4.80 Major Feature, Bonus, Enhancement, and Bug Fix Update (25 Mar 2000)
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MAJOR FEATURE: A new Setup page allowing you to specify which star catalogue extensions will be loaded automatically on start-up.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: By popular request, both [Find] dialogs have been significantly compacted in size and their functionality streamlined by obviating the former necessity to click a [find] button; now searches begin immediately on selection of the list item itself.
BUG FIX: Several problems in connection with TimeLine's pre-"date warranty" point of 4713 BC have been successfully addressed. Precession etc will now apply smoothly at all seasons of the year all the way back to 20,000 BC and beyond (pre-4713 dates remain at user's risk).
SPECIAL BONUS: free downloadable 10,000-star Hipparcos catalog extension.
REGISTRATION BONUS: Lucky Dip - Mystery Software Gift free with every order.
** LAST VERSION WAS **
4.8 Special Feature Update with Document, Product, and Admin Changes (5 Feb 2000)
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ADMIN CHANGE: Coeli Inc. has now officially taken over production and marketing of all software titles originated by Swimming Elk Software between 1996 and 1999. Though the name and logo have been retained for certain cosmetic and copyright purposes, Swimming Elk has ceased to exist as a separate commercial entity. With the takeover come several new products and enhancements to existing titles. Online distributors: please amend your listings and author-accounts accordingly. Thank you.
BONUS FEATURE: Stella 2000 now includes the Astrogloss A-Z HTML dictionary of 1000 astronomical terms *unabridged* as a standard feature.*
BONUS FEATURES: Stella 2000 Extended, in addition to Astrogloss A-Z Complete, now includes those two Astronomy Classics * Visual Planets * and the * New Windows Dictionary of Astronomy *, plus 110 extra star-names, as standard components @
SPECIAL FEATURE: Coeli Time Line (alias "Stella BC"): interactive adjustment and observation of the sky through past and future Millennia. With Time Line's slider bar, watch the dramatic effect of precession on the local sky 'live', from before the building of the Pyramids to mankind's unseen distant future. For archaeo-astronomers, the years -4712 to 6000 are guaranteed; back to 25000 BC is a feasibility at user's risk! If you don't know when Vega (or Deneb) was the Pole Star, then this Stella version's for you.
FEATURE: New right-click context menu for Special Reference window, including such items as a Toolbar toggle and Print command(s).
TUTORIAL: A detailed description of Stella 2000 and the use of basic functions has been made available in the form of an html tutorial Overview from the Help menu.
ENHANCEMENT: "Live" sky update while using the Traverse / Elevation Tool to re-center Stella's projection.
ENHANCEMENT: Print facility for Special Reference section. Now you can print out Stella's Tutorial, Guide, and other documents for handy reference.
ENHANCEMENT: Zenith / Nadir / N and S Celestial Poles can now be displayed independently of their respective grids.
ENHANCEMENT: Word-wrap on/off toggle for Report Window.
ENHANCEMENT: Extra advice and hints added to entries in Tip of the Day box.
ENHANCEMENT: More tooltips throughout the program to help clarify selection options.
ENHANCEMENT: A substantial economising on system resource requirements has been achieved. Stella will now load more efficiently and demand less memory. For over-stuffed systems and/or modest machines, the option now exists to load fewer stars on start-up, slimming Stella down yet further should the necessity arise. ( ZDNet please note! )
COSMETIC FIX: Toolbars and other interface elements now strictly follow Win9x conventions and use as their background the "3D Objects" color as selected by the user via the Control Panel's Display facility. (ZDNet please note!)
** PREVIOUS VERSIONS HAVE BEEN **
4.7 Major Feature, Enhancement and Bug-Fix Update (Oct 99)
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MAJOR FEATURE: Through a brand new context menu, you can now add your own permanent observations and remarks to data displayed in Stella's report window. Invaluable to seasoned observers who would like to append their own comments relating to multiple and variable star observations etc, or to those wishing to transfer book knowledge into Stella's database, this feature can potentially grow into a unique repository of information for personal reference years into the future.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Copious commentary of value to novices and seasoned observers alike relating to the many alternative common names of HR catalogued stars, their variability, spectroscopy, and multiplicity, all accessible as options from the Report window. This amounts to almost half a megabyte of new data!
ENHANCEMENT: 110 new star-names available from the Data|Extensions Menu (downloadable bonus for questionnaire)
ENHANCEMENT: Greatly enhanced functionality for Report window, including optional scrollbar toggle, speed-optimizations, and improved cursor-placement logic with options.
ENHANCEMENT: Stella now restores the 'top strip' size and position (for side- and top- situated taskbars)
ENHANCEMENT: Greatly improved interoperability between the Sky display and Astrogloss A-Z html dictionary: clicking on an object in the sky now has a much greater probability of scoring a relevant 'hit' among the dictionary definitions.
CONVENIENCE: Astrogloss menu entry now opens Astrogloss A-Z at the Index page if Astrogloss is present on disk (previously opened at letter 'A')
BUG FIX: Sky window no longer goes walkabout when maximized or full screen was last session's setting.
4.5 Special Feature Update (Aug/Sep 99)
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SPECIAL FEATURE: Encyclopedic 'Aspects of Astronomy' reader, a major new book-length reference work - with chapters covering topics such as 'What are the Stars?', 'Choosing a telescope', 'What's new on the Moon?', 'Cosmology','Dark Matter', 'Eclipses', 'The History of Astronomy' and dozens of others, amounting to the first complete tutorial in astronomy ever included in a software title of this nature.
MAJOR FEATURE: Comprehensive status bar for sky window, showing LCT, GMT, LST, Gregorian date, Julian date, and Altaz of projection's center, updated in real-time and now permitting full use of Stella's unique array of single-key shortcuts - previously inhibited by the clock toolbar.
MAJOR FEATURE: Tip of the Day window with file of over 60 key hints and tips for getting the very best out of the program.
FEATURE: 'Save sky' option: save .bmp graphic of Stella's sky display
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Full legends for Horizon and Equatorial coordinate grids
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Option to start program in full-screen mode
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Greater font control and setup options - any font for labels
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: The complete Astrogloss A-Z dictionary now included as standard in Extended Edition.
ENHANCEMENT: Crosses and legends to indicate Zenith / Nadir // N and S Celestial Poles
ENHANCEMENT: Borderless option for Report window
ENHANCEMENT: Nutation effect incorporated into Precession
4.0 Major Feature Update (Easter 99)
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MAJOR FEATURE: Coeli Solar Guide. HTML hypertext tour of our Solar System, interactively linked to Stella's Sky and Picture windows. Now just a click on a planet will get you all the information you need for a deeper perspective on our immediate neighbourhood in space. (12.2.99)
MAJOR FEATURE: Coeli Astrogloss - HTML dictionary of 1000 astronomical terms (integral access from brand new Reference menu)
ENHANCEMENT: Documentation begins full transition to HTML (the network of help hyperlinks is now set to spread further with each new Stella revision) (1.99)
BUG FIX: Various problems relating to Daylight Savings adjustments have been successfully addressed (20.2.99)
3.6 Bug-fix and enhancement Update (December 98)
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ENHANCEMENT: Automatic center during searches (option)
*ENHANCEMENT: New file of periodic comets
*MAJOR FEATURE: Extensive file of recent comets now included as standard
*BUG FIX: Report Window no longer appears indiscriminately on startup (Registered version)
3.5 (October 98)
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SUMMARY: Preview of several version 4.0 enhancements. Shareware distribution only.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Every conceivable display parameter can now be saved across sessions for automatic retrieval, including zoom, centering, and resolution info. (26.9.98)
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Select from a dropdown list of over 1300 preset locations from which to view the sky. (4.10.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Handy popup mode for Report window. (27.9.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Distance in miles for solar-system objects can now be included on reports.
ENHANCEMENT: Transit/culmination data for DSOs.
ENHANCEMENT: Non-integer time zones - for our Antipodean and Far Eastern friends. (5.10.98)
3.0 Major feature update (release - Aug 98)
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MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Higher accuracy & reliability routines implemented for all co-ordinate conversions and most effects (eg. Equatorial --> Horizon coords. + precession) (24.6.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Automatic storage and retrieval of every type of in-program preference setting (22.6.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Time bar now displays full English dates in the form '7 Aug 1998' (23.6.98)
@MAJOR FEATURE: Sky Quiz (tm) -- the luxury of a seamlessly integrated quiz to consolidate your familiarity with the stars. (7.7.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Comprehensive online facilities, options, and privileges with the Special Menu (support, feedback, access to WWW, FREE gifts, questionnaire etc) (2.6.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Comprehensive General Setup facility (w/ mail, fonts, observer info, # of stars etc) (30.5.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Toolbar for view functions, w/ floating/docking capability (17.5.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Picture window for full-size JPEG graphics, with auto feature (24.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: New report fields added for planets - angular size, distance in km (27.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Color/mono toggle for star display (monochrome=any color for stars) (20.6.98)
2.2 Preview release (many of v3.0 features implemented)
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2.1 Bug fix & Enhancement update
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ENHANCEMENT: Flash-screen while loading catalogs on startup (7.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Special antipodean order service via Shareware Australia (9.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Single-click shortcut to return from constellation spotlight mode (16.5.98)
BUG FIX: *[S] keypress function now linked to Dynamic Sky menu entry (8.5.98)
BUG FIX: Find star by name - inhibited by v2.0 catalog update - now fully functional (7.5.98)
2.0 Major feature update
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MAJOR FEATURE: New & expanded star database (16000 HR/Hipparcos stars w/ commentary, spectra, variability, multplicity etc) (29.3.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Find star by designation (Bayer,Flamsteed,SAO,Var etc) (23.3.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Observing List (* w/hardcopy) (27.3.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: *Data extensions (w/capacity for up to 300,000 SAO stars, 120,000 Hipparcos stars, or an amalgam of both catalogs) (7.4.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Permanent ring around selected object while Search box is onscreen (23.3.98)
ENHANCEMENT: U.S. toll free telephone orders (24.3.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Improved variable star readouts (25.3.98)
ENHANCEMENT: animations can now progress by solar days (30.3.98)
