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Night Owl CD-ROM (NOPV9) (Night Owl Publisher) (1993).ISO
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1993-03-04
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AstroCalc I
A Shareware Program
Copyright (C) 1993, Hesperus & Co.
All Rights Reserved
Hesperus & Co.
PO Box 8216
Pittsburgh PA 15217
Following is a basic description on how to use the program. Registered
users will receive an expanded printed manual that provides information on
the scientific theories involved (with references), a background on the
history of astronomical calculations and further explanations of the
astronomical terms used. In addition, registered users have access to
technical support and information on program upgrades and other related
software.
AstroCalc I calculates astronomical data for the Sun, Moon and planets and
the various forms of time used in astronomy. By inputting date, time and
geographical location the conditions of the heavenly bodies are calculated.
The program is useful to plan observing sessions, to investigate past,
present and future sky configurations and in general to provide easily
accessible astronomical information.
Getting started
The program runs under the DOS (2.1 or later) environment. To install:
Harddisk Use - Highly recommended for best speed performance.
1. Select or create a subdirectory for the program on your hard drive, for
example, C:\ACALC1. Do this by changing to your C: drive (Enter C: at A> or
B> , etc.) and have the C> prompt showing. Then use CD\ (Enter) to go
to the root directory. Now make the new directory by using the DOS command
MD\ACALC1 (Enter). Then change to this directory using CD\ACALC1
(Enter).
2. Copy the files from the program disk. Place the program disk in the A:
or B: drive and use the command COPY A:*.* (Enter). ( or COPY B:*.*
if using the B: drive). The files are now installed on the hard drive.
3. Now start and run the program by entering: ACALC1 The program will now
start up. Follow the prompts on screen.
Floppy Disk Use - If harddisk is not available.
3.5'' or 5.25'' Disk - Place disk in A: or B: drive and change to that
drive (use A: or B: and Enter). Now start and run the program by entering:
ACALC1
Using the Program
Once the program is running you can input data and start getting results.
On the Enter Data screen you enter the date, time, location and time zone.
Date, time and zone, and location are automatically saved to re-use.
ALT + X lets you exit the program to DOS.
The time zones are the standard US time zones: Eastern Standard Time (EST),
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and so on through Central, Mountain and Pacific
times. The other time option is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Universal Time
(UT) which is the world time standard , deriving from the 0 degree line of
longitude that passes through the observatory at Greenwich in the east of
London, England.
The time is input as 24 hour time, where for example, 2:00 PM is equal to
14:00 hours.
The latitude and longitude are input as decimal values such as 42.85. The
values of latitude range from 0 (zero) at the equator to up to plus 90
degrees north of the equator (+90, the north pole) or down to minus 90
degrees south of the equator (-90, the south pole). For longitudes the
values range from 0 (zero) at Greenwich, England up to +180 degrees going
west and down to -180 degrees going east. For example, all of the USA has
plus longitudes and all of China has minus longitudes.
When entering plus latitudes or longitudes the + sign is optional. The -
sign must be used.
When ready to gets results use ALT + C for calculations.
The Data Selection screen now gives you the options for which bodies you
want. You can choose the Sun, Moon or any planet or all planets
or all bodies (Sun, Moon and all planets).
Then you will see up to 18 screens of information covering the Sun, Moon
and helio- and geocentric data for Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Notice that the Sun data screen also has some
information related to the Earth: the Sun/Earth distance and the Earth's
eccentricity of orbit.
After all data has been displayed, you will be able to run another case or
exit the program. Press A for another case, or X to exit.
We hope you find the program useful. If you continue to use the program you
are required to register your use of the program (and you will receive the
expanded manual, technical support and access to program upgrades). Thank
you for your support!