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Past Product Reviews |
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Reviewed from Sky & Telescope Magazine, March 99, p.72-73, published by Sky Publishing Corporation. Text of the review is reproduced here with permission.
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Sky Log
DeepSky 99 |
| Review by John E. Mosley |
VisiCalc, a very simple spreadsheet that ran on Apple IIs, was the first important software for personal computers. It changed the way people did business. Steven Tuma is hopeful that his far more advanced spreadsheet (which runs on proportionately far more advanced computers) will revolutionize the way amateur astronomers plan their observing sessions and record their observations.
The core of Deepsky 99 is a massive astronomical database and software to manipulate this data and add comments and pictures to it. Together they form an observing planner and logbook.
The database contains numerical and descriptive information (in addition to some pictures) for 70,000 double stars, 30,000 variable stars, and 200,000 deepsky objects. No one can observe so many, but if you want more, a "database import wizard" lets you easily add from hundreds of other special-purpose catalogs. The information varies according to the type of object, but it includes fundamental data (position, magnitude, dimensions, and so on) and coded visual descriptions where available.
Filter the database to create an observing plan and print a customized list. For example, select only the planetary nebula brighter than a certain magnitude within a galactic longitude and latitude range, or instead itemize double stars with specific characteristics within Cygnus. Sophisticated searchers can use the Structured Query Language for greater power. This is not your father's spreadsheet. It was carefully designed for active astronomical observers.
At the telescope, log your observations on your laptop. The logbook imports the basic data for each object, letting you add your comments and even images if you are equipped with a digital camera.
An "interactive atlas" will plot your list's objects onto star charts that include the Sun, Moon, planets, all visible comets and asteroids, and stars to 15th magnitude. All the features of popular sky charting software are here: constellation and grid lines, zoom control, Telrad and eyepiece field-of-view circles, star names, and deep-sky objects drawn to the correct shape. Click on an object to call up data on it, including logbook entries.
The disc also contains more than 400 amateur and 70 high-resolution NASA pictures of solar-system objects. A basic image-processing program lets you edit views attached to the database or logbook.
Finally, you can control Meade LX200 telescopes. Find an object in the database or on a sky chart, click "Go To", and the telescope slews to it. A telescope can be set to point sequentially to a list of objects by clicking the "Next" button. As you progress, the screen displays information on each object, including any images in the database.
An immense amount of work has gone into this program, which joins the rapidly growing field of planning and logging software for active observers. Download the 32-megabyte demonstration version from the World Wide Web (www.deepsky2003.net) and, if you like it, upgrade to the CD-ROM. You can't go wrong for the price.
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| John Mosley supervises the educational programs at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. He can be reached at jmosley@griffithobs.org |
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