects text one character at a time to the left or right.

SHIFT+DOWN or UP	Selects one line of text up or down.

SHIFT+END	Selects text to the end of the line.

SHIFT+HOME	Selects text to the beginning of the line.

SHIFT+PAGE DOWN	Selects text down one window.

Or, cancels the selection if the next window is already selected.

SHIFT+PAGE UP	Selects text up one window.

Or, cancels the selection if the previous window is already selected.

CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT or RIGHT ARROW	Selects text to the next or previous word.

CTRL+SHIFT+UP or DOWN ARROW	Selects text to the beginning (UP ARROW) or end (DOWN ARROW) of the paragraph.

CTRL+SHIFT+END	Selects text to the end of the document.

CTRL+SHIFT+HOME	Selects text to the beginning of the document.


Window Keys

Key(s)	Function

ALT+SPACEBAR	Opens the Control menu for an application window.

ALT+Hyphen	Opens the Control menu for a document window.

Alt+F4	Closes a window.

Alt+Esc	Switches to the next application window or minimized icon, including full-screen programs.

Alt+TAB	Switches to the next application window, restoring applications that are running as icons.

Alt+ENTER	Switches a non-Windows application between running in a window and running full screen.

DIRECTION key	Moves a window when you have chosen Move from the Control menu.

Or, changes the size of a window when you have chosen Size from the Control menu.


Restore command (Control menu)

Use this command to return the active window to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


Move command (Control menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F7


Size command (Control menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press ENTER when the window is the size you want.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


System Minimize Command
Minimize command (Control menu)

Use this command to reduce the StarTrax window to an icon.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the minimize icon [image] on the title bar.

Keys:	ALT+F9


Maximize command (Control menu)

Use this command to enlarge the active window to fill the available space.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the maximize icon [image] on the title bar; or double-click the title bar.

Keys:	CTRL+F10 enlarges a document window.


Switch to command (Control menu)

Use this command to display a list of all open applications.  Use this "Task List" to switch to or close an application on the list.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+ESC

Dialog Box Options

When you choose the Switch To command, you will be presented with a dialog box with the following options:

Task List

Select the application you want to switch to or close.

Switch To

Makes the selected application active.

End Task

Closes the selected application.

Cancel

Closes the Task List box.

Cascade

Arranges open applications so they overlap and you can see each title bar.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Tile

Arranges open applications into windows that do not overlap.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Arrange Icons

Arranges the icons of all minimized applications across the bottom of the screen.


Close command (Control menu)

Use this command to close the active window or dialog box.

Double-clicking a Control-menu box is the same as choosing the Close command.

Shortcuts

Keys: 	CTRL+F4 closes a document window

ALT+F4 closes the window or dialog box