PERSONAL OBSERVING LOG Version 2.01 SHAREWARE VERSION Registration Instructions: To print a copy of the order form, perform the following command at the DOS prompt: copy ORDER.FRM prn Fill out the order form and mail it with your payment to Ohio Star Software 8919 Deep Forest Ln. Centerville, OH 45458 lots more below (use PgDn to go through the screens) The Personal Observing Log is now being marketed as a ShareWare product. I have done this because I want to get the product into as many people's hands as possible, and still be able to invest in future versions. The registration fee for POL is $20.00. It was sold as a commercial package for over one year at a price of $79.95. Not many were sold at this price, and it received limited attention. My hope is that by lowering the price to 20 bucks and marketing it as a ShareWare product, it will experience a much greater presence in the market place. If you decide to use the POL as one of your applications, you should register it. Individual licenses for the Personal Observing Log package cost $20.00. A "club license" for the Personal Observing Log package can be purchased by astronomy organizations for $50.00. This will allow all members of the organization to make legal copies of the software and documentation. To register this version of the Personal Observing Log package, send a check or money order along with a completed order form to Ohio Star Software, 8919 Deep Forest Ln., Centerville, OH 45458. You can print the order form with with the DOS command: copy ORDER.FRM prn To start up the Personal Observing Log, issue the command "POL" from the DOS prompt. The program is easy enough to use that you shouldn't need to print the documentation! The documentation for the Personal Observing Log is in the file POL.TXT. You can print this text file by copying it to the printer with the following command: copy POL.TXT prn ******************************* NOTICE ******************************** * This program, and all supporting programs and documentation are * * provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed * * or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties * * of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no * * event will Offe Enterprises be liable to you for any damages * * arising out of the use or inability to use this program and/or * * all supporting programs and documentation. * ************************************************************************* DISTRIBUTION ------------ You may make copies of the program files for Personal Observing Log and the documentation POL.TXT together and distribute them to others, upload to bulletin boards etc. for non-commercial purposes. The program files should not be distributed without the documentation file POL.TXT. None of the files should be modified in any way. FEATURES -------- Ohio Star Software is proud to bring you our Personal Observing Log software. This application has been written to provide an inexpensive tool for recording your astronomical observations and for producing various reports of astronomical objects. Its main features are: 1135 "seeable" astronomical objects - All Messier objects, 129 Open Clusters, 79 Globular Clusters, 67 Planetary Nebulas, 107 Dark Nebulas, 575 Galaxies, and 70 Double Stars Full NGC Catalog (7840 objects) available for reporting and inclusion into primary database 29 customizable reports for planning and observing aids Up to 64000 characters (32 pages) of text can be entered for any object Allows you to add any objects of your own Allows a limiting magnitude to apply to the entire system Allows you to use any file listing utility to view output All reports can be viewed on screen, printed, or copied to a text file Output to ASCII files for viewing, printing, or use in another package Records which instrument (if any) was used to see an object Most reports allow you to place your on constraints on what objects are to be included Supports IBM, Epson, Star, Panasonic, and HP LaserJet printers Runs on IBM and compatible PCs with color or monochrome monitors Why Have a Computerized Observation Log? ======================================== Keeping a log of your astronomical observations provides you with many benefits. If you do not currently keep a log of your observations then you should start. If you do keep a log then Great!!!, but does your log help you plan your next session or allow easy access to notes on any viewed object? If not then you need the Personal Observing Log system. Some of the benefits of having an computerized log of your observations include: You can easily determine which objects you have or have not seen. For example, it would show you which Messier objects you still needed to see in order to join the "Messier Club". The log creates a measure of your equipment and observing skills. Comparing old notes to current observations will show how the equipment that you are using now compares to the equipment that you used for the earlier observations. If your equipment has not changed, then you might see that your observing skills have changed (for the better hopefully!). The log will allow you to keep track of objects that you tried to see but were unsuccessful on. On nights of exceptional seeing or a trip to a better than normal site, you can try to knock off some of the objects that you have failed on previously. The log will allow you to see how your observing skills compare to others. Comparing what you see to Burnham's or Webb's documentation is sometimes very surprising. Sometimes you are seeing exactly what they say they saw, and sometime its completely different. If your notes don't match what someone else's say, then maybe you were looking at the wrong object - it does happen... Recording your observations in detail forces you to observe in enough detail to make a log entry. This will force you to look harder and longer and therefore see more. Keeping a log will make you a better observer. If you don't record your observations into a computerized log, then you probably can't do a good job in planning out what objects to review, what object to try for the first time, and what objects to try for that you had failed on before. Having a log and a good planning tool will keep you from only seeing the same old objects each time you go out. A computerized log like the Personal Observing Log will be a tremendous aid in planning your observing sessions. You can go out with a report that shows by constellation (or Sky Atlas 2000 chart number), scores of objects, and highlights which objects you should try for. This list of objects will tell you the R.A. and Declination of the object, its type, size and magnitude, and any general comments about it. A computerized log eliminates all the messy, sloppy pieces of paper that are the hallmark of a manual system of note keeping. A computerized system puts all of your information into one place and allows you the security of having backup copies of the information. -------------------------- End of text -----------------------------