Skyglobe 3.5 manual
- Skyglobe 3.5
- manual
S K Y G L O B E 3.5
A Shareware Product of KlassM SoftWare
Copyright (c) 1992 Mark A Haney
Congratulations! You now have an evaluation copy of SkyGlobe 3.5,
the fast, fun, and easy to use educational astronomy program.
SkyGlobe is distributed as Shareware to reach the widest possible
audience, so let's take care of the legalities first.
SkyGlobe is copyrighted material. You are granted permission to try
SkyGlobe, and to make as many backup copies for your own purposes as
you want. If you decide to keep and use SkyGlobe, your copy should
be registered.
You are encouraged to distribute copies of SkyGlobe, subject to the
following conditions:
1) All files, except for the file SKYGLOBE.REG, are
distributed together and unaltered.
2) No charge is made for the software.
(A small fee for media and handling is permissible
with authorization from KlassM SoftWare.)
Anyone who receives a copy of SkyGlobe from you should register
their copy if they decide to keep it and use it.
As I am now a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals,
I have included a copy of their standard Shareware and license
wording, as well as the Ombudsman statement and my support policy,
at the end of this documentation file.
SkyGlobe was originally developed with registered Shareware.
Thank you for supporting the Shareware concept by registering
your copy of . . . . .
S K Y G L O B E ! ! !
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
SKYGLOBE 3.5 ORDER FORM October 5, 1992
Please use this form to register your copy of SkyGlobe 3.5!
Registration provides you with the following benefits:
1) A copy of the newest version of SkyGlobe, customized with
your Home Town as the default city.
2) A professionally printed SkyGlobe manual.
3) A Handy one page Reference Card.
4) A SkyGlobe-like Windows screensaver.
5) A SkyGlobe-like display of our nearest 3800 neighbor stars.
6) Automatic notification of new releases and other products,
with discounts on updated versions.
Shipping Address: Name:................................................
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Country..............................................
Home Town(s):
(Up to three supported) ...............................................
Circle Disk Type: 3.5DD 5.25DD 5 25HD
(720K) (360K) (1.2M)
Circle Default Video Mode: VGA or EGA or CGA or Hercules
We also have a 2MB selection of SVGA planetary and DSO .PCX images available
for $10.00 on EITHER >>- 1.2M 5.25HD -<< OR >>- 720K 3.5DD -<< disks.
USA/Direct
Registration $20.00 Mail to: EMail orders:
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for orders only. 800# please!
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Please make direct order checks payable to KlassM SoftWare.
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: See page two for the names of our overseas agents.
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Signature:_______________________________________________
Date of Authorization:___________ Amount:__________ Expiration:______
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy SkyGlobe!
International customers may order directly from KlassM SoftWare by using
the preceding page of the order form. Please pay $20.00, plus $5.00 for
airmail shipping. Payment can be in the form of a VISA/MasterCard author-
ization, a US$ dollar check from a US bank, or US or other major currency.
For your convenience, you may prefer to order from one of our agents in
either Germany, the UK and the rest of Europe, or Australia.
To register in Germany, please contact:
PD-Service Lage
Postfach 1743
D-4937 Lage/Lippe
GERMANY
Telefon 05232-66912
Telefax 05232-4039
CIS #[70007,5504]
For UK and other European registrations, please contact:
The Thompson Partnership
Church Croft,
Bramshall,
UTTOXETER,
Staffs
ST14 5DE
ENGLAND
Fully inclusive price for registration is 15.99 pounds.
Telephone +44 (0)889 564601
Fax +44 (0)889 563219
CompuServe 70007,5560
Payment by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club
Credit Cards, Cheque, Money Order or EuroCheck (with card
number on reverse)
To order through Australia, please contact: International
| |
Budgetware Phone (02) 519-4233 +61 2 5194233
PO BOX 496 Fax (02) 516-4236 +61 2 5164236
Newtown NSW 2042
AUSTRALIA
Fully inclusive price for registration is $35.00 Australian dollars.
Payment may be made by check, money order, or VISA/MasterCard.
Thank you for supporting Shareware and SkyGlobe! Peace and Clear Skies!
-4-
Table of Contents
Welcome Page...................................................1
Order Form.....................................................2
Table of Contents..............................................4
SkyGlobe 3.5 Files.............................................4
Quick Starting Instructions....................................5
Time and Date Commands.........................................6
Where are We Looking? (SkyGlobe Directions)....................7
Moving Around (Cursor Keys and More)...........................7
What Do We See? (Stars and Zooms)..............................7
The Planets....................................................8
Precession.....................................................9
Finding Planets, Constellations, DSOs, and Stars..............10
Printing......................................................10
Lines and Labels..............................................11
Keeping Track (Screen Displays)...............................12
Mousing Around................................................12
Enter and Shift-Enter.........................................13
Changing Viewing Locations....................................14
Display SVGA .PCX Images......................................14
Special Command Modes (SPACE, Home, and End)..................16
Changing Your Environment.....................................17
Program Requirements..........................................18
Using SkyGlobe with Windows...................................18
The SkyGlobe Projection.......................................18
Saying Goodbye................................................18
Educational Discounts.........................................18
Thanks for Your Support!......................................18
SkyGlobe Background...........................................19
SkyGlobe Background continued.................................20
Questions & Answers...........................................21
Questions & Answers continued.................................22
Questions & Answers III.......................................23
SkyGlobe Command List.........................................24
Definition of Shareware.......................................25
Support Policy................................................25
Disclaimer....................................................26
Ombudsman Statement (Help from the ASP).......................26
Index.........................................................27
SkyGlobe 3.5 Files
SKYGLOBE.EXE Standalone executable file, containing data for 7000 stars.
SKYEXTRA.DAT Data for additional 18000 stars (7001-25000).
SKYGLOBE.DOC This file.
ORDER.DOC Here's how to get your own customized copy! Plus Goodies!
README Program description and late news.
SKYGLOBE.ICO A Windows 3.1 icon for SkyGlobe.
FILE_ID.DIZ A description file for BBSs and catalogs.
VENDOR.DOC A complete program description for all vendors.
BENEFITS.DOC A complete description of registration benefits.
-5-
Quick Starting Instructions
These instructions will enable you to get SkyGlobe up and
running as quickly as possible. Then you can return to the
manual to learn about some of SkyGlobe's advanced features.
SKYGLOBE.EXE is the only file that is absolutely necessary
in order to run SkyGlobe. If you wish to see more than 7000
stars, you will need to ensure that the SKYEXTRA.DAT file is
in the active directory as well.
All you have to do to start the program is type SKYGLOBE and
press Enter. SkyGlobe will determine your video adapter, but you can
over-ride this choice with command-line switches, such as SKYGLOBE E
to run in EGA mode. SkyGlobe will attempt to properly display SVGA
images when called on to do so, but to run the sky display in SVGA
you need to try SKYGLOBE S. If this doesn't work, try SKYGLOBE S2,
or S3, up to 7.
When you type SKYGLOBE and press Enter, you will be quickly pre-
sented with a view of the southern sky for the current time and date.
In the middle of the top of the screen will be a welcome and copyright
message, which will disappear when you press your first command key.
Most of the commands in SkyGlobe require only a single keypress or
mouse click.
Let's try a few of these commands. First press 'A' to start
the automatic increment of time. The time, shown in the upper left
corner of the screen, will begin to change by five minutes. Press
'Shift-A' to reverse direction, then press 'A' again to stop the
movement. Press 'B' for Brightness a few times and watch more stars
appear. Most actions in SkyGlobe are reversed by using the Shift key
or right mouse click. Press 'Shift-B', and watch the dimmest stars
vanish. Try 'Z' and 'Shift-Z' to Zoom in and out.
Want to set a specific time or date? Try 'M', 'H', 'D' and 'T'
for Month, Hour, Day and Time (in minutes). Change the number of
Constellation Lines displayed with 'C'. Use the cursor keys to
change the Viewing Direction and Elevation. And if you ever need
to use your computer for something besides SkyGlobe, press 'Q' to
return to DOS.
You can use the mouse for almost all program operation. Clicking
on the first letter of a command in the Help menu is the same as
pressing the letter on the keyboard. In general the left mouse clicks
correspond to the normal key commands, and the right mouse clicks
correspond to Shift key commands. (For simplicity, left clicks will
be referred to as clicks, and right clicks will be noted as such.)
I hope this quick introduction has gotten you well started with
SkyGlobe. More detailed descriptions of the commands appear through-
out the following pages. Have fun!
-6-
Time and Date Commands
SkyGlobe provides many ways to change the Time or Date of the
displayed sky view. You can change the Time forward or backward by a
minute or an hour. The Date can be changed forward or backward by a
day, a month, a year, a century, or a millenium. Except for tiny
changes which are corrected for by leap years, only the planets
generally change from year to year. Over great time spans, preces-
sion, the wobbling of the Earth's axis, becomes evident.
Use the table below to help you remember:
Forward Backward
1 Minute Press 'T' Press 'Shift-T'
1 Hour 'H' 'Shift-H'
1 Day 'D' 'Shift-D'
1 Month (30 days) 'M' 'Shift-M'
1 Year 'Y' 'Shift-Y'
1 Century 'J' 'Shift-J'
1 MilleniUm 'U' 'Shift-U'
One of SkyGlobe's most useful features is the Auto-Increment
or Animation mode. This gives you the ability to simulate the pas-
sage of time on your computer. To enter or exit this mode, press
'A'. The sky view will begin to change in a manner that depends
on the Auto-Increment parameters. Use 'Alt-A' to change the
increment type from Time to Date and back. Use 'Shift-A' to
change the direction of increment from Forward to Backward and
back. You can also change the speed of increment. Press '>' to
increase the speed, and '<' to slow back down. Only the active
increment type, either Time or Date, is affected by the '>' and
'<' keys.
There are two ways to quickly activate some special Auto-
Increment modes. Use 'R' to enter (or disable) Real-Time mode.
This will synchronize the Time and Date to the system clock. You
still have control over all commands except those related to Time
and Date. Press 'Shift-R', and the Increment speed will be set to
one Sidereal day, or about 1436 minutes. This has the effect of
seeming to freeze the star and constellation display, while allow-
ing the planets to continue their progress along the ecliptic. This
is useful for learning about retrograde motion, as well as teaching
something about the relative speeds of motions of the planets.
If you would like to see what the sky will look like in the
far future, or are more interested in the ancient past, the 'J',
'Shift-J', 'U', and 'Shift-U' keys will Jump the Date by a century
or change it by a milleniUm. This will give you the chance to learn
about the wobbling of the Earth's axis called precession, which is
described in greater detail later.
-7-
Where Are We Looking?
Now let's learn about how SkyGlobe interprets directions. The
program assumes you are standing outside and that your eyes are
facing the same direction your feet are pointing. This is the View
Direction. The display shows this direction in degrees, ranging from
0 for due north, through 180 degrees for due south, to 350 degrees
for 10 degrees west of north. The View Direction is also indicated
by abbreviations in the parameter display, as well as along the
Horizon line by initials.
The View Elevation ranges from 0 degrees to 90. The Horizon ap-
pears as a straight line at the 0 degree setting. It might help to
imagine that you are extremely short for this one, so that the ground
covers the lower half of your eyes, but is transparent. The 90 degree
setting is like looking straight overhead at the Zenith.
Moving Around
SkyGlobe provides many convenient methods for rapidly changing
the sky view. The up and down arrow keys change the View Elevation
by 5 degrees. The right and left arrow keys work with the View
Direction. When the View Elevation is near the Horizon these keys
work about as you expect, but nearer to the Zenith they rotate the
view more than they move it. This is correct when you remember that
the View Direction stands for where your feet are pointing. PgUp and
PgDn change Elevation in multiple jumps. Use Alt or Ctrl with the
arrow keys to change the direction in smaller amounts. Finally, you
can change the View Direction instantly to compass points by pressing
'N', 'S', 'E', or 'W', or by clicking the mouse on these letters in
the Help menu.
What Do We See?
Lots and lots of stars! You can change the number of stars
displayed by pressing 'B' for Brightness to increase the number, or
'Shift-B' to decrease it. The number of stars added or deleted from
the display depends on the number currently displayed. After the
number of stars currently displayed is an indication of the limiting
magnitude this number represents. This is the magnitude of the dimmest
star displayed.
SkyGlobe allows you to adjust the magnification of your sky
view. At a nominal magnification of 1, with the Inflated projection
chosen, (this is the program default) half of the celestial sphere
is visible. Since the eye can focus on far less area than this, a
certain amount of distortion is evident at low magnifications. Still,
you can use these views to quickly find areas of interest. The center
of the screen is always the most accurate portion. Use 'Z' to increase
the magnification and 'Shift-Z' or right mouse click in Help to decrease
it. In common with many SkyGlobe commands, as described later, you can
use 'Alt-Z' and 'Ctrl-Z' for smaller increments, and 'Home-Z' and
'End-Z' to quickly maximize or minimize the Zoom index.
-8-
The Planets
You can use SkyGlobe to learn something about the way the
planets move around the Sun. The very word 'Planet' is derived from
the Greek word for wanderer. The ancients, who spent more time out-
of-doors than we do, noticed that a few bright 'stars' seemed to
move against the 'fixed' background of the rest of the heavens.
(Here I mean fixed with respect to each other; they were acquainted
with the slow progression from one season to the next of the whole
'sphere'.) They soon worked out the repetitive patterns the diff-
erent 'stars' followed. We will learn how to simulate this motion
shortly, but first we need to talk about some SkyGlobe features
that are relevant.
Although the stars don't really change much from one year to
the next, the planets do. Notice the year displayed on the Date
display in the upper left-hand corner. If this Time and Date are
not displayed, press F2 to turn this display on. Use 'Y' or 'Sh-Y'
to increase or decrease the year. You can use F3 to turn on the
planet display, and to turn on planet labels. EGA/VGA color users
see the planets in more or less appropriate colors. You may need
to change the Time or Date to see your favorite planet.
Now that we have seen the planets, let's see how they move.
Change the Viewing Direction to South and the Time to 12:00 p.m. (noon)
Turn off Daylight Time by pressing 'V'. Set Auto-Increment Type to
Date by pressing 'Alt-A' if needed. Now press 'A' and watch the show.
If you want to see how the planets stick near the ecliptic, make
sure its display is turned on, (F6 does this). Since your location
may not fall exactly on the Standard Time meridian, the Sun may not
be due South for you at Civil noon. Also notice how it wanders from
side to side throughout the year, as the Earth speeds and slows down
along its slightly elliptical orbit.
Notice how Mercury and Venus stay close to the Sun. Mars has
positively weird behavior, since it is outside the Earth's orbit, but
relatively close by. It also has an eccentric orbit. The other outside
planets drift more slowly against the background of the stars. You
may see more clearly how the moon goes through its phases, being al-
ways in New Moon phase when near the Sun. Move to Midnight, and the
Moon will be in Full phase when it shows up in the South. Since the
orbit of the Moon is inclined at about 5 degrees to the ecliptic, it
wanders above and below it each month. This motion, which rotates
through an 18 year cycle, accounts for the periodicity of eclipses.
SkyGlobe 3.5 uses calculated planetary positions to allow for planet
display without the need for data tables. For instance, take a look
at the solar eclipse of July 11, 1991. Slowly step through the hours,
and watch how the moon gradually overtakes the Sun.
Another interesting way to watch the motion of the planets is with
the Sidereal Time mode of the Auto-Increment/Animation feature. Find a
direction and a time and date that contain some planets, and press
'Shift-R'. The time will begin incrementing by 23 hours 56 minutes, or
one sidereal day. The planets, especially the Sun, Moon, and inner
planets, will begin to drift against the unmoving background of the stars.
-9-
Precession
One pattern that is difficult to explain with words and books, but
which lends itself perfectly to the animation features of SkyGlobe, is
the 25,800 year wobble of the Earth's axis called precession. We think
of the North Star as constant and unchanging--there's even a Shakespeare
quote to that effect!--but in fact it is a lucky accident for us that
Polaris, a 2nd magnitude star, is so close to the north celestial pole.
(SkyGlobe trivia: Polaris used to be the defining star of the magnitude
scale until it was discovered to be slightly variable. It was set equal
to magnitude 2.0 exactly, and all other brightnesses were compared to it
using a logarithmic scale.) Our North Star will gradually come even
closer than its current three-quarters of degree to the actual pole until
about 2100, when it will start to draw away. Stargazers of the future
will use stars such as Errai, Alderamin, Deneb, Delta Cygni, Vega,
Thuban, and Kochab as their North Stars, as well as some lesser-known
lights. Some of these are better fits than others. The pattern will
then begin to repeat in about 27900AD, when Polaris will again be
very close to the pole. The same sequence extends into the past.
But enough of this exposition; a SkyGlobe view is worth a thousand
words! First we need to find a view where the celestial north pole is
easy to see. Press 'N' to instantly choose a viewing direction of North,
and use the Zoom features and up or down arrows to select a view which
comfortably displays the coming together of the RA-Dec lines at the pole.
You could also try 'F' and use the menus to find Polaris. You may find
it helpful to change your latitude with 'Alt-N' or 'Alt-S' to an even
number, so the pole falls on top of a hash mark. One nice option is to
change your location to the North Pole and look toward the Zenith.
So far, so good, we can look at the north celestial pole. Big Deal,
you say? Press the Space bar to enter Turbo mode, and then select 'U'
to continually increment the Date by one milleniUm. (Note: you can select
Turbo with the mouse but once in this mode you will need to make your
selections on the keyboard.) The algorithm that precesses the view gets
a little slow for faraway dates and times, especially without a math
coprocessor, so we want the biggest changes we can get. Polaris and the
RA-Dec lines for the current epoch will start to spin off to the side,
and the new North Stars will come in from the other side. If you start
this with the mouse on top of the old pole it will help to show us the
changes happening. The RA-Dec coords displayed will stay fairly near to
90 degrees Declination, with some error creeping in, while Polaris gets
further and further away. If you move the mouse cursor on top of Polaris
again--you may want to turn off Turbo for this--you will notice it is no
longer near the new celestial pole. You can also use 'J' to Jump by a
century instead of a milleniUm, and use the Shift keys to go backwards.
We are limited to about one cycle in each direction, mostly since
it gets pretty slow going toward the endpoints. The planets are still
displayed throughout this range, but I wouldn't plan a trip to them
based on these coordinates. They are approximately correct for as far
back and forward as I have data. I have followed the astronomical con-
vention of using the Julian calendar backward indefinitely, even though
no one was using our month names tens of thousands years ago.
-10-
Finding Planets, Constellations, DSOs, and Stars
Let's say you wish to find a planet, or perhaps your favorite
constellation. 'F' will access the Find menu. You can use either
the cursor keys or the mouse to navigate the menus. Choose types
of objects from the lower right menu, or use PgUp/PgDn or the mouse.
A click or Enter at a chosen object will re-center the display at
that object, if it is visible from your latitude. If necessary,
the time will be incremented until the object is above the horizon.
The next time you use the menus, the last chosen object will be
under the menu cursor.
Rather than going through the menus, you can quickly identify
many stars by placing the mouse cursor over them. If they are among
the brightest 300 stars, their name will appear in the lower left-hand
corner, if the mouse is on. If you press the left mouse button while
on the object and it has a .PCX file, the image will be displayed on
the screen. If there is no .PCX file, or you aren't exactly on the
object, (check lower left of screen), the screen will re-center to
where the cursor is. To return to your previous RA-Dec setting, right
click, making sure the cursor is in black sky, not on an object.
I would like to say a few words here about nomenclature.
Names of the constellations are well standardized. Many of the
strange names in the southern sky are Latinized names of scientific
implements, since these constellations were named (by the Western
world, that is) in the beginning of the Industrial Age. Most of the
northern constellation names go back much further. We use the genitive,
or possessive, form of the constellation name to denote star names.
For example, Alpha Centauri means the first star of Centaurus. The
stars were generally enumerated in order of brightness. Since star
brightnesses change with time, this correlation is not always exact.
Many stars also have popular names, which are not standardized nearly
as well as constellations. You may want to take my lists with a grain
of salt. Fifty-seven stars, four planets, the sun, and the moon, have
been chosen for celestial navigation purposes by various authorities.
Ctrl-N acts as a filter for this group. Labels for the navigation
stars appear in a different color in EGA and VGA color modes.
Printing
A snapshot of the screen may be printed with the use of the
'P' command. You will be prompted to choose a printer type, and
the output will be directed to either LPT1 or LPT2, depending on
the setting chosen with Alt-F7. No matter your video type, a display
will be created in VGA resolution for dot-matrix printing, or SVGA
resolution for HP-compatible laser printing.
-11-
Lines And Labels
One of the most useful features of SkyGlobe is its ability to
quickly and easily change the lines and labels that help our eyes
and minds make sense of the vastness of the sky. This can be very
helpful to someone just learning the stars.
Use 'C' to increase the number of Constellation Lines displayed.
As always, use Shift or right click to reduce the number of lines.
The Constellation Lines have been grouped by importance, with some
constellations having several classes of lines, such as the extra lines
that change the Big Dipper into Ursa Major, the Great Bear. F10 instantly
turns these lines on or off, which is a good way to learn the star
patterns underneath the constellations. There are also several choices
for labelling the constellations. Use F9 to roll through No labels-
abbreviations-Small font full names-Large font full names-No labels again.
The 1000 brightest stars can be labelled with numbers that repre-
sent their brightness standing, and the three hundred brightest stars
can be labelled with their names. Use F8 to roll through No Labels-
Numbers-Small font names-Large font names-No Labels again. To change
the number of stars to label, use F12, either on the keyboard or in
the Help menu.
The F5 command rolls through the Horizon Line, Zenith cross, and
Hash-Mark displays, and the F6 command toggles the Ecliptic Line Display.
Two levels of display are supported for RA-Dec grid lines,
controlled with F7. These lines act somewhat like latitude and longitude
lines on the globe of the Earth. Try looking due North in Auto mode with
the lines on, and watch the celestial sphere rotate. This helps show how
the Pole Star appears almost motionless.
The Messier Objects--a list of 110 Deep Sky Objects compiled by
Charles Messier--as well as 111 selected NGC objects, can be labelled with
descriptive icons or the letter plus the appropriate number. The different
types of objects are: open clusters, globular clusters, nebulas, spiral
galaxies, and elliptical galaxies, which should be self-explanatory when
you see them. F4 turns these objects on (icons only), gradually adding
to the number each time it is pressed. To display labels for these objects,
use Shift-F4.
A beautiful representation of the Milky Way can be controlled with
the 'K' key. This key will roll through: No display-Outlines only-Gray
shaded regions-Blue shaded regions. You can adjust the brightness of the
shaded regions (VGA and SVGA only) with 'Alt-K' for the inner region and
'Ctrl-K' for the outer.
You can place a frame around the rectangular screen display or
the round SkyGlobe with 'O'. The choices roll through No Display-
Rectangular frame-Round frame-Rectangular and Round frames-Off. Colors
for these lines can be altered with 'Shift-O'. 'G' toggles Guidelines
for constellation areas. Shift-G scrolls through line colors for these.
Alt-O produces a field-of-view circle with a 1 degree radius (2
degree diameter), to simulate a telescope eyepiece.
-12-
Keeping Track
SkyGlobe has two handy on-screen displays to help the user. The
left-hand display will help you keep track of settings such as the Zoom
Index, and will remind you of the Viewing Location. By pressing F2 you
can see the Auto-Increment parameters, the Print parameters and other
miscellaneous information. This display can be blanked by pressing F2
yet again, or use Shift-F2 to peel off one screen at a time.
A Help screen appears on the right-hand side of the screen. This
display will remind you of the single-key commands of SkyGlobe. Press
F1, and the function key assignments appear (on non-CGA machines). One
more F1, and the list of alternate function keys shows up. Press F1
again to turn off the Help display. Once F1 appears on the screen you
can use the mouse to bring up the rest of the options by clicking on F1.
Mousing Around
SkyGlobe displays some handy information about the position of the
mouse cursor. The RA-Dec coordinates of the mouse cursor, along with the
name of any object underneath it, will be displayed in the lower left-
hand corner of the screen. If the object is a star, its magnitude is
displayed. The height and direction of the cursor, which are called
the Altitude and Azimuth, are also displayed.
You can run a great deal of the program using the mouse. Clicking
on the first letter of a command in the Help menu is like pressing the
corresponding key. A left click chooses the command, a right click
chooses the reverse of the command. In the case of L, it acts as Alt-L,
choosing the location one step down the Location Menu without
entering the menu itself. You can select the Turbo mode with the mouse,
but, once in this mode, must make your selections on the keyboard.
In the Location and Find menus, the mouse works as follows:
You can use the mouse to navigate the menu, clicking on your choice
of object or location. This will incorporate that choice into the
settings, and, in the case of objects, centers them on the screen.
Page types can be chosen in the lower right of the Find menu by
clicking on the highlighted bar, or by using the cursor or PgUp/PgDn
to select. A right click will return you to the program with the object
centered and locked in place. This allows the object to stay centered
while the other parameters are changed. Try this with the sun or moon
and Auto-Increment/Animation, ('A'), set to hours. Remember, you can't
see through Earth. To unlock this mode, press ESC.
In general, left mouse clicks correspond to the Enter key in menus,
and the right clicks correspond to the Shift-Enter commands. In the
Find Menu Alt-click will display an image of an object if the correct
.PCX file is present, while Alt-Enter will perform the same function.
See page 14 for more about images.
-13-
Mousing continued
On the screen the mouse can be used to manipulate the view and
to display images. Clicking will center the screen wherever the
cursor is located, unless it is on an object with a .PCX file, in
which case an image of the object will be displayed. If you accident-
ally click for image display, simply click again or hit any key to
terminate the display process. If you wish to place a particular
object near the center but aren't fussy about precise location,
and don't want to take a chance on an unwanted image display,
click near but not on the object.
Right click will do one of two things, depending on whether the
cursor is on an object or not. If it is on an object it will center
and lock that object as it does from the Find menu. If it is not on
an object it will act as an undo and return the cursor to the RA-Dec
position it held before the last click that moved it.
An alternative way to get an object's image to come up is to
select the object from the Find menu with the mouse, which will
center the object, and then click on the object again. This makes
it a two click process (one for centering, one for image display)
easier than trying to move the cursor precisely onto some objects.
You can control the mouse display with F11.
Enter/Shift Enter
If you don't have a mouse or prefer to use the keyboard, the
features controlled by right and left mouse clicks are generally
mimiced Enter and Shift-Enter, respectively. Within the Find menu,
for instance, selecting an object with Enter will center it on the
screen. Selecting it with Shift-Enter will center and lock it, just
as the right click does, allowing the object to remain centered
while other parameters change. Pressing ESC will unlock the object.
Use Alt-Enter in the Find Menu to display a chosen image, if
present.
When not being used to select an object or location, and when
not in the lock mode, Enter acts as a repeat for the most recent
command. This can change a two key function, for example, Shift-Z,
into a one key (Enter) command. Shift-Enter acts as an undo for
the most recent command.
-14-
Changing Viewing Locations
One of the most popular pastimes for new astronomers is seeing
what the sky looks like from other places. Perhaps you're thinking
of moving, and want to make sure the stars will still be interesting
to view from your prospective new home. (They will be!) Press 'L' to
pull up a menu of locations from which to choose. Your current view
will be left untouched at the bottom of the screen. Use the cursor
keys or mouse to select a location. Once you make your new choice
you will return to the program with all your other parameters just
the way you left them. Since SkyGlobe 3.5 has over 230 locations,
there are two pages of locations to choose from. Use the 'End' key
to quickly go to the spot that changes between pages.
To choose locations from the supplied list, without actually going
through the menu, you can use 'Home-L' (first location on menu, usually
Caledonia MI), 'End-L' (Equator), 'Alt-L' or right click on L (one
position down the list) or 'Ctrl-L (one up menu). If you wish to move
a small amount in a compass direction, try 'Alt-N', 'Alt-S', 'Alt-E' or
'Alt-W'. Then you can change locations without ever taking your eyes off
the current display. The east and west moves simply have the effect of
changing the local observed time by 1 minute. The north-south changes
are 1/4 degree, about 17 miles.
Displaying .PCX Images
Perhaps the most exciting new feature in this version of SkyGlobe
is its new facility to display SVGA .PCX images with a simple mouse
click. It's really a lot of fun to click on Jupiter and be presented
with a beautiful picture of our solar system's largest planet.
Unfortunately, the size of such images precludes their inclusion
in a tidy download package. Our motto here at KlassM SoftWare is:
"Biggest bang for the byte!" Your evaluation copy of SkyGlobe is all
set up to display properly named standard 256-color .PCX images, as
long as you have VGA or better.
All you need is to obtain your own images and name them properly.
Planetary images should be named PLANET.PCX, where PLANET is a name such
as JUPITER or SATURN. Messier Objects should be of the form M31.PCX, and
the 100 hundred best NGC objects can be displayed as N7662.PCX, or some-
thing similar.
Note that it isn't strictly necessary for the image to reflect the
object, the name is all that matters when you click.
To display (or try to display) an image for an object, left-click
while the mouse cursor is centered on the planet, Messier, or NGC. If
the file is there, you should see it. SkyGlobe does its level best to
display the image in 640x480x256 color mode if it can identify your
video card. The program has been tested with Tseng, ATI, and Video 7
cards. The best way to ensure proper operation is to hunt up the disk
that came with your system, and find the VESA driver. SkyGlobe will work
in VESA mode if at all possible.
-15-
Images continued
If you can't get good results, you can start with SKYGLOBE V, which
will force image display in 320x200x256 mode. I will continue to refine
my SVGA handling in the months to come.
So, where can you get nice pictures, and how can you make sure they
are in the proper format? One way is to order the $10 2MB package when
you register, but we won't restrict you to that! CompuServe has several
forums, such as SPACE and ASTROFORUM, which have extensive libraries,
and from which you are welcome to download for personal use. I only wish
I was allowed to use some of those files to present to you! Anyhow, since
most image files are in .GIF format, you will want a program such as VPIC
to convert to .PCX. VPIC is a Shareware program which I highly recommend,
and most of the files in my selection were converted with it. You can find
the program anywhere you look for Shareware.
Some of the files in my selection came from a highly respected
graphics image guru named Bill Harris, who has hundreds of files, and
who has uploaded many a megabyte to CompuServe and other boards. He is
going to develop a SkyGlobe image list, and you can reach him at:
Bill Harris
Images Unlimited
P.O. Box 512
Jasper, AL 35502
His CIS id=[70674,364]
Please use an SASE if you write for his catalog/file list.
Remember, there are plenty of sources for wonderful pictures. NASA
photographs are not copyrighted, so many catalogs and BBSs have a few.
Even Windows Paintbrush can create .PCX files, so you can experience the
thrill of clicking on Saturn and seeing your own rendition of the Rings
appear. I'm sure I will learn more about good sources as this version of
the program starts making the rounds.
I plan to add support for .GIF and JPEG images before too long,
which will help the storage requirements.
You can also display images if you don't have a mouse, by using
the Find menu. Press 'F' to enter the Find Menu, then use the PgDn,
PgUp, and other assorted cursor keys to select the object of your desire.
If you press Enter at this point, you will re-center the display on top
of that object, as we have discussed before. If you press Shift-Enter,
you will Lock the display on the chosen object, and it will stay locked
until you press Esc. (This is kind of fun to watch with various animation
modes.) To display the image, if one is present, press Alt-Enter.
I'm excited to see how this feature of SkyGlobe 3.5 is received,
and I hope you're excited to try it. Other than encouraging you to get
your own images, to use your VESA driver, and to try a few extra modes
if you have trouble, I can't think of anything else to say. SVGA is a
bit of a black art, but the results are well worth it.
-16-
Special Command Modes
The SPACE bar, Home and End keys, and Alt and Ctrl keys, have
special meaning in SkyGlobe. These special command modes can be very
useful in making the program even easier to use. Try them, you'll
like them!
The SPACE bar activates Turbo mode, which takes the next keypress
and continually feeds it into the program, until the SPACE bar is pressed
again. This feature is particularly useful with Zoom, direction, and Time
and Date commands. Try it with 'J' or 'U' while facing North to see a
great demonstration of precession.
The Home and End keys, for many commands, take the next keypress,
and either minimize or maximize the program parameter altered by that key.
These are helpful for Zoom and Brightness, and are convenient ways to set
the Time and Date to even numbers, such as midnight or Jan 1.
The Alt and Ctrl keys often work as smaller positive and negative
increments for the command with which they are used. Once again, Zoom
and direction commands work well with these keys.
Let's try an example that illustrates these features. First, press
Home, followed by 'Z', to reset the Zoom Index to 1. You will have
noticed that you were prompted to enter the command to be used with
the Home feature. Now, press the SPACE bar. You will be prompted to
enter the Turbo key. Let's use the Alt feature here. Hold down the Alt
key, and press 'Z'. The display will slowly begin to expand, and a
message on the bottom of the screen will remind you to press the SPACE
bar when you wish to exit Turbo mode. Now try it for yourself! Turbo-
Alt-arrow is a good choice, although you might want to try Ctrl-arrow
if you have trouble with the Alt-key combinations.
Using the Alt-key in conjunction with the function keys can be
used to control some of the more obscure parameters in SkyGlobe 3.5.
Alt-F1 reduces the display to stars and constellation lines only.
Alt-F2 reduces the display to stars only.
Alt-F3 gradually changes the background color from black to blue.
Alt-F4 enables Twilight Mode, which artificially brightens the
background when the Sun or Moon is above the horizon.
Alt-F5 turns off the mouse position display, independently of the
F2 Parameter Index. This makes mouse centering impossible.
Alt-F6 toggles the Precession flag. With the current range of only
200 years, this is not all that valuable, but it does work.
Alt-F7 toggles the printer port between LPT1 and LPT2.
Alt-F8 controls whether line feeds are added to carriage returns
while printing.
Alt-F10 controls the Aspect Ratio, useful for laptops and SVGAs.
The TAB key is used for an interesting SkyGlobe feature. It will
find the next sunrise or sunset, depending on the current situation.
This feature occasionally stutters if used continually, but please
don't tempt fate by using it too close to the poles, or the results
may be a bit confusing.
-17-
Changing Your Environment
SkyGlobe 3.5 has the capability to customize many program settings.
In VGA and SVGA color modes, you can brighten or dim the RA-Dec line and
text colors with '+' and '-', and this bias can be saved in the .CF0 file
(explained below). The text color can be changed with '/', and you can
toggle between normal and reversed text with '.'. The Background color
can be changed from black through several shades of blue with Alt-F3. You
can select a twilight mode with Alt-F4. This will artificially brighten
the background color when either the Sun or the Moon is visible. The type
of Time display, either AM/PM or 24-hour, can be toggled with '='.
Use of the number keys allows for the saving of current program
settings. Up to 10 different settings may be saved, one of which will
be used as the new program default. These keys will create the file
SKYGLOBE.CF#, where # is a digit 0 through 9. When SkyGlobe is started,
it looks for the .CF0 file to get its initial settings. If you would
rather use the default settings, delete or REName this file. If you
want to use one of the other files, just use SKYGLOBE #, such as
SKYGLOBE 4 to use SKYGLOBE.CF4. This scheme allows for the use of
batch files, such as ECLIPSE.BAT=SKYGLOBE 1, where SKYGLOBE.CF1 has
been set up for July 11, 1991. These parameters can be mixed with video
choices, as long as you separate the parameters with spaces. You can
load these .CF# files from directly within the program with the Shifted
number keys. When you exit the program with either Q or ESC, the settings
at that time will be saved in SKYGLOBE.CFU, which you can access either
by typing SKYGLOBE U to start it up with the last exit settings. While in
the program you can access these old settings at any time with Alt-U.
If you are a registered user, the file SKYGLOBE.REG specifies up
to three custom locations. (For unregistered users, you can use con-
figuration files to use a nearby location as a default, without the
need to go through the Location menu.) These custom locations will
occupy the top three spots in the Location menu. When your order was
filled, your Home Town was placed in the top spot, while Caledonia and
Roscommon occupy the next two. If you move, or you wish to change the
second and third cities, you may use any text editor to do so. But
PLEASE BE CAREFUL! Before you make any changes, you should make a copy
of the file. Then make certain you don't change the lengths of any
field or the whole file. The location name, latitude, and longitude
fields should be self-explanatory. The first three characters refer
to North-South, West-East, and Daylight Time, respectively. Use 'N'
or 'S', 'W' or 'E', and 'Y' or 'N' to specify the hemispheres, and
whether Daylight Time is used. The next two characters refer to the
time zone used. This number refers to the number of half-hours around
from the Greenwich meridian the standard meridian for the time zone is.
Use 10 for Eastern Time, 12 for Central, 14 for Mountain, and 16 for
Pacific. European continental time is 46, not -2 or anything. You can
also use this method to specify a location if you are traveling, such
as an ocean voyage.
-18-
Memory Requirements
This version of SkyGlobe will run perfectly with about 470K of free
memory. Below that figure, compromises between the number of available
stars and full-color vs monochrome have to be made. When in monochrome
mode the memory requirements are greatly reduced.
Using SkyGlobe with Windows
SkyGlobe will work just fine under Windows in full-screen mode.
I have included a SKYGLOBE.ICO Windows icon. To install SkyGlobe and
use this icon, follow this procedure: Choose which Group you would to
install SkyGlobe in, and make it the active Group. Choose New from the
File menu and click OK to add a Program Item. Use the Browse feature to
find the directory which contains the SKYGLOBE.EXE file. To use the
icon, select Properties, then Change Icon. You will have to type in
the name SKYGLOBE.ICO, then click on OK.
The SkyGlobe Projection
SkyGlobe 3.5 offers two projections for displaying the sky. The
original SkyGlobe projection is a simple orthographic one. The newer
projection, which is the program default, is a modified version of an
orthographic view, which stretches (or Inflates) the display to preserve
realistic shapes near the edges. Use 'I' to toggle between the two.
Saying Goodbye
Finally, press 'Q' or ESC to return to DOS.
Educational Discounts
We here at KlassM SoftWare are pleased to offer a special discount
package to educational institutions. For $25, we will send you a fully
registered copy of SkyGlobe 3.5, the image disk selection, and thirty
copies of the Reference Card. You will have a license to use the
program on any number of computers in one room, and permission to
copy the manual for classroom use. Contact us for further details,
or go ahead and send a purchase order or a check.
Thanks For Your Support!
I hope you enjoy SkyGlobe! Since SkyGlobe is Shareware, you
are encouraged to please pass it on to anyone who may find it
interesting. Registered Users will automatically hear about future
updates. Any suggestions you may have will be greatly appreciated.
I can be reached on CompuServe as 76207,3377, in care of the address
on the order form, or at the Wolverine BBS, (517) 631-3471 for
300-2400 baud, or (517) 631-3481 for HST/v.32/v.32bis.
Thanks, and have fun learning about the stars with SkyGlobe!
-19-
SkyGlobe and the Stars - Some Background Information
Why do we see different stars at different times? The Earth makes
one complete rotation every day. If there were no Sun we could see that
the stars appear to make one complete revolution at the same time. The
North Star, Polaris (#51), is almost directly above the North Pole on
the Earth's axis of rotation. So the stars near the North Star (about
halfway up the northern sky in mid-northern latitudes) make tiny little
circles every day. Farther away from the North Star the stars and the
constellations they form wheel across the sky in huge arcs before they
disappear below the horizon.
Why do we see different stars at different dates? Imagine midnight
in April. The Sun is behind the Earth, and you are facing away from it
if you face due south. Now imagine midnight in October, six months later.
You are still facing away from the Sun. But because the Earth has moved
halfway around the Sun in its yearly orbit, you are looking in exactly
the opposite direction to the one you were in April. So different stars
are visible at midnight, and the ones near the North Star have made half
a revolution. If there were no Sun, you could see that at noon the October
sky is the same as the midnight sky in April.
Before Standard Time Zones were instituted, the Sun was due south
at noon everywhere. That was what noon meant. Now that is true only if
you happen to live near the center of the time zone. If you live in
Michigan, the Sun is due south around 12:30 or so. In New York City,
which near the center line for the same time zone, the Sun reaches due
south a few minutes before noon, over a half hour earlier than in
Michigan. The Sun reaches due south somewhat later in Chicago than
in Michigan, but because Chicago is in the Central time zone this
occurs before 12:00PM. This has to be allowed for to make the display
correct, and is unique to each location. Daylight Saving Time is handled
in a similar manner, and is indicated on the Time Display by the letter
D before the time if Daylight Time is in use.
The sky can be viewed as a sphere with the Earth at the center, and
the stars as fixed points on the sphere. Any attempt to represent this
3-dimensional space on a 2-dimensional surface inevitably introduces
some distortion. SkyGlobe uses a unique projection that can be calculated
very rapidly and provides quite accurate rendering of shapes as they
appear in the sky, even near the edge of the display. The old ortho-
graphic projection used in earlier versions of SkyGlobe (and still
available through the use of the 'I' command) had fairly severe dis-
tortions near the edges, and was only slightly faster.
-20-
Background Continued
Another issue that must be dealt with is double stars. Perhaps as
many as half of all stars are actually multiple star systems. The naked
eye frequently interprets two dim stars close together as one brighter
star. Many 'stars' that serve as end-points on constellation lines fit
into this category. If these stars were left dim and separate they would
appear 'invisible' at low brightnesses and make constellation shapes
unrecognizable. At higher brightnesses and low magnifications these stars
would be plotted on top of one another as points, still artificially dim.
The solution is to combine magnitudes for these stars. The ordering of
stars in SkyGlobe reflects this combination, so at medium brightnesses
and magnifications the display is as realistic as possible. The dimmer
star is retained at its actual brightness, so at very high magnifications
and brightnesses you will see one artificially bright star and one
correct dim star.
SkyGlobe contains coordinates for 7000 stars in the file
SKYGLOBE.EXE. This represents all the stars visible to the naked eye.
These coordinates were obtained from Sky Catalogue 2000.0 with permission
from the publisher, Sky Publishing Corp. This permission is gratefully
appreciated. The file SKYEXTRA.DAT contains another 18000 stars.
Steve Coe of the Saguaro Astronomy Club in Arizona was kind enough
to provide me with several lists of interesting Deep Sky Objects, one of
which formed the basis for the recent addition of 111 NGC objects. Any
mistakes in transcription, are, of course, entirely my responsibility.
If you don't already know, the SAC has a fabulous database full of
interesting information about a huge array of objects. If you are a
Deep Sky Fan, or thinking of becoming one, you need to have a copy.
The constellation boundary lines (Guidelines) were adapted from a
NASA CD which sells for a ridiculously low price. You get more data than
you could ever use for a pittance, all on a little disc. Their address is
(or was):
NASA
National Space Science Data Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt MD 20771
SkyGlobe was programmed mostly in assembly language for maximum
speed. Since there is necessarily a tradeoff between speed and accuracy,
the precision of the star coordinates was carefully matched to the
resolution of the graphics display and the projection algorithm chosen.
Of course, no program is perfect. Any suggestions or bug reports
would be greatly appreciated, and if you have any problems getting
this version of SkyGlobe up and running on your system, don't hesitate
to contact me. I can be reached at the address on the order form, on
CompuServe at 76207,3377, or through the official SkyGlobe support BBS,
the Wolverine BBS, (517) 631-3471 for 300-2400 baud, or (517) 631-3481
for HST/v.32/v.32bis.
-21-
Questions and Answers
Why won't SkyGlobe run in color on my system?
There are two different answers to this question. Many people who
have color CGA systems expect SkyGlobe to run in color on their systems.
Unfortunately, the resolution of CGA color mode is only 320x200, which is
insufficient to produce the high quality display necessary for SkyGlobe.
Those of you with EGA or better displays may be equally dismayed
if SkyGlobe comes up in monochrome mode on your system. This is due to
a lack of available memory, and you should notice a message to that
effect when SkyGlobe is started. (You can force monochrome mode with
SKYGLOBE M.) One other possibility is that SkyGlobe may be using the
value in your SKYGLOBE.REG file to start up in CGA mode, even though
you now have a better display available. To change this, either change
your SKYGLOBE.REG file, or start SkyGlobe with SKYGLOBE V.
How can I speed up SkyGlobe?
There are really several answers to this question. SkyGlobe always
does what you ask it to do as fast as it can. (We think it's pretty
fast!) The trick is to ask it to do things in a way that seems faster.
The first method involves asking SkyGlobe to do less work. Try
turning off everything you can do without, especially the Milky Way,
planets, and horizon line. Other possibilities: ecliptic, right
ascension and declination lines, extra constellation lines, and
dim stars. In addition, determining the location of the mouse
cursor can be a slow operation, so you may want to turn it off
by using F11 or Alt-F5.
The second method applies only to Auto-Increment mode. SkyGlobe
starts off changing the view five minutes at a time. You can increase
this rate by pressing '>'. Another way is to change the increment type
to Date mode by pressing 'Alt-A'. Then increase the Date increment rate
by pressing '>'.
Finally, you can use several of the helpful keyboard shortcuts
available in SkyGlobe to create just the view you desire. My personal
favorite is Turbo mode, which is entered by pressing the SPACE bar.
When you enter Turbo mode, the next key you press becomes the Turbo
command. This means it will be continually fed into the program, just
as if you were pressing it yourself. You can use this to zoom in with
Z or Alt-Z, and you can sit back and watch it happen, instead of deciding
how many Zs to hit. When you are satisfied, just press the SPACE bar again.
Try this with Alt-arrow keys, or Ctrl-arrows, since not all keyboards are
the same. It's also convenient for Turbo-H or Turbo-M, if you really want
to get to a Time or Date in a hurry.
The Home and End keys can save a lot of time as well. They generally
go immediately to the minimum or maximum values of a command or feature.
With Time or Date commands, this is the quickest way to go to midnight or
noon, or the first or 15th of the month, or January or July. End-B is by
far the quickest way to turn on all the stars. Home-Z is the quickest way
to return to the minimum Zoom, and you can follow it with SPACE-Z to get
to some moderate value.
-22-
Q & A continued
For changing direction quickly, you can't beat the N, S, E, and W
direction commands. PgUp and PgDn can change the View Elevation faster
than single arrow commands. Use the mouse button to quickly re-center the
display at the position of the mouse cursor. And you can use Find to center
the display at a particular object, instead of figuring out how to get
there with the right combination of arrow keys.
Why can't I get the new SkyGlobe to run from my hard drive?
If you have both the old SKYGLOBE.COM and the new SKYGLOBE.EXE in
the same sub-directory, you will not be able to run the new program. You
either need to DELete SKYGLOBE.COM, or REName SKYGLOBE.COM SKY25.COM.
Why does the screen go blank when I try to start SkyGlobe?
If you attempt to start SkyGlobe in a video mode that is not
supported by your system, the usual result is a blank screen, perhaps
with the DOS prompt changing color. You will usually be able to get
back to DOS by pressing 'Q'. If you are attempting to use SVGA, you
may want to try SKYGLOBE S2, S3, S4, or S5 instead of SKYGLOBE S. The
normal mode used for SVGA is the VESA standard, and you may need to
load the VESA driver that came with your video card before starting
SkyGlobe. The S2 is an older commonly used mode (6Ah), S3=Tseng chips,
S4=Trident, S5=Paradise, S6=ATI, S7=Video 7, S8=Oak, and S9=the S3
accelerator chip. The last two will only attempt the 800x600x16 mode
to run SkyGlobe, and not the image mode. Not all of them have been
tested. If you know you have SVGA capability, but none of these will
work for you, please contact KlassM SoftWare for further assistance.
Otherwise, try working your way up from CGA to EGA to VGA mode, to see
if the program will work in one of these modes, with SKYGLOBE C, SKYGLOBE
E, and SKYGLOBE V. For a Hercules monochrome system, try SKYGLOBE H.
Why does the display jump sometimes?
This is usually due to Daylight Time becoming active or inactive.
SkyGlobe currently uses US average US dates for Daylight Time (Summer
Time) in Northern Hemisphere locations, and common Australian dates for
the Southern Hemisphere. Policies vary from year to year and place to
place. Although it was Benjamin Franklin who first proposed Daylight
Time, it wasn't widely used in the US until WWI in 1918. Therefore,
even for locations that customarily use Daylight Time today, I normally
deactivate it before that date. At any time, you can force Daylight Time
with Shift-V. If it is active when you don't want it, press V to de-
activate it.
One other time the display jumps is during the changeover from
the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. This took place at many different
times in different countries, but SkyGlobe assumes that Oct 4, 1582, was
followed by Oct 15, 1582.
-23-
Questions & Answers III
Is there a version of SkyGlobe for the Macintosh?
Since so much of SkyGlobe depends on assembly language programming,
porting the program to the Macintosh would be a major undertaking. Now
that V3.1 has some of the front end programmed in C, one small step for
SkyGlobe has been taken in the portable code direction, but there are no
immediate plans at the moment to work on a Macintosh version. There are
still too many improvements to be made in the DOS world!
Why does SkyGlobe always start with the same date, instead of today?
You probably have a Configuration file setup for a particular time
and date. Many people wish to save their own default settings for zoom,
brightness, etc., but still wish to have SkyGlobe come up with the system
time and date. To do this, press '0' to create a new default configuration,
but make sure to press '1' when asked whether to use current or system
time. If you wish to save a setup for an eclipse or a birthday, use 1-9
as the Configuration file number, press '0' to use Current as the time,
and use SKYGLOBE 1 (or whatever) to start up with the appropriate settings.
What about Caps Lock?
SkyGlobe attempts to ignore Caps Lock, so the Shift Commands will
operate properly. If for some reason you find some commands behaving
backwards, perhaps SkyGlobe is having trouble identifying the Caps Lock
state, so you may want to turn it off.
Why does the time change sometimes when I Find an object?
If the desired object is not currently above the horizon, but it will
be sometime during the next 24 hours, the time will be incremented until
the object just clears the horizon. It is possible that you are more
interested in the date that an object will appear over the horizon for
a given time. You might be able to use Sidereal Time mode to your advan-
tage here, but there is currently no way to select for date instead of
time, or to defeat the time increment feature.
Why won't SkyGlobe print properly on my system?
When you press 'P', you will be prompted to choose between 9-pin dot
matrix, 24-pin dot matrix, and laser printers. The printout will be
directed to the printer port you have chosen, LPT1 if you didn't change
it, and will insert line feeds for the dot matrix printers. You can change
the port with Alt-F7, and the line feed state with Alt-F8. The aspect
ratio of the printout should be correct, but the current printout may
not quite fill the page. Printing will continue to be improved in future
releases of SkyGlobe.
-24-
SkyGlobe Command List
A-Auto-Increment Mode Use Shift with most commands
B-Brightness to reverse operation of the
C-Constellation Lines command.
D-Date
E-East Use Home with many commands
F-Find Object to minimize the associated
G-Guidelines (Con Boundary Lines) feature of the command.
H-Hour
I-Inflate Use End with many commands
J-Jump Year to maximize the associated
K-MilKy Way feature of the command.
L-Location
M-Month
N-North Use Alt with many commands
O-Outline to increment the associated
P-Print feature a small positive
Q-Quit amount.
R-Real-Time
S-South Use Ctrl with many commands
T-Time (Minute) to increment the associated
U-MilleniUm feature a small negative
V-Daylight Time amount.
W-West
X-Mirror Image
Y-Year
Z-Zoom
Space->Turbo mode Continually feeds the next keypress to SkyGlobe.
Left Mouse Button ReCenter Display at Mouse Cursor position.
Right Mouse Button ReCenter Display at old Mouse Cursor position.
F1-Help Alt-F1 Reduce display to Stars & Lines
F2-Parameter Display Alt-F2 Reduce display to Stars only
F3-Planets Alt-F3 Background
F4-Messier Objects Alt-F4 Twilight Mode
F5-Horizon Alt-F5 Mouse Display
F6-Ecliptic Alt-F6 Precession Toggle
F7-RA-Dec Lines Alt-F7 Printer Port
F8-Star Labels (type) Alt-F8 Add Line Feeds?
F9-Constellation Labels
F10-Constellation Lines Alt-F10 Aspect Ratio
F11-Mouse Display
F12-Star Labels (number)
0-9 Save Configuration (0=New Program Default)
Shift 0-9 Load Configuration
TAB Find next sunset or sunrise Alt-U Reload exit state
+ Brighten Gray Colors Alt-F Flip Hemisphere
- Dim Gray Colors Ctrl-N Nav object filter
= Toggle AM-PM/24 hour Time Display Alt-O FOV 2 deg circle
/ Text Color Enter Repeat last key
. Reverse Text Toggle Sh-Enter Undo last command
-25-
DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs
differ on details -- some request registration while others
require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue
using the software to an updated program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific
exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished
programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are
of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs
and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy
and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a
specific group. For example, some authors require written
permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes
fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.
And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware
has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.
Support Policy
We at KlassM SoftWare are totally committed to offering the most
bang for the byte in astronomy software. We are proud of SkyGlobe,
and we want to make sure it works for you. If you have any problems,
please contact us at the address on the order form, or leave me a
note on CompuServe at 76207,3377. Since registered users have had
the opportunity to try SkyGlobe before they pay for it, we shouldn't
have too many problems. If some version change has made it impossible
to run SkyGlobe on your system, I will either do what I can to make
it work for you, or refund your money.
We are proud to announce a new official support BBS for SkyGlobe.
Here is another way you can ask questions or make comments. The
board is The Wolverine BBS, Sysop Rick Rosinski, (517) 631-3471
for 300-2400 baud, or (517) 631-3481 for HST/v.32/v.32bis. Use
the SKYGLOBE conference, or leave me EMail.
-26-
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
Users of SkyGlobe 3.5 must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "SkyGlobe
3.5 is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or
implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability
and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages,
direct or consequential, which may result from the use of SkyGlobe 3.5."
SkyGlobe 3.5 is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the
user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please
do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of
"user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality
software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers
to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and
find that you are using SkyGlobe 3.5 and continue to use SkyGlobe 3.5 after
a reasonable trial period, you must make a registration payment of $20 to
KlassM SoftWare. The $20 registration fee will license one copy for use on
any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like
a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of
people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so
long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while
it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different
persons at the same time.
Commercial users of SkyGlobe 3.5 must register and pay for their copies of
SkyGlobe 3.5 within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn.
Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting Klassm Software.
Anyone distributing SkyGlobe 3.5 for any kind of remuneration must first
contact KlassM SoftWare at the address below for authorization. This
authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized
by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors,
and such distributors may begin offering SkyGlobe 3.5 immediately (However
KlassM SoftWare must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept
up-to-date with the latest version of SkyGlobe 3.5.).
You are encouraged to pass a copy of SkyGlobe 3.5 along to your friends
for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find
that they can use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the
latest version of the SkyGlobe 3.5 system.
Ombudsman Statement
"This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe
message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536."
-27-
Index
+ and - 7 East 7,22
< and > 6,17 Eclipse 8,17
. and / 17 Ecliptic 8,11
= 17 Elevation 5,7
.REG file 1,17 ESC=Quit 5,17
Alt Mode 6,7,8,9,16 Faster = > 6,21
Altitude 12 Files 4
Arrow keys 5,7,9 Finding objects 9,10,13,15
ASP 1,26 Frame 11
Aspect Ratio 16 Fun 1,5,18
Auto-Increment mode 5,6,8,12 Goto (Location) 14
Azimuth 12 Harris, Bill 15
Background Color 17 Hash-Marks 9,11
Brighten Colors 17 Help 5,12
Brightness=# of Stars 5,7 Hercules Graphics 22
CapsLock 23 Home, End 7,14,16,21
Celestial Navigation 10 Horizon 7,10,11
Century Jump 6,9 Hour 5,6
Coe, Steve 20 Identifying objects 10,12
Colors 10,11,14,16,17 Increment Type 6,8
Command Summary 24 Inflate Projection 7,18,19
Command Line Switches 5,17,21,22 Jump Century 6,9,16
CompuServe 2,15,18,20,25 K=MilKy Way 11,21
Configuration Saving 17 Labels-Constellations 11
Constellations-Finding 10,12 Labels-Stars 10,11
Constellations-Labels 11 Laser Printing 10
Constellations-Lines 5,11 Leap Year 6
Ctrl Mode 7,10,11,16 Location 14
Cursor Keys 5,7,10,16,22 LPT1-LPT2 10,16,23
Date 5,6 Macintosh 23
Daylight Time 19,22 Magnification 5,7
Default Configuration 17,23 Magnitude 7,9,12
Dim Colors 17 Memory Requirements 18,21
Directions 5,7 Messiers and NGCs 11,14,20
Double Stars 20 MilKy Way 11
DSOs 11,14,15 MilleniUm 6,9
-28-
Index continued
Monochrome mode 18,21 SKYGLOBE.REG 1,17
Month 5,6 Sky Publishing Corp. 20
Moon 8,17 South 7,17,21
Mouse Centering 10,12 SPACE bar 9,16,21
Mouse Cursor 5,10,12 Special Command Keys 16,21
Names-Constellations 10,12 Stars-Brightness 5,7
Names-Stars 11 Stars-Finding 10
Navigation Stars 10 Stars-Labels 11
Nomenclature 10 Stars-Names 11
North 7,9,11,14,17,22 Sun 8
North Star 9,19 Sunrise/Sunset 16
Object Find 9,10,13,15 Support Policy 1,25
Ombudsman Statement 1,26 SVGA 5,10,11,14,15,17,22
Orthographic Projection 7,18,19 System time 5,17
Outline 11 TAB 16
Parameter Display 12 Text Color 17
PgDn,PgUp 7,10,12,22 Time display (=) 17
Planets 6,8,9,10,14,15,16 Time Zones 17
Pole Star 9 Time=Minute 5,6
Precession 6,9,16 Trident SVGA 22
Print Command 10 Tseng SVGA 22
Print Parameters 10,16 Turbo Mode 9,16,21
Projection 7,8,19 Twilight Mode 16,17
Quick Starting 5 Updates 18
Quit 5,18 V=Daylight Time Flag 8
RA-Dec Coords 9,12 VESA 15,22
RA-Dec Lines 9,11 Video Modes 5,10,22
Real Time Mode 6 Warranty Disclaimer 26
Reduce Display 16 West 7,17,21
Retrograde Motion 6,8 Windows 18
Shareware Info 1,25,26 Year 6,8
Shift 5 Zenith 7,9,11
Sidereal Time 6,8 Zoom 5,7,16,21
