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ST4 observing list to Argo Navis?

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 16:31:28 -0400

Seems like there should be an export option to create a file of an observing list that I can transfer to an Argo Navis user catalog using the Argonaut software but I can't find it. I would like to use ST4 to create lists but use Argo Navis to supply push-to instructions, instead of SkyTools. I find that the light from my laptop impairs my dark adaptation and find the cable between the laptop and telescope annoying.

Does such an option exist?

Jon

Close Approach of 2017 BP31

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:28:55 -0400

CNEOS predicts that the large, Apollo-class, NEA 2017 BP31, will make a close approach on 2026-Aug-28 23:43±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.02860 AU moving with V Relative=20.45 km/sec, H=19.8 magnitude, diameter 290 m - 640 m and 'Rarity'=2. As of 2023 Oct 15 there was a 2451 day observation arc, the Condition Code=0 and the Earth MOID=0.0231043 AU. The solution date was 2023-Oct-15 06:50:05 PDT. Initial reported observation was by Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala on 2017-01-27. This NEA is on the MPC's list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) that you can download using SkyTools. There will be another close approach on 2091-Mar-10 11:28± 03:03 UT at 0.02312 AU very close to the MOID value.

Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2026 Aug 23 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.21 Visual Pro predicts that 2017 BP31 will reach a peak brightness of 14.6 magnitude on August 30 at 0200 EDT (0600 UT) at a distance of 0.032 AU traveling through Indus at 46.6"/minute, but below the horizon in Columbus, Ohio (40°N). The close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2026 Aug 28@2000 EDT (Aug 29 0000 UT) with the object 0.029 AU distant traveling through Chamaeleon at 15 magnitude and 58"/minute, but in daylight and below the horizon in Columbus. This is a southern hemisphere object, weather permitting.

Here's the Object Info dialog for 2017 BP31:
Object Info for NEA 2017 BP31 (2026 August 28 2000 EDT).jpg (Size: 167.67 KB / Downloads: 0)

Since the orbit of this NEA is well defined, the orbital elements provided by the MPC should yield accurate positions.

Good hunting,

Phil S.

Close Approach of (221455) 2006 BC10

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:28:09 -0400

CNEOS predicts that the large, Apollo-class, NEA, (221455) 2006 BC10, will make a close approach on 2026-Aug-28 15:47±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.02396 AU moving with V Relative=19.00 km/sec, H=19.5 magnitude, diameter 330 m - 740 m and 'Rarity'=2. As of 2026 Jan 22, there is a 7303 day observation arc, the Condition Code=0 and the Earth MOID=0.00575443 AU. The solution date was 2026-Jan-22 05:49:02 PST. Discovered 2006-01-23 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak This NEA is on the MPC's list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) that you can downlosd using SkyTools.
The next close approach to earth on 2052-Mar-19 04:02 ± 00:02 (TDB) will be close to the Earth MOID at 0.00783 AU. Unfortunately the osculating orbital elements available now don't give accurate positions that far in the future.

Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2026 Aug 4 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.21 Visual Pro predicts that (221455) 2006 BC10 will reach a peak brightness of 13.8 magnitude on 2026 Aug 29 at 2300 EDT traveling through Telescopium at 0.029 AU distant and 44"/minute, but on the horizon as seen from Columbus, Ohio (40°N). Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2026 Aug 28 at 1200 EDT (1600 UT) with the NEA 0.024 AU distant traveling through Norma at 14.4 magnitude and 66"/minute, but in daylight and below the horizon in Columbus. This object will be best observed from the southern hemisphere. It should be visible in a 13" telescope from 40°N from August 30 (in Microscopium) to September 8 (in Aquarius).

Here's the Object Info dialog for (221455) 2006 BC10:
Object Info for NEA (221455) 2006 BC10 (2026 August 28 1200 EDT).jpg (Size: 174.25 KB / Downloads: 0)

The orbit for this object is well defined, so the orbital elements available from MPC should yield accurate positions.

Good hunting,

Phil S.

Close Approach of (523609) 2005 PJ2

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:41:26 -0400

CNEOS predicts that the large, Apollo-class, NEA, (523609) 2005 PJ2, will make a close approach on 2026-Aug-27 02:01±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.04731 AU moving with V Relative=22.75 km/sec, H=19.5 magnitude, diameter 330 m - 740 m and 'Rarity'=1. There is currently a 7697 day observation arc , the Condition Code=0 and the Earth MOID=0.0444611 AU. The solution date was 2026-Aug-23 06:50:16 PDT. Discovered 2005-08-04 by NEAT at Palomar This object is on the MPC's list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) that you can download using SkyTools. There will be another close approach on 2085-Aug-27 12:10±<00:01 UT at 0.04801 AU.

Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2026 Aug 23 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.21 Visual Pro predicts that (523609) 2005 PJ2 will reach a peak brightness of 15.3 magnitude on the morning of 25 August with the NEA traveling through Andromeda at ~30"/minute. Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2026 Aug 26@2200 EDT with the NEA 0.047 AU distant traveling through Cepheus at 40"/minute and 15.7 magnitude. It will also be visible in Pegasus on the morning of August 24.

Here's the Object Info dialog for (523609) 2005 PJ2:
Object Info for NEA (523609) 2005 PJ2 (2026 August 26 2200 EDT).jpg (Size: 166.88 KB / Downloads: 0)

The orbit for this NEA is well defined and the distance is >0.04 AU so the positions predicted by MPC's orbital elements should be accurate.

Good hunting,

Phil S.

Close Approach of 2025 AL2

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:45:12 -0400

CNEOS predicts that the Apollo-class NEA, 2025 AL2, will make a close approach on 2026-Aug-16 22:05±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.00563 AU moving with V Relative=12.40 km/sec, H=22.8 magnitude, diameter 75 m - 170 m and 'Rarity'=2. There is a 578 day observation arc, the Condition Code=1 and the Earth MOID=0.00451437 AU. The solution date was 2026-Aug-07 06:20:17 PDT. Initial reported observation by University of Arizona Mt. Lemmon Survey on 2025-01-05. This approach is very close to the MOID.

Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2026 Aug 7 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.21 Visual Pro predicts that 2025 AL2 will reach peak brightness of 14.0 magnitude on the morning of August 16 at a distance of 1027.2k km traveling through Phoenix at ~120"/minute, but in daylight near the horizon in Columbus, Ohio (40°N). Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2026 Aug 16 at 1800 EDT (2200 UT) with the NEA traveling through Eridanus at 14.7 magnitude and 184"/minute, but in daylight and below the horizon in Columbus, Ohio. This object is best from the southern hemisphere.

Here's the Object Info dialog for 2025 AL2:
Object Info for NEA 2025 AL2 (2026 August 16 1800 EDT).jpg (Size: 163.37 KB / Downloads: 0)

The orbit for this NEA is well defined, but it will pass close-by so observers should follow the instruction in the "Important Threads" post at the top of this forum section for instructions to download the most up-to-date orbital elements for this object.

Good hunting,

Phil S.

Close Approach of (66146) 1998 TU3

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:39:51 -0400

CNEOS predicts that the kilometer-sized Aten-class NEA, (66146) 1998 TU3, will make a close approach on 2026-Aug-26 16:35±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.09029 AU moving with V Relative=11.31 km/sec, H=14.4 magnitude, diameter 2.864±1.165 km, and 'Rarity'=3. As of 2025 Jan 15, there was a 15321 day observation arc, the Condition Code=0 and the Earth MOID=0.0736999 AU. The solution date was 2025-Jan-15 05:18:52 PST. Discovered 1998-10-13 by LINEAR at Socorro. The observation arc was extended by observations on 1982-12-04 at Siding Spring.

Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2026 Aug 1, ST4.1.11.21 Visual Pro predicts that (66146) 1998 TU3 will reach a peak brightness of 11.5 magnitude from August 30 (in Horologium) to September 4 (in Phoenix), but below the horizon in Columbus, Ohio (40°N). Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2026 Aug 26 at 1300 EDT (1700 UT) with the NEA traveling through Horologium at 11.9 magnitude and 10"/minute, but in daylight and below the horizon in Columbus, Ohio. This object is best observed from the southern hemisphere.

Here's the Object Info dialog for (66146) 1998 TU3:
Object Info for NEA (66146) 1998 TU3 (2026 August 26 1300 EDT).jpg (Size: 173.56 KB / Downloads: 1)

Here's the predicted path of (66146) 1998 TU3:
Interactive Atlas (66146) 1998 TU3 2026 August 18 - September 2.jpg (Size: 374.64 KB / Downloads: 0)

The orbit of this NEA is well defined so the predicted positions should be accurate, but observers should monitor the CNEOS website to see if the Solution date is updated.

Good hunting,

Phil S.

Asteroid (44) Nysa is a Contact-Trinary Object

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 19:46:21 -0400

Here's a link to an article that describes research identifying (44) Nysa as a contact-trinary object:

https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroid...ittle-moon

They were also able to detect a small moon.

Hope you find it interesting.

Phil S.

NASA's Psyche Mission Captures a Closeup of Mars

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:21:11 -0400

NASA's Psyche spacecraft captured a time-lapse image of Mars during its flyby-gravity boost in May 2026.

Here's the article:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/artic...00197.html

The spacecraft is due to arrive at (16) Psyche in 2029.

Hope you found this interesting,

Phil S.

NEA 1998 SH2 is Really a Comet

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:15:12 -0400

Here's an article describing new work about a new type of solar system objects called "dark comets". The NEA 1998 SH2 was reclassified as a dark comet because it had changed its orbit due to sublimating ice.

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-near-eart...ry-defense

This is going to make predicting their orbits more difficult.

Hope you find it interesting,

Phil S.

How Do I Start SkyTools Visual After Upgrading?

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:00:45 -0400

So you installed SkyTools 4 Visual, or upgraded to it, or installed the bundle. How do you start SkyTools 4 Visual?

This would appear to be trivial, but a lot of people run into problems finding the SkyTools 4 Visual shortcut. Some even open the Programs folder, locate the skytools.exe file, and try to create their own shortcut, which isn't always going to work properly. So what is the solution?

Windows 11 keeps switching things up with regard to the way Apps are listed in the Start Menu, which can make finding them confusing. And not only that, but this problem has happened in Windows 10 too. So here is a simple solution that will work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11:

To the right of the Start menu button is a text search area. Type "SkyTools" and wait a bit. Look for "Apps" in the list that appears, and under that heading you will see SkyTools 4 Imaging (if you have it) and/or SkyTools 4 Visual. To avoid having to search every time, right click on each SkyTools App in turn and select "Pin to Start."

The next time you want to start either version of SkyTools, click the Start button and look for the SkyTools 4 Visual and/or SkyTools 4 Imaging icon. Double-click to start.

How Do I Start SkyTools Imaging After Upgrading?

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:58:06 -0400

So you installed SkyTools 4 Imaging, or upgraded to it, or installed the bundle. How do you start SkyTools 4 imaging?

This would appear to be trivial, but a lot of people run into problems finding the SkyTools 4 Imaging shortcut. Some even open the Programs folder, locate the skytools.exe file, and try to create their own shortcut, which isn't going to work properly in this case. So what is the solution?

Windows 11 keeps switching things up with regard to the way Apps are listed in the Start Menu, which can make finding them confusing. And not only that, but this problem has happened in Windows 10 too. So here is a simple solution that will work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11:

To the right of the Start menu button is a text search area. Type "SkyTools" and wait a bit. Look for "Apps" in the list that appears, and under that heading you will see SkyTools 4 Visual (if you have it) and SkyTools 4 Imaging. To avoid having to search every time, right click on each SkyTools App in turn and select "Pin to Start."

The next time you want to start either version of SkyTools, click the Start button and look for the SkyTools 4 Visual and/or SkyTools 4 Imaging icon. Double-click to start.

Close Approach of (173561) 2000 YV137

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:13:21 -0400

CNEOS predicts that the large, Apollo-class NEA, (173561) 2000 YV137 will make a close approach on 2026-Aug-09 05:12±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.03356 AU moving with V Relative=16.19 km/sec, H=18.4 magnitude, diameter 570 m - 1.3 km and 'Rarity'=2. There is a 9368 day observation arc, the Condition Code=0 and the Earth MOID=0.0187136 AU. The solution date was 2026-Jul-27 06:18:21 PDT. This NEA was discovered 2000-12-31 by NEAT at Haleakala. This object is on the MPC's list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) that you can download using SkyTools. The next close approach at near this distance is predicted on 2113-Aug-13 04:23 ± < 00:01 UT at a distance of 0.03533 AU.

Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2026 Jul 27 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.21 Visual Pro predicts that (173561) 2000 YV137 will reach peak brightness of 13.0 magnitude on the morning of August 8 at a distance of 0.034 AU traveling through Pisces at 37"/minute. Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2026 August 9 at 0100 EDT (0500 UT) with the NEA 0.034 AU distant traveling through Cetus at 13.1 magnitude and ~40"/minute. It's predicted to be brighter than 16 magnitude from July 28 in Cygnus to August 17 in Pictor.

Here's the Object Info dialog for (173561) 2000 YV137:
Object Info for NEA (173561) 2000 YV137 (2026 August 9 0100 EDT).jpg (Size: 194.8 KB / Downloads: 0)

Here's the predicted path as seen from Columbus, Ohio (40°N):
Interactive Atlas (173561) 2000 YV137 2026 August 3 - August 11.jpg (Size: 429.32 KB / Downloads: 0)

The orbit of this object is well defined and it won't pass so close that perturbations will be a problem, so the predicted path should be accurate.

This is the third bright NEA close approach that has occurred this summer.

Good hunting,

Phil S.

Syncronize anotattions

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 16:42:05 -0400

Hello everyone,

I am trying to synchronize the annotations between two computers but the Sync Databases function doesn't copy the annotations even when I am telling it to include them. I am doing something wrong? I tried even to delete some observing lists with annotations and synchronize them again, but still doesn't work. The only way of copy the annotations to the other computer is by copying the observing lists individually and I have a lot of them. Some ideas? I don't know if this is the right place to post this because I don't know if is that I am not doing it properly or is a bug.

Thanks,

Close Approach of (164216) 2004 OT11

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:13:44 -0400

CNEOS predicts that the kilometer-sized, Apollo-class NEA, (164216) 2004 OT11, will make a close approach on 2026-Jul-26 22:01±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.08217 AU moving with V Relative=16.88 km/sec, H=17.2 magnitude, diameter 950 m - 2.1 km and 'Rarity'=2. As of 2026 July 14 there is a 8022 day observation arc, the Condition Code=0 and the Earth MOID=0.0204111 AU. The solution date was 2026-Jul-15 07:45:29 PDT. Discovered 2004-07-27 by LINEAR at Socorro. This object is on the MPC's list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) that you can download using SkyTools. The close approach on 2105-Jul-16 17:49±<00:01 UT at 0.02707 AU is very close to the Earth MOID.

Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2026 July 17 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.21 Visual Pro predicts that (164216) 2004 OT11 will reach a peak brightness of 14.8 magnitude on the evening of July 29 to August 2. It's well placed on July 30 in Serpens Caput at 0.091 AU distance traveling at 13.4"/minute. Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2026 July 26 at 1800 EDT (2200 UT) with the NEA traveling through Bootes at 0.082 AU at 15.0 magnitude and 16.7"/minute, but in daylight in Columbus, Ohio. This object is predicted to be brighter than 16 magnitude from July 21 (in Virgo) to August 15 (in Lyra).

Here's the Object Info dialog for (164216) OT11:
Object Info for NEA (164216) 2004 OT11 (2026 July 26 1800 EDT).jpg (Size: 206.9 KB / Downloads: 0)

The orbit for this NEA is well defined and it should be easy to find once it becomes bright enough for your scope.

Good hunting,

Phil S.

Visual Imaging Bundle

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 19:40:17 -0400

This may fall into the "dumb question" category but I just upgraded from Visual Standard to Visual Pro with Imaging. I have a SeeStar S30 Pro and have taken a few images (as much as my sleeping and NE FL skies would allow) and decided to upgrade to get a bit more knowledgeable on the exposure recommendations etc.

My conundrum is I can't seem to a) figure out how to enter camera information and b) get any hint of imaging in the program. Obviously I am missing something. ChatGPT infers that I need to pen the "Imaging" program but I do not see any program other than ST4 in my Skyhound directory.

What am I missing in this equation?

Don