(1) User Object Form : new input formats allow to insert data more quickly or directly via copy and paste from JPL Horizons. Also a button has been added to log into Horizons by means of the default browser. The user object remains visible until it’s deleted. Don’t forget that its position is static, that is referred to a specific time you choose.
As you can see the traditional checkboxes have been substituted by switches, as throughout the application. Their state can be changed by dragging the colored rectangle to the right or left or alternately with a double left mouse click.
(2) EARTH Mercator Projection : the line referred to the Moon is no more dashed and traced in orange color.
(3) HOR View : horizon profile survey points can now be optionally marked. See Options -> Horizontal View.
(4) JOBS file containing local solar eclipses updated to version 3. There’s a new header embedded into files, which makes the old generated files of version 2 incompatible with new format. Data into the grid have been simplified and the header is visible into the new Form.
(5) Asteroids data can now be picked up from Lowell Observatory (astorb.dat) as well. Downloading time is unpredictable (from few seconds to several minutes, due to the server) and as the console can be showed only in Windows (due to internal API), this process under MacOS or Linux turns out to be a “blind and annoying” operation. How better it is to use the data of the MPC or Lowell Observatory could be the subject of a future discussion.
(6) Changed color of the function buttons (Apply, Exit, etc.) into all Forms.
(7) Changed the background color of all Forms from Silver to Medium Gray.
(8) UDC (User Defined Clock) and RTC (Real Time Clock) now show blinking LEDs.
(9) Info about Parallactic Angle moved from Status Bar to specific panels inside EQT and HOR data.
(10) Loading and Saving Events now are managed by standard OS dialog windows. It makes all more flexible, even to create subfolders, etc.
(11) EARTH Stereographic View: location names are now in bold. More readable.
(12) Main Form : Input Timezone and Elevation input boxes are now activated pressing the Enter button.
(13) EARTH Stereographic View : added a new Option (accessible into the Input Date Form as well). Map center can now be chosen between GE (Greatest of Eclipse) and Current Location when a Solar Eclipse is linked. Useful when tinkering with manual DeltaT; if Current Location is selected the change of position of the place we are examining into the Totality Path is immediately visible.
(14) The most relevant enhancement is that I came into possession of a new edition of the Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac (printed in 1993) so I could redesign from scratch the engine dealing solar eclipses. Every path distortion I had on solar eclipses close to the Poles has disappeared, the precision of the Path itself has improved and so far all tests I’ve done comparing my work with Espenak’s Path Tables lead to practically coinciding results. The Path Descriptor, shown below, has been enriched with new data. Comparison with Espenak’s Path Tables must be done making equal DeltaT values and selecting COM (Center of Mass) for the Moon.
The Explanatory Supplement to AA algorithms don’t take into account the refraction for coordinates [ ξ η ζ ] so the extreme limits of the path start or end when the Sun is still 0.5 – 0.6° above the horizon. This requires some care when examining locations apparently a bit out the path. Anyway I’m still studying the 1961 EXPL-SUPPL and the 1993 EXPL-SUPPL searching for an analytical solution.
Just a couple of examples in “before and after” style.
Hi
Great! New very interesting and useful improvements in sight.
Buona fortuna con tutto quel lavoro di sviluppo.
Regards.
Merci merci 🙂
I couldn’t live with those distorted paths! Sometimes it’s better erase all and start it again.
Complimenti, inizia l’anno con il botto! Segnalo che ho provato a scaricare la lista degli asteroidi da MPCORB, ma non ci sono riuscito. Con gli altri software (Stellarium, Cartes du ciel, CyberSky) non riscontro problemi. C’è qualche motivo o è richiesta una procedura particolare? Grazie
Avendo Windows dovrebbe avere un riscontro con la finestra nera DOS che si apre. Mostra la percentuale di avanzamento per cui almeno si riesce a capire quanto può metterci. E’ lentissimo o proprio non parte? Lo fa sempre?
Esiste un’altra ipotesi perversa. Se si richiede il download del file quando la data di calcolo è di circa 2 anni lontana da quella attuale il download avviene ma la griglia non si attiva. Questo quando nelle opzioni è attivato il check che spegne gli asteroidi automaticamente per date appunto lontane più di 2 anni da quella attuale.
Mi pare una cosa troppo silenziosa, devo mettere almeno una finestra a comparsa per avvertire l’utente. Un paio di volte ci sono cascato anche io tempo fa. Se si dà un’occhiata al timestamp del file ci si accorge comunque che si è aggiornato.
La finestra nera del DOS si apre solo per un paio di secondi, ma è vuota. Con le comete non ho avuto problemi. La cella del timestamp riporta la data odierna. Saluti
Hi
Strange behavior with version 1.3.
When I change the date, I have to wait almost a minute for the change to take place. However I have a laptop running Windows 11 with an i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and an SSD hard drive.
Sometimes, it takes such a long time I have to close the program. Any idea ?
Thank you.
Regards