home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Overload Trio 2
/
Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO
/
dir43
/
sac.zip
/
FOXPRO.ZIP
/
DBLDOC.TXT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-01-03
|
17KB
|
344 lines
SAGUARO ASTRONOMY CLUB DOUBLE STAR DATABASE VERSION 2.0
dated Thursday 1-3-1991
This compilation of data was begun in an effort to provide a
comprehensive observing list for use at the telescope. This data is
released for private use of anyone who wishes to use this database.
Please do not sell this database in any form.
The members of the Saguaro Astronomy Club (pronounced sa-war-oh) of
Phoenix, Arizona have provided much of the effort to compile this
database. However, it could not have been completed without the skill
of a variety of people who are not SAC members. Thank you to all.
Many members of our astronomy club have always enjoyed pretty multiple
stars and in an effort to provide a large list of these objects, this
project was begun. We are not foolish enough to believe that it is
complete, but it should be a good starting point for even the most
avid amateur double star observer.
We were lucky enough to receive a copy of the Washington Double Star
(WDS) catalog from Paul Brown in Canada. We wrote some programs to
glean the best and brightest from that massive list and wound up with
the data which you have in this database. The program was written to
get all stars with magnitudes in the WDS that included a primary
brighter than 9 and a secondary brighter than 13. If the stars had a
separation 2 arc seconds then the magnitudes had to match within one
magnitude. The authors of the SAC double star database think this has
given us a list which will be useful to owners of modest telescopes.
The database is distributed in ASCII text files which have been
compressed using PKZip to save space. See the READ-ME.TXT file for
more details on the contents of the distribution diskettes. We
divided the database by RA hour, into five separate files. Each of
the DBL20? data files has the same layout. Fields are separated by
commas. Character fields are delimited with a double quotes. A
description of the fields and what data they contain follows:
Database Format Summary:
FIELD NAME TYPE WIDTH
Name Char 8
Star Char 11
RA Char 7 (HH MM.M)
Dec Char 6 (+DD MM)
Con Char 3
Comp Char 4
Mag1 Char 4
Mag2 Char 4
Sep Num 5 (999.9)
PA Char 3
Tirion Char 8
U2000 Char 15
Spec Char 3
Year Char 4
ADS Char 5
Notes Char 54
------------------------------
** Total ** 144
Details about each field follows:
Field Number: 1 Name: NAME Size: 8 (Char)
A Aitken R.G. GLP Glasenapp S. PAN Pannuzzio R.
AC Clark Alvan GRB Groombridge S. PLQ Paloque E.
AG AG catalog GYL Goyal A.N. POL Pollock J.A.
AGC Clark A.G. H Herschel W. POP Popovic G.
ALD Alden H.L. HDO Harvard Obs. POU Pourteau A.
ALI Ali A. HEI Heintz W.D. PRO Perth Obs.
ARA Aravamudan S. HJ Herschel J. PTT Pettitt E.
ARG Argelander F. HLD Holden E.S. PZ Piazzi G.
B Bos W.H. van den HLM Holmes E. R Russell H.C.
BAL Baillaud R. HO Hough G.W. RMK Rumker C.
BAR Barnard E.E. HRG Hargrave L. ROE Roe E.D.
BET Bertin B. HTG Hastings C.S. RST Rossiter R.A.
BHA Bhaskaran T.P. HU Hussey W.L. S South J.
BRD Bird F. HWE Howe H.A. SCJ Schjellerup H.
BRT Barton S.G. I Innes R.T.A. SE Secchi A.
BSO Brisbane Obs. J Jonckheere R. SEE See T.J.
BU Burnham S.W. JC Jacob W.S. SEI Scheiner J.
COO Cordoba Obs. JSP Jessup M.K. SHJ South & Herschel
COU Couteau P. KNT Knott G. SKI Skinner A.N.
CPO Cape Observatory KU Kustner F. SLR Sellors R.P.
D Dembowski E. KUI Kuiper G.P. STF Struve F.G.W.
DA Dawes W.R. L Lewis T. STG Struve G.
DAW Dawson B.H. LAL Lalande F. de STI Stein J.
DON Donner H.F. LAM Lamont J. von STN Stone O.
DOO Doolittle E. LDS Luyten p.m. STT Struve O.
DOR Dorpat Obs. LEO Leonard F.C. THE The P.S.
DUN Dunlop J. LPO La Plata Obs. UPT
ES Espin T.E. LV Leavenworth F. VOU Voute J.G.
FIL Filipov M.L. MA Madler J.H. WAK Walker R.L.
FIN Finsen W.S. MA Mason A.H. WEI Weisse M.
FOX Fox P. MLB Milburn W. WG Wrigley R.W.
GAL Gallo J. MLF Muller F. WHC Wilson H.C.
GAN Anderson G. MLL Mitchell S.A. WNC Winnecke A.
GAU Gauchet P.L. MLO Melbourne Obs. WNO Washington Obs.
GCB Giacobini M. MLR Muller P. WOR Worley C.E.
GLE Gale W.F. NZO New Zealand Obs. WRH Wilson R.H.
GLI Gilliss J.M. OL Olivier C.P.
If the object was not listed in a preceding catalog, we used the Star
designation.
Field Number: 2 Name: STAR Size: 11 (Char)
Designations by which this pair may be known. The same abbreviations
as the CON field are used in this field. Generally, this will be the
Bayer or Flamsteed designations. However, there are some variable
star designations and proper names in this field.
Field Number: 3 Name: RA Size: 7 (Char)
Epoch 2000 position in hours and minutes of Right Ascension.
Field Number: 4 Name: DEC Size: 6 (Char)
Epoch 2000 position in Declination degrees and minutes.
Field Number: 5 Name: CON Size: 3 (Char)
Constellation in which the object is found in IAU format, given in the
table below. Only upper case abbreviations are used for ease of
programming using case-sensitive commands.
ANDROMEDA AND LACERTA LAC
ANTLIA ANT LEO LEO
APUS APS LEO MINOR LMI
AQUARIUS AQR LEPUS LEP
AQUILA AQL LIBRA LIB
ARA ARA LUPUS LUP
ARIES ARI LYNX LYN
AURIGA AUR LYRA LYR
BOOTES BOO MENSA MEN
CAELUM CAE MICROSCOPIUM MIC
CAMELOPARDALIS CAM MONOCEROS MON
CANCER CNC MUSCA MUS
CANES VENATICI CVN NORMA NOR
CANIS MAJOR CMA OCTANS OCT
CANIS MINOR CMI OPHIUCHUS OPH
CAPRICORNUS CAP ORION ORI
CARINA CAR PAVO PAV
CASSIOPEIA CAS PEGASUS PEG
CENTAURUS CEN PERSEUS PER
CEPHEUS CEP PHOENIX PHE
CETUS CET PICTOR PIC
CHAMAELEON CHA PISCES PSC
CIRCINUS CIR PISCES AUSTRINUS PSA
COLUMBA COL PUPPIS PUP
COMA BERENICES COM PYXIS PYX
CORONA AUSTRALIS CRA RETICULUM RET
CORONA BOREALIS CRB SAGITTA SGE
CORVUS CRV SAGITTARIUS SGR
CRATER CRT SCORPIUS SCO
CRUX CRU SCULPTOR SCL
CYGNUS CYG SCUTUM SCT
DELPHINUS DEL SERPENS SER
DORADO DOR SEXTANS SEX
DRACO DRA TAURUS TAU
EQUULEUS EQU TELESCOPIUM TEL
ERIDANUS ERI TRIANGULUM AUSTRALE TRA
FORNAX FOR TRIANGULUM TRI
GEMINI GEM TUCANA TUC
GRUS GRU URSA MAJOR UMA
HERCULES HER URSA MINOR UMI
HOROLOGIUM HOR VELA VEL
HYDRA HYA VIRGO VIR
HYDRUS HYI VOLANS VOL
INDUS IND VULPECULA VUL
Field Number: 6 Name: COMP Size: 4 (Char)
If this is a multiple system, which components of the triple (or more)
are in this record. For instance, if this field has ABXD then this
field of data applies to the star system D in relation to the
brightest pair in this multiple star AB.
Field Number: 7 Name: MAG1 Size: 4 (Char)
Magnitude of the primary star.
Field Number: 8 Name: MAG2 Size: 4 (Char)
Magnitude of the secondary star.
Field Number: 9 Name: SEP Size: 5 (Numeric)
Separation of the pair in arc seconds.
Field Number: 10 Name: PA Size: 3 (Char)
Position Angle of the pair in arc degrees clockwise from North.
Field Number: 11 Name: TIRION Size: 8 (Char)
The charts in the Tirion Sky Atlas 2000.0 that map the area of sky in
which the star is located. This is included so that a less detailed
view of the area will be available to star hoppers.
Field Number: 12 Name: U2000 Size: 15 (Char)
The charts in the Uranometria 2000.0 that map the area of sky in which
the star is located. It is not guaranteed that all multiple stars
plotted on U2000 are contained in the database but we are trying.
Field Number: 13 Name: SPEC Size: 3 (Char)
Spectrum of the primary, or the binary pair if a spectroscopic binary.
Field Number: 14 Name: YEAR Size: 4 (Char)
Year the measures of this pair were taken.
Field Number: 15 Name: ADS Size: 5 (Char)
Number from the Aitken Double Star catalog, a common cross-reference.
Field Number: 16 Name: NOTES Size: 54 (Char)
Several abbreviations were used in the Notes section:
cpm = common proper motion, the pair is moving through The Galaxy in
the same direction and at the same speed. They are probably
gravitationally bound together.
eclp-bin = eclipsing binary, a system that is edge-on to Earth and the
stars pass in front of each other, changing the total magnitude.
orbit calc'd = an orbit (maybe a preliminarily one) has been
calculated for this system. Several references in a large
astronomical library will provide a drawing of the orbit. The more
famous pairs are in Burnham's Celestial Handbook.
spect-comp = spectrum composite, the two spectra of the binary form a
single spectrum that is the addition of the stars in the multiple star
system.
sp-bin = spectroscopic binary, a pair whose spectra change as the
motion of the system moves through different angles to the Earth.
Many very close binaries are spectroscopic and cannot be separated
visually at the eyepiece.
var = variable, the magnitude of the star changes with time.
HINTS ON USING THE SAC DOUBLE STAR DATABASE
The layout of the data was thought out to try and let the user get the
type of listing that is preferred with as few problems as possible.
Users who have taken the time to write or call have said that a wide
variety of database managers will make it easier for the sophisticated
double star observer to utilize the data in a variety of forms.
People have used dBase III, Paradox, PC File, PC File dB, Microsoft
Works, Wampum and a few have used a word processor to search and sort
the SAC database. It is even possible Import it into Lotus 123 as a
Text file. Several people have considered burning it into a ROM for
use in a telescope control program.
Of course, if you do not need overly complex search routines, the
provided SACDBL.EXE program from Dan Ward will suffice. It allows the
user to make a fine observing list quickly. See the REPORTS.DOC file
for more details.
CONTRIBUTORS
Dan Ward did error corrections, fine tuned the data field formats,
wrote the install file, edited the documentation and developed the
SACDBL report generator program included with this disk set.
A.J. Crayon did error corrections and assisted indirectly in
developing the install and observing list program because Dan recycled
some code that he and A.J. had jointly developed in the past.
Brian Skiff provided us with error checking data and gave us much
input on what to include for each entry.
Steve Stanford wrote the program which determined the Tirion and U2000
chart numbers.
Steve Coe co-wrote the file you are reading and checked and entered
data.
Alan Gore parsed out the star names from the Notes as given in the WDS
and checked and entered data.
John and Tom McGrath checked and entered data.
Kent Hepburn ran the precession and chartnumber programs. He also
checked and entered data.
Roger Wegehoft of Ashton-Tate provided some dBASE code to strip excess
blanks out of the middle of some data fields, which allowed us to
reduce the overall size of the database by over 500k!
Wayne Gary provided valuable suggestions for fine tuning some of the
fields formats.
REVISION HISTORY
Version 1.0 was the raw data from the output of a Quick Basic search
routine that was written by Bill Anderson and Steve Coe and run
against the Washington Double Star catalog as we received it.
Version 1.1 was the output from Alan Gore's dBase III+ program to
parse the star names from the NOTES.
Version 1.2 contained the precessed values for position and added the
chart numbers. Steve Stanford wrote the chart numbering program and
Kent Hepburn interfaced it with the data from the WDS.
Version 1.3 was a quick check to make certain that we had not lost any
"famous" doubles while dealing with the above operations.
Version 1.4 was the output of a comprehensive check that lasted
several months trying to catch any errors, large or small, in the data
or documentation. All the above versions were internal to the SAC and
did not get a general release to the public.
Versions 1.5 thru 1.8 were intermediate revisions done by Dan Ward to
eliminate some data format inconsistencies. A few non-SAC members
received copies of one or more of these versions. When Dan finished
1.9, the rest of the team went through it again to make one more check
prior to release.
Version 2.0 is hereby placed in the public domain. It is our first
release of the double star database for general use.
FINAL NOTES
We realize that such an undertaking could not possibly be completed
without some errors or typos creeping into the database. We would
like you to get in contact with us if you find any of three types of
problems. One, just plain errors, either typos or problems we did not
know about. Two, places in the database where we have no data in that
field and you know what should go there. Three, ideas on how better
to arrange the data or programs you have written to manipulate the
data. It is hoped that over a period of time we can hunt down
mistakes and make the database as error free as possible. Thank you
for any help you can render in attaining that goal.
Steve Coe A. J. Crayon
4919 W. Saguaro Dr. 13819 N. 37th Ave.
Glendale, Az. 85304 Phoenix, Az. 85023
PH. (602) 939-3787 Ph. (602) 938-3277
As these notes are being prepared, Dan Ward is anticipating a major
relocation and does not yet have his new mailing address or phone
number. You can reach him on CompuServe at his ID number of
72040,3357.