MyStars! Version 2.0a 1.0 GENERAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION This is a shareware product. THIS IS NOT FREE SOFTWARE, even if you received it on a CD-ROM, downloaded it from a bulletin board, or got it on diskette. Until registered you are entiled only to evaluate it for a period of 15 days, then it must be registered or use discontinued. Feel free to experiment with it and find whether it is of interest to you. Freely distribute as many copies of this product to friends and associates as you wish. The only restriction on copying is that you include all the files, without modification, that were originally included in your copy of this software (including this file). If you use decide to use the product after 15 days, or use it for educational purposes, I ask you to please register your copies with the author. The registration fee of $12 (including all taxes) per copy 'in your use' supports the development of this product and subsequent versions. Through the registration process the author can determine your needs and include them in subsequent releases of MyStars! 'In your use' refers to each copy of this software in your use. Generally this means 1 copy, but for educational or lan environments it refers to the maximum number of copies generally in use by your institution. When you register this product, you will receive, through the mail, a registration number. When entered into the program, this will immediately enable the setting of dates from 1000BC to 3000AD on your copy and will allow the moon, with its phases, to be visible. You will also be sent a larger list of city locations to use with your version. As well registration will guarantee you an automatic upgrade to the next version of MyStars! to be sent to you by mail when it becomes available, and subsequent releases for a period of two years. Enhancements planned for the next main release include object scaling, comet tracking and astronomy image management. If you have requests, send them at any time. To register, send $12 (U.S. or Canadian) with your name, postal address and current version number of MyStars! to: David Patte Relative Data Products 365 Sherwood Drive, OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada K1Y 3X3 You can also contact me by internet: david.patte@synapse.org or by fax: (613) 728-4240 10 percent of all registration fees will be donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, a registered charitable conservancy organization dedicated to the promotion and maintanance of green spaces and wildlife. Note to Overseas users: Please do not send personal cheques unless they are drawn on an American or Canadian bank. Postal money orders are more effective and preferred. DISCLAIMER: THIS SOFTWARE IS SUPPLIED WITHOUT WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND THE AUTHOR IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT LOSS ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE. This software has been extensively tested for bugs. If any bugs are found the author would be more than pleased to hear of them so that they may be removed from subsequent releases. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Minimum requirements: 386SX with 2 Megs of memory. Coprocessor not required. Windows 3.1. NOTE: Numbers in round brackets in the following descriptions, ie: (2.0) refer to the version number where this comment was added or modified. 2.0 WHAT THIS PROGRAM DOES: MyStars! is a windows program that shows the position of stars, the sun, the planets and the Messier objects as they would be seen from any position on earth. It also allows you to vary the time of view (what did the stars look like the day that I was born?). Various options allow you to view the planet names, constellation names, and several celestial coordinate grids as well. An animation option generates a series of views separated by fixed intervals of time. 3.0 INSTALLATION To install MyStars! simply copy all the files included with this package to any directory on your hard disk. These files may have to be unzipped first. A new sub-directory is recommended. then from program manager do: File New (program item); browse for MYSTARS.EXE, then select OK. (1.0c) If you are upgrading from an older version of MyStars!, make sure the new files must be placed in a new sub-directory. Also, you cannot run two copies (or different versions) of this program at the same time. 4.0 STARTUP: Double-click on the icon for MyStars! When MyStars! is started, ìf the product is not yet registered, a dialog box appears displaying registration information. If you have been sent a registration number press the Register button, enter your registration number in the box and press OK, otherwise press the Continue unregistered button. Once the copy is registered, this dialog box will not appear at startup. Then the View From dialog box appears. Enter the location from which you wish to view the stars, then press OK. Pressing cancel will use (1.0c) the last default location or 45N, 75W (Upstate N.Y.). Then the View At Dialog box appears. To use the current system time and date, simply press OK. This will show you the sky as it appears now. Otherwise adjust the date and time to specify your requested view. A rotating earth appears to indicate that calculations are being performed. When the rotation stops, the sky is displayed. You can modify the options and view at any time (even during the calculation process) by using the pull down menus. 5.0 COMMANDS: 5.1 OBJECTS: This allows you to select which astronomical objects will be computed and displayed. As objects are selected a check mark is placed beside the object type in the menu. Reducing the number of selected objects will reduce the time required to complete computations. - Objects Stars: Compute and display the stars. - Objects Planets / Sun: Compute and display the planets and sun. - Objects Moon: Disabled in this shareware product. To get a copy with the moon enabled and showing it phases, please read the registration information above. - Objects Deep Space Objects (2.0): Compute and display the Messier (M) objects. 5.2 VIEW: This allows you to select which view is required. - VIEW FROM LOCATION: Selecting this from the menu will pop up a dialog box allowing you to select the position on earth from where you want to view the sky. You can select one of the cities from the list provided, select any latitude or longitude, or (1.1) you can click on the map of the earth. Note that Latitudes and Longitudes may be entered in degrees and minutes (ie: 45 30 N), or as decimal degrees (ie: 45.5 N). Convenience scrollers are provided to increase and decrease the angles by five degrees. Four special convenience options can also be selected; North Pole, Equator, South Pole, and Greenwich Meridian. - VIEW AT DATE/TIME: Selecting this from the menu will pop up a dialog box allowing you to select the date and time when the view of the sky is wanted. The date is specified as year/month/day and convenience buttons are provided to move the date ahead or back one day. The time is specified as hour:minute:second in 24 hour format (midnight is 0:00:00) and convenience buttons are provided to move the time ahead or back one hour. You can also choose whether the displayed time is Local time, or Greenwich Mean time. When Local time is selected, you can specify whether Daylight Savings Time or Standard Time is selected. (1.1) To reset the time to that of the current system clock press Reset/Now. - VIEW TOWARDS: This leads to selection by either (2.0) Direction, Object, or Celestial Coordinate. The specified direction or coordinate is then placed in the centre of the display, and a checkbox remains in the pulldown menu to indicate the method last chosen. (1.1) See mouse selection described below for a shortcut method of selection of view. - VIEW TOWARDS FIXED DIRECTION (Altitude & Azimuth): Selecting this from the menu will pop up a dialog box allowing you to specify the view altitude and azimuth. (1.1) The altitude is the number of degrees up or down from the horizon you are looking, Either Horizontal, 0 degrees (looking towards the horizon), or Zenithal, 90 degrees (looking straight up), or (1.1) Nadiral, -90 degrees (looking straight down), or (1.1) any variation in between. Convenience scrollers allow the altitude to be modified in 5 degree increments. The azimuth is the direction (North,0; East,90; South,180; West, 270) you wish to face. Convenience scrollers allow the azimuth to modified in 5 degree increments. Changing the view will change the look of the display. The horizontal view shows what you would see in front of you. The horizon is a straight horizontal line. The zenital view is what you would see if you lay down on the ground looking straight up. The horizon is now a circle around you, and the point straight up is in the centre of that circle. You can imagine that your feet are pointing in the direction of the chosen azimuth. (1.1) Inversely, the Nadiral view is what you see facing straight DOWN towards the ground (if you could see through the earth). The earth is in front of you and the stars are around the horizon. - VIEW TOWARDS OBJECT (2.0): Selecting this from the menu will pop up a dialog box allowing you to chose an object to view towards. You can select to view towards: - a Star: by common name, by Bayer Id number, by Flamsteed Id number, or by Yale Bright Star catalogue number. - a Solar System object: by common name, or - a Deep Space Object: by common name, by Messier Catalogue (M) number, or by New General Catalogue (NGC) Number. When you have chosen the type of object you wish to view towards, and how you want to specify it, the popdown list contains the brightest visible objects that can be seen at your specified magnitude limits. Click on the object, select OK and the view will turn towards the chosen object. If this option is chosen your view altitude and azimuth will be modified in order to keep facing the specified object. Its current coordinate position will be centered even if you change your viewing time or location, the viewing direction and actual celestial coordinate constantly adjusted as required. - VIEW TOWARDS CELESTIAL COORDINATE (Right Ascension & Declination) (1.1): Selecting this from the menu will pop up a dialog box allowing you to specify the right ascension & declination to look at. Celestial positions are usually specified in right ascension & declination. Declination corresponds to terrestrial latitude lines in that the declination straight up from latitude 60 is declination 60. Convenience buttons are provided to set the view towards the North Celestial pole (Dec 90), the celestial equator (Dec 0), or the South Celestial pole (Dec -90), and convenience scrollers allow the declination to be adjusted in 5 degree increments. Right ascension corresponds to terrestrial longitude, except that because the earth rotates, the right ascension straight up from any longitude on earth is constantly increasing as we move under the stars at that right ascension. Right ascension 0, is a fixed position in the stars and corresponds to the position of the sun on the first day of spring, the vernal equinox. Note that it is standard to indicate the right ascension position in 'hours' as opposed to degrees. Convenience buttons are provided to set the view towards the vernal equinox (RTA 0h), the summer solstice (RTA 6h), the autumnal equinox (RTA 12h), or the winter solstice (RTA 18h). Convenience scrollers are provided to adjust the right ascension in 0h20m (5 degree) increments. If this option is chosen your view altitude and azimuth will be modified in order to keep facing the specified coordinate. That coordinate position will be maintained even if you change your viewing time or location, meaning that the same stars will remain in the center of the display, and the viewing direction constantly adjusted as required. - VIEW TOWARDS CELESTIAL COORDINATE (Ecliptic Latitude & Longitude) (2.0): Selecting this from the menu will pop up a dialog box allowing you to specify the specific ecliptic coordinate to look at. Celestial coordinates are sometimes specified in ecliptic coordinates, especially for the sun, planets and objects near the sun. Ecliptic Latitude 0 (the ecliptic) corresponds to the path of the sun against the background of stars in it yearly motion as seen from earth. Convenience scrollers allow the declination to be adjusted in 5 degree increments, north or south of the ecliptic. Ecliptic Longitude 0 corresponds to the position of the sun on the first day of spring. Convenience buttons are provided to set the view towards the vernal equinox (ELat 0), the summer solstice (ELat 90), the autumnal equinox (ELat 180), or the winter solstice (ELat 270). Convenience scrollers are provided to adjust the right ascension in 5 degree increments. If this option is chosen your view altitude and azimuth will be modified in order to keep facing the specified coordinate. That coordinate position will be maintained even if you change your viewing time or location, meaning that the same stars will remain in the center of the display, and the viewing direction constantly adjusted as required. - VIEW UPTO BRIGHTNESS: Selecting this from the menu will pop up a dialog box allowing you to specify the magnitude and relative brightness of stars, and deep space objects to be shown. Reducing the magnitude will reduce THE NUMBER of stars, or deep space objects to be computed and shown. This will also reduce the amount of time required to perform calculations. The percentage brightness acts as a general brightness control for the current stars being displayed. Use the brightness control if the displayed stars are not bright enough for your monitor. Brightness has no effect on computation time. (2.) Note also that this control defines the base magnitude use when drawing the stars when no zooming has been performed. see ZOOM, below. - AHEAD ONLY (1.1): This option limits the view to only those objects in the field of view ahead (in front of) the viewer, the semi-sphere directly in front of the viewed position. When disabled, the view is allowed to wrap around and fill the display area, showing more than a semi-sphere. - ABOVE HORIZON ONLY (1.1): This option limits the view to only those objects above the viewers horizon. Normally this option is on, and the earth, in green, prevents viewing objects below the horizon. When disabled, the earth disappears and objects below the horizon become visible. - ZOOM IN / ZOOM OUT (1.1) / ZOOM RESTORE: These options will allow you to zoom into the stars at the center of the display. Note that zooming in will also automatically increase the displayed magnitude of visible stars by 0.5. The caption line will indicate the current scaling factor, and the status boxes will show the magnitude increase effect of zooming. Zoom Restore restores the display to normal view (unzoomed). 5.3 OPTIONS: This pulldown allows you to enable and disable various symbols and lines on the display. Adding options to the display may slow down some calculations. - Options Star Names / Bayer&Flamsteed Ids / YBS Numbers (2.0): This enables labels to be displayed in gray for the stars. These will be displayed above the brightest stars if the stars are enabled and visible in the current view. If two stars are close together, only the brightest will be labeled; as many star labels as will fit without overlapping each other will be displayed. Note for Bayer&Flamsteed Ids, the Flamsteed Id (ie: Tau 37) is only shown if no Bayer Id exists for the star. - Options Planets/Sun/Moon Names (1.0c): This enables labels to be displayed in red for the planets, the sun and the moon. These will be displayed above the object if the object is enabled and visible in the current view. If two objects are close to each other in the display, the names may overlap each other. - Options Constellation Names/Code: This enables labels to be displayed in light gray for the displayed star constellations. The names will be displayed centred within the stars of each constellation. If no stars of a particular constellation are displayed, the constellation name will not be displayed. Since the constellation names can easily clutter the display, Constellation Codes enables the abbreviated constellation code name to be displayed instead of the full constellation name. As above, if no stars of a particular constellation are displayed, the constellation code will not be displayed. These may overlap. - Options Deep Space Object Names / Messier Numbers / NGC Numbers (2.0): This enables labels to be displayed in cyan for the deep space objects (galaxies/nebula/etc.). These will be displayed above the brightest objectsif the objects are enabled and visible in the current view. If two objects are close together, only the brightest will be labeled; as many DSO labels as will fit without overlapping each other will be displayed. - Option Altitude Lines: This will draw labelled blue altitude lines at 15 degree intervals parallel to the horizon. Altitude indicates the angle above the horizon. (1.1) The Zenith (Z) and Nadir (N) are shown as well (in blue) if visible. - Option Azimuth Lines: This will draw labelled blue azimuth lines at 15 degree intervals perpendicular to the horizon. Azimuth lines indicate the compass directions (ie: North, South, East, West). - Option Compass (1.1): This will draw the compass coordinates (the azimuths) in blue at the horizon (N/S/E/W). - Option Declination Lines (1.0c): This will draw labelled cyan declination lines at 15 degree intervals from the celestial equator. The Celestial Equator is shown with a dashed line. (1.1) The north (N) and south (S) celestial poles are shown as well (in cyan). - Options Right Ascension Lines: This will draw labelled cyan right ascension lines at 15 degree (1 ArcHour) intervals perpendicular to the celestial equator. The Equinoxes are shown using a dashed line. - Options Ecliptic Line: This will draw the ecliptic dashed in yellow . This corresponds to the path of the orbit of the sun during the year and it crosses the celestial equator at the vernal(spring) equinox and the autumnal(fall) equinox. - Options Ecliptic Longitude Lines: This will draw labelled yellow celestial longitude lines at 45 degree intervals, and hense corresponds to the position of the sun on the first day of spring - equinox (0 degrees), mid-spring(45), first day of summer - solstice (90), mid-summer(135), first day of autumn - equinox(180), mid-autumn(225), first day of winter - solstice (270) and mid-winter(315). (1.1) The north (N) and south (S) ecliptic poles are shown as well (in yellow). - Options CrossHair (1.1): This will draw a red crosshair through the center of the screen as an aid in identifying the centrepoint of the current view, and the direction north from the center. - Options Font Size Increase/Decrease (2.0): This allows the user to adjust the size of labels used on the display. 5.4 ANIMATE: Selecting this option will pop up a dialog box which allows you to set an automatic recalculation interval. During Animation mode, the specified time inverval is added to the view-at time, calculations are redone, and the display is refreshed. This allows the display to show the changes that occur on a day by day basis. This repeats until Animation mode is stopped. NOTE: During animation mode, other options and commands ARE STILL permitted. This allows you, for example, to change the View-Towards-Azimuth or View-From-Location, or disable the Object-Stars display without stopping the animation process. It is even possible to reset the View-At-Time if necessary. - In Real Time (1.0c). Auto recalculate in real time so that the display remains a constant reflection of the current sky. - By Minute (1.0c). Auto recalculate for each minute. - By Hour. Auto recalculate for each hour. - By Sidereal Day. Auto calculate for each sidereal day. A sidereal day is the time it takes for the earth to do one rotation relative to the position of the stars. This is slightly less than one civil day. If this option is selected, the stars will not seem to move. It is most useful in viewing the relative motion of the sun compared to the background of stars. - By Civil Day. Auto calculate for each civil (calendar) day. A civil day is 24 hours, and is the mean time it takes for the earth to do one rotation relative to the sun. This option is most useful for viewing the daily movement of stars and planets. - By Civil Month (2.0). Auto calculate for each civil month. This simply adds 1 to the month number for each refresh. - By Civil Year (2.0). Auto calculate for each civil year. This simply adds 1 to the year number for each refresh, and is useful for seeing the motion of the slow moving outer planets. - Stop Animation. Select this when you wish to stop the auto-recalculation mode. 5.5 HELP / Status Bar Selecting this option adds a status bar to the bottom of the screen, describing in more detail the menu items as they are selected, and indicating the state of calculation. Don't forget that you may access menu items even when computations are underway (WORKING...). It is not necessary to wait until it says WAITING... . 5.5 MOUSE EFFECT(1.1): The mouse can be used as a short-cut for entering the view-towards data as opposed to using the pull down menus. Clicking the left button on the display will center the display toward/on the specified direction/coordinate. Note that the effect will be slightly different depending on whether a direction or object/postition was last specified using the pulldown menus. If a direction was last specified, the new direction at the selected mouse position will be remembered and the software maintains this new fixed viewing direction. Otherwise the celestial coordinate at the selected mouse position is remembered, and the software maintains this new celestial coordinate for further viewing, constantly adjusting the direction as required. 6.0 SHUTDOWN When the application is shut down, the Objects selected, and the View selected (except for the date/time, and the zoom factor) are remembered for the next run. 7.0 Update Log Version 2.0a June 94 - improved precession algorithm Version 2.0 June 94 - reduced registration fee!! (now you have no reasonable excuse not to register!) - see embedded markers (2.0) above - improved line drawing technique - added coordinate labels to lines - added more stars (database now has over 9000 instead of just 1600) - added star names, bayer & flamsteed ids and YBS #s - modified star2.dat star file - added deep space objects (all Messier objects) - added dso names, messier #s & NGC # - added dso mag to display - added dso2.dat dso file - enlarged window start size - added variable font size in projection - improved bitmap draw method - added low memory warning dialog - improved magnitude adjustment technique - improved label placements (names of some types no longer OVERLAP each other) - added greying of menus for disabled items - fixed mag/bright bug - optimized ahead only option to do less computations - improved view towards menu - added view towards object (object tracking) - added view towards ecliptic coordinate - fixed to rotate earth the other way, oops - modified, faster scrolling in dialog boxes - added fixed point math library - added interpolated sintbl resource - added moon phases - improved stat change checking - modified crosshair now points N - added optional status bar - added below horizon warning - added Local Sidereal Time (LST) to display - modified colours Version 1.1a, September 93 - Enhanced drawing speed Version 1.1, September 93 - See embedded markers (1.1) - file formats changed (again) - shutdown data increased to maintain new options. - map added to view from menu. - screen layout modified to add new data. - scale factor added to caption line. Version 1.0c, February 93 - See embedded markers (1.0c). - At shutdown, the list of objects selected and the view parameters selected (except the time) are automatically saved for the next run. - View from selection is improved to detect the location name. - Calculation speeds are increased for machines without coprocessors. - The data file formats are changed. - The screen layout is modified to have region titles and is better centred. - The Nature Conservancy of Canada has been chosen to receive 10% of all registration fees. Version 1.0b, September 92 - Fixed calculation bug which caused segmentation errors for machines with coprocessors, and removed 486 check from winflgs check. Version 1.0a, July 92 - Optimized sidereal animation in order to reduce calculations. - Modified coprocessor and 486 checking to use winflgs Version 1.0, 1st Q, 92 - converted to C++ for Windows Rewritten in C for QNX, 1988 Originally written in C for CP/M on the Apple II+, 1985