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V2.2.4
Tonight sky is an application that let you know what Deep Space Objects (DSO's) will transit your meridian at what time and what elevation.
The calculated values are close to be accurate. However, since the premise of this app is to let the user know what objects are available over a given time span, accuracy of the calculations are not that important.
Version 1.1.4 (2/17/11) added the following features:
Added Check for update button that send you to the web site where you can
down load the latest version
Added Moon rise, set, phase. Also added twilight times
The moon, sun info will be on the report
The sun and moon info will change with the requested search start time and NOT
the local time as before.
You can now look up the information on any object by selecting the object type ( Messier, NGC, IC etc.) and entering the number in the box
provided.
Version 1.2.0 (2/26/11)
Changed the way data is extracted fro the DB using DEC instead of RA
Added Key feature Allowing the user to mark objects with and 5 character alpha
numeric code for later retrieval
Added sort feature
Added observation time
Added angular separation between the MOON and selected objects.
Version 1.2.4 (3/4/11)
Added Barnard and PK objects to the Database
Added detail form
Version 1.3.2 (3/24/11)
Put query results in it's own form and shrunk the form height to 600 Pix so
it would fit on a 1024x600 format
Program will look for updates automatically
Added SINBAD interface button to DETAIL screen to allow the user to access
information about the selected object from the SINBAD database.
Version 1.3.5 (3/29/11)
Added search by object name
Version 1.3.6 (4/12/11)
Added menu bars
Added observation data and View report
Version 2.1.0 ( 7/1/11)
Changed presentation format from multiple forms to single form using tabs to
navigate between the sections
Modified DB grid to allow the user to ADD/Change or DELETE record from the DB
Added ASCOM Telescope control
Version 2.1.1 ( 7/5/11)
Added Current location of selected object
Cleaned up tools on menu
Calculator added in Tool Menu
Version 2.1.4 (7/18/11)
Added GMT offset editor to TOOL menu
Fixed date prompt to show locale date format
Version 2.1.5 (7/21/11)
Changed the way to Identify if ASCOm
has been loaded.
Now passing object data directly to the ASCOM screen when you change a
selection.
Version 2.1.6 (7/22/11)
Fixed "Looking North" "looking south" Logic
Combined Internet check into TAB form ON LOAD
Version 2.1.7 (8/10/11)
will now change the End Transit date in query
window when you change the Start transit time.
Click in boxes will now clear KEY box, Minimum Mag. box, Min Elevation, and
object ID number box.
Version 2.1.8 (9/14/11)
Supports up to 9 additional locations Including the
location data extracted from the ASCOM mount.
Will read the LAT and LON from the ASCOM mount and place it in the INI file as
ALT10
All you need to do is provide your Latitude, Longitude, GMT offset and if you are on Day light savings time.
The size and location of the form will be remembered and will positioned in that fashion the next time the application is opened.
Version 2.2.0 ( 12/21/11)
Version 2.2.1 ( 12/26/11)
Added search capabilities by SAO, HD and FK5 id in the star table.
Version 2.2.2 ( 1/11/12)
Added EPOCH calculation to detail screen.
Version 2.2.3 (5/4/12)
Added the capability for the ASCOM mount to slew to specific coordinates.
Version 2.2.4 (5/6/12)
Added the ability to get information on objects that surround the given coordinates to the GO TO Coordinates form.
Added option to get surrounding objects from LOCAL DB
Added option to get image of sky around the coordinates from SKYMap.com
NEW: The location Latitude , longitude , Time zone offset and check the Daylight Savings time box if appropriate will be retrieved from the INI file from the alt0 key.
If this is a new installation or the INI file does not exist the program
will load some data into these fields to satisfy some of the logic with in. It
is up to the user to change that data for
his/her location. The changes can be made on this screen and pressing the SAVE
button or open the location edit
tool and make the changes there. If you use
the edit tool you must double click on the location name to load
that data into the main program.
The get new version button will only appear if a new version is on the server. Clicking the button will take you to the web site to down load the latest.
Menu bar was added and the HELP and ABOUT buttons were removed from the form and placed in the menu
NEW: A save button has been added to the screen. after you make changes to the location data on this screen you must click the save button for it to be stored in the INI file.
The next step is entering the time span you are interested in. You may enter any valid date/time format.
The program uses the set time as the start of the time span and midnight as the end as a default values.
The Start time is also used to calculate the sun, moon and twilight information which will change when you alter the start time value. This change was made to give you a better idea as to what's going on around the date/time you plan on doing you observation. The previous version used the current system time to calculate those values.
Next make a selection as to the type of
objects your interested in. Here you have a choice of ALL objects in the
DB, Messier, NGC, IC,
you may also select a object type from the
dropdown list. For instance you can select
Messier and class Galaxies and you will get all the messier object that
are galaxies which will transit during the time window that you
specified. If you are interested in all the
Galaxies, click ALL and select galaxies from the list.
New for version 2.2.1-- If you have the star
table loaded you will see some additional
choices.
You can check the box
to use the STAR TABLE for the lookup. If you check
this box you will also see a drop-down box appear that will
allow you to choose a constellation.
If you choose a
constellation the search will be limited to those stars that are in
that constellation.
I would suggest that you select a minimum Magnitude when requesting ALL or NGC since the result could be quite large.
You may also filter out from the report objects that fall below the minimum transit elevation you specify. Only objects above the minimum elevation will be pulled fro the DB and displayed.
If you are interested in just one
object and wish to get it's times, you can select the OBJECT TYPE (
Messier, NGC, IC etc.) and then enter the OBJECT NUMBER in the box provided.
New for version 2.2.0 -- You
may also enter part of an object's name, for instance if you enter AN*
you will get all the objects who's name starts with AN.
When you click GO the data will be displayed.
This information is also available in the REPORT option.
New for version 2.2.2 -- You now also have the option of looking for just a single
star by selecting either SAO, HA or FK4 and entering the
appropriate number into the box. You may also
search for a star using its IDENTITY (epsilon, tau, etc.) .
To do so check IDENTITY and enter
the name or part of the name and select the appropriate constellation, as shown
above.
A new feature is marking objects with some key.
When you get ready to search for objects previously marked enter the KEY in the box provided and click GO or you may enter the KEY with imbedded asterisks (*). The asterisk is a wild card character that will cause the search to ignore the character that falls in the asterisk's position.As an example you may have marked some items with the key ABC111 and others with ABC222.
If you enter ABC* all records that have ABC as the first 3 characters will be extracted.
If you enter *2 all records whose key ends in 2 will be extracted
If you enter *b* all the records with keys that have a B the will be matched.All the items that match the entry will be pulled from the database.
A new feature has been added that allows you to enter a KEY and have those records who's key matches be EXCLUDED from result. This could be useful if you want to see a list of objects that have not yet been images. For instance you could mark all the items you have images of with the key DONE . By entering DONE in the key and checking the exclusion box, only the objects that are yet to be imaged will be displayed.
Feature added that allows you to make a query using the object name or part of it. For instance you can enter CRAB in the box provided and the program will display the information for the CRAB nebula (M1) . If you enter *star* then the results will be for any object that has STAR in the name. The asterisk is a wild card character.
You now have the ability
to sort the result. The default sort is using the RA value sorted in ascending
order.
You can also sort by:
You can also specify Ascending or Descending sort order.
If you want to see all the details of the object you can click the detail button and another form will pop up that gives you all that information ( see sample below)
The "Go to web " Button will take you to the http://njstargazer.org web site
The final section deals with your results. The results will be shown in a separate form. The the information in the database pertaining to your request will be shown in the data grid.
Object viewing information has been added above the grid. This information pertains to the selected object. The viewing times are calculated 1 Hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise for the time the object is above the minimum elevation specified.
New for version 2.2.0 -- The SINBAD button has been moved from the detail form t the main result form.
Below the grid I have added the current location ( AZ/EL) of the selected object.
If you have select to view star data, the above is shows. As you can see the columns are a bit different and reflect the information pertaining to stars. All the other data on the form is the same as for DSO's.
The calculated values for each selection in
the grid are shown below the data grid.
Note that if the Transit elevation is
below the one specified the background of that field will turn RED .
The Angular separation between the moon and the selected object is displayed. This information might be useful if you plan on bypass imaging objects that might be too close to the moon.
You can use the navigation controls at the right to move up and down in the list or you can select the row in the grid of the object of interest. You can scroll up and down the list by using the arrow key on your keyboard.
The columns of the grid are fully adjustable allowing you to make them wider or you can shrink them. you can also alter the height of the rows.
The observation time is now calculated . This is the time that the object is above the minimum elevation angle. Your actual observation time will vary with what obstructions are in your field of view. Circumpolar objects are marked as always visible.
This section also has the box that allows you to mark an object with a KEY. To do so;
All the screens will be updated automatically if left open and a new selection is made.
Click the DETAIL button to get more information about the object.
You can ADD, CHANGE or DELETE items in
the Database by simply changing them in the DATA GRID. Once you move to another items or close the form the
data will be written into the database.
When you add items be sure that you
follow the same format for the elements as you see them in the grid. I've
made it a easier to enter the RA and DE data.
For instance, if you have the RA data in HOURS (
13.02010) enter that value into the RA box of the grid for the new item
and the program will convert it to HH:MM:SS and populate the matching item in
the record. The inverse is also true. enter HH:MM:SS
in the RAhms field of the record and the program
will calculate the HOUR value and populate the RA item. It works
the same for the DEC values.
New for version 2.1.8 is the capability for the user to store and retrieve up10 alternated location. The information similar to that which is shown on the main page is stored in the INI file for future retreival.
This form is access by clicking on TOOLS and Alternate Location on the menu bar.
The first entry in the list is your default Home location data. The last entry in the list is the Telescope location data you saved from the ASCOM. If you don't have an ASCOM mount you can enter any data you wish in this location. However, if you do have an ASCOM mount and click the save location button it will overwrite what's there.
When entering the UT offset value you can enter the just number . The program will reformat the data so it can be understood by the main form.
IF you want to DELETE and entry simply clear out the location name field ( Select the name and press DELETE on your keyboard).
To select a location, simply, double click on the location name. The program will write the new information into the location fields in the main form and recalculate the times for the new location. After changing the location you will have to requery the data base so the result form shows the proper times.
If you feel that you want to see the information in another format, this screen displays everything that's on the main page and in the data grid.
Make your selection of the object on the main page and this form will update automatically.
One field was added called "Time to
New for version 2.2.2 -- IF you have a star selected, the Star Classification button
will appear and allow you to access the WIKI web site that
describes the various stellar classification
If you are interested in finding the actual RA and DEC of the displayed object
in another year simply enter the FROM Epoch ( all the items in the DB are EPOCH
2000) and the century you are interested in and click RECALCULATE.
The results will be shown. The default values for the
EPOCH are 2000 and the EPOCH NOW which is calculated from the current date and
time and expressed in Modified Julian Day.
Click CLOSE to hide the form.
The SINBAD data Button to allow the user to access object data in the SINBAD database. Must be on line for this to be enabled.
Example of SINBAD data click here
This feature was added in 2.1.4 and allows the user to manage the GMT offset data in the database. The user may add, delete or modify the GMT data simply by scrolling down to the desired record and retyping the data or deleting the record. To add a new record go to the bottom of the list and type the information into the blank record.
Checks are done on the offset value. An offset less than -12 or greater then 12 is not allowed.
You may also filter the Country names by entering the beginning characters of the name in the text box and clicking GO. To get the entire list again, clear the text box and click GO.
When done just close the form.
The telescope interface is designed to allow the user to select an object from the DB and then SLEW the telescope to it. This interface should be able to communicate with any ASCOM compliant telescope mount. The software behind this function is modeled after the software that drives EQTOUR and is used with permission from Chris Shillito. I also want to thank him for providing assistance with it.
This feature is invoked by clicking on the Telescope
Icon 
on the result page after selecting an object in the data
grid.
Note: this Icon is only visible if
you have ASCOM installed on your computer.
When you invoke this function you will be presented with a screen similar to the image on the left.
NEW: A " Save Telescope Location Data" button has been added that will be active when connected to and ASCOM mount. Clicking this button will read the Latitude and Longitude from the mount and store it in the INI file. This can be helpful if you are at a site other than you home base and want to quickly load the present location data into the main form.
If you desire a printable list of the results
you can click on the REPORT button and that data will be written
into a .TXT file in the folder "My Documents".
The message box that will be displayed when the
file has been successfully created and shoe the name and location of the file .
If you with to view the file click OK. The
Notepad application will be launched displaying you
most recent file.
The file name is constructed as follows:
TonightSkyddd-ttt.txt Where
ddd= the day of the year, ttt=
type ( m,ngc,ic,etc) . When you
run the report it will over write the file if it already exists.
For those of you that use the EQMOD package to control you mount you can get the list printed in the EQTOUR format which can be imported directly into EQTour. The file will be named Tsky_ddd-ttt.lst (Where ddd= the day of the year, ttt= type ( m,ngc,ic,etc) .)
This version will place the .LST file in the EQTOUR folder if It exists otherwise it will be placed in the "My Documents" folder.
An observation report is now available that tells you how long the object will be visible for viewing or imaging. You get the total time that the object is above the minimum elevation angle specified. It also tells you how long it will be east and west of the meridian to help you plan your session.
NEW: The normal and observation report will now have the LOCATION NAME in the header just be fore the Latitude values
The following is a sample of the normal report output:
Viewing
Tonight Sky
2/27/2011 1:19:25 PM
Time window 2/27/2011 17:45 to 2/28/2011 00:00:01 for Location Home_location 40:50:25 N Latitude 74:54:52 W
Longitude.
Sun rise: 06:36:59 Sun set: 17:48:26 Moon Rise: 03:27:48 Moon set: 12:59:34
Third Quarter
Minimum Elevation: 0
IC (Nebula) Objects
IC NGC Rise TM Rise
AZ Tansit TM TansitEL Set TM Set
AZ RA dec Size Mag
Obs. Time Lunar Sep. Name
5384 7813 08:16:50 105° 42' 20" 13:34:17 37° 10' 29" 18:56:44
254° 51' 44" 00:03:11 -11:59:04 ---- 14.2 10:35:00 74° 06' Galaxy in Cet
5386 7832 07:51:00 94° 42' 29" 13:37:41 45° 26' 35"
19:29:22 265° 51' 50" 00:06:35 -03:42:57 ---- 13.2 11:30:00 77° 48' Galaxy
in Psc
1530 7831 05:23:39 44° 09' 26" 13:38:23 81° 46' 03"
21:58:07 316° 25' 15" 00:07:18 +32:36:34 ---- 13.0 16:25:00 92° 33' Galaxy
in And
1539 70 05:49:07 48° 08' 40" 13:49:29 79° 14'
16" 21:54:52 312° 26' 46" 00:18:24 +30:04:46 ---- 13.7 15:55:00
93° 42' Galaxy in And
26 135 08:50:25 107° 32' 23" 14:02:53 35° 49'
17" 19:20:22 253° 03' 23" 00:31:48 -13:20:16 ---- 15.1 10:20:00
80° 12' Galaxy in Cet
39 178 09:00:49 108° 40' 06" 14:10:11 34° 59'
12" 19:24:33 251° 55' 53" 00:39:06 -14:10:21 ---- 12.4 10:15:00
81° 34' Galaxy in Cet
44 223 08:11:23 88° 41' 54" 14:13:48 50° 00'
17" 20:21:13 271° 54' 44" 00:42:42 +00:50:44 ---- 13.4 12:00:00
87° 52' Galaxy in Cet
1591 276 09:47:42 120° 23' 07" 14:23:12 26° 28' 45"
19:03:42 240° 13' 49" 00:52:05 -22:40:48 ---- 15.1 09:09:59 81° 30' Galaxy
in Cet
1613 ---- 08:29:05 87° 01' 32" 14:35:54 51° 16' 33"
20:47:43 273° 36' 18" 01:04:48 +02:07:00 12 09.0 12:10:00 93° 28' Galaxy
in Cet
89 446 08:31:38 84° 08' 50" 14:46:00 53° 27'
11" 21:05:22 276° 29' 34" 01:14:53 +04:17:38 ---- 12.8 12:25:00
96° 36' Galaxy in Psc
.
.
.
Note: Object size is given in Arc Minutes
Objects with rise and set time of 00:00:00 are circumpolar objects and are
always visible.
Lunar separation is the angle between the moon and the object.
The format for the EQTour is as follows and conforms to the new format which includes the magnitude of the object:
!J2000
!FORMAT=R;D;C;M;O
15.10833333;55.7630555555556;Dragon;10;M102 - NGC 5866, (Galaxy in Draco )
15.31;2.08277777777778;Serpent Head;5.8;M5 - NGC 5904, (Globular star cluster
in Serpens )
16.28333333;-22.975;Scorpion;7.2;M80 - NGC 6093, (Globular star cluster in Scorpius )
16.39333333;-26.5252777777778;Scorpion;5.9;M4 - NGC 6121, (Globular star
cluster in Scorpius )
16.54166667;-13.0527777777778;Serpent Bearer;8.1;M107 - NGC 6171, (Globular
star cluster in Ophiuchus )
16.695;36.46;Hercules;5.9;M13 - NGC 6205, (Hercules Globular Cluster )
16.78666667;-1.94777777777778;Serpent Bearer;6.6;M12 - NGC 6218, (Globular star
cluster in Ophiuchus )
16.95166667;-4.09944444444444;Serpent Bearer;6.6;M10 - NGC 6254, (Globular star
cluster in Ophiuchus )
17.02;-30.1122222222222;Serpent Bearer;6.6;M62 - NGC 6266, (Globular star
cluster in Ophiuchus)
17.04333333;-26.2680555555556;Serpent Bearer;7.2;M19 - NGC 6273, (Globular star
cluster in Ophiuchus )
17.285;43.1363888888889;Hercules;6.5;M92 - NGC 6341, (Globular star cluster in
Hercules )
17.32;-18.5163888888889;Serpent Bearer;7.9;M9 - NGC 6333, (Globular star
cluster in Ophiuchus )
17.62666667;-3.24611111111111;Serpent Bearer;7.6;M14 - NGC 6402, (Globular star
cluster in Ophiuchus )
Observation Report
4/11/2011 10:57:44 AM
Time window 4/11/2011 19:33 to 4/11/2011 23:59 for Location Home_Location
40:50:25 N Latitude 74:54:52 W Longitude.
Sunrise: 06:26:08 Sun set: 19:35:36 Moon Rise: 13:21:51 Moon set: 02:52:38
First Quarter
Minimum Elevation: 0
Viewing time is based on 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise where the
object is above the minimum requested elevation
Messier Objects
M NGC Transit TM Transit EL Obs.Time Start End Before
T. After T. Mag Lunar Sep. Name
48 2548 19:54:08 43° 21' 31" 04:54:59 20:39:41 01:34:41 00:00:00 04:54:59
05.8 21° 35' Open star cluster in Hydra
44 2632 20:20:25 69° 08' 29" 06:59:59 20:37:27 03:37:27 00:00:00 06:59:59
03.1 5° 17' Beehive Cluster
67 2682 20:30:44 60° 58' 14" 06:34:59 20:39:33 03:14:33 00:00:00 06:34:59
06.9 3° 38' Open star cluster in Cancer
81 3031 21:35:56 61° 46' 30" 20:39:33 20:39:33
00:00:00 00:56:22 00:00:00 06.9 55° 37' Galaxy in Ursa Major
82 3034 21:36:08 61° 09' 25" 20:39:33 20:39:33
00:00:00 00:56:34 00:00:00 08.4 56° 12' Cigar Galaxy
95 3351 22:24:20 60° 51' 45" 08:29:59 20:38:33 05:08:33 01:45:46 06:44:13
09.7 30° 00' Bared Galaxy in Leo
96 3368 22:27:08 60° 58' 57" 08:34:59 20:35:55 05:10:55 01:51:12 06:43:47
09.2 30° 40' Galaxy in Leo
105 3379 22:28:08 61° 44' 25" 08:34:59 20:39:07 05:14:07 01:49:00 06:45:59
09.3 30° 47' Galaxy in Leo
108 3556 22:51:50 75° 10' 00" 20:39:07 20:39:07
00:00:00 02:12:42 00:00:00 10.1 50° 04' Galaxy in Ursa Major
97 3587 22:55:08 75° 49' 17" 20:39:07 20:39:07
00:00:00 02:16:00 00:00:00 11.2 50° 01' Owl Planetary nebula
65 3623 22:59:14 62° 15' 10" 09:09:59 20:38:18 05:48:18 02:20:55 06:49:04
09.3 38° 15' Galaxy in Leo Triplett
66 3627 23:00:32 62° 09' 01" 09:09:59 20:39:59 05:49:59 02:20:32 06:49:27
09.0 38° 34' Galaxy in Leo Triplett
109 3992 23:37:56 77° 27' 56" 20:39:59 20:39:59
00:00:00 02:57:56 00:00:00 09.8 54° 26' Galaxy in Ursa Major
98 4192 23:54:08 64° 03' 33" 20:36:23 20:36:23
00:00:00 03:17:44 00:00:00 10.1 51° 15' Galaxy in Coma Berenices
99 4254 23:59:08 63° 34' 34" 20:38:13 20:38:13
00:00:00 03:20:54 00:00:00 09.8 52° 30' Galaxy in Coma Berenices
106 4258 23:59:20 83° 32' 09" 20:36:43 20:36:43
00:00:00 03:22:36 00:00:00 08.3 55° 23' Galaxy in Canes Venatici
Note: Object size is given in Arc Minutes
Objects with rise and set time of 00:00:00 are circumpolar objects and are
always visible.
Lunar separation is the angle between the moon and the object.
This report shows you the total observation time for that object and the time ( hours, minutes, seconds) Before Transit and After transit . These times are based on one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise where the object is above the minimum Elevation specified.
The calculator was added to allow you to convert Degrees to Hours and visa-versa.
Simply enter the value in the box in the format shown above the box and click DO IT. The remaining boxes will be populated with the result.
The second part allows you to convert Parsec to Light Years and visa-versa.
The third part of the calculator will calculate the magnitude of an object given the magnitude and ADU of a reference star as well as the ADU of the object in question
Provide the data in the brown boxes , Click Calc. Mag and the result will be shown in the green box.
To exit the program click the EXIT button.
If you have further questions or problems contact me at nbs@njstargazer.org
hope this provides some useful information
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the latest version.
In version 2.2.3 I have added the capability to tell the mount to slew to a specific RA and DEC location.
This feature is available on the TOOL menu of the main window.
Clicking on the menu item will open a window that allows you to enter the RA and DEC coordinates that you want the ASCOM mount to slew to.
The RA values can be entered as a string ( hh:mm:ss) or or hour decimal value ( hh.hhhhh)
Likewise the DEC value can be entered as a string (dd:mm:ss) or degree
decimal value (ddd.ddddd)
The decimal values will be displayed below the box once you move off the
box.
Clicking on the GOT OBJECT button will send you to the ASCOM screen ( see ASCOM Telescope Interface above) where you can connect to the mount and request it to make the slew.
If ASCOM is not loaded on your system you will be notified as such and the button will be disabled.
Version 2.2.4 adds the ability to get information about surrounding objects. Simply enter the coordinates in the upper half of the form, enter the radius that you are interested in (in arc minutes) and click on the SIMBAD button.
You will be presented with a browser view of the data.
If the Internet is not available the SIMBAD button will not be enabled.
You can also request to view the sky at those coordinates. By clicking the button you will open a web page directed to SKY-MAP.com displaying the images of the sky.