Introduction (1))Solun started life as an Atari ST program,in C. Since then it has been half written in&BBC Basic for the Acorn Archimedes and&has finally been completely redesigned'and renamed for Psion Series 3, in OPL.
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Introduction (2)(In this incarnation, Solun has lost many&stars, all its labels and some drawing(accuracy to make it small and reasonably"fast. However it has a host of new%features and it fit's in your pocket!
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Star File Information (1)&The star and object location files are)extracted from the PD Yale star database.'Solun currently contains 2000 stars and&141 Messier objects. Also included are#outlines for all 88 constellations.
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Star File Information (2))Over time, star coordinates change due to$precession; the accuracy of the star(charts deteriorate. Within the limits of+Solun this should not matter: plus or minus
a century or so from now.
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Display Windows)The Solun display contains three windows,*all of which are updated by the space bar.
Time Display Bar%Across the bottom of the screen, this(window shows the time and date for which&the other displays are calculated. The)time zone currently displayed is shown in'brackets. Observer location also shown.
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Main Display Window (1)(This window shows either a star chart, a'map of the world or an orrery view. The&type of display is controlled from the(main options dialog and the symbols used'can be inspected from the `Chart' menu.
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Main Display Window (2)+The orrery display is not to scale, and the+elliptical shape is irrelevant. The display&is read like a clock face, showing the%progress of the planets as they orbit(anti-clockwise. View is from north side.
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$$dispmoon$$ Moon Phase and Information Panel)The small panel can show the phase of the(moon, seen from the northern hemisphere.%The black shading is in shadow. Other&information can also displayed in this
window by other operations.
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Getting Started (1)'For a quick demonstration, simply press*the space bar. You should see a map of the'world showing day and night and marking*the points directly over which the sun and)moon lie. On the right is the moon phase.
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Menu Options'The Solun menu options are divided into
four groups:%%msolun%%Solun - main control options$%mchart%%Chart - planetarium control!%minfo%%Info - object information %mspecial%%Special - other items
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Solun Menu%%update%%Update - redraw all displays#%options%%Options - display control+%location%%Location - set observer location
%time%%Time - set display time
Draw moon - display moon phase
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Update Display&Equivalent to pressing the space bar, *this causes all the display windows to be "cleared and redrawn, if necessary.
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Information Menu'Astronomical information about the sun,$moon and planets, including rise/set×. The information may not be very#accurate but will serve as a guide.
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Chart Menu
%chartnb%%A note about charts
%view%%View - select chart view&%detail%%Details - select chart detail$%insert%%Insert - add any new detail) Key (1&2) - display symbol legend panels
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A Note About Charts'* To display a star chart, select `Sky'
display in the options dialog.%* When a chart first displayed, Solun(precomputes a table. This takes a while.
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Insert Option'This operation inserts into the current)chart any detail set by the Detail dialog+but not yet drawn. This allows charts to be*drawn with minimal detail and detail added$later without redrawing whole chart.
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View Dialog'This is in two parts: the view mode and)mode parameters. Two modes are available:)%vwco%%Celestial coordinates - atlas view(%vwlo%%Time and place - planetarium view
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View: Chart Centre Dialog(Specifies the chart centre and scale for$an atlas view. Values are all angles'expressed as a decimal (not minutes and*seconds): hour angles for right ascension;
degrees for the others.
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$$vwlo$$"View: Observer Location Dialog (1)%Specifies planetarium-style view, all&values in decimal degrees (not minutes&and seconds). The observer location is!specified by the Location dialog.
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Chart Details Dialog (1)(Controls the amount of detail plotted on)the chart. First: the number of stars and&messier objects, from the brightest. A,warning will flash if the end of the file is!reached while the chart is drawn.
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Chart Details Dialog (2))Next: constellation lines to pick out the&shapes of all constellations; and grid(lines can be plotted N-S at 2 hour right(ascension intervals, W-E at intervals of
20 degrees declination.
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Chart Details Dialog (3))Lastly: the path of the ecliptic line and#the positions of the planets can be%marked. (The sun and moon markers are)controlled from the main options dialog.)
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$$vwlo2$$"View: Observer Location Dialog (2)$The azimuth (direction) and altitude)(height angle) of the centre of the chart*are specified. The horizon value specifies*the height angle of the horizon line above
the horizontal.
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$$vwlo3$$"View: Observer Location Dialog (3))The final item selects the orientation of(the display: `Normal' shows the stars as'viewed in the sky; `Compass' displays a%mirror image - useful for 180
views.
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General Information
%copyr%%Copyright
%intro%%What is Solun?
%newstuff1%%What's new in v2.5?
%starch%%Star chart files
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What's new in v2.5? (2)0%hotkeys%%- `hot-keys' for quick mode selection;' - optional installation of star chart;' - use of `FlUtils' shared OPL library;+ - cosmetic touches to the display screens;! - improved rise-set calculation.
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$$location$$
Observer Location&To set the observer location, type the%first few letters of the city name or)press `Tab' to step through the database.'Use the World application to enter new
cities and locations.
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$$mspecial$$
Special Menu&This menu contains program control and
information items:& About - gives information about Solun0%saveset%%Save settings - save current settings$ Exit - terminates the Solun program
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What's new in v2.5? (1)'Solun 2.5 has a number of enhancements:+%saveset%%- save and restore main settings;.%time%%- automatic system time-zone detection;' - observer location marked on the map;4%location%%- location selection from World database;
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Save Settings Option)Selecting this option will cause most of &the current settings to be saved in a &small file on the internal drive. The $observer location, the main display )mode and the time and zone are not saved.
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$$time$$
Time Dialog&By default, the time and zone are read)from the system clock. Alternatively, the'zone can be set to UT and/or a specific
time entered directly.
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$$options$$
Options Dialog (1))`Display' sets the main display window: a!map of the world, with or without&day/night shading; a star chart; or an'orrery view. Star charts are controlled
further under the chart menu.
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Options Dialog (2)%The sun and moon marker items control(whether these are shown on world and sky+displays. On map displays, the sun can also(be marked by a cross-hair. Note the moon$marker does not represent the phase.
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Options Dialog (3)"The moon phase option controls the&automatic display of the small window.+Turn it off if you want to keep any details
displayed about a star chart.
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Solun Help (v2.5)(Please choose a subject and press Enter:
(.txt)