Deepsky 98 Interactive Star Atlas

Chart Operation

Overview

The interactive atlas is a full-featured star charting tool comparable to the leading "PC planetarium" packages.  These charts coupled with the main Deepsky 2000 database program provide a uniquely powerful and flexible application for a multitude of astronomical pursuits.

The list of features found in the atlas includes:

•	Your choice of star databases from either the SAO catalog (limiting magnitude of approximately 10) or the Hubble Guide Star Catalog (CD ROM Version) with nearly 20 million stars to a magnitude limit near 15.

•	Any list of deep sky objects selected in Deepsky 2000 can be plotted on the charts.

•	Click on objects for access to detailed technical specifications and observing notes from a number of skilled amateurs.

•	The sun, moon, planets, asteroids and comets can all be plotted.

•	Built-in support for LX200 telescope control.

•	Complete control over various chart elements; the user can specify any combination of lines, labels, colors etc.

•	Easy chart navigation allows fast relocation to specified sky positions, centering on specified objects and custom "zooming" to any field width.

•	Charts can be mirror-imaged to match telescope views or inverted for Southern Hemisphere users.

•	Highly detailed printed charts from any printer including the ability to create multiple charts with one command (make your own printed atlas).

•	Much more.

Using the Interactive Atlas

The atlas charts are controlled with the floating toolbar pictured here.  The function of each toolbar button is described below as well as several useful keyboard shortcuts.   Note that by "parking" the mouse pointer on top of a toolbar button, a brief descriptive message will be displayed.

Direction Controls

These 4 arrow buttons are used to "Scroll" the chart in the indicated direction.  The four keyboard arrow keys may also be used.  The actual distance moved is automatically optimized based on the current field of view.

Zoom Controls

The "Zoom" buttons include the two magnifying glass icons together with the 6 number buttons labeled from 1 to 75.  You can zoom in or out a single step with the magnifiers, or jump to a specified field width with the numbered buttons.  The plus and minus keyboard keys will also zoom as indicated.

Content Controls

The buttons in the central section of the toolbar are employed to specify which chart elements should be displayed.  The first button (a double-wide one using both a starry icon and a label) is used to switch between the SAO star catalog (for speed) and the Hubble Guide Star Catalog (for more faint stars).  The next 3 buttons toggle constellation boundaries, constellation figure lines and the coordinate grid overlay.  The icon with the curved blue line turns the ecliptic line off and on.  The moon icon toggles the display of deep sky and solar system objects, and the next button controls the display of the milky way boundaries.  The dipper button redraws the chart in black and white, which is useful for insuring the best possible output on some color printers.  The next button causes only stars and deep sky / solar system objects to be displayed, suppressing all other lines, labels etc.  The "Obj", "Con", "Star" and "Grk" buttons toggle the labels for certain chart elements (deep sky and solar system object IDs, constellation names, bright star names and Greek letter labels).

Miscellaneous Controls

 The globe icon opens the chart navigation dialog.  Right-clicking on an empty area of a chart will also open this dialog.

The button with the pointing finger icon is used to open the find object dialog, used to redraw the chart centered on the specified object.

The next icon will open the chart configuration dialog which allows you to make permanent changes to chart content options, line and label colors, label fonts and other settings.

The button showing a circular arrow around an exclamation mark is used to redraw the chart using the initial settings used when the Deepsky 2000 first created the chart.  This is useful if, after moving, zooming or changing chart content, you wish to "go back" to your starting point.

The next two buttons, with the opposing arrows will flip the chart horizontally or vertically, toggling between normal and mirror images or inverting the chart.  Telescopes or finderscopes often show mirror imaged or inverted fields, so this button can be helpful for matching chart content to what is seen through the eyepiece.  The vertical flip is also helpful for southern hemisphere users.  Note that the chart configuration dialog provides a checkbox to make the inverted view the default setting.

The button with the erasing hand icon will erase all Telrad and telescope location markers from the chart.

The telescope button will center the chart on the current telescope position (if a telescope is attached and initialized).

Printing Controls

The printer icon is used to print the current chart.  A printer setup dialog will be opened, allowing you to specify which printer, and which printer options to use.  By changing between portrait and landscape format output you can create two different styles of charts.  The portrait chart includes a descriptive legend, which is omitted from the landscape version.  After a chart is printed you will be asked whether you want an object list report.  This is a simple report listing the deep sky objects plotted on the accompanying chart.

The button represented with a multiple page icon opens the printed atlas dialog.  This dialog is used to print a range of charts covering a specified region of the sky.

Help and Exit Controls

The final group of toolbar buttons provides access to the help system and a way to close the chart and return to Deepsky 2000.

The Object Identification Dialog

After clicking on a bright star, deep sky or solar system object you will be presented with this dialog.  Technical details will appear at the top of the main text window followed by any available observers' notes (if you have specified that notes be sent from Deepsky 2000 – see preferences / charts).  The "Zoom & Center" control will center the chart on the object, changing the field of view to whatever value you select from the drop-down list.  The "Center" button centers the chart on the object without changing the field size.  A faster way to center the chart on a deep sky or solar system object, or a bright labelled star is to simply right-click on any of these objects.  After a right-click the chart will recenter at that position with no intervening dialog.  The "Navigation" button opens the Navigation Dialog.  The "Telrad" button will draw a Telrad pointing device marker centered on the object.  "Cleanup" will erase any Telrad markers or eyepiece circles currently on the chart.  The "Image" button, if enabled will display an image of the current object.  The "Go To" button instructs an attached telescope to move to the object, and the "OK" button closes the dialog.

The "Eyepiece" button allows the user to specify a particular telescope / eyepiece combination and displays the power (magnification) and true field size for the currently selected values.  If the "OK" button is clicked, a circle drawn to the scale of the true field will be plotted on the selected object.  This is intended to portray the area of sky which will be seen with a given instrument and eyepiece.

The Navigation Dialog

The "slider" controls on this dialog are used to specify a new chart center, field of view size or star magnitude limit.  After adjusting these controls you can click on "OK" to redraw the chart using the new values, or "Cancel" to ignore the changes.  The "Auto Mag" checkbox indicates whether the magnitude limit is automatically calculated based on the field size, or if it is user-adjustable.  By unchecking this box you will be able to force any desired star magnitude limit.  The "Const" list control is used to center the chart on a chosen constellation.  Simply click on the desired constellation and then click the "Go To" button.

The Configuration Dialog

The controls on this dialog are used to specify which chart elements will be displayed, and which colors and fonts will be used.  The "Initial Field Size" value will be used when you center on a constellation (refer to the section on the Navigation Dialog).  The check boxes in the left side of this window indicate certain items that can be included on charts by checking.  The "Southern View" check box can be used to invert the charts to appear as seen from the southern hemisphere.  The large button labeled "Restore Option Dflts" will load "factory default" configuration values for the above settings.

On the right side of this window there are buttons used to control the color of the indicated chart elements, and for specifying font styles and colors for the indicated labels.  The "Restore Color / Font Dflts" button restores these settings to "factory defaults".

The "Cancel", "Apply" and "OK" buttons are used to close this dialog.  "Apply" will redraw the chart immediately with the new values whereas "OK" simply saves the values for use the next time a chart is redrawn.

The Printed Atlas Dialog

Using this dialog you can print multiple star charts covering the indicated area of the sky.  The charts will all be printed in portrait format at a field size of 30 degrees.  The "Print Object Lists" check box will follow each chart with a simple report listing the objects plotted on that chart.

The Find Object Dialog

This is the dialog presented when the user clicks on the "find" toolbar button.  The value to be entered should exactly match the label value for a plotted object.  This value is not case-sensitive.  If found, the chart will be recentered on the indicated object.