Pocket Star Chart Demo README © 1999 Kevin S. Polk
Contents:
1. System Requirements
2. InstallationIMPORTANT: Read the License Agreement (part 8. below) before installing Pocket Star Chart (PSC) on your Palm OS device. BY INSTALLING PSC ON YOUR DEVICE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE LICENSE AGREEMENT IN PART 8 OF THIS FILE. Pocket Star Chart comes in a compressed archive with the file you are presently reading, plus the following:
All of these must be installed on your Palm OS device in the normal way before you attempt to use Pocket Star Chart. (EXCEPTION: if you plan to do all of your observing in one hemisphere, there's no need to install the file named for the opposite hemisphere). If you have an older version of Pocket Star Chart, BE SURE TO DELETE the files "StarChart North DB" and "StarChart" from your Palm device before installing the new version (do this by hitting the silkscreen button marked "Applications", then "Menu" to find "Delete"). The largest installed file, Mathlib.prc, is a free shared library that may already be installed on your Palm OS device. Other programs, such as PocketC, can use the same library, cutting down on memory requirements. While the author of Pocket Star Chart did not write or modify Mathlib, and certainly can't support it, an unmodified copy is distributed free of charge per the GNU Free Software General Distribution License. Further information may be found in the Mathlib information page: http://www.probe.net/~rhuebner/mathlib.html 3. How to Use Pocket Star ChartThe opening screen displays the Selection Form, a menu of observing situations (i.e. places and times). Tap one to select it. The "Edit" button lets you alter the date, time, name and location, saving the result as a new copy. "View" shows you the sky, centered on the zenith, for the observing situation you have selected (hit the "menu" button to return to the list). "Delete" removes the selected situation. EDIT takes you to the Situation Form. Here, you can customize the name, location, date, time and timeline of the observing site you selected. To determine the latitude/longitude of any new location that you would like to add, visit http://www.indo.com/distance/ (as of this writing), or use any good atlas or globe. To find time zone information online, go to http://swissinfo.net/cgi/worldtime/ SAVE automatically saves the form's contents as a new selection, and returns to the selection form. REPLACE saves the form's contents, replacing the original selection. CANCEL returns to the selection form without making any changes. When VIEWING an image, notice that the entire sky is bigger than the display. The image opens with the zenith (marked with a "+") in the center of the screen. You may drag the sky image around with your pen. This will reveal the horizon and cardinal points (North, South, East, West). You may also see what's below the horizon. This comes in handy to get a feel for when the sun, a planet or a given star will rise. When looking towards the horizon, you may need to rotate your handheld device to find your place -- just as you would with a book. To EXIT the image, hit the "menu" button on the lower left of the screen, next to the Graffiti input area. Note that because the image uses gray scale, it will sometimes close by itself when Palm OS asks for access to the screen. SKY VIEW, which lives on the SETTINGS menu item of the main form, controls the gray levels of the image to simulate different viewing conditions. The "Dark Sky" check box on the same form toggles between the default "negative" image of the sky and a more picturesque and natural view (the latter uses a bit more battery power). You can use the contrast adjustment knob on the side of your Palm device to dramatically alter the display. The fainter setting is useful for finding bright stars, planets and cardinal points (such as East and West). As you darken the contrast, you'll see more stars and eventually deep sky objects, the Milky Way, and constellations. The star chart is complete to 5th magnitude, comprising a total of 1,631 stars. The Messier Objects, planets, Sun and Moon appear as various symbols defined in the lower corners of the "View" image. The Messier Objects comprise a set of 110 extended (i.e. fuzzy instead of star like) objects. These include:
Several of the Messiers (such as M31, the large spiral in Andromeda) are visible to the naked eye even from sparse suburbs. Others are visible in binoculars or small telescopes from very dark locations. The sky is actually filled with thousands of reasonably visible deep sky objects, but the Messiers are the best known among them. Some of the Messiers are numbered in PSC. Future versions may contain zooms on regions such as Sagittarius that are presently too dense with Messiers to number. It is impossible to represent the sky on a flat surface such as your screen without significant distortion; the trick is to find a projection that is easy to decipher with the eye and mind. Pocket Star Chart uses the standard planisphere projection that has been used for centuries. This enables very rapid redraws, but results in some distortion near the edges of the map. This is most noticeable from low latitudes. The work-around is to allow views of both Northern and Southern Hemisphere maps from low latitudes. This has been successfully implemented in V. 1.0 (see sec. 7, below). You can set Pocket Star Chart for any time and date between 1904 and 2040 and any location on Earth. Note however that Pocket Star Chart was designed to capitalize on the strengths of Palm OS -- and work within its limitations. It lets you plan observing sessions and accurately identify constellations, planets, and events such as conjunctions within several decades of the present date. It will NOT let you search for the Star of Bethlehem or easily hunt for conjunctions and eclipses. Its resolution is limited to about 3/4 of a degree (i.e. half again the size of a full moon), so I've magnified the sun and Moon tenfold to make them prominent. On occasion, this will obscure objects they encounter during close conjunctions. Alas, the sky is big and the screen is very small... 4. Known bugs and LimitationsPocket Star Chart, like the Palm Computing platform it runs on, was designed for handiness rather than power. While it won't compete with the detail and rich feature set of a desktop astronomy program, it is far more portable, fast and easy to use. The gray scale display must yield to the system from time to time -- this has the unexpected result of sometimes exiting the sky image without warning. Three bugs cropped up frequently in the early betas; although they have been solved, each could potentially recur under unforseen temporary memory configurations. Here's what they are and what to do if they should happen to you:
5. Bug ReportsIf possible, visit the Muse of Fire support page at http://muse-of-fire.com/support.htm; otherwise send an e-mail to bugs@muse-of-fire.com. In the body of the message, describe the hardware you're using, the system software it runs, the desktop system used to install plug-ins onto your handheld, and the version of HotSynch® Manager used. Then describe the problem as completely as possible. 6. Planned improvementsNumerous improvements are planned. If you would like to see a specific improvement, please e-mail it to vote@muse-of-fire.com. As always, priority will be given to registered users. 7. RegistrationYou may register and download the full version of Pocket Star Chart online at http://www2.viaweb.com/pilotgearsw/kevinspolk.html The price as of this writing is $17.95. Orders through PalmGear HQ may be made online, by phone (817.640.6558), or fax (817.640.6614). Benefits of registration:
8. License AgreementPocket Star Chart (PSC) is offered "as is" without warrantee of any kind, including fitness for a particular purpose, data integrity, and timely support and upgrades. PSC uses a technology, not endorsed by 3Com, that may temporarily corrupt the display on your Palm OS device. Moreover, like any program, PSC may conflict with other programs or contain very subtle bugs that may cause resets and partial or total memory loss in the device it is installed on. By installing and using PSC, you agree that you are solely responsible for competently backing up your data in a timely fashion, for knowing how to perform both a soft and a hard reset of your device, and for not using this program in situations where losing access to all data on your device could cause you harm or inconvenience. BY INSTALLING AND/OR USING PSC, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING OR MISUSING PSC. All versions and copies of Pocket Star Chart are property of its author. You agree not to disassemble, modify, or sell copies of this program. You are licensed to install and use this demo under the conditions described above. You may distribute copies of the archive that originally contained this file to as many people as you like, provided that all of the files listed in part 2, above, plus this readme file, are intact, unmodified, and included in the archive. Copyright © 1999 Kevin S. Polk. All rights Reserved. HotSynch and Palm Computing are registered trademarks, and Palm OS, Palm Pilot, and Palm III, are trademarks of Palm Computing, Inc., 3Com Corporation, or its subsidiaries. All other brands and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. * * * The author welcomes your feedback at info@muse-of-fire.com. |