(1A) BUG : ORTHOGRAPHIC MAP. The algorithms used for determining the Besselian Elements of a Solar Eclipse give small values for X and Y even when the Sun and Moon have a difference of exactly 180° in longitude. Of course this is a nonsense so I removed this “side effect”.
(1B) BUG : Linux with Gnome only. The SE Eclipse Navigator can’t move independently from the Main Window. SOLVED.
(1C) BUG : when mouse pointer is placed exactly at the center of the graphic window its equatorial and horizontal coordinates are wrong. EQT view, HOR view and EARTH view (affects title row longitude, latitude and Sun altitude). SOLVED.
(2) ORTHOGRAPHIC MAP. Now the partiality quotas (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%) are shown with a more discrete gray gradient.
(3) Added in the right bottom corner of Views the timings indicating how much is missing or how long it has been since sunrise, transit and sunset in terms of minutes. Often ancients reports do not refer to a precise hour but to the time elapsed since the rising of the sun, for example. Pay attention to the fact that the times refer to the nautical event (that is, referred to the dipped horizon), the local horizon profile can have an influence on these data, amounting to several minutes, so a correction must be estimated manually. Negative values refer to future, positive to past.
(4) Terminal 5 (T5) has been changed. Now a lunar eclipse can be analysed graphically as well. The system of reference is equatorial and the Besselian Elements follow the convention of the Explanatory Supplement of AE (arcseconds).
(5) Terminal 6 (T6) is back again. It shows STATICALLY a lunar eclipse selected from the Canon (Show Menu). All contacts have solar (OAs = obs. altitude, AZs = azimuth) and lunar (OAm = obs. altitude, AZm = azimuth) coordinates. Red colored contacts show a NOT VISIBLE contact from the Current Location. Looks like a Lunar Eclipse Navigator is needed 🙂
(6) Some buttons on the Main Window have changed color.
(7) Added the possibility inside the Solar Eclipses Navigator to switch between different projections.
(8) Mouse pointer into the graphical windows now has a cross shape.
(9) Lunar Eclipses Navigator completed.
(10) I’m working to turn all nation boundaries shown on the Stereographic Map into poligonal. It will take some time but the quality of the map is much better. Definitely I was not satisfied with dotted graphics! Just a sample image below, try to compare it with a current generated map and tell me if I’m wrong. 🙂
(11) Local Eclipse Finder (Tools Menu) : now found partial eclipses with a magnitude equal or greater than 0.97 are classified as “near total”, so they won’t be excluded when the check box in Job Viewer “Exclude partial eclipses” is active. This category of solar eclipses could be relevant during an historical research, therefore in my opinion it’s a good practice to put them in evidence together with total, annular or hybrid eclipses.
(12) Further corrections made and some location added to the default Locations File.
(13) JOB FORMAT HAS CHANGED. It is still possible to load an old job file containing local eclipses but going to a specific event won’t be allowed. The user is advised by a message box to create the job file again. New job files contain a “V2” into their name to be distinguished from the old ones.
(14) Added reference article (14) for Calibration Points.
(15) CRLOC -> EARTH and UNLINK SE have been splitted into separate buttons. This makes easier to change DeltaT manually and go to check an eclipse path variation for the current location.
Hi
Grazie per tutti questi miglioramenti che rappresentano molto lavoro e tempo speso.
For the record, the altitude of the Paris Observatory is 67 m rather than 5 m.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit the room located in the Grand Trianon of Versailles from which the King of France, Louis XV, observed the eclipse of 1724 with Jacques Cassini (1677-1756), head of Paris Observatory from 1712 to 1756, and Maraldi, another astronomer. The King’s Court was so large to observe the eclipse that a Duke who had just arrived in Versailles declared: “there are too many people today, I will come back tomorrow to see the solar eclipse without all this crowd.”
Regards.
This is what they observed that day. The original paper is kept in the Royal Academy of Sciences.
“Sa MajestĂ© se rendit Ă Trianon quelque temps avant l’heure de l’Eclipse, dont le commencement fut observĂ© Ă 5h 54′ 30″.[…]
On continua ensuite de voir le croissant du Soleil diminuer de longueur Ă mesure qu’il paraissoit se retrecir, sans qu’on y dĂ©couvrĂ®t aucune interruption, & on n’apperçût Ă la fin qu’un point lumineux, semblable Ă une Etoile fixe qui disparut entierement Ă 6h 48′ 4″ que le Soleil fut entierement Ă©clipsĂ©.[…]
Les Oiseaux cesserent leur ramage, & disparurent quelques momens avant l’Eclipse totale, & le Roi vit très-distinctement Mercure, qui étoit à peu près au milieu entre le Soleil & Venus qui se trouvoient à peu près dans la même direction. On observa aussi diverses Etoiles fixes, telles que la Chevre, & on en auroit apperçû un plus grand nombre, si le Ciel n’avoit pas été autant chargé de vapeurs & de nuages qu’il l’étoit. On voyoit autour du Soleil une espece de couronne de lumière un peu allongée vers l’Occident, dont on ne pût pas déterminer les limites, à cause d’une brume épaisse dans laquelle se trouvoit alors le Soleil & la Lune.
On fut aussi très-attentif à considerer si on ne voyoit point de rayons lumineux sur la surface de la Lune, de même qu’on en avoit remarqué dans celle de 1715 observée en Angleterre, mais on n’en apperçut aucun.» Jacques Cassini is obviously talking about the lack of prominences.
«La mĂŞme obscuritĂ© dura pendant 2 minutes 16 secondes, après lesquelles le Soleil commença Ă reparoĂ®tre Ă 6h 50′ 20″, comme un Ă©clair -diamond ring- , qui dissipa sur le champ les tenebres dans lesquelles on Ă©toit plongĂ©.[…]
Le Soleil parut ensuite jusqu’à son coucher au travers de nuages rares qui ne permirent point d’observer les phases de l’Eclipse après l’Emersion, & quoi-qu’il fut près de l’horison, les Oiseaux reparurent, & on entendit leur ramage comme auparavant.”
“His Majesty went to Trianon some time before the time of the Eclipse, the beginning of which was observed at 5:54:30”. […]
We then continued to see the crescent of the Sun decreasing in length as it seemed to shrink, without any interruption being discovered, & we only saw at the end a luminous point, similar to a fixed star which disappeared entirely at 6:48 ‘4 “that the Sun was completely eclipsed. […]
The Birds ceased their rambling, & disappeared a few moments before the total eclipse, & the King saw very distinctly Mercury, which was roughly in the middle between the Sun & Venus, which was in roughly the same direction. We also observed various fixed stars, such as the Goat, & we would have seen a greater number, if the Sky had not been so laden with vapors & clouds as it was. We saw around the Sun a kind of crown of light slightly elongated towards the West, the limits of which could not be determined, because of a thick haze in which the Sun & the Moon were then located.
We were also very careful to consider whether we saw no light rays on the surface of the Moon, as we had noticed in that of 1715 observed in England, but we did not see any. ” Jacques Cassini is obviously talking about the lack of prominences.
“The same darkness lasted for 2 minutes 16 seconds, after which the Sun began to reappear at 6:50:20, like a flash of diamond ring, which immediately dispelled the darkness in which we were plunged. [… ]
The Sun then appeared until sunset through rare clouds which did not allow us to observe the phases of the Eclipse after the Emersion, & whatever it was near the horison, the Birds reappeared, & we heard their rambling as before. “
I will deal with the new version at the weekend. I’m looking forward to it. Thanks and greetings