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Astrotools history

• Version 3.4 (2005.06.05)
  • Altitude limit for star/deepsky visibility enabled for graphical display
  • Transit ordered display of star/deepsky visibility always starts at noon (12:00)
  • Many new deep sky objects added
  • Comet list updated
  • This history file now maintained as separate page
• Version 3.3 (2005.01.04)
  • Splitted Astrotools into three separate tools: Ephemeris Tool, Event Tool and Jupiter Tool
  • Functions of old Astrotools divided into Ephemeris Tool and Event Tool
  • Event Tool: Event types individually selectable
  • New: Jupiter Tool is a simulator and event calculator for Jupiter satellites and GRS
• Version 3.2 (2004.10.25):
  • Major improvement on graphical tools, much better looking and very fast
  • Now using CSS positioning in stead of tables and all those small images
  • Added magnitude display to Object Data
  • Added weekday to Visibility
  • Added rise/set indication to TwilightVisibility
• Version 3.1 (2004.10.18):
  • Added comets
  • Added alt and az to positions/text output
  • Added heliocentric distance to data/text output
  • Added display of siderial time in interface
  • Event search now clickable in 'chart' mode, however, output is text only
  • Some cosmetic changes to user interface (styled some buttons etc)
  • Speeded up the code, some tools almost twice as fast
  • Changed link to my homepage to new domain: www.ngc7000.org
• Version 3.0 (2004.09.21):
  • Major new version
  • New name: Javascript AstroTools (was Skyplanner)
  • User interface significantly changed
  • New text tools for generating ephemeris, lists of events etc
  • Most tools now have a text and a graphical (chart) mode
  • Time input (no longer fixed to 'noon')
  • Julian Day display and input
  • New tools: Search solar/lunar/planetary events, separation between two objects
  • Twilight visibility now supports selectable Sun depression angle
  • Star/Deep sky object list/charts now optionally sorted according to R.A. and with altitude filter
  • Fixed error in rise/set calculations for Moon, parallax was wrong
  • Increased accuracy of lunar calculations
• Version 2.3 (2004.01.04):
  • Another facelift of user interface, changed colour scheme
  • Made 'Twilight Altitude' usable with all objects (was only Mercury and Venus)
  • Changed some colours in Visibility charts
  • Fixed bug in Visibility (an occasionally missed moonrise)
• Version 2.2 (2003.07.27 ):
  • Changed user interface again. Choose object, click on function (just as in pre v2.0!)
  • Visibility and Altitude of selected star or deep sky object via User Object
  • Added several deep sky objects
  • Corrected longitude of Madrid and Malaga
• Version 2.1 (2003.03.19 ):
  • Completely rewritten code for visibility charts, higher resolution and 10 times faster
  • All other charts 2 to 3 times faster
  • Improved precision, now using Paul Schlyter's method for planetary calculations
  • Added user object
• Version 2.0 (2003.02.12):
  • Major upgrade
  • Changed user interface, now first choose desired output and then click desired object
  • New charts for illumination, distance, declination, ecliptic longitude and elongation
  • Restyled altitude chart, show planet positions as numbered "balls" in stead of coloured squares
  • Display of additional information (azimuth, right ascencion etc) as numbers on some charts
• Version 1.2 (2003.01.28):
  • Improved daylight saving time handling: DST check box, DST status saved in cookie, DST determined when reading time zone from system clock
  • Sign of time zone offset reversed! (I found negative time zones for places each of Greenwich non-logical)
• Version 1.1 (2003.01.22):
  • Added cookie to store home location.
  • Improved Mercury/Venus altitude display.
  • Added transit times to some charts.
  • The automatic DST correction for date updates has been (temporarily?) disabled.
• Version 1.0 (2002.08.31):
  • First release of Skyplanner

Home page: Ole's Astronomy Site

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