Messier Data
SEDS data
![[SEDS]](images/seds38.jpg)
Student's for the Exploration and Development of Space
Messier data
Requirements
Contents
The following page describes how to use the more extensive
textual data (as found at the SEDS web site see below) for all the Messier
objects from within TheSky
astronomy software. This textual information can be found here "Student's
for the Exploration and Development of Space" (SEDS).
The text descriptions for all Messier objects have been saved in
simple ASCII text format so that the data can be displayed by
TheSky using the Object
Information dialog Multi-Media tab. The following example shows the text
information for the object Messier #1 the Crab Nebula NGC1952. It is nice
having the additional informative text available for these objects. Many
include an estimated distance and size which is data that is scarce and hard to
come by.
The only changes made to the original Messier text are:
A comma was added to a large number for clarity and I have chosen to offer the
correct pronunciation for the Trifid Nebula Messier 20. More often than
not it is not properly called the Try Fid nebula as it should be. Tri
(pronounced try) as in Tri-cycle, Tri-ceratops, Tri-pod, etc. Where
"Tri" means three and is pronounced Try as in the TryFid nebula. Here is
that change.
"Note correctly pronounced TRYFID as in Tri-Cycle, Tri-angle Tri-ceratops, etc. Tri meaning 3.***"
I have chosen so far to not include the images from the web page
primarily because TheSky
already has images and secondly the copyright issues related the source of the
images. If I get requests to supply images that too can be done easily
enough.
When the Messier text files are present and the SDB (Sky Data
Base) named Messier.SDB has been added to the active list of databases you can
access the text on the multi media tab of the Object Information dialog shown
above. To use the Messier.SDB and corresponding ASCII text description
files first download the zipped files from our FTP site.
Make a new folder on your hard disk named \Messier or something
to that effect. It can be placed wherever you like, My Documents, TheSky
it doesn't matter where you create the folder where you will
UNZIP the files.
Unzip the compressed file
"Messier.ZIP" into the newly created folder
or you can place it in the default SDB's folder under TheSky6\User\Data\SDBs. When this has been done
you need to add the SDB file to your Active list of SDB's. This is done
using TheSky's Data | Sky Database Manager.
Browse the hard drive for the location of the Messier SDB file
you have unzipped using Data | Sky Database Manager.
NOTE: You may or may not have additional SDB files already in the Active
List!
How to Add the Messier SDB file
using the Sky Database Manager
Left
Mouse Click and press ADD
or just double mouse click the name
You can add the
Messier.SDB file by either highlighting it and pressing the "Add" button or
you can double click the name of the SDB file to move it into the Active list.
Mouse dragging several SDB files will also work but you must use the ADD button
or Double Mouse Click
NOTE: The object type for the Messier text data is of
type "Notes". Make sure that this object type is set to display in TheSky. Use
View | Display Explorer and type in NOTES and you will be taken directly to
the NOTES entry. Placing a check mark next to "Notes" will then show a small
yellow pencil in TheSky display indicating that the object has a text file
associated with it. This is true for Image (tiff, gif, jpg, etc) files,
Sound (wave) files, and Movie (AVI) files as well.
| Notes |
Images |
Videos |
Sounds |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Enabling the Notes Icons
To see the objects with text files
If you do not have the
Hubble Space Telescope images activated
in TheSky these additional images and textual press releases can also be
activated in the same way. There is an SDB file for the images and an SDB
file for the text press releases provided with version 5/6 that allow these
images and text files to be shown as well.
Adding the Hubble images and text press release files for the
images is documented in the following Knowledge Base Article.
You can also Search the
Software Bisque web site for either Hubble images or just enter the
Knowledge Base article number 1141.
Anyone can compile their own source of text, images, wave files,
and or AVI movie files using the powerful tools found in
TheSky. You can also
Edit the individual Messier Text files supplied and add/delete or change the
data if you like! This data is in the form found on the
SEDS web site and
with the exception of only two very small additions it is left untouched.
Instructions on how to add your own multi-media objects to
objects in TheSky has been
documented here,
The SEDS Messier Catalog Webpages. By Guy McArthur, Mark Elowitz,
Hartmut Frommert and Christine Kronberg. SEDS, University of Arizona Chapter,
Tucson, Arizona, 1994-2004.
Please visit the SEDS web page!
http://www.seds.org/messier/
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