Running QuikSky is just a matter of clicking on the QuikSky galaxy icon or shortcut wherever you installed the program. We recommend, however, that a shortcut to QuikSky be placed in your Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp\ folder so that each time you boot Windows, QuikSky is automatically put into your system tray for instant access.
The most essential trick to learn is how to make QuikSky appear and disappear from your screen. All you do is double-click on the QuikSky icon in your system tray. This operation is what is known as a toggle, so if the sky is already present, a double click will minimize it, and if it is absent, clicking will make it reappear. While visible, though, the quickest way to hide the display is to double-click anywhere in the sky.
Let's begin by taking a look at the system tray icon's dedicated right-click popup menu. This, as its name suggests, is accessed by right clicking with the mouse pointer on the miniaturised galaxy icon in your Windows system tray. Most of the items on this popup menu are self-explanatory, the most important without doubt being Settings and Information.
Settings will allow you to find and enter your correct geographic coordinates and time zone so that QuikSky will always show your night sky from your own backyard.
Information will bring up the means to access the Overview you are reading now or the more extended and systematic Guide to Mouse and Key Functions for the entire Coeli Software range. Most of the sky operations relating to our flagship application Stella 2000 will also apply to QuikSky. The Information menu item is also a toggle, so clicking it a second time will reinstate QuikSky's sky display.
What the Sky window initially presents you with is the entire celestial sphere for the preset location, with South at the bottom, East at the left. Vega will be the initial focus for northern observers and Canopus for the southern hemisphere. Stars plotted in dark grey lie below your horizon: they have set, not yet risen, or may never rise at your position.
Display the time bar by pressing [t]
Now hide it again using the right-click menu entry |Clock|Bar|. It is worth noting here that enabling the timebar prevents the use of single keypresses in the sky window, unless the timebar itself was invoked with keypress [t] and not accessed with the mouse. So during intensive manipulation of the display it is as well to avail yourself of the Viewbar's comprehensive functions while the Clock bar is present..
QuikSky's virtual Earth revolves in real time, and the apparent motion of the stars is from left to right when facing south. QuikSky's basic population is around 4500 stars, 9089 in QuikSky Enhanced, resulting in a realtime display update every minute or so. Zooming will be smooth all the way down to the magnitude limit of approximately 6.5.
QuikSky's default celestial projection is an azimuthal Equal Area, [F3], centered on your zenith. It is of the type used by planetaria the world over, so it is in good company, but if you happen to desire a change, there are three more to experiment with: Equidistant [F2], Stereographic [F4], and Orthographic [F5]. When you gain a little more experience using QuikSky, you'll want to begin experimenting with contrasting viewpoints too.
Start by pressing [H] for a horizon view of the southern sky. To traverse through the 360 degrees of the compass, access the traverse and elevation tools with [ctrl][D] or [ctrl][E]. Alternatively, you may prefer to enable auto-centering at the outset with |Viewpoint|Projection|Auto-center| thus doing the job of the traverse and elevation tools automatically each time you click on a new object. With its often abrupt switching of view, this setting can prove disorienting on occasion, especially if you have not yet attained full familiarity with your local celestial geography! As with all things QuikSky, it will therefore pay to experiment a little.
[Z] will return you to a zenith view, but at the new line of sight you traversed with the tools.
It is worth stressing that after any operations which somehow change QuikSky's viewpoint, pressing [F12] immediately is the safest way to ensure an accurate display of all stars visible at the current magnification. For extra responsiveness, some operations do not incorporate this process.
By default, [a]uto-resolution of stars is switched on. What this means is that you only begin to see the dimmer stars as you increase your resolving power (change to binoculars/telescope), in imitation of reality. QuikSky's initial magnification is negative in order to encompass the entire sky. Zoom down to zero magnification to receive an impression of the sky as seen on a clear night by the naked eye. To adjust the number of stars visible at any given magnification, press [+] or [-]. Auto-resolution will need to be disabled with [a] if you wish your changes to survive any zooming or unzooming operations you might perform subsequently.
For QuikSky's representation of the sky, realism has been the watchword, and we are confident that this ideal has been achieved. Color is the key. The essence of a star is its color, linked intimately to its spectral class. Astronomers have given all the brighter stars a color index, and QuikSky's palette is based on it. So, if you see a deep crimson in QuikSky, you can be certain that it is an M, or a piercing white an F, or an orange like Arcturus or Aldebaran a K. Not that this may matter to you, but it will to many. Observe the true heavens on a crystal night - each star has its tint, each planet its hue, albeit cast over with tropospheric blue.
QuikSky itself provides these keys for tampering with colors: [B] , [D] , and [R].
[B] brightens (lightens) the palette uniformly, giving a washed-out effect, and finally washes color out completely. [D] achieves exactly the opposite, darkening - and thereby deepening - all the colors. Unrealistic, as if seen through sunglasses, but you may find it a change. It at least reveals a star's underlying 'character', subleties that the brightness may have hidden.
[z] does just what it says: zooms you in (or narrows the field of view, like a pair of binoculars or a telescope), displaying the magnification factor as you go. Try this on Albireo, Izar, Castor, Mizar and many others. They will eventually resolve as true doubles, imitating reality. [x] widens the field, and zooms you out. QuikSky automatically resolves stars for you in proportion to the magnification, like a real instrument: the bigger the objective glass, the more stars you will see and the brighter the more brilliant ones will appear. Conversely, the more extremely your field narrows, the fewer stars will be seen, because QuikSky's database is restricted, unlike the galaxy's.
Perhaps the [a]uto resolution feature merits a bit more elaboration. Firstly, if you disable it, you will have to add and brighten stars manually via the keys listed on QuikSky's [h]elp screen. This is long winded, but the best way to achieve the most impressive results for the given magnification, and to derive the most personal satisfaction. We all see the sky differently and are affected by different facets of it. But for quicker and yet still fairly realistic resolution, our preset values are quite good. Keep it automatic until you come across a starfield which you truly deem worth perfecting.
QuikSky allows you to use [f] to find a specific constellation, star, DSO, or planet. If a constellation was selected, the group of stars will be spotlighted for you against a neutralised star background. Selecting 'not designated' from the dropdown list will always return you to a normal display.
Stars may also be searched for by common name: QuikSky has almost 200 of these recorded, and you may add more if you've the inclination.
Above all, QuikSky is a point-and-click introduction to the skies, and the mouse-crosshair its most useful instrument. Use the crosshair to select a star, then click the <left> button for a short display of the star's name and designation as follows:
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Ordering by CREDIT CARD is by far the fastest way to obtain your registered copy of QuikSky. Turnaround times are typically between 12 and 24 hours. You may order online or by phone/fax anytime and from anywhere in the world.