[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
(IAAC) Re: (astrolog) Is anyone still awake here?
Hi, Jeff, and thanks for the wake up call. :)
As a grounding for our discussion, I'd say that there is GREAT
value in allowing different observers to share their observations
of the same celestial objects... I know in my personal observing,
guidebooks like Luginbuhl & Skiff's excellent Handbook, and posts
to the various Internet astronomy forums, are an invaluable source
for new objects to observe, new details to look for in objects I
have already seen, and even new WAYS of looking at objects!
If that's true, I guess the real question we should be discussing
is what we can do to facilitate the MAXIMUM amount of Net-based
information sharing about observing deep-sky objects.
Jeff Bondono (dObjects), Steve Tuma (DeepSky2000), John Callender
(AAOL Web site), myself, and other developers have put a lot of
effort into helping amateurs find and report observations of deep-
sky objects using their computers. The next natural question is,
how do we get all those different reporting mechanisms talking to
each other? In other words, how do we create an astrolog STANDARD.
Jeff and Steve have laid down some excellent ground rules about the
particular information that should be included in such a standard.
And we've had some discussions about the data protocols to support
for transmitting and receiving the standard format. But now we have
a much larger community of people (the 20 subscribers to astrolog),
and I guess we should hear their views before we go any further to
achieving any kind of consensus.
So how about it: who else is listening, and what issues do you have
with reporting astronomical observations over the internet?
Lew Gramer, sounding very business-like :)
owner-astrolog@latrade.com
owner-netastrocatalog@latrade.com