SKY:Lab Astronomy Software Newsletter
No. 11 May 2004
Web: www.skylab.com.au E-mail: info@skylab.com.au

NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS
STAR Atlas:PRO Version 6.0
The Longitude of Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Citation

Welcome to the latest edition of the SKYLab Astronomy Software Newsletter issued to keep you in touch with the latest STAR Atlas:PRO™ software upgrades and related news.

MAIN NEWS

STAR Atlas:PRO Version 6.0

Version 6.0 of STAR Atlas:PRO is now available and includes important new features and refinements to the Telescope Control System that make this version, a must have for computerised telescope owners.

New in Version 6 is the feature that tracks the pointing position of your telescope with a reticle that "glides" across the chart in real-time when you move your Telescope, making it very easy to "home in" on deep sky objects. This feature is a vast improvement over prior versions and is particularly useful to telescope owners with Digital Setting Circles and robotic telescope owners alike.

There is a new Telescope Control Panel for Meade Telescopes that provides comprehensive support for Meade telescopes including new commands for the LX200 GPS and Autostar II Telescopes, improved Celestron drivers and many other program improvements such as:- the Right Ascension (R.A.) and Declination (Dec.) position of the mouse pointer are now displayed in the title bar of STAR Atlas:PRO, there is a big improvement to STAR Atlas:PRO's Program Configuration and Settings screens that makes it easier to configure STAR Atlas:PRO.

The full details of Version 6.0 and how to try out the new features can be found at Version 6.0 Release Notes.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot

The longitude of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) has recently changed and you should proceed to update the GRS Longitude Value in STAR Atlas:PRO. This will ensure accurate predictions for GRS Transit times. See http://www.skylab.com.au/jupiter_great_red_spot.html for the latest GRS Longitude and the "FAQ - How To" update this value in STAR Atlas:PRO.

Citation

A special thank you to fellow amateur astronomer Mr. Ian Buttfield (South Australia) for his exceptional efforts in pioneering STAR Atlas:PRO's new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The FAQs greatly assist users in learning how to use STAR Atlas:PRO with step-by-step instructions.
 

Release Notes

Full details of Version 6.0 and how to try out new features can be found at Version 6.0 Release Notes.
 

Version 6.0 Upgrade Instructions

STAR Atlas:PRO Version 6.0 is available as a free upgrade to all STAR Atlas:PRO Registered Users providing that you agree to the Software License Terms and Conditions supplied with your copy of STAR Atlas:PRO. By proceeding to download and install this Upgrade you acknowledge your re-acceptance of the Software License Terms and Conditions under which this Upgrade is provided to you.

Checks to perform prior to installing the Upgrade.

1. This Upgrade requires you have STAR Atlas:PRO Version 5.3 or later already installed on your computer.

2. Make sure you are not running STAR Atlas:PRO when installing the new Upgrade.

3. The Upgrade Package that you will download is a Winzip compressed file requiring Winzip be installed on your computer. Winzip permits you to extract the new STAR Atlas:PRO upgrade from the download.

What Does the Upgrade Package contain ?

The Upgrade Package is a WinZip compressed file that contains a new program file named STAR_AtlasPRO.exe.

How big is the download ?

Approximately 3.8 MegaBytes.

How to Download & Install the Upgrade.

Installing the upgrade involves extracting the new STAR Atlas:PRO program file from the download and then storing it in the same location on your computer where you have installed STAR Atlas:PRO (default location is C:\STARPRO ).

1. Download the Upgrade package from http://www.skylab.com.au/downloads/STAR_AtlasPRO_V6_0.zip and store it to a location on your computer.

2. When the download is complete, Extract* the compressed file from the upgrade package and store it into the same folder where STAR Atlas:PRO is installed on your computer ( by default STAR Atlas:PRO is located in the C:\STARPRO folder ). 

You will be asked by Winzip if you wish to overwrite the existing copy of the STAR_AtlasPRO.exe file, answer [Yes], so that you replace the existing program file with the new one from the upgrade package.

*If you have Winzip installed on your computer, this will require that you open the upgrade package using Winzip and then choose Extract from the Winzip menu.

3. The upgrade is now complete. Start STAR Atlas:PRO and check Version 6.0 is displayed in the STAR Atlas:PRO program title bar.

4. Welcome to STAR Atlas:PRO Version 6.0.

5. It is recommended that you read Version 6.0 Release Notes which contains details of setting the Chart Update Interval to 1-second to obtain real-time tracking of your telescope position and examples of how to use other new features.