[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: (IAAC) Re: [Planetary_Nebulae] Megastar or The Sky..and at the scope



Well, I am probably gonna get Megastar, but right now i have an excellent program called Cart du Ciel and for my tastes, I am using the SEC galactic Planetary nebula listing and it shows about 1500 PNE. Everything including all the PK's, Minkowski, NGC, IC, Abell, etc. for 3.6mb, its not a bad program, plus its free.
 
I have a laptop to use with my Dob Driver 2 and Roboscope with 13,000 objects in 5 catalogs and I can program any number of USER catalogs. I just created the Abell catalog of 86 Abell Planetaries and i am working on the SEC catalog which will take about 15 disks with about 100 objects on each disk.
 
Roboscope looks to b a fine system for GOTO slewing.
 
Dave Aucoin
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Don Clouse
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 3:38 AM
To: netastrocatalog-announce@atmob.org
Subject: Re: (IAAC) Re: [Planetary_Nebulae] Megastar or The Sky..and at the scope
 
I can second Gary's opinion of MegaStar though I don't use it in quite the
same way.  I've never taken a computer in the field with me but I have used
charts produced with MegaStar to locate several objects (e.g., Sky Atlas
2000 - either edition - doesn't have the entire Herschel 400 on it).
MegaStar has dozens of catalogs in it.  I use in extensively at home to plot
observing lists.  I also use it to produce charts which I use to accompany
articles in our club newsletter.  It's a very versatile, useful tool indeed.

Clear skies,
Don Clouse

-----Original Message-----
From: Lew Gramer <dedalus@alum.mit.edu>
To: Internet Amateur Astronomers Catalog - Discussion
<netastrocatalog-announce@atmob.org>
Cc: GMYERS2@carolina.rr.com <GMYERS2@carolina.rr.com>
Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 9:57 PM
Subject: (IAAC) Re: [Planetary_Nebulae] Megastar or The Sky..and at the
scope


>
>Forwarded without permission of the author. This extremely informative
>post on the wonderful "Planetary_Nebulae" list, is from a query sent in
>by IAAC's own Dave Aucoin. Clear skies all,
>
>Lew Gramer <owner-netastrocatalog@atmob.org>
>http://www.visualdeepsky.org
>
>========================================================================
>>   Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2001 18:31:37 -0000
>>   From: GMYERS2@carolina.rr.com
>>Subject: Re: Megastar or The Sky..and at the scope
>
>I am slightly (!) biased but....
>
>after working with Emil for many months getting the support built in
>for the interface to the Tnagent boxes (NGCMax and the like) I find
>Megastar to be invaluable AT the scope! If you can hitch up one of
>these boxes and have a laptop at the computer you will find a new
>world of objects to look at. How many times have you looked at an
>object - then gone home and pulled up a rich program (like Megastar)
>and THEN saw what was only 0.5 degr to the right or just below the
>object - "Damn... had I known THAT was there I could have taken the
>time to look for it". Megastar has one GREAT advantage (actually
>many) over the rest - it shows the DSO's in actual position, size,
>AND shape! No one else comes close to this. You can cruuuissse around
>the North American Nebulae or see the smaller clouds that exist IN
>BETWEEN the 2 common segments of the Veil.... and on and on. Some of
>the features I asked for and Emil added were a Zoom capability that
>is selectable by the space bar (this is great when using a RF
>wireless trackball that has assignable buttons), information that is
>detailed and readily available AND viewable as you can set the font
>size and type (I am 8' away on my ladder!). A local Sync capability
>that increases the local accuracy manyfold. And on and on. Emil is
>currently working on the next rev... in it he plans on adding support
>for my just released Servo GOTO card set. With this I will be
>smoooothly (and quietly) viewing the sky at high power as it should
>be.
>
>biased...me....no .... Megastar is THE ONE!
>
>gary
>
>www.RXDesignOnline.com
>========================================================================
>
>
>To stop receiving all 'netastrocatalog' lists, use the Web form at:
>http://www.visualdeepsky.org/subscribe.html

To stop receiving all 'netastrocatalog' lists, use the Web form at:
http://www.visualdeepsky.org/subscribe.html

Follow-Ups: