Introduction
Astroplanner is one of those applications written by an expert in software
production but a love for Astronomy. Originally designed to help plan and
record observing sessions, Rod went out to the astronomical community and sought
advice and recommendations. Lucky for me he listened to my advice and the
application has several very powerful features ideal for the type of work I do.
The Astroplanner main screen. Look at that feast of very useful observing
data, all in real time.
So what does this software offer someone like me (and possibly you)?
Well it has a UI designed to present information in a graphical way. I can
see where a selected target is in relation to the sun and moon. I can see
when it is going to rise and how long it will be visible above my own
observatories unique horizon. I can see where each of my targets are in
relation to each other so I can plan the most efficient order to observe them.
I can then look at the starfield with my target and its motion traced over that
starfield to see if there will be ay interfering stars. If I don't have
enough targets then I can use the MPCORB.dat import and view and search for
targets that meet specific criteria or range of values (ie any data item in the
MPCORB.dat file). Of course this isn't just limited to Minor Planets.
Anything that has a calalogue can be treated in much the same way.
See where all your targets are in real time. That big yellow thing ins the
moon so a bunch of targets can't be observed.
99913 is on the edge of the Milky Way so expect a crowded star field. That
fat blue band represents HHO's
observing horizon at 24°
And there are so many other features and abilities from scripting to
telescope control but here I will limit myself just to the functionality that I
use.
Planning to observe?
The most important thing in any research work is planning. Knowing what
you want to observe, what you can observe and any restrictions or issues that
you may face ahead of time. Not point in just winging it - you may find
that you are just wasting valuable observing time. If you are doing
program work, chances are your targets have been chosen for you. That's
all well and good but the rest is up to you - i.e. to know when you can observe
them and what issues you may have to face and avoid. With program work you
will be required to report back what you have done, when and why and outline in
detail any issues and what you did to avoid/overcome them. You may not be
a professional astronomer but when doing program work you are expected to act
like one.
If you are doing 'regular' observing then you need to find your own targets.
CALL has a good selection of Minor Planets in need of photometric observation.
If you do your own search based on what is available in your sky then be sure to
check those targets against the most recent Lightcurve list prepared by Brian
Warner and Dr Alan Harris, just to see why the target needs observing. ie
if U<3 then you are aiming to improve the period determination. If U=3
then you are aiming to confirm the period determination and add data to enable
physical modelling (shape modelling and spin axis determination). If U=4,
pick another target unless there is nothing else for you to observe.
When importing objects into your observing list, Astroplanner gives you lots
of options (note that the first time you do this, Astroplanner will take some
time to import then cache the entire contents of the MPCORB.dat file.
Astroplanner will do this each time you update the MPCORB.dat file. For
most Minor Planet work you will only need to update the MPCORD.dat file ever now
and then)
Obviously there are some things you need to look at. First, where it
the target located? Will it give you the opportunity to observe it for
possibly up to 3 months? How long are the nightly sessions going to be.
If it is too far north (or south depending on your locale) then you limit the
duration of your continuous observations. You are looking for not less
than 3-4hrs so look at your target rise and set times throughout the apparition.
Next, how bright is it? Is it within your observatories practical limits?
If the target has a large amplitude then you can afford to view fainter targets
but it it has a low amplitude then you need an SNR better than 50. How
long will the target remain within the SNR limits of your observatory?
Astroplanner offers a neat little graphic in the main window to support that
feature. Just run your mouse pointer over the graphic for the period it is
observable and read off the calculated magnitude.
Plan ahead?
No matter what type of observing you do, you must plan ahead. You can
get by with the odd last minute target but don't make a habit of it. At
least if you use Astroplanner, throwing the new target into the list will
provide you with a nice overview of where to put the target into your plan or
even determine if it is the right target for you to observe (I've lost count of
the number of programmed targets I was allocated that weren't even visible from
HHO).
Good observing!
