═══ 1. General help for Night Vision ═══ Welcome to Night Vision, a "planetarium" program for OS/2. Night Vision opens with a view of the heavens looking straight up from the user's preferred location. (Or, until a preferred location has been selected, a default location of Niwot, Colorado, the author's favorite small town.) Two scroll bars control the direction of view: Moving the vertical scroll bar (right side of window) controls the altitude, or the angle from the horizon to the center of the view (center of window). With the scroll at the top the view is straight up (the zenith). Moving the scroll to the middle shows the view along the horizon, and moving it to the bottom shows the view through the earth (the nadir). Tinting will indicate where the earth blocks the view. (This horizon indication can be turned off.) Moving the horizontal scroll bar (bottom of window) controls the azimuth, or direction along the horizon. With the scroll in the center, the view towards the horizon is to the south. Moving the scroll to the right moves the view to the west, then the north. Moving the scroll to the left moves the view to the east, then the north. Thus north can be achieved by moving the scroll either to the far right or the far left. Altitude and azimuth are indicated in the information window at the top. Interpret altitude as follows: Alt View 0 Along the horizon 90 Straight up (zenith) -90 Straight down (nadir) Interpret azimuth as follows: Az View 0 and 360 North 90 East 180 South 270 West Magnification is controlled as follows: Pressing 'z' will "zoom in" to magnify the view. Pressing 'Shift-z' will "zoom out" to de-magnify the view. By pressing 'Shift-z' and/or enlarging the window an entire 180° view can be seen. (I.e. 90° in all directions from center of window.) 'CapsLock' is ignored. Night Vision is mouse aware. For example, to move an object to the center of the window, left click on that object. To zoom into an object draw a rectangle around that object by pressing the left mouse button and then dragging the mouse. When the button is released the center of the rectangle is moved to the center of the window at a zoom level based on the area of the rectangle. Press 'p' to return to the previous view. The right mouse button invokes a pop-up menu. This is of particular use during full screen mode when the menu bar is not visible. Explore these and other options and enjoy the view of Night Vision! ═══ 1.1. Help for save location ═══ Use this selection to save your current viewing location. Future program startups will begin at this location. Location data includes whether or not daylight savings time is in effect. (Daylight savings time is set via the "Set location" window or the "Set local date/time" window.) ═══ 1.2. Help for save preferences ═══ Use this selection to save your current preferences. Future program startups will begin with these preferences. Preferences include:  Current viewed objects  Current selected font  Current star parameters  Current time representation (24 hour vs AM/PM) This selection does not include Daylight savings time. It is saved when selecting "Save location" from the "File" pull down menu. ═══ 1.3. Help for save window size/position ═══ Use this selection to save the current window size and position on your monitor. ═══ 1.4. Help for print ═══ Use this selection to print a star chart. ═══ 1.5. Help for close ═══ Use this selection to exit Night Vision. A window will pop up to verify this selection. ═══ 1.6. Help for set location ═══ Use this selection to set viewing location. Any city in the city database, or any longitude/latitude coordinates, can be selected. (The city database can be edited to user's preferences.) ═══ 1.7. Help for set font ═══ Use this selection to set the font. This font will be used for all text in the main window. This same font (or the closest match) will be used for printing star charts. ═══ 1.8. Help for set stars ═══ Use this selection to set star parameters, such as limiting magnitude and star size. ═══ 1.9. Help for set colors ═══ Use this selection to set the colors used on screen. ═══ 1.10. Help for select objects ═══ Use this selection to select objects to view, such as planets and deep sky objects. ═══ 1.11. Help for find ═══ Use this selection to find various objects:  Constellations  Stars  Deep sky objects  Solar system objects ═══ 1.11.1. Help for find constellation ═══ Use this selection to find constellations. There are 88 official constellations as set forth by the International Astronomical Union in 1930. One of the constellations, Serpens (the serpent), is in two pieces. Serpens Caput is the head, and Serpens Cauda is the tail. (In between the two is Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer.) Thus there are 89 constellations listed. ═══ 1.11.2. Help for find star ═══ Use this selection to find stars by name. ═══ 1.11.3. Help for find deep sky object ═══ Use this selection to find various deep sky objects, such as galaxies and nebulas. ═══ 1.11.4. Help for find solar system object ═══ Use this selection to find the sun, moon, and planets. ═══ 1.12. Help for direction ═══ Use these selections to control direction of view. With the following selections only the azimuth is affected:  North  South  East  West With the following selections only the altitude is affected.  Zenith (View is straight up)  Horizon  Nadir (View is straight down through earth) ═══ 1.13. Help for zoom in ═══ Use this selection to zoom in. ═══ 1.14. Help for zoom out ═══ Use this selection to zoom out. ═══ 1.15. Help for previous view ═══ When the view is changed, either through a change in direction (alt/az) and/or a change in zoom level, the previous view is saved. Use this selection to return to the previous view. ═══ 1.16. Help for previous zoom ═══ When the zoom level is changed, the previous view is saved. Use this selection to return to the view before the zoom level was changed. This option allows the user to zoom into an area, then move around within this zoom level (perhaps to adjust the direction before printing), and then return to the pre-zoomed view. ═══ 1.17. Help for full screen ═══ Use this selection to toggle between normal and full screen mode. In full screen mode the star window expands to fill the entire screen. Use the right mouse button to list menu options, as the menu bar is not visible. ═══ 1.18. Help for set date/time ═══ Use this selection to set the date and time to any point from 1900 through 2099. ═══ 1.19. Help for freeze ═══ Use this selection to freeze time (i.e. time does not progress). ═══ 1.20. Help for thaw ═══ Use this selection to thaw time (i.e. allow time to progress). ═══ 1.21. Help for set time rates ═══ Use this selection to set display update interval and time speed. ═══ 2. Setting up Night Vision ═══ Night Vision can be set up for any location on earth. Begin by going to the "Set location" window (via the "Set" pull down menu). Select the city closest to your location, select/deselect "Daylight savings time", and press "OK City". Or enter your longitude, latitude, and time zone, select/deselect "Daylight savings time", and press "OK Coordinates". If your new location is in a different time zone, then your local time (as displayed in the information line above the star window) will have changed, and you must reset the time. To do so, go to the "Set local date/time" window (via the "Time" pull down menu), and then press "Set to computer date/time". You are now re-sync'd to your computer time. Be sure to save this location information if you would like Night Vision to always start at this position. Go to the "File" pull down menu and select "Save location". You may also save your viewing preferences (objects, font, and star parameters) by selecting "Save preferences" from the "File" pull down menu. Note: The city database used in the "Set location" window may be edited to suit the user's preferences. Follow the directions at the top of NVSN.CTY. ═══ 3. Help for Print star chart window ═══ This window is used to print a star chart: 1. Select a printer from the printer list. 2. (Optional) Press "Job Properties..." to view and/or modify printer specific settings. 3. Press "Print" to generate a star chart and send it to the printer. View options currently selected, such as constellation lines and horizon, will also be selected for printing. The current font will also be used (or if it is unavailable for printing, the closest match will be selected). The region of sky printed will be a square whose side matches the largest dimension of the screen window, up to a maximum of 180°. For example, if the screen window displays a region of sky that measures 60° by 80°, the print image will be a square measuring 80° by 80°. Thus by controlling what is displayed on the screen the user controls what appears on the print. The size of the printed image is fixed at 9/10 of the printable area of the page (as determined by the printer driver software). Use tab and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) removes the window without printing. See also: Command line options and: Printing issues. ═══ 4. Help for Set location window ═══ This window is used to select a location anywhere on earth, either by selecting a city in the city list box, or by directly entering the longitude and latitude of the desired location. The cities shown are the cities listed in the city database: NVSN.CTY This database may be edited to suit the user's preferences. Follow the directions at the top of NVSN.CTY. Longitude is entered as sddd:mm where s is the sign (+, -, or blank), ddd are degrees ranging from 0 to 180, and mm are minutes ranging from 0 to 59. Longitude is negative for locations west of 0°. Latitude is entered as sdd:mm where s is the sign (+, -, or blank), dd are degrees ranging from 0 to 90, and mm are minutes ranging from 0 to 59. Latitude is negative for locations south of the equator. Time zone is entered as shh:mm where s is the sign (+, -, or blank), hh are hours ranging from 0 to 12, and mm are minutes ranging from 0 to 59. Time zone is negative for zones west of Greenwich, England, and represent the time difference between the location and Greenwich. Note: Changing the location will change the time indicated in the information line above the main star window if the new time zone differs from current time zone. This allows the user to hop from location to location while maintaining the same time in the first location. For example, hopping from Denver to Dallas changes the time from say 1:00 to 2:00, because the time in Dallas is 2:00 when the time in Denver is 1:00. Select or deselect "Daylight savings time" depending on whether it is in effect for this location. (1 hour will be subtracted from the indicated time if selected.) Daylight savings time can also be set via the "Set local date/time" window. Use tab, space bar, and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Press "OK City" to accept a city location. Press "OK Coordinates" to accept a location via the longitude and latitude coordinates with the specified time zone. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) rejects any changes. Use the "Save location" selection from the "File" pull down menu to save the current location so that Night Vision begins there when starting. "Save location" also saves whether or not daylight savings time is in effect. ═══ 5. Help for Set font window ═══ This window is used to set the font for all text appearing in the main star window. The font (or the closest matching printer font) will also be used for printing star charts. "Name", "Style", and "Size" are drop-down listboxes whose contents may be displayed by clicking on the down arrow on the right of the box. The contents are also displayed (and removed) by pressing 'Alt-down arrow'. Use tab, space bar, and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Pressing "OK" accepts new values. Pressing "Reset" resets any changes to window. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) rejects any changes. ═══ 6. Help for Set star parameters window ═══ This window is used to control how different magnitude stars are to appear. Magnitude (a.k.a. relative magnitude) refers to how bright a star appears. This is an inverse relationship: the higher the magnitude, the dimmer the star. Very bright stars have magnitudes of less than zero. The "Limiting magnitude" spin button controls how bright a star must be before it can be displayed. It can be set from 2.0 to 7.0 (dimmest). The two sliders control what size dot is used to represent the brightest and dimmest stars. The "Dimmest" slider refers to stars having a magnitude indicated by the value on the "Limiting magnitude" spin button. Use tab and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Pressing "OK" accepts new values. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) rejects any changes. ═══ 7. Help for Set colors window ═══ This window is used to control the colors used on the screen. Select the object to modify in the left listbox, and then choose a color in the right listbox. Use tab and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Pressing "OK" accepts new values. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) rejects any changes. ═══ 8. Help for Select objects window ═══ This window is used to set which objects and options to display. "Deep sky" refers to objects outside the solar system, such as galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. Constellation names can either be full length, or a 3 character abbreviation. "Celestial grid" refers to a grid of celestial longitude and latitude, which astronomers term as right ascension and declination, respectively. This option also displays the ecliptic, which is the path the sun follows through the heavens. "Altitude/Azimuth grid" refers to a grid based on the user's perspective. Altitude is latitude based on the horizon. Azimuth is longitude referenced from North. "Horizon" refers to a tinting that is used to represent that part of the view that is blocked by the earth. This selection also displays compass directions ("N", "NE", "E", ...). Use tab, space bar, and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Pressing "OK" accepts new values. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) rejects any changes. ═══ 9. Help for Find window ═══ This window is used to find an object of a particular type. Note: The object may not be visible depending on object type and user preferences. For example, a magnitude 3 star will not be seen if the limiting magnitude is less than 3, and a deep sky object will not appear if deep sky objects are not currently shown. Use tab, space bar, and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Pressing "OK" locates the selected object. Pressing "Cancel" dismisses the window. ═══ 10. Help for Set local date/time window ═══ This window is used to set the date and time to any point from 1900 to 2099. Use the mouse to select the month, day, year, hour, and minute, then activate the corresponding arrow keys to set to the desired value. Select "24 hour" for 24 hour time (0 - 23), or deselect for "AM" and "PM". Select "Daylight savings time" if it is in effect (1 hour is subtracted from the indicated time). Control without the mouse is achieved with the tab, arrow, and space bar keys. Pressing "OK" accepts the new date and time. Pressing "Set to computer date/time" immediately sets the local date/time to the computer date/time. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) rejects any changes. ═══ 11. Help for Set time rates window ═══ This window is used to set the display update interval and the time speed. The display update interval is the amount of time Night Vision waits before updating the display. For example, setting to 2 seconds will update the display every 2 seconds. Use longer intervals for slower computers that take a lot of time to update (or specify less stars to display with the "Set star parameters" window). The time speed is the rate at which Night Vision advances time relative to the computer. Set to "1X" for normal operation. To watch time move backward, set to "-1X". Set to "1440X" to watch a day pass within a minute. Note: Time must not be "frozen" (see the Time pull down menu) for time to proceed. Use tab and arrow keys to control without a mouse. Pressing "OK" accepts new values. Pressing "Cancel" (or Esc) rejects any changes. Only the update interval is saved in user preferences. ═══ 12. Keys Help ═══ The following keys are active in the main star window: Key Function z Zoom in Shift-z Zoom out p Previous view Shift-p Previous zoom n North s South e East w West Ctrl-z Zenith Ctrl-h Horizon Ctrl-n Nadir Up arrow Shift altitude up 1° Down arrow Shift altitude down 1° Right arrow Shift azimuth right 1° Left arrow Shift azimuth left 1° Page Up Shift altitude up 15° Page Down Shift altitude down 15° Ctrl-Up arrow Shift altitude up 15° Ctrl-Down arrow Shift altitude down 15° Ctrl-Right arrow Shift azimuth right 15° Ctrl-Left arrow Shift azimuth left 15° Ctrl-f Toggle full screen mode F3 Ends program 'CapsLock' is ignored. ═══ 13. Editing the city database ═══ The city database, NVSN.CTY, contains all cities listed in the city listbox in the "Set location" window. It can be edited to suit the user's preferences. To edit, use a standard text editor. Do not use a word processor unless it can save to a standard ASCII file. Maximum number of cities is 10000. Blank lines and lines beginning with "#" are ignored. All other lines must have blanks at columns 26, 34, and 41, have no tabs, and contain the following information in the specified columns: Columns 1-25: City name Columns 27-33: Longitude Columns 35-40: Latitude Columns 42-47: Time zone For example: #-------- City name -----|--Long-|--Lat-|--TZ--|-Ignored- Niwot, Colorado -105:10 40:06 -7:00 Refer to the "Help for Set location window" panel for proper values for Long, Lat, and TZ. Cities will be listed in the "Set location" window city listbox in the same order as they appear in this file. ═══ 14. Command line options ═══ The following command line options are intended to be used only to handle specific problems: Option Description /thicklines Thickens lines (e.g. constellation lines) on printed output. Depending on your printer, this option may or may not have any noticeable effect. /nopaintthread Removes separate thread of execution for painting (drawing) the star window, thus inhibiting any user actions until painting has completed. Use this option only if you have trouble displaying any stars in the star window. /noprintthread Removes separate thread of execution for printing, thus inhibiting any user actions until printing has completed. Use this option only if you have trouble generating prints. How Night Vision is invoked determines how to specify these options:  If you start the program from an OS/2 desktop icon, click on that icon with the right mouse button to bring up the pop-up menu. Click on "Properties" ("Settings" for OS/2 versions 2 and 3) to bring up the icon notebook. Type the options desired (separated by spaces) in the optional parameters field on the program page. Close the notebook.  If you start the program from an OS/2 command prompt, type the options after you type 'nvsn'. For example: nvsn /thicklines /nopaintthread Options are not case sensitive. ═══ 15. Printing issues ═══ The author has tested the printing of star charts with only a limited number of printers and printer drivers (the software that OS/2 uses to build an image and send it to a printer). From this small sample it became evident that there is a wide range in quality with those printer drivers. A buggy printer driver will produce errors in the print, which in turn makes Night Vision look buggy. For example, the "HP LaserJet 5Si/5Si Mx" printer driver that comes with Warp 4 allows the shading that designates the horizon to print outside of the square that encloses the chart (in spite of printing instructions to mask that area off). This problem was fixed in a later release of that printer driver. Another common problem with some printer drivers is that text for various objects (e.g. constellations) will sometimes appear in the four text boxes located in the four corners of the square that encloses the chart. The only text that should appear in these boxes are the program name (upper left), date and time (upper right), location (lower left), and alt/az (lower right). If you have printing errors, such as printing that occurs outside of the square that encloses the chart, you may need to upgrade your printer driver. A good source for the latest printer driver updates is IBM's "OS/2 Device Driver Pak Online" web page at: http://service.software.ibm.com/os2ddpak/index.htm Another fix can be tried if your printer can accept more than one language. For example, some printers accept both PCL and Postscript. If you have errors using the PCL driver for your printer, try using the Postscript driver. ═══ 16. List of files ═══ Night Vision contains the following files: File Description NVSN.EXE The executable (program file) for Night Vision NVSN.HLP The help file NVSN.DB Sky database NVSN.CTY City database - May be modified, but please distribute only the original NVSN.DOC Documentation NVSN.INI Initialization file - Created by program - Should not be distributed with other files INSTALL.CMD Installs program object onto desktop The shareware version adds the following two files: FILE_ID.DIZ Program description ORDER.FRM BMT Micro registration form ═══ 17. Registration ═══ Night Vision has two versions, the shareware version and the registered version, which are nearly identical except that the shareware version has tags indicating that it is unregistered. The shareware version may be freely copied and distributed provided that the program in all of its components (program file, help file, database files, install file, and documentation) are kept together and all remain unmodified. You are free to use the shareware version for an evaluation period. Please do not continue usage without registering as considerable effort has gone into the making of this program. You may register with: BMT Micro PO Box 15016 Wilmington, NC 28408 U.S.A. (Use the order form supplied in the file ORDER.FRM, or contact them via the internet) http://www.bmtmicro.com or Brian Simpson PO Box 773 Niwot, CO 80544 U.S.A. Registration is $25. Upon registration you will receive the registered version, which can be Emailed to you at no extra charge. Those who require a diskette please see the file ORDER.FRM. The registered version is of course for personal use only and may not be distributed. ═══ 18. Night Vision on the Internet ═══ You can get the latest information about Night Vision on the Internet at: http://home.att.net/~bsimpson/nvsn.html - and - http://www.bmtmicro.com/catalog/nightv/ You can contact the author at: nightvision@bmtmicro.com ═══ 19. Future updates ═══ Night Vision will be updated in the future. Future updates may include:  Precession  Greek star designations (alpha, ...)  Object identification via right mouse click  User selectable fonts per object  User modifiable information line  Constellation boundaries  Labels for grids  Milky way  Comets  ...