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1994-01-04
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The Earth Centered Universe (ECU)
for MS-Windows 3.x
A Shareware Sky Visualization Program
for Amateur Astronomers
Version 1.5
Released January 1994
Nova Astronomics
(David J. Lane)
4-26 Randall Avenue
PO Box 31013
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3K 5T9
Voice: (902) 443-5989 (evenings GMT-4)
CIS: 71601,247
Internet: dlane@hercules.stmarys.ca
ECU is also available in French
Available on Compuserve in Lib 7 or ASTROFORUM as ECUSHA.EXE
Available on Internet by FTP at "hercules.stmarys.ca"
as "/pub/ecu/ecushare.exe"
ECU V1.5 is a shareware Sky Visualization Program for Microsoft
Windows 3.x called "The Earth Centered Universe". It is capable of
simulating many of the features of the Earth's sky. You only need to
enter your geographic location and the time and the local sky is
simulated on the screen in a colourful display. This includes, but
is not limited to the stars, planets, Sun, Moon, comets, asteroids, and
"deep sky" objects. Constellation, Constellation boundary, coordinate
grid, ecliptic, and local horizon lines are also displayed. It prints
high quality star charts to any Windows-compatible printer and also controls
modern computerized telescopes.
ECU is designed as an observing tool for the observing amateur
astronomer, but is equally useful to the "armchair" astronomer or
other interested person interested in the night sky.
Some of the features of ECU are listed below:
- fast compared to many commercial packages - mostly integer math
so math processor is not needed, but is supported to improve
speed of solar system calculations, etc.
- colourful display - colours of all screen elements controllable
by user with scroll bars
- high quality customizable star charts can be printed on any Windows
compatible printer or plotter
- continuous display of LMT, UTC, latitude and longitude, RA/DEC,
AZ/ALT, field size, and star mag limit
- the display of Siderial and Julian Date are available
- databases: Yale star catalogue to 6.5 magnitude
SAO star catalogue to 9.5 magnitude (optional)
SAC deep sky database (over 10,000 objects)
planets, Sun, Moon, comets, and asteroids
- very easy to use - zoom box, center image, zoom in/out, etc. all
done with the mouse. Scroll bars for RA and DEC or Alt/Az. Hot
keys and buttons for common functions
- click on an object and an information box pops up. All objects
give RA, Dec, azimulh, altitude, rise and set times, and magnitude.
Planets/Sun/Moon give distance (AU or km), angular size (" or '),
and phase (or age). Comets and asteroids give distance to the Sun
and the Earth in AU. Yale stars give Yale number, HD number, SAO
number, Flamsteed/Bayer designation, Spectral type, and proper
motion. SAO stars give SAO number, and spectral type. Deep sky
object provide a varying amount of info but usually provide the
name (an other name), Dreyer description, size, classification, etc.
Their coordinates can be precessed to the current date/time.
- the user can display a GIF/PCX/BMP or TIF image of the object,
if one exists through the use of an external viewer. No images are
provided with ECU.
- measure angular separation on the sky with the mouse. It also
provides the difference in RA and Dec.
- load and save all settings to named configuration files
- load and save comet and asteroid elements to separate ASCII files
- undo last operation
- time set as LMT, UTC, or system clock (daylight savings flag, too.)
- time format as 24 hour or am/pm
- observer's location entered by lat/long or pick list of preprogrammed
cities (add your own, too)
- control the effects of observer's parallax, nutation, precession, light travel
time, aberration, and atmospheric refraction
- show sky as white on black background or black on white background,
or in full colour
- also supported is a "red" mode to save your night vision if used in an
observatory
- set magnitude limits of deep sky and stars (with scroll bars)
- select type of deep sky objects displayed (with check boxes)
- displays horizon line, ecliptic line, ra/dec grid (fine and coarse),
zenith marker, constellation lines, IAU constellation boundary lines,
labels for bright stars, constellations, messiers, coordinate grid, etc.
- Two circles and one rectangle of a programmable angular size
can be draw at the centre of the sky display that are intended
to represent field of view of your main telescope, finder scope,
and camera respectively.
- center on - RA/DEC
- Azim/Alt
- bright stars
- constellations
- messiers
- points on horizon (north, south, etc.)
- solar system objects
- search the database and center on the object found
- animation mode - time increments in steps from 1 minute to four years or a
user selected arbitrary increment
- set direction either forward or reverse
- lock to Sun, Moon, Planet, alt/az or ra/dec
- trails of objects supported
- extensive support is provided for the Meade LX200 (and LXD)
telescope series. This includes a moving cross hair on the
screen, a real-time coordinate readout, and hand controller
support. It also allows the scope to be "slewed" to an selected
object
- extensive support is provided for the JMI SGT-MAX (and others)
digital setting circles. This includes a moving cross hair on the
screen and a real-time coordinate readout. It also aids the user in
finding a selected object
- prints high quality star charts on any Windows-compatible printer
with customized titles, programmable borders, scale factors for
deep sky and stellar symbols, etc.
- A dialog box to display the rise/set times of the sun and moon
on the current day is provided. It also shows the times of civil,
nautical, and astronomical twilight.
- and much, much more!
- system requirements: 386/486 100% PC compatible
386DX recommended
Math co-processor beneficial
MS-Windows 3.x (standard or enhanced mode)
EGA/VGA or better color screen
min 700kbytes free memory (1 meg recommended) from
within MS-Windows
80x87 (or 486DX) recommended but not required
Mouse
Windows compatible printer supported
- Distributed Name: ECUSHARE.EXE (ECUSHA.EXE on Compuserve)
- Shareware fee - $35.00US basic
- $20.00US for additional database of about 250,000 stars
- $15.00US for upgrades
- Customer Support is provided by free e-mail, telephone, or mail support