Celestial Maps v.8.0 *********************** Author: Ovidiu Vaduvescu Collaborator: Mirel Birlan © 1992-2000, Romania, Canada http://www.geocities.com/ovidiuv/maps.html Contents: ********** Using Help Brief Description Running Maps Saving and Loading Maps Saving Maps Images Printing Maps The Polar Projection The Zenithal Projection The Equatorial Projection The Database Center Maps Zooming Maps The Search System Object Information Basic Astrometry Hardware Requirements Former Versions References and Patents Acknowledgements References Contact Addresses Using Help *********** Celestial Maps provides user with a complete documentation, being equipped with a user friendly help embedded within the software. Any time the help is available in one of the following modes: >> Through the main Help functions (under the Help item on the main bar menu); >> Locally, with each (sub)menu item, pop up the mouse without clicking then press F1; >> Locally, within each form, click the Help button or press F1. Brief Description ****************** Celestial Maps is an astronomical software that produces accurate maps of the sky in five types of projections. The software runs 10 astronomical catalogues organized in a small star database up to magnitude 7.5 or a large star database including four professional star catalogues (SAO, PPM, GSC and Tycho), and two deep sky catalogues (Messier and NGC2000), adding together about 22 millions of objects up to the maximum magnitude 17. The software is very user friendly, a main menu being visible at any time on the top bar under the application title. Beside the application's main form, other 23 forms set the various functions of the program. All the forms are easily accessible using the mouse or the keyboard. This can be done in three possible ways: >> Point and click to the main menu's items; >> Using shortcut key combinations written nearby each menu item; >> Using "F" hot keys (for the main functions of the program). To optimize the various functions of the software, some of the menu items are not accessible for a given type of projection. In this case, they will appear unable (diminished) in the menu. Three projection types are the most important items to run charts with Celestial Maps. Available within Projection main menu item, these are: >> The Polar Projection >> The Zenithal Projection >> The Equatorial Projection While the first two are intended to produce maps for general purposes, the last one is built to run professional charts using five major astronomical catalogues. Running Maps ************* There are three possibilities to run maps: >> Using the keyboard, press F9; >> Using the keyboard, press , then ; >> Using the mouse, click Run, then Run Map. Any time using one of these options, a chart will be plotted accordingly to the actual values of the mapping parameters. Then any parameter can be modified (using the menu items or the forms), and another chart can be run (in the same way) with the new values. The mapping execution can be canceled any time by pressing the Escape key or clicking Run/Cancel Map (this function is especially good when running large fields with Large Star Database on a slow computer). In order to let user more flexibility in querying the program, although F9/Run means one more key/command necessary to run maps, we decided to keep this function available (instead of running the chart automatically after every change of a parameter). Saving and Loading Maps ************************ All the mapping parameters can be saved any time within Maps/Save As... menu item by typing a name of the chart in the File Name edit box (the automate extension is ".map"). Any saved map (not image) can be loaded and run later by opening the appropriate ".map" file from the main menu Maps/Open.... "Maps.ini" is the initialization file that resides within program's main folder. It keeps the initialization data to run the default chart at the beginning of any session (by pressing F9 right after entering the software). Saving Maps Images ******************* As with v.8.0, Maps/Save Image... function saves maps as bitmap images (*.bmp) to the program's folder \Images. A dialog box opens, prompting the user for the name of the image to be saved. Printing Maps ************** New printing facilities have been added to Celestial Maps since v.7.0 under Windows. The Windows embedded printer capabilities can be modified within File/Print... form. Moreover, other two printing functions have been added: Color (Black & White and Color) and Resolution (Screen and Printer) both of them accessible through File/Print Setup menu. High resolution maps can be obtained setting Resolution as Printer and Scale between 2-3 (a minimum memory of 16MB RAM would be recommended). The main function of Scale is to increase the resolution of the printed maps. The Polar Projection ********************* The Polar Projection produces planetarium-style maps of the Northern or the Southern sky, centered on the North or the South celestial equatorial pole. It runs the small star database (SAO catalogue up to magnitude 7.5). The Polar Projection can be activated in one of the following ways: >> On the top of the keyboard, press F2; >> On the main menu, click with the mouse on Projection, then on Polar; >> On the keyboard, press "Alt+P" then "P"; Within the Polar Projection form, the celestial Equatorial Pole (North or South) must be chosen by checking the appropriate radio button. Accordingly with this option, one of the two celestial equatorial poles (North or South) will appear in the center of the map. The following menu items are active with the Polar Projection: Stars, Constellations, Planets, Grid, Date, Field, Magnitude, Names, Scale, Zoom Factor. Beside the Equatorial Pole, the most important items to run maps in Polar Projection are Field and Magnitude. The Star Colours have been chosen to match their spectral classes. A sample map in Polar Projection can be run loading Maps/Open..., picking 'polar map', then pressing F9 (Run Map). Stars in Polar Projection ************************** Due to planetarium mapping purposes, only the small star database (SAO catalogue up to magnitude 7.5) is available with this projection. Constellations in Polar Projection *********************************** Constellations checked means the constellation lines will appear on the map. The constellation database is located within the file "const.dat" and must be located within program's \Data folder. Although its data can be changed, this file is strongly recommended not to be modified. Planets in Polar Projection **************************** Planets checked means the six major planets (excluding the Earth and Pluto) and the Sun will appear on the map. Inside Planets menu, Animate Planets simulates the movements of the planets and the Sun through the stars. To activate this option, Animate Planets must be checked, and Step must have a value counted in days (negative or positive, non-zero). For a continuous tracking of the movement, a small value of Step (for example 0.5 or 1) is recommended. Grid in Polar Projection ************************** Grid checked means the equator, the ecliptic and the main lines of right ascension (from 6 to 6 hours) and declination (from 30 to 30 degrees) will appear on the map. Date in Polar Projection ************************** Date represents the calendar date corresponding to the first position of the planets on the map. Therefore, this item is available only when Database\Planets\Draw Planets is checked. By default, the program loads the actual date and time from the computer operating system. This can be changed in the Date form, accessible from the menu Options\Date or by pressing F10 key. Field in Polar Projection ************************** Field is counted in degrees and runs from 0.0001 to 360.0 degrees. Due to the general planetarium purposes aimed by Polar Projection, the usual values for Field run from 90 to 360 degrees. To get the planets in the field, a value between 180-240 degrees is recommended. Magnitude in Polar Projection ****************************** Magnitude represents the limit visual magnitude up to which stars will appear on the chart. As Polar Projection uses the small stellar database, Magnitude counts from -1.0 to +7.5. The bigger Magnitude will be chosen, more stars the map will include. A recommended value would be between 5-6, this providing a minimum run time (because the query runs a single data file). Names in Polar Projection ************************** Names let user to put the names of the planets, stars and those of the constellations nearby their positions. Some popular star names (contained in "sse.txt" file) can be plotted on the map in the Polar Projection. This case, two options are available: >> Common star names; >> Greek letters (by constellations). The constellations can be drawn with their name written in the center. Two options are available: >> Latin official denominations (IAU); >> Symbols (three letters coming from their official denomination). To activate any of the name options, the check boxes (Draw Star Names, Draw Constellations) must be checked, then the desired name must be picked from the appropriate Name drop menus. Scale ****** In order to print maps at a better resolution or display larger maps on a "virtual screen", Scale lets user to enlarge them. Therefore, maps will be plotted within an image larger than the screen (in a scrollable window), the value of Scale ranging from 1.0 to 3.0. Scale can be used in correlation with the resolution capabilities of the printer. Given the usual mapping purposes and basic computer memory requirements, keeping the initial Scale value of 1 is recommended. Since v.8.0, the Zoom In function has been implemented with the program. Using it, the user can enlarge a custom portion of the map by a factor between 1-10. Given some basic memory/run time requirements, it is not recommended using simultaneously big values for Zoom Factor and Scale. The Zenithal Projection ************************ The Zenithal Projection produces general maps of the sky, as seen from a given place on the Earth at a given date and time. It runs the small star database (SAO catalogue up to mag 7.5). The center of the map represents the zenith of the given place (the point in the sky right above observer's head), and the horizon is represented through a circle (South to the bottom, East to the left). Therefore, the field of this type of projection is 180 degrees, and can not be modified by the user. The Zenithal Projection can be activated in one of the following ways: >> On the top of the keyboard, press F3; >> On the main menu, click with the mouse on Projection, then on Zenithal; >> On the keyboard, press "Alt+P" then "Z". Since v.8.0, there are two possibilities to enter a location within Zenithal Projection form: >> Pick up a location from the list and click OK; >> Enter a given geographical place (Longitude, Latitude, Altitude, Name and Time Zone; the longitude and the time zone are counted Eastward from Greenwich). If one plans to use this location further, press Save, otherwise press OK. The following menu items are active with the Polar Projection: Stars, Constellations, Planets, Sun & Moon, Grid, Date, Magnitude, Names, Scale, Zoom Factor. Beside the location, the most important items to run maps in Zenithal Projection are Date and Magnitude. The Star Colours have been chosen to match their spectral classes. A sample map in Zenithal Projection can be run loading Maps/Open..., picking 'zenithal.map', then pressing F9 (Run Map). Stars in Zenithal Projection ***************************** Due to the planetarium mapping purposes, only the small star database (SAO catalogue up to the mag 7.5) is available with this projection. Constellations in Zenithal Projection ************************************** Constellations checked means the constellation lines will appear on the map. The constellation database is located within the file "const.dat" and must be located within program's \Data folder. Although its data can be changed, this file is strongly recommended not to be modified. Planets in Zenithal Projection ******************************* Planets checked means the first seven major planets (excluding the Earth and Pluto) will appear on the map. In Zenithal Projection, the planets will be plotted only if their magnitudes are less than the limiting Magnitude chosen by the user (since their brightness depend on their distances to the Earth, as well as their phases). Sun & Moon in Zenithal Projection ********************************** Sun & Moon checked means the Sun and the Moon will appear on the map. Nevertheless, their presence depends on their positions for the given place and time, above or bellow the horizon. The Moon will be represented in its phase, accordingly with its age at the given time. Grid in Zenithal Projection **************************** Grid checked means the "local meridian" (the big sky circle North-Zenith-South), the "first vertical" (the big sky circle West-Zenith-East) and two "almucantarat circles" (circles of izo-zenithal distances of 30 and 60 deg) will appear on the map. Date in Zenithal Projection **************************** Date sets the calendar date and the local time to which the sky will be mapped, as seen from the given place (in Zenithal Projection form). By default, the program loads the actual date and time from the computer operating system. This can be changed in the Date form, accessible from the menu Options\Date or by pressing F10 key. Check Saving Time only if the convention of the saving "summer time" applies to the given location at the given date (for most of the countries, this option must be checked between April-October). Magnitude in Zenithal Projection ********************************* Magnitude represents the limiting visual magnitude up to which stars will appear on the chart. As Zenithal Projection uses the small stellar database, Magnitude counts from -1.0 to +7.5. The bigger Magnitude will be chosen, more stars the map will include. A recommended value would be between 5-6, this providing a minimum run time (because the query runs a single data file). Names in Zenithal Projection ***************************** Names let user to plot the names of the planets, Sun & Moon, stars and constellations, nearby their positions. Some popular star names (contained in "sse.txt" file) can be plotted on the map with the Zenithal Projection. This case, two options are available: >> Common star names; >> Greek letters (by constellations). The constellations can be drawn with their name written in the center. Two options are available: >> Latin official denominations (IAU); >> Symbols (three letters coming from their official denomination). To activate any of the name options, the check boxes (Draw Star Names, Draw Constellations) must be checked, then the desired name must be picked from the appropriate Name drop menus. The Equatorial Projection ************************** The Equatorial Projection produces professional maps of the sky in three geometrical projections. The maps are centered in a given point of the sky entered through its celestial equatorial coordinates (alpha = the right ascension and delta = the declination). The Equatorial Projection runs the following database: >> The Small Database (about 26,500 stars up to magnitude 7.5 selected from the SAO catalogue, plus the Messier deep sky catalogue); >> The Large Database (the catalogues SAO, PPM, GSC, Tycho, NGC2000, including about 260,000, 470,000, 19,000,000, 2,500,000, and respectively 13,000 objects). The Equatorial Projection can be activated in one of the following ways: >> On the top of the keyboard, press F4; >> On the main menu, click with the mouse on Projection, then on Equatorial; >> On the keyboard, press "Alt+E" then "E". Inside the Equatorial Projection form, the most important item is the projection Center. This is given by the equatorial coordinates of a given point in the sky. This point must be chosen by the user and will represent the center on the map. Northern declinations mean the Austral hemisphere, while Southern ones mean the Boreal hemisphere. On the same form, Projection defines how the spherical portion of the sky will be represented on the flat map. Three types of geometrical projections are available with the Equatorial Projection: >> The Rectangular Projection; >> The Conical Projection; >> The Central Projection. Beside Center and Projection, the last item in Equatorial Projection form is Image. While Normal stands for maps as seen with the naked eye, Overturned stands for maps represented as seen through an astronomical instrument that overturns the image. The following menu items are active with the Polar Projection: Stars, Nonstellars, Constellations, Grid, Field, Magnitude, Precession, Names, Star Symbols, Scale, Zoom Factor. Beside the Center, the most important items in the Equatorial Projection are Stars, Field, and Magnitude. The Star Colours have been chosen to match their spectral classes or their classification codes. For professional astrometrical purposes, each time a map is run in Equatorial Projection, an output data file containing the stars in the field will be automatically saved with the \Data\Output folder. Given one session, the name of the saved files will be: "stars1.out", "stars2.out", ..., etc. To preserve this information, these files must be moved or renamed after each session (otherwise they will be deleted by the program by the next session). A sample map in Equatorial Projection (with small database option) can be run loading Maps/Open..., picking 'equatorialsd.map', then pressing F9 (Run Map). A sample map with large database option can be run loading 'equatorialld.map'. The Rectangular Projection *************************** It represents linearly both right ascension and declination. This is the most approximate equatorial projection (especially near the poles). The following formulae are used to transform the equatorial coordinates (alpha, delta) to screen coordinates (X, Y): X = k (alpha - alphac) Y = k (delta - deltac) where (alphac, deltac) represents the equatorial coordinates for the center and k a constant computed in function of the field and the dimension of the screen. The Conical Projection *********************** It computes the right ascension as a function of the cos(declination). Therefore, closer to the pole the user will choose the center, tighter the map will be. The following formulae are used to transform the equatorial coordinates (alpha, dekta) to screen coordinates (X, Y): X = k (alpha - alphac) cos(delta) Y = k (delta - deltac) where (alphac, deltac) represents the equatorial coordinates for the center and k a constant computed in function of the field and the dimension of the screen. Central Projection ******************* It uses the projection of the celestial sphere to a plane tangent at the sphere in the Center of the map. This is the most precise type of projection. Accordingly with Montenbruck and Pfleger (1991), the central projection uses the following formulae to transform the equatorial coordinates (a, d) to screen coordinates (X, Y): cos(d)sin(a - ac) X = k --------------------------------------------------------------- cos(dc) cos(d) cos(a - ac) + sin(dc) sin(d) sin(dc) cos(d) cos(a - ac) - cos(dc) sin(d) Y = k ---------------------------------------------------------------- cos(dc) cos(d) cos(a - ac) + sin(dc) sin(d) where (ac, dc) represents the equatorial coordinates for the center and k a constant computed in function of the field and the dimension of the screen. Stars in Equatorial Projection ******************************* Stars sets the database option for the stellar data used to plot the map. At user's choice, the equatorial projection uses one of the following two main database: >> The Small Database (about 27,000 stars selected from SAO catalogue up to mag 7.5); >> The Large Database (available only with Equatorial Projection, including five astronomical catalogues with a total of about 22 millions of objects). The Database section includes detailed information about the astronomical catalogues/database used by the software. To represent a map, only one catalogue/database can be activated at a time (inside Data form, press Large radio button, then choose SAO, PPM, GSC or Tycho). To have available all catalogues, the full Large Database must be installed on disk (recommended) or the software must be run directly from CD-ROM. The large database has been selected from the following CD-ROMs (for exact references, see References section): >> Selected Astronomical Catalogs Vol. 2 (PPM Cat # 1146, 1193, 1206, 1208); >> Selected Astronomical Catalogs Vol. 4 (SAO J2000 Cat # 1131A); >> Selected Astronomical Catalogs Vol. 4 (NGC 2000 Cat # 7118); >> The Guide Star Catalog Version 1.1 (STScI, AURA, 1992; two volumes); >> The Tycho-2 Catalogue (Hog E, et.al, 2000). The original data were converted using about 25 additional data-flow programs. Working with this selection instead of rough data has a triple advantage: less needed space, faster run and data protection. Nonstellars in Equatorial Projection ************************************* Depending on the database option chosen, two nonstellar catalogues can be run with the software: >> Messier (110 sources), available with Small Database option; >> Messier and NGC 2000 (including NGC and IC catalogues, 13,226 sources), available alternatively with Large Database option; The nonstellar database is located within the file "Messier.dat" (Messier catalogue) and \Ngc folder (the original NGC2000 catalogue was transformed into 788 files), both within the program's \Data directory. These are typed data. Constellations in Equatorial Projection **************************************** Constellations checked means the constellation lines will appear on the map. Due to the small field enquiries to run Large Star Database, Constellations are available only with Small Database option. The constellation database is located within the file "const.dat" and must be located within program's \Data folder. Although its data can be changed, this file is strongly recommended not to be modified. Grid in Equatorial Projection ****************************** A grid marking the map (in lines of equal alpha and delta) using a Grid Unit (expressed in arc minutes) can be drown with this type of projection. Because of some run time requirements, a maximum of 20 grid lines per map can be drawn. Each time this condition is over passed, the software change automatically the Grid Unit to a new value, informing the user about it. Field in Equatorial Projection ******************************* Field is counted in degrees and runs from 0.0001 degrees to a value equal with the double of the absolute distance of the map centre to the nearest pole. The closer the Center to one of the poles will be, the smaller the maximum value for Field will get. With the small database, a recommended value for Field would be 40 degrees. With the large database one, this would be 10 degrees. A map that include the poles can be draw using Polar Projection. Since version 8.0, the new database architecture does not limit any more the field of the map with Equatorial Projection (due to the former sky database strips - the former maximum of 10-20 degrees). Nevertheless, a large map overcrowded with thousand of stars would not be reasonable... (therefore, small values for Field are expected to run Large Database). The user doesn't need to calculate the maximum value for Field, giving the maximum field required by the pole condition. Once this condition happens, the Field value will be changed automatically, a message informing the user about the adjusted value. Magnitude in Equatorial Projection *********************************** Magnitude represents the limiting visual magnitude up to which stars will appear on the chart. With Small Star Database option Magnitude runs from -1.0 to +7.5. With Large Star Database option Magnitude runs from -1.0 to +17.0. The bigger Magnitude will be chosen, more stars the map will include. To represent all the stars from a given database inside the chosen field, the maximum value of 17 is recommended (although the real limit of the catalogue could be lower). The limit magnitude used with one of the available database means that all the stars within that catalogue will be displayed on the map (not all the stars from the sky, because some catalogues are not "complete")! Precession *********** Precession is the option that allows user to represent very accurate maps at a different epoch than that of the catalogue (Jan 1st, 2000.0). For general purposes (field larger than 10 degrees or epochs within 5 years of 2000), Precession should not be used. When checked, Precession form ask user to enter the Epoch to which the map will be represented. Given this epoch, the program calculates the corrections for the stellar precession, nutation, annual aberration, annual parallax, and the proper motions (where cataloged available). The further Epoch will be chosen (counted from the year 2000), the more distant stellar positions will get (from those at J2000). Names in Equatorial Projection ******************************* Names let user to put on the map the names of the stars, constellations, and those of the nonstellar objects nearby their positions. By design, star numbers (the catalogue names) can be plotted on the map with Large Star Database option. The following catalogue names are available for the star database: >> For SAO J2000 catalogue: SAO, HD and DM names; >> For PPM (4 catalogues): PPM, SAO and HD names; >> For GSC 1.1 catalogue: GSC names; >> For Tycho (2 catalogues): Tycho and Hipparcos names. Some popular star names (contained in "sse.txt" file) can be plotted on the map using Small Star Database option. This case, two options are available: >> Common star names; >> Greek letters (by constellations). The constellations can be drawn with their name written in the center. Two options are available: >> Latin official denominations (IAU); >> Symbols (three letters coming from their official denomination). To activate any of the name options, the check boxes (Draw Star Names, Draw Constellations) must be checked, then the desired name must be picked from the appropriate Name drop menus. Star Symbols ************* Since v.5.0, Star Symbols represent stars using three different symbol systems: >> Points (plotting all stars as points); >> Maps v.4.5 (plotting stars in six classes: ..., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ...); >> Circle. Circle is a customizable option that lets user to represent stars using between 1 and 9 different symbols (circles with radius of maximum nine pixels). The values of Minimum Magnitude, Maximum Magnitude and Range set the margins of the star symbol system (that therefore becomes customizable by the user). A possible set values for these parameters is (3, 10, 7). Star Colours ************* With four star database (Small Database, SAO, PPM and Tycho) the stars are being plotted in colours, accordingly either to their spectral classes (in the first three cases) or to the B-V difference color (Tycho's case). A legend of these colours is provided at the left part of the map when using Equatorial Projection. Because GSC catalogue does not include star spectral classes, in this case the colors have been chosen to reproduce the objects catalogue classification (as star, galaxy, blend or possible artifact). Database ********* Given both general mapping requirements and professional ones, Celestial Maps was designed to access its data from two main database: >> The Small Database >> The Large Database Through both database, the following two extensions have been used to suggest the type of the data contained: >> ".dat" - typed (coded) data that can not be modified by the user; >> " .txt" - text (ASCII) data that is customizable (can be modified) by the user. Most of the data files accessed by the software have been typed (extension ".dat"), because of their triple advantage (less needed space, faster run, and data protection). Where applicable, some other data have been designed as text (extension ".txt"). These files can be modified by the user (using any ordinary text editor), with the strict condition of keeping the same formats as those of the original files. The Data Tables section includes the main information about the whole database used with the software. The Hardware Requirements section includes information about the minimum necessities to install and run the software. The Small Database ******************* Table 2 of the Data Tables section includes information about the small database used with Celestial Maps 8.0. Since v.8.0, the former limit magnitude of 6 (5104 stars) has been increased to 7.5 (26,598 stars). Given some data management purposes, three data files are being used: >> File "Stars1.dat" containing 5,104 stars up to 6th mag; >> File "Stars2.dat" containing 10,841 stars between 6-7 mag; >> File "Stars3.dat" containing 19,653 stars between 7-7.5 mag. A star mapping request of limiting magnitude 5.5 will run only the first data file (thus gaining in running time), but one with a limiting magnitude of 7.2 will run all three data files. "Messier.dat" includes the deep sky catalogue of Messier (110 nonstellar objects). This is the only deep sky catalogue accessible through Small Database option. "Const.dat" includes stars in constellations as extracted from the original bibliography (Ciobanu, 1991), the stars' coordinates being taken from SAO J2000 catalogue. Although the existing entries could be modified and additional stars could be added under the strict condition of keeping the same format, it is strongly suggested not to modify this file (that's way we named it ".dat"). "Cse.dat" contains the names of the constellations and their centers, and it's used with Search/Constellations. "Sse.txt" includes stars with common names to be display on the maps nearby their positions when Options/Names/Stars Draw Names function is checked. This file is customizable up to max 250 stars (preferably in alphabetic order), strictly respecting the file format: star's common name (12 characters), its Greek name (5 characters, first letter being converted to Greek by the software), right ascension and declination (J2000 epoch, each with 7 decimals) and stars' visual magnitude (with one decimal). "Stars.txt" is a customizable text file where user can add other stars or objects to the maps (not included with any of the software database). The file has no limit entries and it is a powerful tool to plot other sources on the maps. The format of "Stars.txt" is: the right ascension (J2000 epoch, hours with seven decimals), the declination (J2000, degrees with eight decimals), the visual magnitude (with one decimal, could be 0.0 if unknown), the spectral type (could be A if unknown), the proper motion in right ascension (time seconds with four decimals, could be 0.0000 if unknown), the proper motion in declination (arc seconds with three decimals, could be 0.000 if unknown), and the name (15 characters, could be a brief note about the position or void). An useful application of "Stars.txt" would be simulating the path of a comet or asteroid (whose ephemeridae is known by the user - by default, the file includes a sample of two stars and two positions of the comet Linear C/1999 S4). "Cities.txt" represents cities or locations with their correspondent geographical coordinates. This file has no limit entries and can be customizable/updatable in two different ways: >> Directly with any text editor (strictly keeping its format), not recommended; >> Within the program (in Zenithal Projection), changing the existing coordinates of a locations or define and save others new. Messier Catalogue ****************** The database contains J2000 positions, magnitudes, apparent diameters, types and cross identification names of the 110 deep sky objects included in Messier catalogue. The original data was transformed into a type file ("Messier.dat" located in \Data folder). The Large Database ******************* Since the present version 8.0 the database architecture of the catalogues SAO and PPM used with the previous versions has been changed. This leads to two main advantages: more flexibility of the software (maps of any field could be run now in equatorial projection, instead of the former maximum of 10-20 degrees), and a dramatic decrease of the running time in running small fields (by a factor of about 10). Both SAO and PPM catalogues have been divided in 788 sky regions (files) each, these being accessible by the software upon request (map center, field, etc), using some special indexes. The other two star catalogues have been introduced with the actual version. These are GSC and Tycho, and consists in 9537 sky regions (files) each, based on the model of the original GSC. The background database work consisted in coding and running about 25 additional programs that successively transformed the original catalogues (a total of about 2 GB of data) into the actual database to be used by Celestial Maps (about 0.5 GB), all this job being performed on a small PC Pentium II 233MHz. Table 3 of the following Data Tables includes information about the large database used with Celestial Maps 8.0. The following links include information about the astronomical catalogues used with the Large Database option: >> SAO J2000 Catalogue >> PPM Catalogues >> GSC 1.1 Catalogue >> Tycho-2 Catalogue >> NGC 2000 Catalogue Data Tables Table 1: Astronomical database used by Celestial Maps: [ Please see Maps Help file ] Table 2 - The database used with Small Database option: [ Please see Maps Help file ] Table 3 - The database used with Large Database option: [ Please see Maps Help file ] Table 4: Additional input/output data run with Small and Large Database Options: [ Please see Maps Help File ] SAO J2000 Catalogue ******************** The star catalogue has been released in 1966 by Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) at the epoch 1950. The original positions were transformed by Clayton A. Smith from U.S. Naval Observatory to the epoch J2000, then added to a new catalogue, named SAO J2000 (USNO, ADC 1990). This has been included within Volume 4 CD-ROM published by NASA and ADC (1997). With Celestial Maps 8.0, SAO J2000 has been divided into 788 sky regions (data typed files) that were placed into 18 directories. This database contains 258,997 stars up to about visual magnitude 11.0 (although the star catalogue is not "complete", e.g. not all the stars from the sky up to mag 11 have been included in the catalogue). Astrometricaly speaking, SAO J2000 stars have a mean error of about 1" (0.9" in the North, 1.2" in South), therefore their mapping being exact for fields larger than about 10' (based on a 600 pixel wide map). Astrophysicaly speaking, including information about duplicity, variability and two stellar magnitudes, SAO J2000 continues to be an important database still used in many applications. The SAO records of Celestial Maps database contain/display the following information: >> SAO star number (1-258997); >> Right ascension (FK5 system, epoch J2000); >> Declination (FK5 system, epoch J2000); >> Proper motion in right ascension (FK5 system, epoch J2000); >> Proper motion in declination (FK5 system, epoch J2000); >> Magnitude (photographic and/or visual); >> Spectral type; >> Variability and/or multiplicity; >> HD (Henry Draper) and/or DM (Durchmusterung) cross identification numbers. PPM Catalogues *************** The "Positions and Proper Motions" (PPM) catalogues were constructed by two European teams: >> "PPM North" (Roeser and Bastian, 1989): 181,731 stars of the Northern hemisphere; >> "PPM South" (Bastian and Roeser, 1992): 197,179 stars in the Southern hemisphere. Both catalogues were included in Volume 2 CD-ROM published by NASA and ADC (1995). The same CD-ROM includes other two PPM catalogues: >> "90,000 Stars Supplement to the PPM Star Catalogue" (Roeser et al, 1994): 89,676 stars from the Astrographical Catalogue originally not included in PPM; >> "Bright Stars Supplement, PPM and PPM South Catalogue" (Bastian et al, 1993): 275 bright stars not included in PPM catalogues (because of their poor precision), that complete the sky up to visual mag 7.5. Celestial Maps combines all the four PPM catalogues in a single database, named PPM. With the actual version 8.0, the original PPM catalogues (4 ASCII files) have been selected and joined in a common format, then divided into 788 sky regions (data typed files) that were placed into 18 directories. The full database contains 468,861 stars up to about visual magnitude 12.0 (although the star catalogue is not "complete", e.g. not all the stars from the sky up to mag 12 have been included in the catalogue). With a good budget in position errors of max 0.3", PPM can be successfully used mainly for the astrometrical applications, the stars being plotted exactly for fields larger than about 3' (based on a 600 pixel wide map). The PPM records of Celestial Maps database contain/display the following information: >> PPM star number (1-181731 N, 181732-378910 S, 400001-400321 BSS, 700001-789676 90,000S); >> Catalogue name (displayed in "type"); >> Right ascension (FK5 system, epoch J2000); >> Declination (FK5 system, epoch J2000); >> Proper motion in right ascension (FK5, epoch J2000); >> Proper motion in declination (FK5, epoch J2000); >> Mean error in right ascension (FK5, epoch J2000); >> Mean error in declination (FK5, epoch J2000); >> Mean error in proper motion in right ascension (FK5, epoch J2000); >> Mean error in proper motion in declination (FK5, epoch J2000); >> Magnitude (most photographic, some visual marked as visual); >> Spectral type; >> Variability and/or multiplicity (and a few astrometrical special cases); >> SAO (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) and/or HD (Henry Draper) cross identification numbers. The original errors in positions were given at the epoch of the observations and were transformed to epoch J2000 using the classical formula (Roeser and Bastian, 1989): GSC 1.1 Catalogue ****************** The first version of "The Guide Star Catalog" (GSC 1.0) was released in 1990 with the mainly purpose to guide Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in its space operations. It has been prepared by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). GSC is primarily based on an all-sky, single epoch, single collection of Schmidt photographic plates taken mainly from five major observatories: Palomar (epoch 1982), UK Schmidt Telescope (epoch 1975), Cerro Tololo, Sacramento Peak and Mount Lemmon. Therefore the positions are given at the epochs of the individual plates included in the original GSC, and do not include proper motions. The second release, namely GSC 1.1, performed some revisions of the known and later reported problems, and was included with two CD-ROMs (AURA, 1992), containing data in FITS format. To prepare GSC database used with Celestial Maps, first we transformed FITS data to ASCII, then we eliminated from the original GSC 1.1 all double entries (keeping for each source only the entry having the smallest positional error). Then we selected the necessary columns and finally we converted the data into GSC database (9537 typed files placed in 24 directories), using the same sky regions as those in the original catalogue. Astrometrically speaking, with its positions at equinox J2000 given at the epochs of the individual plates (mainly 1975 and 1982) GSC has a mean error varying between 0.5"-1.1" in the North and 1.0"-1.6" in the South, therefore being not recommended as a reference catalogue for precise astrometrical applications. Used with Celestial Maps, GSC can be mapped exactly for fields wider than 15' (given a field 600 pixel wide). The GSC database contains 18,839,509 sources (including about 15 millions stars and 4 millions galaxies) up to about visual magnitude 16.0. With a mean density of about 457 stars/sqr(degree), GSC is broadly used among the astronomical community for small field identification and other purposes. The GSC records of Celestial Maps database contain/display the following information: >> GSC source number (it the format "rrrr-nnnnn" with "rrrr" the region number and "nnnnn" an ordinal within it); >> Classification code (following the internal object classification types, mostly as star or galaxy); >> Right ascension (equinox J2000, epoch of the plate, not included with the database); >> Declination (equinox J2000, epoch of the plate, not included with the database); >> Magnitude (mostly visual, in the system defined by the individual plates); Tycho-2 Catalogue ****************** Tycho-2 is a modern reference catalogue of the 2.5 million brightest stars covering the entire sky. The catalogue contains positions, proper motions, visual and photographic magnitudes derived from observations made with the Hipparcos satellite of The European Space Agency (ESA) in combination with the Astrographic Catalogue and 143 other ground-based star catalogues. It was released recently by an European-American team (Hog et al, 2000) and included in a CD-ROM. Two Tycho-2 catalogues (ASCII files) were used to build Celestial Maps Tycho database: >> "Tycho-2 Catalogue" (2,539,913 stars); >> "Tycho-2 Supplement-1" (17,588 good quality Hippacos and Tycho-1 stars that were not included with the main Tycho-2); The files were transformed and selected, then appended in a common format into 9537 sky regions (typed files) placed in 18 directories. The sky region system is the same as the one used in GSC catalogue. The total database includes 2,557,501 stars up to about visual magnitude 12.5 (although the star database it is not "complete", e.g. not all the stars of the sky up to mag 12.5 have been included in the catalogue). The positions are given in the modern ICRS reference system defined by the former Hipparcos Catalogue at epoch J2000. The catalogue includes proper motions for about 96% of stars. Tycho-2 has a standard error of only 0.007" for stars with mag<9, and 0.06" for stars fainter than 9. Therefore, with a good density of about 62 stars/sqr(deg) and an accurate mapping for fields larger than about 36" (based on a 600 pixel wide map), it represents an excellent catalog for astrometrical applications. Also, with its photometric standard errors of only 0.013 mag for stars with mag<9 and 0.1 mag for the stars with mag>9, Tycho-2 is a great catalog also for astrophysical applications. The Tycho-2 records of Celestial Maps database contain/display the following information: >> Tycho-2 catalogue number (in the format "rrrr-nnnn-c"); >> Right ascension (ICRS, J2000 epoch for 96% of stars or the observed epoch for the rest); >> Declination (ICRS, J2000 epoch for 96% of stars or the observed epoch for the rest); >> Proper motion in right ascension (ICRS, J2000 epoch for 96% of stars, unknown for the rest); >> Proper motion in declination (ICRS, J2000 epoch for 96% of stars, unknown for the rest); >> Mean error in right ascension (J2000 epoch for 96% of stars or the observed epoch for the rest); >> Mean error in declination (J2000 epoch for 96% of stars or the observed epoch for the rest); >> Mean error in proper motion in right ascension (J2000 epoch for 96% of stars, unknown for the rest); >> Mean error in proper motion in declination (J2000 epoch for 96% of stars, unknown for the rest); >> Tycho VT (visual) and/or BT (blue) magnitudes, and V Johnson magnitude; >> Spectral class (B-V); >> Hipparcos cross identification number (where available); With the notation of the star numbers, "rrrr" means the sky region, "nnnnn" an ordinal and "c" the component (normally being 1). For about 96% of stars, the mean errors in positions were taken from the original catalogue at the observation epoch (Talpha or Tdelta) and transformed to J2000 mean errors using the following formula written with the classical notations (Hog et al, 2000): [ Please see Maps Help file ] About 4% of stars include only positions and mean errors given at the mean observed epoch, e.g. 1991.25. For these stars the proper motions and errors in proper motions are unknown. Most of the stars include both VT and BT magnitudes expressed in Tycho photometry (filter) system. When both of them were available, the approximate Johnson V (visual) magnitudes have been calculated using the formula: V = VT - 0.090(BT-VT). NGC 2000 Catalogue ******************* The catalogue is a modern compilation of the following catalogues: >> "New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars", abbreviated NGC (Dreyer, 1888); >> "Index Catalogue", abbreviated IC (Dreyer, 1895); >> "Second Index Catalogue" (Dreyer, 1908). NGC 2000 has been provided by Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press (1988), and was included with Volume 4 of Selected Astronomical Catalogs under the number 7118 (NASA, ADC, 1997). With its 13,226 deep sky sources (7840 NGC and 5386 IC), NGC 2000 is broadly used by the astronomical community worldwide. The NGC records of Celestial Maps database contain/display the following information: >> NGC 2000 source number (in NGC or IC catalogues); >> Right ascension (equinox B2000); >> Declination (equinox B2000); >> Integrated magnitude (specified as visual or photographic); >> Largest dimension (given in arc minutes); >> Object classification; >> Description of the object (as given by Dreyer, for space reasons given in NGC2000 abbreviated form); NGC2000 Abbreviated Form ************************** The following list provides the abbreviated codes used in NGC 2000 object description. The list is reproduced from the original "ReadMe" file (NGC2000 Cat # 7118, Selected Astronomical Catalogs, Vol 4, NASA, ADC, 1997): ab about alm almost am among annul annular or ring nebula att attached b brighter bet between biN binuclear bn brightest to n side bs brightest to s side bp brightest to p side bf brightest to f side B bright c considerably chev chevelure co coarse, coarsely com cometic (cometary form) comp companion conn connected cont in contact C compressed Cl cluster d diameter def defined dif diffused diffic difficult dist distance, or distant D double e extremely, excessively ee most extremely er easily resolvable exc excentric E extended f following (eastward) F faint g gradually glob. globular gr group i irregular iF irregular figure inv involved, involving l little (adv.); long (adj.) L large m much m magnitude M middle, or in the middle n north neb nebula nebs nebulous neby nebulosity nf north following np north preceding ns north-south nr near N nucleus, or to a nucleus p preceding (westward) pf preceding-following p pretty (adv., before F. B. L, S) pg pretty gradually pm pretty much ps pretty suddenly plan planetary nebula (same as PN) prob probably P poor (sparse) in stars PN planetary nebula r resolvable (mottled, not resolved) rr partially resolved, some stars seen rrr well resolved, clearly consisting of stars R round RR exactly round Ri rich in stars s suddenly (abruptly) s south sf south following sp south preceding sc scattered sev several st stars (pl.) st 9... stars of 9th magnitude and fainter st 9..13 stars of mag. 9 to 13 stell stellar, pointlike susp suspected S small in angular size S* small (faint) star trap trapezium triangle triangle, forms a triangle with triN trinuclear v very vv _very_ var variable * a single star *10 a star of 10th magnitude *7-8 star of mag. 7 or 8 ** double star (same as D*) *** triple star ! remarkable !! very much so !!! a magnificent or otherwise interesting object Center Maps ************ This function has been implemented with v.8.0 and it's available with the right mouse button. It centers any point (located under the mouse) into a new map, represented in the equatorial projection. Center Maps introduces the flexibility to maneuver maps visually, without having to query the program through numbers and menus. Moreover, Center Maps function links strongly all three main projection types of the software. Each time when a constraint condition for field or grid is encountered, the program adjust their values, informing the user through a message box. The Center Maps function is especially useful when representing nearby portions of a map, seeking more information about a field or changing projections keeping a given object in the center of the map. Zooming Maps ************* In order to have a better view of the crowded star field in some regions of the sky, all the projections of Celestial Maps were equipped with a user friendly zoom in facility. A two button mouse is necessary to use the zoom function. The following three simple steps are required to zoom maps: >> Click the left mouse button anywhere on the map and keep it pressed; >> Still pressing the button, drag (move) the mouse to any other point on the map; a red rectangular region will appear; >> Having selected the desired rectangular region, release the left mouse button; another window containing the zoomed map will appear. The size of the Zoom Window is proportional with the size of the initial rectangular region to be zoomed, the enlargement factor being the Zoom Factor. Within the zoomed window, the equatorial coordinates (alpha, delta) and their measured errors of the points located under the mouse continue to be displayed in the third and the fourth panels of the program status bar. Also, the fifth panel continue to express the screen coordinates (X, Y) of the point located under the mouse, relative to its top-left corner of the zoomed window. Moreover, the Object Info function continue to work within the zoomed map in the same way as in the main map. Zoom Factor ************ How to Zoom charts with Celestial Maps? The zoomed map will represent the red rectangular region on the original map enlarged by a scalable factor (between 1-10), named Zoom Factor. The zoomed map will be drawn in a Zoom Window. In order to changed the zoom factor, the user must pick the Zoom Factor, (run the map) and then zoom in the desired region. The Zoom Window can be closed by pressing Esc or click its right-top corner. Search System ************** Celestial Maps has been equipped with a user friendly search system for the astronomical sources included in its database. There are three types of search available: >> Search Stars; >> Search Nonstellars; >> Search Constellations. The search is accessible through Search main menu item. The appropriate map will be run with the search object centered. Given the faint brightness of most of the searchable objects, the system maps the search within the Equatorial Projection, taking by default a Field of 10 degrees for Stars and Nonstellars and 40 degrees for Constellations (to enlarge the map after a search, Field should be increased, then the map rerun with F9). The user will be informed any time when an inconsistency of the installed database with the search would appear. This situation won't happen whether the complete large database has been installed or the software is being run direct from the CD-ROM. Search Stars ************* Since v.8.0, five different search functions are available to search stars: >> Name (from the customizable text file "sse.txt", max 250 entries, within \Data folder); >> SAO Stars (requiring the integer catalogue number for the SAO star to search); >> PPM Stars (requiring the integer catalogue number for the PPM star to search); >> GSC Stars (requiring the GSC catalogue number in the format NNNN-NNNNN); >> Tycho Stars (requiring the Tycho-2 catalogue number in the format NNNNN-NNNNN-N). Search Nonstellars ******************* Since v.8.0, there are four possibilities to search deep sky objects: >> Name (max 250 common names in the customizable text file "\Data\Ngc\Common.txt"); >> Messier objects (requiring the Messier catalogue number of 110 deep sky objects); >> NGC objects (requiring the NGC catalogue number of 7840 deep sky objects); >> IC objects (requiring the IC catalogue number of 5386 deep sky objects); Search Constellations ********************** Search Constellations provides user a lists of constellation to look for (the typed file "\Data\Cse.dat"). Basic Astrometry ***************** Two of the new functions implemented with Celestial Maps 8.0 refer to basic astrometry. To operate them, a two-button mouse is necessary. Available with all types of projections, these functions are: >> Measuring the equatorial coordinates (alpha, delta); >> Measuring angular separations between two points on the map; Additional information about the objects under the mouse can be obtained through the sixth panel of the status bar. Each time the mouse is moved above an object, the message "Object found" or "Object centered" appears. Then additional information about the object can be displayed, using the right mouse button and the Object Info function on the pop up menu. The "Object found" message is useful to locate objects and get information about then through Object Info function. The "Object centered" message is useful to locate objects exactly under the mouse point, in order to measure angular separations between two objects on the map. Given some professional reasons, both basic astrometric functions are given together with their measurement errors. These errors appear due to the need to approximate the "real sky coordinates" (e.g. with many decimal figures) to "screen coordinates" (expressed in pixels, e.g. integer numbers). Accordingly with the projection type used, the position and the field of the map, these errors are computed in real time, then displayed nearby the coordinates and separations on the status bar. The Equatorial Coordinates *************************** The celestial position of the point under the mouse is displayed in the third and fourth panel on the status bar located at the bottom of the window, in real time. To see it, the user just have to move the mouse above the map (without clicking it). This position is given in the celestial standard coordinate system, e.g. the equatorial system (alpha = the right ascension, delta = the declination). Similar information about the screen coordinates (X, Y), expressed in pixels and related to the center of the map, is also given in the fifth panel on the bottom status bar. The Angular Separations ************************ Four simple steps are required to measure the angular separation between two arbitrary points (usually objects) on a map: >> Move the mouse above the starting point but do not press any mouse button; >> Press Ctrl key and keep it pressed, then click the left mouse button and keep it clicked; >> Drag the mouse to the second point; a red line between the first point and the current mouse position must appear; >> With the mouse above the second point, release the mouse button and read the separation between the two points; Object Info ************ Important information about the object located under the mouse can be displayed and print using the following procedure: >> Move the mouse (but not click) until an object comes under the mouse's point. When located, one of the messages "Object found" or "Object centered" must appear on the sixth panel on the status bar (at the bottom of the window); >> With one of the two messages displayed, click the right mouse button and choose from the pop up menu the "Object Info" function. An Object Information window will appear, including exact information about the object, as taken from the appropriate database/catalogue. This information can be printed using Print button located on the same window. To close the Object Information window, press Escape or click the left mouse button on the right upper window corner. Object Info works on both main maps and the zoomed windows. Hardware Requirements ********************** The following equipment is required to run Celestial Maps 8.0: >> PC x86 or Pentium (min 486 or Pentium with 32MB RAM recommended); >> Display xGA (min 15" SVGA at 800x600 with 2MB video memory recommended); >> Windows 9x, 2000 or Windows NT; >> Mouse (strongly recommended); >> Printer (jet/laser/color recommended); >> Hard Space: 3 MB (small database) or 545 MB (full large database); The program can be run from one of the following media: >> From the hard drive (recommended, necessary 545 MB disk space). In this case the user must simply copy the whole CD-ROM (Maps80 folder) to any partition/unit of the computer (C:, D:, etc); >> Directly from the CD ROM. In this case, the software creates automatically C:\Maps80 directory and puts some data to it (and this directory can be deleted after finishing). The following space is required to install Celestial Maps 8.0 on the hard disk: >> Small Database (SAO stars up to 7.5 mag and Messier nonstellars): 3 MB; >> Full Large Database (SAO, PPM, GSC, Tycho, Messier, NGC, up to about 16th mag): 545 MB; >> Partial Large Database (any catalogue/combination). Given some flexibility reasons (only some sky zones or catalogues are needed, or there is not enough disk space available), we have let user the third possibility to install partial data from Large Database (to be run with the appropriate catalogue enquiry). For example, if only 50 MB are available, only SAO and PPM database can be copied, and then run the software with Large Database/ SAO or PPM checked. Former Versions **************** Celestial Maps has been started in 1992 by Ovidiu Vaduvescu and Mirel Birlan of The Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania. Celestial Maps v.3.1 was the first public release of the software, in 1993. It has been written in Turbo Pascal 6.0 (MS-DOS) and used FK5 catalogue (about 1500 stars). Celestial Maps v.4.5 was the second release, completed in 1994 by the same authors. It has been written in Turbo Pascal 7.0 and used SAO and PPM catalogues (260,000 and 310,000 stars). Celestial Maps v.5.0 was the third public release, and has been completed in 1996 by Ovidiu Vaduvescu. Celestial Maps v.7.0 was released in Spring 2000 by Dr. Ovidiu Vaduvescu in Canada (encouraged by Dr. Mirel Birlan in France :-) It has been written in Delphi 4 (Windows). Celestial Maps v.8.0 was the fifth release deployed in Fall 2000 by Dr. Ovidiu Vaduvescu in Canada. It includes more than 22 millions of stars and deep sky objects extracted from 10 astronomical catalogues. It has been continued in Delphi 4 (Windows). References and Patents *********************** >> In April 1994 Celestial Maps v.3.1 was registered with La Maison de l'Astronomie Devaux-Chevet, Paris, France - Astro News no. 37, 1994; >> Since 1996 Celestial Maps v.4.5 computer aided graphics The Astronomical Yearbook published by The Astronomical Institute and Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania - http://roastro.astro.ro; >> In December 1996 Celestial Maps v.5.0 has been predicted for the first time appulses of the comet C/1996 O1 (Hale-Bopp) to PPM stars. These were published by International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA, courtesy of Dr. David Dunham) and referenced by other authors (European Southern Observatory, University of Maryland, Angelo State University, etc) - Occultation Newsletter, 6, 12, IOTA, 1996; >> In March 1998 Celestial Maps v.5.0 was included into the Astronomical Software Documentation Service published by NASA Astrophysics Data Program at Space Telescope Science Institute, MD, US - http://asds.stsci.edu Acknowledgements ***************** >> Back in 1992, my former Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences of University of Craiova, Romania granted precious computer time to finish v.3.1; >> Special thanks to Liviu Ivanescu from l'Universite de Montreal, Canada for providing GSC database; >> My former collaborator and friend Dr. Mirel Birlan from l'Observatoire de Meudon, France promptly provided Tycho 2 catalogue; >> Mr. Deak Zoltan from Bucharest Astroclub of Romania suggested interesting topics and performed some beta-testing; >> Thanks to my friend Alin Tolea, PhD student with Johns Hopkins University, for his discussions, suggestions, and some testing; >> My former colleague and friend Dr. Fanel Donea from the Astronomical Institute in Bucharest, Romania kindly supplied some formulae, as well as computer assistance to install and run Linux and C (at some point necessary to prepare GSC database); >> Astronomical Data Center, NASA and National Space Science Data Center of U.S. distributes an exceptional amount of data to the astronomical community through their Selected Astronomical Catalogs for a symbolic fee; Contact Addresses ****************** The versions 5.0, 7.0 and 8.0 (small database) can be downloaded from: >> http://www.geocities.com/ovidiuv/maps.html For a copy of the large database of the last version please contact the author: >> Ovidiu Vaduvescu, email ovidiuv@yahoo.com Any suggestion, bug report or other enquiries related to the software are welcomed. My collaborator can be contacted at the following address: >> Mirel Birlan's web site: http://despa.obspm.fr/~mbirlan References *********** >> Astronomical Data Center and the National Space Science Data Center, 1995, 1997 - Selected Astronomical Catalogs Volumes 2,4, Greenbelt, MD, U.S.A. (4 CD-ROMs, ASCII version) - http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov; >> Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy, 1999 - The Astronomical Yearbook, Bucharest, Romania; >> Bastian U, Roeser S, 1993 - Positions and Proper Motions - South (PPM South), Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Heidelberg, Germany; >> Bastian U, Roeser S, 1993 - Bright Stars Supplement, PPM and PPM South Star Catalogue, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Heidelberg, Germany; >> Ciobanu M, 1991 - The Boreal Sky Map, The Astronomical Yearbook, Astronomical Institute of Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania; >> ForeFront Inc, 1993, 1995 - ForeHelp, Version 2.1.1, Boulder, CO, U.S.A (software); >> Hog E, et. al, 2000 - The Tycho-2 Catalogue. Positions, proper motions and two-colour photometry of the 2.5 million brightest stars, Copenhagen University Observatory et. al, Denmark (CD-ROM); >> Inprise Corporation, 1983, 1998 - Borland Delphi Professional Version 4.0, Scotts Valley, CA, USA (software); >> Inprise Corporation, 1996 - Delphi User's Guide (version 2.0), Scotts Valley, CA, U.S.A; >> Inprise Corporation, 1998 - Delphi Developer's Guide (version 4.0), Scotts Valley, CA, U.S.A; >> Meeus J, Societe Astronomique de France, 1986 - Calculs astronomiques a l'usage des amateurs, Paris, France; >> Meeus J, 1991 - Astronomical Algorithms, Willman-Bell, Inc, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A; >> Montenbruck O, Pfleger T, 1991 - Astronomy on the Personal Computer, Springer Verlag, Germany; >> Oproiu T, Pal A, Pop V, Ureche V, 1989 - Astronomy. Problems and Exercises, University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania; >> Pal A, Ureche V, 1983 - Astronomy, The Ministry of Education, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; >> Roeser S, Bastian U, 1988 - Positions and Proper Motions (PPM North), Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Heidelberg, Germany; >> Roeser S, Bastian U, Kuzmin A, 1993 - 90000 Stars Supplement to the PPM Star Catalogue, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Heidelberg, Germany, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moskow, Russia; >> Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press, 1988 - NGC 2000.0, The Complete New general Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J.L.E. Dreyer, edited by Sinnott R.W, Belmont, MA, U.S.A; >> Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 1966, U.S. Naval Observatory, 1990 - SAO Star Catalog J2000 (ref Roman N, Warren W, Jr, Clayton A for 2000 version), Washington, U.S.A; >> Space Telescope Science Institute, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1989, 1992 - The Guide Star Catalog Version 1.1, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A. (2 CD-ROMs);