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computer companion
Jeff Foust & Ron LaFon
San Francisco
the astronomers computer companion. Copyright :ccc by Jeff Foust and Ron LaFon
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iuniisuii: William Pollock
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Foust, Jeff.
The astronomer's computer companion / Jeff Foust and Ron LaFon.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-886411-22-0 (acid-free paper)
1. AstronomyData processing. 2. Microcomputers.
I. LaFon, Ron. II. Title.
QB51.3.E43F68 1997
522'.85dc21 97-36006
Table of Contents
Chapter z
A Guided Tour
A Quick Tour ,
Chapter :
The Earth from Space
What Does the Weather Look Like? ::
Sources for Satellite Images ::
Tell Me about the Weather ::
Satellites That Monitor the Ozone Layer :,
Satellite Pictures of Land and Sea :
LANDSAT and SPOT Images Can Be Very Pricey :
Some Sources for Free Images :,
Pictures of the Earths Oceans :
And Beneath the Surface :,
Getting the Big Picturethe Earth in Space :,
Software That Simulates Earth Views ::
Chapter
The Moon
Learning about the Moon :,
Images of the Moon ,c
Observing the Moon and Its Effects ,:
Chapter
Planets and Moons
Basic Resources :
The Inner Planets: Mercury and Venus
Mars ;
Jupiter and Saturn ,,
The Outer Planets: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto ,;
Chapter ,
Asteroids and Comets
Asteroids and Meteors o:
Comets ;:
Halley, Hyakutake, and Hale-Bopp ;;
Chapter
The Sun
The Basics of the Sun
Solar Research
Sunspots and Flares ,:
Aurorae ,
Solar Eclipses ,o
Chapter ;
Other Stars
Stellar Basics :c:
Double and Variable Stars :co
Finding Stars and Constellations :c
Other Suns, Other Planets ::,
Chapter 8
Supergiants and Supernovae: The Deaths of Stars
Stellar Evolution :::
The Deaths of Normal Stars :::
The Death of Giant Stars: Supernovae ::
Chapter p
Neutron Stars, Pulsars, and Black Holes
Neutron Stars :,
Pulsars :,
Black Holes ::
Chapter zo
Galaxies
The Milky Way :,:
Other Galaxies :,o
Observing Galaxies :o,
Chapter zz
Nebulae and Clusters
History :o,
Nebulae :;c
Clusters :;,
Observing Deep Sky Objects :;
Chapter z:
Quasars and Other Oddities
Colliding Galaxies :,
Active Galaxies :,
Quasars :
Chapter z
Cosmology: Beginnings and Endings
The Big Bang :,o
Evidence for the Big Bang :c:
Alternative Theories :c,
The Fate of the Universe :co
Chapter z
Explorations on Your Own: Ofine
Planetarium Software ::,
Tours of Some Planetarium Packages ::,
Advanced Observing Programs ::
Other Planetarium Software Packages :::
Satellite Tracking Software ::,
Weather and Time Software ::
Astronomical Image Processing Software :,:
Educational and Other Software :,,
Tours of Some Educational and Other Software Packages :,,
Other Educational and Astronomy Software :c
Chapter z,
Explorations on Your Own: Online
Online Services :o
Usenet Newsgroups :,:
Mailing Lists :,,
Discussions and Chats :,;
Finding It on the Web :,
Chapter z
Remote Astronomy over the Internet
Publicly Accessible Automated Telescopes :o,
Bradford Robotic Telescope :o,
University of Iowa Robotic Telescope :o,
Remote Access Astronomy Project :oo
Eyes on the Skies Solar Telescope :oo
Nassau Station Robotic Telescope :o;
Older Automated Telescopes :o,
MicroObservatory :o,
Telescopes in Education :;:
Hands-On Universe :;:
Other Telescopes :;:
Chapter z;
Computers and Amateur Astronomy
Computer-Controlled Telescopes :;;
CCD Cameras ::
Scientic Resources for Amateurs :,
Solar, Lunar, and Planetary Observations :,
Asteroids and Comets :,c
Occultations :,c
Variable Stars and Supernovae :,:
Appendix A
Software on the CD-ROM
Installation Notes :,,
What If I Have Trouble? :,;
PC Software :,;
Atmospheric Conditions Programs :,;
Clocks :,,
Flight Simulators ,c:
Galaxy Programs ,c,
Utility Programs ,c,
Gravity Programs ,co
Image Analysis Programs ,:c
Multipurpose Programs ,::
Movie Makers ,:,
Observational Programs ,:,
Photography Tools ,,:
Planetarium Programs ,,:
Satellite Programs ,c
Screen Savers ,
Solar System Programs ,,c
Star Programs ,o,
Viewers ,oo
Macintosh Software ,o
Galaxy Programs ,o
Gravity Programs ,o,
Multipurpose Programs ,;c
Utility Programs ,;:
Observational Programs ,;:
Plantarium Programs ,;
Satellite Programs ,;o
Solar Systems ,;;
Star Programs ,c
Viewers ,:
Appendix B
Images on the CD-ROM 383
Appendix C
Animations on the CD-ROM 427
Asteroids :,
Eclipses :,
Jupiter ,c
Mars ,:
Moon ,:
Neptune ,:
Pathnder ,:
Pluto ,:
Staurn ,:
Shoemaker-Levy ,,
Sun ,
Uranus ,
Venus ,
Appendix D
Sources ,,
Telescopes & Accessories ,;
Books ,
Magazines ,,
CCDs ,,
Software ,,
Miscellaneous :
Astronomy Clubs, Planetariums, Science Museums,
and Observatories ,
UseNet News Groups
Index ,
Viewing the Electronic Book ;,
Acknowledgments
When I first started corresponding with Bill Pollock of No Starch
Press in late :,,o about a book project that would become The
Astronomers Computer Companion, I dont think I truly understood
what I was getting myself into. I know I underestimated the amount
of time and effort that goes into writing a book, especially when try-
ing to juggle a multitude of other projects. To make up for that,
though, I also underestimated the thrill one gets when one completes
a book, or even a single chapter. Its been a fun adventure.
A number of individuals and companies have graciously provided
shareware or demo versions of their software that are included on the
CD-ROM. I thank Eric Bergman Terrell, David Chandler, Exploration
Software, David Irizarry, Larry Kalinowksi, Microprojects, David Nagy,
Parallax Multimedia, Procyon Systems, Rainman Software, Stephen
Schimpf, Sienna Software, SkyMap Software, and Southern Stars
Software, for their ne cooperation.
Bill Pollock and Karol Jurado at No Starch Press provided expert
advice, guidance, and encouragement throughout the writing and
editing of this book. It is through their tireless efforts that my words
and ideas became the polished nal product youre reading.
Most importantly, I want to thank my mother, who always
encouraged my interest in both astronomy and computers, even if she
never always understood what I was up to. Thanks for keeping my
focus on the stars.
Jeff Foust
1
A GUIDED TOUR
T
ui si zi oi rui uxi viisi is measured in light-
years, and no one knows its size for certain. The best
estimates for the distance in light-years to the most
distant objects known range from a few to more than
10 billion light-years. Thats a pretty big number. In
fact, it seems almost as big as the universe of software and online
resources available on astronomy.
Well, there arent quite that many dierent programs and Web
sites available for you to choose from, but if youre just getting
started the wide range of choices can seem a little overwhelming.
What software should you use? Where should you look online for
more information on an astronomy topic? Its easy to get lost and
confused in cyberspace if you dont know what youre looking for
or how to nd and use it.
The situation is similar to visiting a foreign country for the rst
time. The sheer number of attractionshistoric sites to see, muse-
ums to visit, restaurants to try, shows to attend, and so oncan
overwhelm the new visitor. Sometimes you take a tour or hire a
guide so that your rst trip into a new territory will be interesting,
delightful, and dierent, rather than simply incomprehensible.
With so many computer resources available for astronomical
pursuits, it can be dicult to know where to go and what to do rst
if youre interested in a particular topic. This chapter will guide you
through a hypothetical situation and introduce you to some of the
computer resources available to answer your questions and guide
you to more information if youre a little unsure about how to get
started using your computer in astronomy, follow along on our
guided tour.
:
a s r ioxoxi i s coxi ur i i coxia xi ox
A Quick Tour
I
ts a clear weeknight in late May, just after the Memorial Day
holiday in the near future. After a long day at work and running
errands, you dont get home until after nine in the evening. Just
before you step inside, you look up into the southern sky and an
unusual sight grabs your attention. You see the Moon and two
bright stars below it. One of them has a denite reddish tint and is
hardly twinkling. The juxtaposition of the three objects makes you
curious. You know the brightest and largest is the Moon, but what
about those other two stars? Why havent you noticed them before?
Your home computer can help you answer those questions.
Since youre wondering about the names and locations of objects in
the night sky, the rst place to turn to is a planetarium program
youve already purchased and installed on your computer. You start
up the program and start searching. Depending on what software
youre using, you may have to input the time and your present loca-
tion. For example, in some programs, like Starry Night Deluxe for
the Macintosh and Windows (see Figure 1.1), you choose from a
list of cities. You can save a default choice, however, so you wont
have to do this each time you start the program.
Once you have the present location and time set, you turn to
the southern horizon. Sure enough, theres the Moon, and there are
the two bright stars below it. To nd out what they are, you move
,
a cui oi o roui
viounr :.:
The Moon, Mars, and Spica as
seen in Starry Night Deluxe
the mouse cursor over them and click on them. One is an ordinary,
if bright, star: Spica. But the other is far more interesting: the star
with the reddish tint is actually the planet Mars!
The motion of the Moon and Mars across the sky is why you
didnt notice the two stars near the Moon before. Since the Moon is
in a dierent part of the sky each night, it wasnt very near Spica
and Mars last night, and it will be farther away tomorrow night.
You can conrm this by adjusting the time settings in the program;
when you travel backward and forward in time, you can see the dis-
tance between Spica and Mars change as Mars slowly moves across
the sky in its own orbit. The next time the Moon is near Spica,
Mars is much farther away. The close combination of the Moon,
Mars, and Spica is a brief, ephemeral event that wont happen again
for years or decades. (This is also something you can check in your
planetarium program.)
Marss appearance has piqued your curiosity. You know its
more than just a dot of light in the night sky: its a planet, smaller
than Earth but still large enough to have a thin atmosphere, giant
mountains, and maybe, at one time, life. Your planetarium pro-
gram might let you zoom in to get a close look at the planet, as if
you were looking through a succession of more and more powerful
telescopes. Some programs even let you look at maps of the surface,
such as a close-up of the giant canyon Valles Marineris that
stretches 3,000 miles across the planet (see Figure 1.2).