Starchart Manual

Astronomy Tools

• Introduction
  • What the Programs Do
  • The Sky
  • Coordinates
  • Epoch and Equinox
    • Proper Motion and Epoch
    • Precession and Equinox
  • Additional Corrections to Positions
  • Magnitudes
  • Time and Date
    • Time
    • Date
  • Atmospheric Effects
  • Elements of an Observing Session
  • Hints
• Observing
  • The observe Program
  • Controls and Input for the observe program
  • Planetary Positions
  • Comets and Minor Planets
    • Orbits
    • Interpolation of Ephemerides
  • Time Line of Events
  • Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn
• Charts
  • The Starchart Programs
  • Purpose of Starchart
  • Features
  • Non- and Mis- Features
  • Objects Drawn
  • Projection Modes
  • The Chart
    • Layers
  • User Controls
    • Command Line Controls
    • Control and Specification Files
    • Interactive Controls
  • Standard Data Files
  • Particular Starchart Programs
    • starX11
    • starXaw
    • starpost
    • startool
  • Writing a New Version for a New Device
    • Organization
    • Customization
• The Data Files and Their Formats
  • Contents of Data Files
  • Data file formats
    • `lineread'
    • `sif': Starchart Interchange Format
    • Binary Formats
    • The Guide Star Catalog
    • The Index File index.indx, `indextype'
• The Support Programs
  • dataconv
  • sif-to-text
  • tosize
• Acknowledgements
• Program Index
• Concept Index