STAR Atlas:PRO™ frequently asked questions - FAQs
How do I use the
Observation Planner to find Target Objects for tonight's Observing?
Star Atlas: Pro has a great feature in the Observation Planner and a little time
learning to use it will give great rewards. Here is how you can gain maximum
value from this section of the program. If you haven't already done so, refer
to FAQ:
How do I add objects to the Observation
Planner ?
And then return to this FAQ before proceeding.
Decide on the Date and Time that you intend to observe, then the Observation
Planner will list which of your target objects are visible for the date and time
you enter. You can also include a Horizon Cut-Off Angle which is the angle above
the Horizon that your target objects must be before they are reported as being
visible.
1. Start STAR Atlas: PRO
2. Choose [Locate] from the main menu (or L on keyboard).
3. Under User Objects click [91] - Observation Planner
4. At bottom left click [Observable] (or O on Keyboard)
5. Enter your Planned Observation Date & Time. Your cursor is already positioned in the Planned Observation Date & Time input field ready to accept any Date and Time you wish to enter. By default it will contain the current Date and Time - useful if you are under the Stars with your computer
6. Enter your Planned Observation Date & Time.
7. Click [List Qualifying Target Objects] and the target celestial objects that are visible for the Date and Time you entered are then listed in the scrollable menu.
8. Single-click any one of your Target Objects from the scrollable menu, choose [Map] to draw a star chart of the object's location.
Further Options.
The List of Qualifying Target Objects may also be exported to a HTML file that you can open and print using a Web Browser program
9. Click [Export to Browser] and the HTML file is created on your Windows™ Desktop and is named ObservationList.html.
10. The Horizon Cut-off Angle setting (lower right of screen) permits you to exclude objects from qualifying in the list when they are to close to the Horizon.
10. To use this feature, work out an appropriate angle above the horizon (say 10 degrees0 and enter it into the [Horizon Cut off Angle] (bottom centre)