Sorry to ask, but where are the stars

[Terryp]

Hi all

Firstly I apologies if this is a constant question, but I am baffled by databases at the best of times.

I have an understanding of the basics of planning a night session, what I am having issues with are the types etc.

I want to create an evenings viewing by being able to see what stars are about, where my issue lay is where in the database do I click to give me just stars, SAO, Hip etc. I can see Messier and the like but nothing singular for a star.

I would welcome any feedback and again apologies if this question has been raised but I dont know what to ask in search.

Many thanks and good to meet you all.

Terry

[PMSchu]

Hi Terry,

SkyTools 4 has lots of stars in its database with several ways to display them. I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to do. 

First off, you can set the View Control's 'Labels' Tab in the Interactive Atlas and telescope Finder charts for the star catalogs that you want to display there like this:     

Click the View button on the chart to open this dialog, select the 'Labels' Tab and choose which catalogs you want to use to name the stars on the chart. Names are applied in the order shown in the list of catalogs on the upper right (top to bottom). You can change the order of the  catalogs with the little arrow buttons at the top right, just highlight a catalog & use the arrows to move it in the list.

The telescope Finder charts work in a similar manner.

You can also create an Observing List (OL) of stars using the Database Power Search (DBPS) tool accessed by Clicking the 'Add Objects' button on the Nightly Planner in SkyTools 4. 

Open the DBPS tool, select the 'Stars' tab and chose the search options that you want. Here's an example search of Named Variable stars in the stellar database:     

The OL results file is attached below. Using the DBPS you can build OLs of many different types of stars and restrict the OL to a particular star catalog or catalogs, if you desire. Searching by constellation is also possible as is searching within a specified distance of an object. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Hope this helps,

Phil S.

[Terryp]

Thank you Phil for your excellent reply.

I normally would interact with my Burnhams books and identify the main stars in a constellation, Alpha, beta, gamma etc then on a good night I tend to set up my CPC800 and using the handset goto as many stars as possible rather than just going all over the place.

This is where I decided to go the software route and do the hard work indoors setting up specific lists then using the software to give me the slew etc.

I have a reasonable view of the southwest, the west and the north west so even being able to just locate that area would be a bonus, I have no real view of the southern sky due to buildings so tend to wait until things move round.

So in short I am wanting to create a list, say Leo, then create stars within that list which I will then do for other constellations.

I hope that makes sense and thank you for your time.

Hi Terry,

SkyTools 4 has lots of stars in its database with several ways to display them. I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to do. 

First off, you can set the View Control's 'Labels' Tab in the Interactive Atlas and telescope Finder charts for the star catalogs that you want to display there like this: 

Click the View button on the chart to open this dialog, select the 'Labels' Tab and choose which catalogs you want to use to name the stars on the chart. Names are applied in the order shown in the list of catalogs on the upper right (top to bottom). You can change the order of the  catalogs with the little arrow buttons at the top right, just highlight a catalog & use the arrows to move it in the list.

The telescope Finder charts work in a similar manner.

You can also create an Observing List (OL) of stars using the Database Power Search (DBPS) tool accessed by Clicking the 'Add Objects' button on the Nightly Planner in SkyTools 4. 

Open the DBPS tool, select the 'Stars' tab and chose the search options that you want. Here's an example search of Named Variable stars in the stellar database: 

The OL results file is attached below. Using the DBPS you can build OLs of many different types of stars and restrict the OL to a particular star catalog or catalogs, if you desire. Searching by constellation is also possible as is searching within a specified distance of an object. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Hope this helps,

Phil S.