home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
OS/2 Shareware BBS: OtherApp
/
OtherApp.zip
/
hl_news.zip
/
temp
/
NVSN.HLP
(
.txt
)
< prev
next >
Wrap
OS/2 Help File
|
1998-07-22
|
26KB
|
728 lines
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. General help for Night Vision ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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!
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. Help for save location ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. Help for save preferences ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. Help for save window size/position ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to save the current window size and position on your
monitor.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4. Help for print ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to print a star chart.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5. Help for close ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to exit Night Vision. A window will pop up to verify this
selection.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6. Help for set location ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7. Help for set font ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.8. Help for set stars ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to set star parameters, such as limiting magnitude and star
size.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.9. Help for set colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to set the colors used on screen.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.10. Help for select objects ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to select objects to view, such as planets and deep sky
objects.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.11. Help for find ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to find various objects:
Constellations
Stars
Deep sky objects
Solar system objects
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.11.1. Help for find constellation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.11.2. Help for find star ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to find stars by name.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.11.3. Help for find deep sky object ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to find various deep sky objects, such as galaxies and
nebulas.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.11.4. Help for find solar system object ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to find the sun, moon, and planets.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.12. Help for direction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.13. Help for zoom in ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to zoom in.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.14. Help for zoom out ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to zoom out.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.15. Help for previous view ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.16. Help for previous zoom ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.17. Help for full screen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.18. Help for set date/time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to set the date and time to any point from 1900 through
2099.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.19. Help for freeze ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to freeze time (i.e. time does not progress).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.20. Help for thaw ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to thaw time (i.e. allow time to progress).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.21. Help for set time rates ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use this selection to set display update interval and time speed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Setting up Night Vision ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Help for Print star chart window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Help for Set location window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Help for Set font window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Help for Set star parameters window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Help for Set colors window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Help for Select objects window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Help for Find window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Help for Set local date/time window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Help for Set time rates window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Keys Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Editing the city database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Command line options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. Printing issues ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 16. List of files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 17. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18. Night Vision on the Internet ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 19. Future updates ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
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
...