Customizing Starry Night

For more detailed information on Options use these links:

 

 

There are many ways available by which you can customize the look of your Starry Night. By using the Preferences and Options controls in the Settings menu, you can adjust the program's look to suit your needs, or to maximize its performance on slower computers.


Options

Open Options to gain access to settings which affect the look of almost any object or guide in Starry Night. Common options that people like to adjust are the font and font sizes used to label star and planet names, or how the Guides are displayed.

Options dialog box

Selecting Options from the Settings menu brings you to the Options dialog box. This window displays the adjustable settings of Starry Night's features. Use the popup menu to choose which feature you'd like to adjust. You can also access options by pressing the Options buttons on the Display palette.

Once you have adjusted the settings in the feature's dialog box, you can preview how these will look by clicking the Apply button. If you're satisfied with your new settings, click OK to return to the current view. If you're not, keep adjusting, or press the Cancel button to leave your settings untouched.

Save Options As Default

If you wish to change the default settings, you can change them by choosing "Save Options As Default" from the Settings menu.

For example, if you wish not to see the Feet guides as a default, select Feet under the Guides menu, thereby turning them off. Then select Save Options As Default. From now on, all new windows that you open will not show the feet as a default. (You can still turn them back on via the Guides menu as desired.)

Other aspects of Starry Night, such as the time flow can also be saved as default. In this way, you could set the time flow to be stopped when the program first opens. Just set up the program exactly as you like it, then select Save Options As Default.

A second way you can adjust your default windows is by closing all open windows, then going through the menu bar and adjusting the available menu commands. Any of the menu items that aren't dimmed can be toggled on or off, now becoming your default settings. Every new window that you open will now have these settings.

Custom Option Sets

Starry Night also allows you to create custom option sets for most of its features. This makes it easier for you to switch quickly between a variety of custom settings.

Save Options As...

The "Save Options As" command under the Settings menu saves your current settings as an option set and places it in the Option Sets folder.

Use Options

Selecting this command from the Settings menu allows you to access option sets. The command will let you select from any saved option set or return to the default set. After selection, the current window will now reflect the new settings.

For example, you may wish to create a custom set for printing charts, one in which Daylight is always turned off, and Constellations, Deep Sky objects, and Local Guides are turned on. If you haven't already, open a Starry Night window, then go through and set these options as desired. Then, choose "Save Options as" from the Settings menu. Name your option set, and save it to the Options folder. You can now select it by choosing "Use Options" any time you want to quickly change to these settings.

  • Note: To delete an option set, search your hard disk for the file then drag it into the Trash.


Orientation

In the Standard orientation, which is the default for most windows, the sky is depicted as if you are standing on the surface of the Earth. When time is set to move faster than normal, the spin of the Earth can make the stars seem to rapidly rotate.

By selecting Orientation from the Settings menu command, you can change your viewing position so as to minimize this effect.

Local (Standard): This orientation is from the perspective of standing on Earth.

Equatorial: Changes your orientation to that of standing on the equatorial plane of the Earth.

Ecliptic: Changes your orientation to that of standing on the ecliptic plane of the Solar System. This view is especially effective for looking at comets.

Galactic: Changes your orientation to that of standing on the Galactic plane.

In any other orientation besides Standard view, the horizon is automatically turned off. If you wish to see your local horizon, choose Options>Local Guides from the Settings menu, and turn off all options except Local Horizon, then select Local Guides from the Guides Menu. This will show you the relative orientation between the Standard Local Horizon orientation and the other orientations.


Flip

Selecting Flip from the Settings menu changes the current view to a mirror image. This is very helpful if your telescope flips or inverts sky images. Selecting will adjust your current view to match what you see through your telescope. You can then print out charts that match the telescope's view, for use during observing sessions.

You have the ability to flip the image horizontally, vertically, or both directions.

  • Tip: If you check the Orientation check box in Options>Onscreen Info>Location under the Settings menu, Onscreen info will display a direction-indicator pointing north and west, and also tell you if your view is flipped in any way. This feature is handy as a reminder that you are using the Flip command.


Magnitudes

A star's magnitude measures its apparent brightness. The idea for assigning magnitudes originated with Greek astronomer Hipparchos (190-120 BC). He catalogued all the visible stars he could see and assigned them magnitudes from 1 to 6, the brightest stars having a value of 1. Contemporary astronomers have refined his system somewhat, re-assigning some of the brighter objects and adding dimmer and dimmer stars. The faintest stars that can be seen by the Hubble Space Telescope are in the 26 to 28th magnitude range, very dim stars indeed!

On a dark moonless night in the country, far from the city's light, it is possible to see from 1,000 to 2,000 stars, some as dim as sixth magnitude, depending on the time of year and your location on Earth.

  • Cool fact: Astronauts orbiting Earth in the Space Shuttle can only see the stars while on the night side of Earth, since the day side of the planet is so bright.

The brightness and quantity of stars that can be seen in Starry Night is adjustable. Select Magnitudes from the Setting menu to bring up a dialog box with several options.

Brightness

The "How stars are drawn" slider allows you to adjust how brightly the stars are drawn on the computer screen. If you are running Starry Night on a portable computer, or if the room in which you are in is brightly illuminated, raising the brightness of the stars can be helpful. If you have the room lights low and are looking at lots of Hubble stars, you'll probably also want to turn down the stars' brightness.

Number Of Objects

Starry Night uses one of two methods for determining the dimmest stars to show. The default is "Basic Mode", which adjusts the number of displayed stars based on how far zoomed in you are; as you zoom in, dimmer and dimmer stars are shown. The Complete Hubble Star Guide Catalog included on the CD can display some stars down to 16th magnitude. Important: Insert the Starry Night CD before you start, if you want to have access to all the stars.

The other method is "Expert Mode" which allows you to adjust the total number of stars and other objects shown at each zoom level. For instance, if you wish to see more stars, increase the Stars slider setting. The scale on the slider is measured in magnitudes, so that setting the slider at +1 will show stars that are 1 magnitude dimmer than you would normally see in Basic mode. The second slider allows you to fine tune the number of other objects that are shown at each zoom step.

  • Note: Showing more stars and objects will increase the time required to draw views. We recommend that you use Expert mode with caution, since performance may suffer on slower computers. However, by showing lots of Hubble stars, you can get near-photographic quality images of the rich star regions of the Milky Way.

 

  • Tip: When looking at lots of Hubble stars, turn off the Milky Way in the Display Menu. This allows the Hubble stars to form their own milky band of stars.

Magnitude Cutoff

Checking this box allows you to set a magnitude limit after which dimmer stars and objects are not shown. You can use this control if you know the limiting magnitude of your real sky, and would like to display your Starry Night sky in a similar fashion.

For example, if you live in a city, and your naked eye limiting magnitude is say, 4th magnitude, you could adjust the slider to show up to 4th magnitude stars but nothing dimmer. That way, what you see on the computer screen will be similar to what you will actually see naked-eye while observing from your city location.

You may also want to use this control to simulate your telescope's view on a given night. If you know the dimmest star that your telescope can make out, setting the slider to that magnitude will give you a good idea what you can view through your instrument.

  • Note: We recommend that you use Magnitude Cutoff with caution. If you forget that you have it enabled, you may wonder where the stars all went next time you're zooming in.


Chart View

Selecting "Chart View" from the Settings Menu will change the current view to Chart mode, which simulates the look of an astronomy chart. Stars are represented by dark circles on a white background. The size of a particular circle reflects the relative brightness of the star.

Chart view may be printed by selecting the Print command in the File Menu. This feature is particularly useful if you wish to take your Starry Night views outside in order to aid your field observations. (That is, if your computer isn't portable.)


Preferences

When you select Preferences from the Settings Menu, you are able to adjust several aspects of Starry Night, giving you control over how the program looks and responds. Preferences are global in nature, that is, once set, they are automatically used as the default preferences.

  • Shortcut: A quick way to access the Preferences window is to double-click on the Selection Tool.

To adjust particular features of objects such as stars, planets, and constellations, as well as guides and the onscreen info, choose Options from the Settings menu.

Dynamic Scrolling: Checking this box allows dynamic scrolling, which means that views are updated constantly while adjusting a scroller or slider. If unchecked, your view won't change as you adjust the scroll until you let go. If you have a slower computer, you may want to uncheck this box to increase performance.

  • Cool effect: If you hold down the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) while turning dynamic scrolling on, time will flow between each update of the screen while you are using the hand grabber. To turn off you must click in the dynamic scrolling (even if unchecked) with the Alt or Option key held down.

Show Zenith And Nadir: When this box is checked, the point directly above you (zenith) and the point directly below you (nadir) are shown.

Allow Maximum Zoom Out: Checking this box will allow you to zoom out to the maximum of 180°.

No Save Warnings: Checking this box turns off the message asking you if you want to save the currently unsaved window.

Labels Show Arrows: When this box is checked, labels will be accompanied by arrows, which point to the labeled object. When these arrows are on, Starry Night will activate a "name-avoidance algorithm", which attempts to keep labels from overlapping one another.

Show Viewport in Info Windows: If this box is checked, info windows will show the Viewport. For more information on this remarkable little window, see The Viewport, in the Gathering Information chapter.

  • Note: If you have a slower computer, you may want to uncheck this box to increase performance.

Enlarge Moon Size: When this box is checked, the Moon's disc is enlarged when viewing from the Earth. This simulates the illusion of an enlarged Moon that we experience here on Earth.

Sun Halo: The Sun's halo is an atmospheric effect that occurs when the Sun's light scatters through our atmosphere. The popup menu allows you to adjust whether or not this halo is displayed, and if so, whether it is shown only in daylight, or at all times. If you're viewing a total eclipse of the Sun, we recommend that you turn the Sun's halo on, as this halo also serves as the Sun's corona.

Sound Effects (Macintosh only): You can use this popup menu to choose between several sound effect sets.

Number Formats: There are a number of different formats in which declination, altitude, right ascension, and azimuth are described. These popup menus let you choose how each of these terms is displayed throughout Starry Night.

  • d: degrees
  • m: minutes
  • s: seconds

The numbers of each letter indicates decimal places of the format. For example, dd mm.mmm indicates that degrees will be displayed by up to two digits, with minutes being displayed by up to two digits rounded off to three decimal places, e.g. 25° 30.123 minutes.

Update In Realtime Every: This sets the number of seconds between screen updates when time is flowing at a normal rate.

  • The default setting is 5 seconds.

If set to 0, the screen will update as fast as your computer will let it. On slower computer it is best to set this default higher.

Number Of Undo Levels: Adjusts the number of undo levels, from 2 to 99. The default setting is 15 levels.

Zoom Step: sets the size of each zoom step. By increasing this slider, you will zoom in or out faster, since each zoom step is larger.

Elevation Step: sets the size of each elevation step. By increasing this slider, you can change your elevation at a faster rate, since each elevation step is larger.

Planet Path Length: sets the length of planets local and celestial paths, whenever they are turned on.

Animation Speed: This slider has been designed for use with future high-speed computer systems. Unless your computer is running at 500 MHz or more, we recommend leaving the animation speed slider full on.

Panning Speed: Sets the speed of pans used during finds, and when locating and centering objects.

Factory Defaults: Resets the above preferences to "fresh out of the box" default specifications.


Scenery Sets

Starry Night give you a choice of scenery sets. By default, Starry Night opens with tree scenery on the planet Earth. You may choose between several different scenery sets, including a star gazing party, an ocean view, palm trees or even dinosaurs. Select these from within the Viewing Location window.

Click on the Location button on the Tool Palette to open the Viewing Location window. Using the scenery popup menu, select which scenery set, if any, you would like to have displayed. Then close the window by pressing the Set Location button. The chosen scenery set will now be displayed.

To adjust the manner in which scenery sets are displayed, select Options from the Settings menu, then select Horizon from the popup list. For more information about these options see the Horizon chapter


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Page last modified on: January 25, 1999