Mapping my view

[Hemi]

Dear Members,

I observe from an open verandah/courtyard on my first floor. House and roof to two sides and a fence on the other two. These structures define my view of the sky in terms of altitude when objects are visible to me in different directions. Is there a way I can map my view specifically in any software. That would be great in planning my sessions. ie knowing when an object will appear in "my" sky.

Cheers

[Auster1b (Neil)]

Hemi,
Most planetarium programs have an option to display your local horizon.

In general, you enter your horizon (obstruction) altitude in degrees at every degree of azimuth (direction) as a text file.
The program can then show this horizon superimposed on your view.

Free programs such as the very good Cartes du Ciel and also Stellarium have this feature.

Neil.

[Wavytone]

You might find it easier to use handheld devices (smartphone or tablet) while outside looking at the sky. For iOS (iPhone/iPad) there are many apps in the App store to choose from,

You could start with a digital planisphere e.g. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plan...331897327?mt=8 or
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id517591777

Then there are more serious digital sky maps, many to choose from of which Sky Safari is the best and which many here have and use, there are others.

One key thing to note is that the better apps like Sky Safari can make use of the compass and accelerometers in the device to align the map with the direction you are looking, this is a huge help to beginners. Adjustments for the date and time are automatic.

Some (like Sky Safari) have a "night mode" where the display is dimmed and displayed in red so that your night vision isn't utterly wrecked.

You can also find PDF starcharts to store on the device, for example http://www.geocities.jp/toshimi_taki/

Then there are digital orreries, for example Emerald Chronometer's "Observatory" app for iPads (not iPhones) may be of interest.

Spoiled for choice, I suggest.

[Hemi]

Thanks for the info.

Yes I have sky safari 5 on iPad.
....but what I want to do is set up customized horizons like Neil suggests. I haven't seen that option in any iPad software. Currently I don't use a laptop to control my scope, and stellarium for iPad doesn't have that option.

I will get stellarium for Mac, and customize their. My intent is to plan observing sessions during the day.

Cheers

Hemi

[ZeroID (Brent)]

How bad or obstructed is your horizon ?
Mine is pretty bad to the east and north but that is CBD and associated light glow.
Otherwise anything below about 30* is a waste of time anyway due to almospheric distortion. You soon get used to accounting for your visual obstructions without an aid but if you want to do it I'd be just checking anything above the 30* AZ line and not getting too pedantic about it all.

[Hemi]

Thanks everyone, Brent, I'm not sure how bad, that was going to be my next question, how do you measure it accurately. Are there any apps?

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Not to my knowledge. I think Observation Manager which I tried a while back, clever but complex can be setup with a sky feild view using a graphic and 'blocks' of dark to cover areas to NSEW but it's a guessitimate on your part, not automatic. I set it up with 80* blocks to my East and 35* to Nth with 25* to the Sth, 30* to the west but nowa days I just know when a target will come into my feild of view either later at night\morning or later in the year.
Eg I am waiting for the Virgo group to do some galaxy group imaging but it will be another 2-3 months before that rises at a civilised time for me to image and clears the trees. I'm still working so a.m. sessions after midnight aren't really an option. I just use Stellarium and it's clock feature to predict what and when.

I think my only advantage is having a good South view to the SCP so at some time in the year most things will pass overhead. My biggest loss is North at only 40* or so. Means Andromeda (M31) and targets that way are not viewable but the Southern sky has more to see anyway.

You make the best with what you've got. I suggest you learn the sky more, Stellarium helps a lot and you'll find you don't need all the apps and software\hardware to know what you can see on a particular night.

UPDATE: AstroPlanner is the software I used, not Observation Manager

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Here is Astroplanner for you. The top left feild I've circled in green shows the horizon planner view. The trial version is unlimited free and has enough on it for most amateurs anyway.

http://www.astroplanner.net/

[aarong (Aaron)]

You can take a panorama of your backyard and use it sky safari.
Details here: http://www.southernstars.com/support/faq/skysafari.html see point 24.

I used Google photo sphere, part of the google camera app and created a photosphere of the back yard with my smart phone. Make the sky transparent and save in the proper file format and folder in the above link. Works well. Mine is a little out, but close enough for planning what I'm going to be observing/photographing.

I can't find the link I followed. It might have been in the yahoo group. I'll post it if I find it.

What direction you start taking the panorama matters and it can differ based on how the app or program stitches the photo together. Nth has to be the left edge of the photo.

edit: I found the link in the southern skies yahoo group. It doesn't say too much more, other than the Google camera app and photosphere create a panorama that has the right dimensions for Sky Safari. Once a member, search for "Sky safari for android - custom panorama hint using photosphere". If you can get the Google camera app or photosphere on an iphone/tab, then I don't see why this wouldn't work for you.

[RobF (Rob)]

+1 what Brent said. Astroplanner will do EXACTLY what you describe. Let you map your visible horizon using your scope if you have a PC connection, otherwise manually. Will then show object "rise" and "set" on those horizons and visibility throughout the night also on horizons, darkness etc.

Fantastic software for visual planning, logging and/or astrophotography sessions.

[Hemi]

Thanks guys, that's great.
I'll try astroplanner. I already use sky safari, so will try and get a panorama into it.

Cheers