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Contents

TS-24 Program Reference

Contents

Dialog Boxes


Dialog Boxes

Date

Time

Observatory

Telescope

Manual Drive Controls

Slewing Step Amount

DT-7 Group

DT-7 Object

Eyepieces

Type 1 Photometer

Type 2 Photometer

Type 1 CCD Camera


Date Dialog Box

The Date dialog box is used to set/change the date of the simulation.

To set/change the date:

Use the Year, Month and Day pushbuttons to set the desired date between January 1st, 1900 and December 30th, 2099.  You can use these pushbuttons in any order and as often as needed.

Use the UTC and Local radio buttons to display/set the date using UTC or Local date/time.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

The current simulation date and time is displayed above the pushbuttons.  This will be displayed in either UTC date/time or local date/time.  If no observatory has been selected yet the display will use UTC date/time

The Julian Date is displayed below the current date/time.  It is recalculated each time the date is set/changed.

If an observatory is selected the current sky conditions at the observatory is displayed to the right of the Julian Date.  A Dark Sky means the sun is more than 18° below the horizon, otherwise it is Daylight.  In version 3.2 all of the telescopes operate only during Dark Sky conditions.

PushButtons

Year  used to display a list of years between 1900 and 2099.  Use the scrollbars to display all of the years.  Click the mouse on the desired year.

Month  used to display a list of months.  Use the scrollbars to display all of the months.  Click the mouse on the desired month.

Day  used to display a list of days in the month.  Use the scrollbars to display all of the days.  Click the mouse on the desired day.

UTC  display/set the date using the UTC system.

Local  display/set the date using the Local time system.  Note, if no observatory has been selected yet this button will have no effect.

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Time Dialog Box

The Time dialog box is used to set/change the time of the simulation.

To set/change the time:

Use the Hour, Minute and Second pushbuttons to set the desired time.  You can use these pushbuttons in any order and as often as needed.

Use the UTC and Local radio buttons to display/set the time using UTC or Local time.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

The current simulation date and time is displayed above the pushbuttons.  This will be displayed in either UTC date/time or local date/time.  If no observatory has been selected yet the display will use UTC date/time

The Julian Date is displayed below the current date/time.  It is recalculated each time the date is set/changed.

If an observatory is selected the current sky conditions at the observatory is displayed to the right of the Julian Date.  A Dark Sky means the sun is more than 18° below the horizon, otherwise it is Daylight.  In version 3.2 all of the telescopes operate only during Dark Sky conditions.

PushButtons

Hour  used to display a list of hours in the day.  If using UTC time the hours are listed from 0 to 23.  If using Local time the hours are listed 0 to 12 am/pm  Use the scrollbars to display all of the hours.  Click the mouse on the desired hour.

Minute  used to display a list of minutes.  Use the scrollbars to display all of the minutes.  Click the mouse on the desired minute.

Second  used to display a list of seconds.  Use the scrollbars to display all of the seconds.  Click the mouse on the desired second.

UTC  display/set the time using the UTC system.

Local  display/set the time using the Local time system.  Note, if no observatory has been selected yet this button will have no effect.

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Go Back

This topic is used to return back to the demo hlp files.


Observatory Dialog Box

The Observatory dialog box is used to set/change the observatory simulated.

To set/change the observatory:

To select an observatory click the mouse on the desired observatory in the listbox.

If there are more observatories in the list than can be displayed in the listbox use the up and down scrollbars on the right side of the listbox to view the entire list.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

When TS-24 is started it begins by reading a file called TS24.OBS which contains the list of observatories built using Ajax.  The list of observatories is displayed in the dialog listbox.  If there are no observatories the list will be empty and most of the TS-24 commands will not work.

PushButtons

None

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Telescope Dialog Box

The Telescope dialog box is used to set/change the telescope simulated.

To set/change the telescope:

To select a telescope click the mouse on the desired telescope in the listbox.

If there are more telescopes in the list than can be displayed in the listbox use the up and down scrollbars on the right side of the listbox to view the entire list.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

When TS-24 is started it begins by reading a file called TS24.TEL which contains the list of telescopes built using Ajax.

If an observatory has not been selected yet you cannot use this dialog box.

If an observatory has been selected the list of telescopes at this observatory is displayed in the dialog listbox.

If an observatory has been selected and there are no telescopes at this observatory the list will be empty and most of the TS-24 commands will not work.

PushButtons

None

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Manual Drive Controls Dialog

This dialog box is used to manually point the telescope.

Procedure:

Use the RA + and RA - pushbuttons to move the telescope left or right.

Use the DEC + and DEC - pushbuttons to move the telescope up and down.

Use the Step button to move in single steps.  Use the Slew button to slew.

If the telescope is slewing to another part of the sky use the STOP button to stop the motors.

If the telescope moves too far/too little/too fast/too slow use the TS-24 Step command to change.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

The Right Ascension of the telescope is displayed on the left side of the dialog box.  If the telescope is equipped with a telescope drive this value will remain fixed unless the telescope is being pointed to another part of the sky.

The Declination of the telescope is displayed on the left side of the dialog box.  If the telescope is equipped with a telescope drive this value will remain fixed unless the telescope is being pointed to another part of the sky.

The Alt-Azimuth position of the telescope is displayed below the Declination.  The left number is the Altitude of the telescope.  The right number is the Azimuth.

PushButtons

RA+ RA-

DEC+ DEC-

Used to point the telescope to a different location in the sky.

If the telescope is in Step mode the telescope will move the distance last set using the Step command and stop.

If the telescope is in Slew mode the telescope will move the distance last set using the Step command and continue doing so until the Stop button is pressed.  You only have to press the button once to have the telescope move to another part of the sky.  The time for the telescope to get there will depend on the slewing rate, the distance to move and the speed of the computer you are using.  If the computer is too slow try turning off the eyepiece during the slewing.

The telescope will not move any lower than 5° above the horizon.

RA+ used to move the telescope in the direction of increasing right ascension (eastwards).

RA- used to move the telescope in the direction of decreasing right ascension (westwards).

DEC+ used to move the telescope in the direction of increasing declination (northwards).

DEC- used to move the telescope in the direction of decreasing declination (southwards).

STOP used to stop the motors if the telescope is slewing to another part of the sky.

Slew used to put the telescope in slewing mode.  Pressing the direction buttons once will begin the slew to another part of the sky.

Step used to put the telescope in single step mode.  A direction button must be pressed each time to move the telescope.

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Template

text summary

Procedure:

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

PushButtons

None

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DT-7 Object Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to select/add/change/delete a DT-7 Object.

Procedure:

To select a DT-7 Object click the mouse on the desired object in the listbox.

To Go To an object select the object first then click once on the Go To pushbutton

To add a DT-7 Object enter the object name in the 1st text line and the RA and DEC of the object in the 2nd text line.  Click once on the Add pushbutton.

To change a DT-7 object select the object first, change the spelling in the 1st text line and the RA and DEC in the 2nd text line.  Click once on the Change pushbutton.

To delete a DT-7 object select the object first then click once on the Delete pushbutton.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

When TS-24 is started it begins by reading the file TS24.DT7.  For the currently selected Group the object names are displayed in the dialog using a listbox.  If there are no objects in this group the listbox will be empty.  To use the DT-7 there must be at least one object in a group.

The currently selected DT-7 Group name is displayed in the dialogs title line.  To change groups use the TS-24 Group command.

Above the listbox are two text lines: a) the first text line is used to display/enter/change an object name, b) the second text line is used to display/enter/change the objects' RA and DEC.  You can change either line by clicking the mouse in the text line and typing.

PushButtons

Add used to add a new object name to the DT-7 group currently selected.

Begin by entering the name of the new group in the 1st textline located above the listbox in the dialog.

Next, enter the coordinates of the object in the 2nd text line.  See the note below on how to enter object coordinates.

When finished, click the mouse once on the Add pushbutton.  The object name will be added to the listbox and will become the currently selected object.

Change used to change the spelling of an object and/or its' RA and DEC.

Begin by selecting the group name in the listbox, its name will appear in the 1st text line and its RA and DEC in the 2nd text line.

Click the mouse in the 1st text line and change the spelling of the group name.  Click the mouse in the 2nd text line and change the RA and DEC (see the note below on how to enter object coordinates).

When finished, click the mouse once on the Change pushbutton.  The object name will be changed in the listbox and will remain the currenly selected object.

Delete used to delete an object from the group.

Begin by selecting the object name in the listbox, its name will appear in the 1st text line.

Click the mouse once on the Delete pushbutton.  The object will be removed from the listbox and deleted from the group.

Tel Pos used to write the current telescope position into the 2nd text line.  Use this if you have pointed the telescope at an object you want to add to the DT-7 database.  Type the name name in the 1st line, click once on the Tel Pos pushbutton and then click once on the Add pushbutton.

Go To used to point the telescope at the selected object.  Begin by selecting an object and then clicking once on this pushbutton.  The dialog will be removed from Window 2 and replaced with the Manual Control Dialog Box.  The telescope will be slewing to the location of the selected object.  When the location is reached the telescope will stop.

If the distance to move is large and the slew rate is small it may take a long time to get there.  Fix this by clicking on the Stop pushbutton and use the TS-24 Step command to change the rate to a higher amount.  Select the object again and click Go To.

On slower computers you might want to first turn off the eyepiece display, it takes a great deal of processing time to update the eyepiece at each step.

Note: When entering/changing the RA and DEC of an object in the 2nd text line you must enter all three numbers for both RA and DEC.  RA must have hours, minutes and seconds.  DEC must have degrees, minutes, seconds and N or S.  RA must be first, DEC second.  Always check the coordinates after leaving the listbox (use TAB key) and verify that it is what you had expected.

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Slewing Step Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to set/change the slew rate used by the manual drive controls and the DT-7.

Procedure:

The five different slew rates are displayed in the dialog box using a listbox.

To select a slew rate click the mouse over the desired slew rate.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

1 arc second the smallest step size, used for precision movements, usually on the larger aperture telescopes where pointing accuracy is critical.

10 arc seconds

1 arc minute the default setting, used for general movement on all size telescopes.

10 arc minutes

1 arc degree the largest step size, used for fast movement of the telescope over large distances.

PushButtons

None

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Type 1 CCD Camera Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to operate a Type 1 CCD camera.

Procedure:

Grab an Image, set the exposure time, camera gain and filter then click on the Start button.  Always check the exposure time before starting, you may end up waiting a long time for the image.  Start with a short exposure first.

Set the exposure time, select the time scale first (e.g., 1 second) then select the number of units.  The exposure time is the time scale x the number of units.

Record image to disk, grab an image then click on the Write button.  Depending on the image size and processor speed it may take awhile.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

Integration Time, this indicator is located to the right of the Start button.  The integration time is the amount of time the CCD camera will record an image (i.e., exposure time).  The integration time is set by selecting the unit scale and the # of units (e.g., 1 second x 10 units = 10 seconds).

Write Count, this is the number of images that have been written to disk.  It always begins with a value of zero.

Camera Gain, indicates the number of electrons/adu.  Lowering this value will make the camera much more sensitive.

PushButtons

Start, used to start the camera recording an image.  Before you press this pushbutton it is a good idea to verify the exposure time.  If you are running on a slower computer and select a long exposure time it may take several minutes to complete.

It is also recommended that before recording an image that you start with short integration times.  This will give you an idea of how long it will take to do longer exposures on the computer you are using.

When the camera has finished recording it will update the image in window 1.

Write, this pushbutton is used to write the currently displayed image to a disk file.  The image is written in a FITS format.  The filename convention used is Innn.FIT where nnn is the image number, it is the same as displayed in the Write Count immediately to the right of the Write pushbutton.

Integration Time, two listboxes are used to set the integration time.  The right one is used to select the time unit (e.g., 1 second).  To select any value click the mouse on the desired choice.

The left listbox is used to set the number of units.  Use the vertical scrollbar to select any value in the range 1 to 100.

The integration time is determined by multiplying the time scale by the number of units.  For example, 1/100 sec x 4 = 0.04 seconds and is displayed as 00:00:00.04.

The range of integration time is from 1/100 second to 100 minutes.

Filters, the Type 1 CCD camera features the standard U, B, V photometric filters, a dark frame filter and a Flat Field filter.

U,B,V filters are used to record photometric images.  Select the desired filter, set the integration time and start the image recording.

Dark Frame filter, this filter is used to shut off all incoming light to the camera.  For long integration time exposures a dark frame is used to subtract the dark noise of the ccd electronics.

Flat Field filter , actually this is not really a filter but a special recording process made whereby a uniform white field is imaged by the camera.  Often a light is used in the observatory and the telescope is pointed at the inside of the dome.

The flat field image is used to calibrate the sensitivity of each pixel.  Combined with a dark frame a formula like y = mx + b can be used to process the data from each pixel on the image.

+, -, these two pushbuttons are used to increment/decrement the camera gain which is in units of electrons/adu.  Lowering this value increases the sensitivity of the camera, but reduces dynamic range.

For example, if you are using an 8-bit camera each pixel is represented in the image by a value in the range from 0 to 255.  If the gain is set at 100 then the gain is 100 electrons per adu.  If the camera recorded a star with 300 electrons the adu value would be 3.  The maximum dynamic range would be 0 to 25,500 electrons, any electrons greater than this will be recorded as 255 on the image.

Therefore, if you are working with very faint stars set the gain to a low value, something like 10 electrons/adu.  If you are working with bright objects use a gain of 100 electrons/adu.

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DT-7 Group Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to select/add/change/delete a DT-7 Group.

Procedure:

To select a DT-7 Group click the mouse on the desired Group in the listbox.

To add a DT-7 Group enter the group name in the text line and click once on the Add pushbutton.

To change a DT-7 Group select the group first, change the spelling in the text line then click once on the Change pushbutton.

To delete a DT-7 Group select the group first then click once on the Delete pushbutton.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

When TS-24 is started it begins by reading the file TS24.DT7.  The object Group names are displayed in the dialog using a listbox.  If there are no group names the listbox will be empty.  To use the DT-7 there must be at least one group name.

Above the listbox is displayed the currently selected group in a text line.  You can change this line by clicking the mouse in the box and typing in a new name or changing the existing name.

PushButtons

Add used to add a new Group name to the DT-7 database.  Type the name of the new group in the textline located above the listbox in the dialog.  When finished, click the mouse once on the Add pushbutton.  The group name will be added to the listbox and will become the currently selected group.

Change used to change the spelling of a group.  Begin by selecting the group name in the listbox, its name will appear in the text line.  Click the mouse in the text line and change the spelling of the group name.  When finished, click the mouse once on the Change pushbutton.  The group name will be changed in the listbox and will remain the currenly selected group.

Delete used to delete a group from the database.  Begin by selecting the group name in the listbox, its name will appear in the text line.  Click the mouse once on the Delete pushbutton.  The group (and all objects associated with the Group) will be deleted immediately from the database.  The group name is removed from the listbox and the first group in the listbox is made the currently selected group.

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Eyepieces Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to select a different eyepiece, turn on/off the eyepiece crosshairs or to enable/disable the eyepiece view .

Procedure:

To select a different eyepiece click the desired eyepiece pushbutton.

To turn on/off the eyepiece crosshairs click the crosshairs pushbutton.

To enable/disable the eyepiece view click the Off/On pushbutton

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

Radio buttons located directly left of each pushbutton indicates which eyepiece is selected, if the crosshairs are on or off and if the eyepiece display is enabled or disabled.

PushButtons

Eyepiece pushbuttons there are four pushbuttons, one for each eyepiece available on the telescope.  The pushbutton label identifies the eyepiece by focal length.  The eyepieces were added to the telescope using the Ajax program.

To select an eyepiece click the pushbutton once.  The eyepiece view in window 1 will be immediately updated.  The radio button to the left of the pushbutton indicates the currently selected eyepiece.

Crosshairs this pushbutton is used to turn on/off the eyepiece crosshairs.  The radio button to the left of the pushbutton indicates if the crosshairs are on or off.  Click the pushbutton once to change the crosshairs.

OFF/ON is used to enable/disable the eyepiece view.  If you are going to point the telescope at a different location in the sky and you are running on a slow computer you might want to disable the eyepiece view first before starting the move.  The reason is that at each slew step the simulator updates the eyepiece view, which takes a lot of processing time.  Much faster slewing is achieved if the eyepiece is disabled during the move.

Note: if the sky is not dark enough at the observatory the eyepiece will be disabled.  If you change the date/time to a time that is dark you will have to manually enable the eyepiece by clicking on the OFF/ON pushbutton.

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Type 2 Photometer Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to make photometry measurements using the Type 2 Photometer.

Procedure:

To make a photometric measurement position the star in the circular reticle of the eyepiece and click once on the Count pushbutton.

To clear the listbox click once on the Reset pushbutton.

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

Each time a photometric measurement is made the data is displayed in the dialog using a listbox.  Repeated measurements will be added to the listbox until the Reset pushbutton is used.

Each measurement displays the UTC time of the measurement, the V photometric magnitude and the B-V and U-B color indexes of the star.

The measurements are approximate because the photometer is using an average set of extinction coefficients and transformation coefficients to calculate the photometric numbers.  Depending on sky conditions and the age of the equipment these numbers may not be reliable.

For the best precision and accuracy use a Type 1 Photometer.

PushButtons

Count used to make a photometric measurement.  If there is not star in the circular reticle of the eyepiece the measurement will be the background sky.  If there is more than one star the photometer will measure the combined brightness of all the stars.

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Type 1 Photometer Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to control a Type 1 photometer.

Procedure:

Make a Measurement, center the star in the eyepiece reticle (window 1) and click the mouse on the Count pushbutton.

Set/Change Filter, click the mouse on the V, B, U or D filter pushbuttons

Set/Change Aperture, click the mouse on the desired aperture pushbutton.  This will change the size of the reticle seen in the window 1 eyepiece.

Set/Change Integration time, click the mouse on the desired integration time pushbutton.

Clear the listbox, click the mouse on the Reset pushbutton

When you are finished use the OK push button to end the dialog.

Indicators

The current photometer settings are displayed above the listbox.  In addition, each time the filter, aperture or integration time is changed an updated status line is added to the listbox.

Photon counts are displayed in the listbox.  Each measurement includes the UTC time of the measurement and the photon count.

PushButtons

V, B, U  these three pushbuttons are used to select the photometer filter in the UBV system.

D  this pushbutton is used to shut off all incoming light to the photometer so a dark count can be made.

None

Diap, the four pushbuttons below are used to set the aperture size.  The aperture is used to select a small portion of the eyepiece view for measurement by the photometer.  A larger aperture is used for extended objects and for measuring the background sky.  Smaller apertures are used to measure individual stars.

.01, .1, 1 and 10, these pushbuttons are used to set the photon counting time interval (integration time).  A short interval is used for bright stars and longer time intervals are used for faint stars.  It is desireable to set the integration time so that the photon count measured is around 10,000 counts.

Count, used to initiate a photon counting event.  The photometer resets the photon count to zero and counts new photons until the integration timer expires.  The resulting photon count is then displayed in the listbox.

Reset, used to clear the listbox.

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