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Sky &
Telescope
On Software Accuracy!
THESKY IS THE MOST ACCURATE
CHOICE
| The article "A Peek at Software Accuracy" in the
September issue of Sky &
Telescope compared the results of 14 astronomical programs when
put to the test of computing Neptune’s position, |
the times of occultation of Venus by the Moon and the position of a
minor planet at a given date and time. (Note that the minor planet positions were in error in the original article prompting a |
correction to the table on page 11 in the October issue). An examionation of these tables shows TheSky to be the best choice for those interested in accuracy. | See the special section entitiled "Minor Planet Calculations
Calculations in TheSky" in this newsletter to learn why the results tell
only half the story of why TheSky is the best suited program for minor
planet work.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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To make accessing the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) even easier, we have added a new Image Link toolbar to TheSky that includes a button for generating a RealSky image on the Sky Display. TheSky works in concert with the RealSkyView software (included with RealSky) to create a deep sky observational tool that provides unprecedented power and flexibility. Never before has this much astronomical data been so easily accessible. |
| REALSKY DATA SUPPORT We have been working with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the Space Telescope Science Institute to create the RealSkyView software, supplied with the 8 CD-ROM set of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS). After putting the data to the test for the last few months, a word springs to mind-Wow! The ability to quickly generate an image of any part of the sky (above about 12 degrees South declination) will certainly be one of the most powerful tools made available to the amateur in the 90’s. |
A
BOON FOR DEEP-SKY OBSERVERS Already the number one choice among deep-sky observers, TheSky now provides one-step access to the Palomar plates. Catalog errors become obvious when plotted on top of actual images. Images up to one degree square can be generated, transforming your computer into a virtual telescope. A sample session might go as follows. You have a deep-sky image you took last night and there is a strange "blip" in it that you are not sure about. So you fire up TheSky, center on the area of the image, then click the Create DSS Image command. You are prompted to insert the correct CD-ROM then, in a matter of seconds, the Sky Display is |
| filled
with the RealSky image which is instantly linked to TheSky's databases.
You realize the blip on your image is a faint galaxy not present in any of
the catalogs available today. Though disappointed, you are glad you didn't
call your friends and announce a false comet discovery.
USING THESKY &
REALSKYVIEW
TOGETHER,
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PARAMOUNT
GT-1100 The Paramount is a robust German equatorial mount that exploits the power of the personal computer by orchestrating advanced software technology and on-board control electronics, resulting in unprecedented performance. The Paramount is the only mount available today specifically designed with the CCD imager in mind. |
| TPOINT FOR
WINDOWS
TPOINT is a telescope-error modeling application that can be used to analyze and improve the pointing accuracy of telescopes with "go-to" capability. This is no ordinary telescope error modeling software. TPOINT is a direct descendant of software that has been in use at major observatories for many years, including the AAT, Keck and UKST. Many other major telescopes use TPOINT routinely to maintain their pointing models and to monitor telescope performance. At Software Bisque, we use TPOINT to
improve the pointing of all of our "go-to" telescopes. The ultimate
pointing accuracy depends in part on the structural integrity of the
telescope mount and optics, but we have found TPOINT can improve all but
the worst systems. Watch for additional information on the release of
TPOINT during the first quarter of 1997. |
|
MINOR PLANET |
The orbital elements of Local Minor Planets are entered in the
Comets and Minor Planets dialog, or copied from the Extended Minor Planet
text files using the Import command. The computed coordinates of Local Minor Planets are more accurate than those of Extended Minor Planets. The orbital elements of the Local Minor Planets are numerically integrated to the current epoch, resulting in positions far more accurate than those generated by software that does not perform these extra calculations. |
The computed coordinates of Local Minor Planets are more accurate
than those of Extended Minor Planets. The orbital elements of the Local
Minor Planets are numerically integrated to the current epoch, resulting
in positions far more accurate than those generated by software that does
not perform these extra calculations. |
| Minor Planets | Local | Extended |
| Numerically integrated | Yes | No |
| Included in time skips | Yes | No |
| Maimum # allowed | 50 | unlimited |
| Disk file | minorpl.dat | mpl text-file |
CCDSOFT (FORMERLY SKYPRO) We have been bombarded with questions about when the next version of SkyPro will be released. In case you haven't heard, we are changing the name of SkyPro to CCDSoft to better reflect its purpose. CCDSoft version 4.0 is scheduled to ship in January, 1997. As with TheSky version 4.0, it is a true 32-bit application written to take advantage of Windows 95 and NT. In addition to many other features, CCDSoft will include support for the RealSky data, numerous new toolbars, the ability to blink many images creating ,'movies" of CCD images, plus support for the new PixCel-255 imaging camera from Celestron. Watch your mailbox or our Web site for an upgrade notice If you haven't yet moved to Windows 95 or soon. Windows NT, now would be a good time. These operating systems are far more robust than the old Windows 3.1 technology, and they provide number UPGRADING TO THESKY VERSION 4 TheSky version 4 has been shipping since March of 1996, and has set a new standard in astronomical computing. Whether you are concerned about accuracy, speed, or a complete set of features, no other software delivers like TheSky version 4.0. |
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| CCD IMAGING CONFERENCE A GREAT
SUCCESS!
Santa Barbara
Instruments Group and Software Bisque held a joint conference on CCD
imaging on July I I and 12, 1996. The pavilion was packed with 200
attendees who listened to talks from SBIG employees, Software Bisque
employees, Dennis DiCicco of Sky &
Telescope and a number of other experts in the field of CCD
imaging. |
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| International:
303.278.4478 Fax: 303.278.0045 |
Visit
Our Home Page at http://www.bisque.com/ You can email us here. |
Software Bisque
912 Twelfth
Street
Golden, CO 80401 USA
