home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Our Solar System
/
Our Solar System.iso
/
simul
/
cosms807
/
cosmos.doc
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1989-04-30
|
54KB
|
1,926 lines
C O S M O S
Planetarium Simulator
Version 8.07
Copyright 1988,1989
April 30, 1989
by Gene W. Lee
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Horizon Display Description 4
Zenith Display Description 5
Pick Mode 6
Orbital Display Description 7
Ecliptic Orbital Display Description 8
Planet Size Display 8
Planet Position Display 9
Planet Distance Display 9
Planet Rise Times Display 9
Menu Descriptions 10
a. Main Menu 10
b. Star Setup Menu 12
c. Time Setup Menu 13
d. Location Setup Menu 14
e. Planet Setup Menu 14
Files used by the program 15
a. STARFILE 15
b. MENU.SAV 16
c. COSMOS.DOC 16
d. COSMOS.EXE 16
Technical Notes 16
a. GMT Time / Local Time /Daylight Savings Time 16
b. Phase 16
c. Altitude and Azimuth 17
d. AU Astronomical Units 17
e. Formulas used by the program 17
f. Development System 17
g. Program Accuracy 17
h. Astronomical Experiments 18
i. History of Enhancements 20
j. Caveats 25
k. Program Call 26
l. COSMOS Environment Variable 26
Terms of License 28
Copyright Notice 29
Index 32
Introduction
Cosmos is a program which provides astronomical simulations the
same way a planetarium does. Cosmos will show the past, present
and future skies as viewed from Earth. It also shows the position
of the planets in orbit around the Sun and gives specific data
about the celestial bodies.
Program options allow the user to select date/time of display,
direction of view, viewer's latitude and longitude, screen
updating parameters and much more.
Using the display updating parameters Cosmos can display a
complete days movement of the heavens, or demonstrate the
retrograde motion of the planets by displaying the sky at the
same time each consecutive day.
Cosmos was written on a UNISYS IT with EGA graphics and a 80287.
The program is intended to run on any DOS system that has VGA,
EGA, CGA or Hercules graphics. Although the program will run in
CGA mode, the display is very poor because of the lack of
resolution and colors. If you must use CGA mode, try forcing
Monochrome Hires mode. See program call options for details.
The program will also run with or without a math co-processor,
however, it is painfully slow without one because of the intense
floating point arithmetic involved.
If the version number displayed on the first screen ends with
'(Limited)', this version of Cosmos is being distributed as a
Limited Demonstration version. Its limitations are that it will
work only for the years 1986 through 1988 and that it includes
less stars in the data base. The Full Function version will work
between the years 1700 and 2500. The full function version also
includes over 2100 stars and messier objects.
The Full Function version can be requested by sending a support
donation using the form at the end of this document.
Horizon Display Description
The Horizon display attempts to show the sky as seen from Earth
when looking in specified direction at a specific time of day.
The left side of the display is what would be seen over your left
shoulder as is the right side over your right shoulder. The top
of of the display shows what you would see directly over your
head. You must realize that distortion increases as you
approach the edges of the arc. Another way to think of what the
display is representing is image you are sitting in the middle of
the planetarium. You see in front of you half of the dome. The
difference is that at the planetarium your field of view would
not be large large enough to see the complete half dome all at
one time, and with the program the complete half dome is plotted
on the screen.
The Moon is drawn in its approximate phase with the New Moon
represented with an empty circle. The drawing of the phase of
the Moon is rounded to the nearest quarter ( New, First Quarter,
Half, Third Quarter, Full, etc.).
By using menu selections you can control the brightness of the
stars, direction of view, select Real Time display or a User
defined time, change the update rate of the display and much
more.
As in all displays the Escape key exits from the display. See
the Display Help menu for more information.
Note that the time and date displayed at the top of the screen
represent Local Time and assume that the system clock is set to
daylight savings time when applicable ( see technical notes for
more details on daylight savings time ). When 'Leave Trails' is
turned on the time/date displayed on the left are the start time
and the time/date on the right are the current time.
CONTROL KEYS for this display are:
p: Pause the updating of this display and put the
display in PICK mode (See Pick Mode)
Escape: Exit Pause/Pick Mode.
s: Pick Star while in Pick Mode. Any key press
releases pick.
h: Highlight all stars in the constellation that
contains the star that has been Picked.
l: Dump current screen to an IBM compatible printer
(Best results are obtained in EGA Mode)
left/right arrows: scroll display view to the left/right.
( changes view direction )
Zenith Display Description
The Zenith display attempts to show the sky as seen from Earth
when looking directly over head at a given time of day.
The top of the display represents the compass direction of North,
Down is South, Right is to the West and the left side of the
circle is toward the East horizon You must realize that
distortion increases as you approach the edges of the circle,
especially for small values of View Angle.
The Zenith View Angle specifies the lowest Altitude an object may
have and still be plotted on the display. For example, if Zero
is entered, then all object who's altitude is currently above the
horizon will be plotted. If 89 is entered, only objects who's
current altitude is greater than 89 will be display, thus the
effective view angle is only objects within one degree of
vertical.
The Moon is drawn in its approximate phase with the New Moon
represented with an empty circle. The drawing of the phase of
the Moon is rounded to the nearest quarter ( New, First Quarter,
Half, Third Quarter, Full, etc.).
By using menu selections you can control the brightness of the
stars, direction of view, select Real Time display or a User
defined time, change the update rate of the display and much
more.
As in all displays the Escape key exits from the display. See
the Display Help menu for more information.
Note that the time and date displayed at the top of the screen
represent Local Time and assume that the system clock is set to
daylight savings time when applicable ( see technical notes for
more details on daylight savings time ). When 'Leave Trails' is
turned on the time/date displayed on the left are the start time
and the time/date on the right are the current time.
CONTROL KEYS for this display are:
p: Pause the updating of this display and put the
display in PICK mode (See Pick Mode)
Escape: Exit Pause/Pick Mode.
s: Pick Star while in Pick Mode. Any key press
releases pick.
h: Highlight all stars in the constellation that
contains the star that has been Picked.
l: Dump current screen to an IBM compatible printer
(Best results are obtained in EGA Mode)
Pick Mode
When in the HORIZON or ZENITH display modes the user has the
option of picking an object on the display to find out what it
is. If the cursor is within the capture range of an object it
will lock on to that object and display information about it. If
the cursor is not within the capture range of an object the
Altitude/Azimuth and Right Ascension/Declination of the spot
selected is displayed.
After a star has been Picked, the user has the option of
highlighting all stars which are in the constellation that
contains the picked star.
HOW TO USE THIS FEATURE:
While in the horizon or zenith display modes, press the 'p' key
to enter Pick mode. After all objects on the display have been
updated to reflect the displayed time, Pick mode will be entered.
Move the cursor around the screen by pressing the arrow keys.
For finer cursor movement press the SHIFT key along with an arrow
key. When the cursor is pointing at the desired object press 's'
to select. If the cursor is within the capture range of an
object the cursor will first be repositioned to point at the
object. A pop up window will then appear which will provide
details about the object. Included in this information is
-Altitude and Azimuth (See Technical notes for definition).
-Right Ascension and Declination.
-Apparent Magnitude of the object.
-Constellation the object is part of.
-Name of the object if known.
-Spectral Type of the object.
-Object Type (Star,Double star, Planet, Nebula, etc.).
If an object other than a planet was selected, the user has the
option to Highlight all objects in the constellation containing
this object. To perform highlighting, press the 'h' key when the
display directs you to do so. Pressing any other key will
release pop up window.
Orbital Display Description
The Orbital Display attempts to show the position of the planets
as they orbit the Sun. The view is from above the plane of the
system with planets moving counter clockwise around the Sun.
By using the control keys you can zoom in toward the Sun or back
away from it. The 't' key toggles whether the planets leave a
trail as they move. The control keys will also allow you to
freeze the motion of the planets.
As in all displays the Escape key exits from the display. See the
Display Help menu for more information.
Note that the time and date displayed at the top of the screen
represent Local Time land and assume system clock is set to
daylight savings time when applicable ( see technical notes for
more details on daylight savings time ). When 'Leave Trails'
is turned on the time/date displayed on the left are the start
time and the time/date on the right are the current time.
CONTROL KEYS for this display are:
p: Pause the updating of this display
t: Toggles whether planets leave a trail as they move
+: Zooms in on the Sun
-: Zooms out from the Sun
r: Restore Default Zoom value
l: Dump current screen to an IBM compatible printer
(Best results are obtained in EGA Mode)
Orbital Display Description
The Ecliptic Orbital Display attempts to show the position of the
planets as they orbit the Sun. The perspective of the view is
edge-on as seen from a position in the direction of the bottom of
the screen on the Orbital Display.
By using the control keys you can zoom in toward the Sun or back
away from it. The 't' key toggles whether the planets leave a
trail as they move. The control keys will also allow you to
freeze the motion of the planets.
As in all displays the Escape key exits from the display. See the
Display Help menu for more information.
Note that the time and date displayed at the top of the screen
represent Local Time land and assume system clock is set to
daylight savings time when applicable ( see technical notes for
more details on daylight savings time ). When 'Leave Trails'
is turned on the time/date displayed on the left are the start
time and the time/date on the right are the current time.
CONTROL KEYS for this display are:
p: Pause the updating of this display
t: Toggles whether planets leave a trail as they move
+: Zooms in on the Sun
-: Zooms out from the Sun
r: Restore Default Zoom value
l: Dump current screen to an IBM compatible printer
(Best results are obtained in EGA Mode)
Planet Size Display
The Size display allows the user to visualize the difference in
size between any two planets, the Sun or the Moon. The display
draws the two bodies to relative scale and labels them on the
bottom of the display. Above each of the bodies their diameter in
Miles is given. The figures which appear between the two bodies
shows the ratio of the size of the larger to the smaller one.
Planet Position Display
This screen provides numerical information about the planets, Sun
and Moon's position as views from Earth.
The right ascension and declination for each body is given along
with its Altitude and Azimuth.
Each time a key is pressed ( excluding the Escape key and the
'A' key) the display time is updated according to the
*Update Mode and the fields are re-calculated and re-displayed.
Pressing the 'A' key will cause the display to continuously
update until another key is pressed.
* Refer to Update Mode description of the Setup Time Menu.
Planet Distance Display
This screen provides numerical information about the planets and
Sun.
It currently displays the distance from the Earth to each of the
Planets and the distance from each of the Planets to the Sun.
The distance is measured in Astronomical Units (AUs) and in
Millions of miles. AUs are equal to 149.6 Million Kilometers or
92.96 Million Miles.
Each time a key is pressed ( excluding the Escape key and the
'A' key ) the display time is updated according to the
*Update Mode and the fields are re-calculated and re-displayed.
Pressing the 'A' key will cause the display to continuously
update until another key is pressed.
* Refer to Update Mode description of the Setup Time Menu.
Planet Rise Times Display
This screen provides numerical information about the planets,
Moon and Sun rise and set times.
This display shows the rise and set time of each of the planets,
the Sun and the Moon. The Total Rise column gives the amount of
time the body is above the horizon. The Phase and Apparent
Magnitude of each of the bodies are also listed.
Each time a key is pressed ( excluding the Escape key and the
'A' key ) the display time is updated according to the
*Update Mode and the fields are re-calculated and re-displayed.
Pressing the 'A' key will cause the display to continuously
update until another key is pressed.
* Refer to Update Mode description of the Setup Time Menu.
Menu Descriptions
This section will describe the purpose and function of each of
the menu screens.
a. Main Menu
DISPLAY TYPE is filled in with the type of display
you wish to see. (Refer to description of each
display type)
1 -Horizon
2 -Orbital
3 -Planetary Data
4 -Distance Data
9 -Help Menu for Display Control
0 -Exit Program
VIEW DIRECTION is used to select which way you are
looking when using the Horizon Display. Direction
is the same as its measured using a magnetic
compass.
ZENITH VIEW ANGLE defines the lowest altitude that
a body can be at and still appear on the Zenith
display
LEAVE TRAIL selects whether the bodies on the
Horizon and Orbital display leave a trail behind
them as they move.
SETUP TIME MENU is used to change the display time,
update mode and update rate.
SETUP LOCATION MENU allows definition of where the
observer is located on the Earth.
SETUP STARS MENU is used to change parameters
dealing with how stars are displayed on the Horizon
Display.
SETUP PLANETS MENU is used to enable/disable the
display of each planet (including Sun and Moon).
RESTORE MENU SETUP will reread menu.sav file and
re-load the default menu setup that the program
start up with.
SAVE MENU SETUP will save the current state of the
menu selections and definitions.
NOTE: The saved menu configuration is read in at
program startup. This will enable you to set
such things as your longitude and latitude and have
them come up as the default every time you run the
program.
Example, Go through all the menus setting up the
parameters the way you they apply to your specific
situation. Then select "Save Menu Setup" by
entering a "y" on the Save Menu Setup line followed
by pressing the Escape key. From now on the menus
will be setup this way every time you start the
program.
b. Star Setup Menu
This menu is used to configure how stars will be
displayed when viewing the Horizon Display. Stars
can be turned on and off and their apparent
magnitude can be adjusted.
DISPLAY STARS selects whether or not stars are
displayed on the Horizon Display ( Note: our Sun is
not considered in the set of stars but is treated
more like a planet)
FIRST CUTOFF, Stars with magnitudes between minus
infinity and the First Cutoff are displayed in a
high intensity white.
SECOND CUTOFF, stars with magnitudes between the
first cutoff and the second cutoff are displayed in
a medium intensity white.
THIRD CUTOFF, stars with magnitudes between the
second cutoff and the third cutoff are displayed in
a low intensity white.
Stars with magnitudes dimmer than the third cutoff
are not displayed.
These cutoff values allow the user to limit the
stars displayed to the stars that can actually be
seen due to the amount of ambient city lights where
they are located.
HIGHLIGHT CONSTELLATIONS determines whether or not
the constellation that the PICKED star is in is
highlighted (See Pick Mode).
c. Time Setup Menu
This menu is used to define the time for which the
display in drawn and to define how much time each
consecutive display is advanced.
UPDATE MODE, If System Clock (0) mode is selected
then the system's clock is used to derive the time
for each consecutive display and the value of
Update Rate is ignored.
Values other than System Clock use the User Defined
Time described below and are incremented each
consecutive display by adding the Update Rate to
the displayed time according to the display mode.
A Sidereal Day is one revolution of the Earth with
reference to the stars ( instead of the Sun ). It
is approximately equal to 23 hours and 56 minutes.
A Lunar Day is one revolution of the Earth with
reference to the Moon ( instead of the Sun ). It is
approximately equal to 1 day and 50 minutes.
UPDATE RATE defines how much time is added to each
consecutive display. It is used when ever the
'System Clock' Update Mode is NOT selected. See
Update Mode definition.
MONTH, DAY, YEAR, HOUR, MIN, SEC are used as the
User Defined Time. See Update Mode.
* NOTE *: User defined time is specified in
Local Time including Daylight Savings Time when
applicable.
d. Location Setup Menu
This menu allows the user to define where they are
located on the planet Earth. This information is
not used in the Orbital Display.
LONGITUDE is the observer's longitude on Earth.
This value is used in the Horizon Display. West of
the Prime Meridian is positive and East is
nEGAtive.
Example: Mpls, Mn. is approximately +90
Columbus, Ohio is approx. +80
LATITUDE is the observer's latitude on Earth. This
value is used in the Horizon Display. North of the
Equator is positive and South is negative.
Example: Mpls, Mn. is approximately +45
Columbus, Ohio is approx. +40
TIME ZONE describes the difference between
Greenwich time and local time.
Example : Central Time is a +6.
Eastern Time is a +5.
e. Planet Setup Menu
This menu is used to select which bodies will
appear on the displays. Select 'y' to enable the
display of each body and 'n' to disable it.
Yes Carl Sagan, I know, the Sun and Moon are not
really planets.
Files used by the program
This section describes the files used by Cosmos. It explains
their usage and where applicable, their format.
a. STARFILE
This file contains the star data used by Cosmos.
Cosmos will read as many of the stars listed in the
file as will fit into the available memory on your
system. This file is in binary format and contains
the following information.
- Right Ascension of the object.
- Declination of the object.
- Magnitude (apparent) of the object.
- Which constellation the object belongs to.
This information is shown when a star is PICKED on
the horizon screen.
- The name of the object.
This information is shown when a star is PICKED on
the horizon screen.
- Object Type which gives the type of body the
object is.
i.e. - Star, Double Star, Nebula, etc.
This information is shown when a star is PICKED on
the horizon screen.
- Spectral Type of the object.
This information is shown when a star is PICKED on
the horizon screen.
b. MENU.SAV
This is the file used to save the current setup of
the menus. Refer to it's definition under the Save
Setup section of the Main Menu description.
Every time Cosmos is started, this file is read
( if it exists ) and the menu default parameter are
loaded from it. This file is also read to re-load
the default menu parameters on the 'restore default
menu' option.
c. COSMOS.DOC
This document.
d. COSMOS.EXE
The executable program.
Technical Notes
a. GMT Time / Local Time /Daylight Savings Time
Cosmos thinks in terms of Greenwich Mean Time but
interfaces with the user in Local Time. Cosmos
uses the value you set in TIME ZONE ( see the
Location Menu ) to make this correction.
Your system clock should be set to the correct
local time. This includes daylight savings time if
applicable. If daylight savings time is not
instituted where you are or you do not want to set
your system's clock in daylight saving time, Cosmos
can be called with the 'n' option. This will
instruct the program not to make any corrections
for daylight savings time and will expect the clock
to be set to Local Standard time.
NOTE: Daylight Savings Time is assumed to begin on
the FIRST Sunday of April and end on the LAST
Sunday of October (U.S. DST). European DST (see the
'd' program call option) is assumed to begin on the
LAST Sunday of March and end on the LAST Sunday of
September.
b. Phase
The phase of a body is defined as follows:
( using the Moon phases as an example )
0,360 degrees is the New Moon.
270 degrees is the first half ( Waxing half ).
180 degrees is the full Moon.
90 degrees is the last half ( Waning half ).
This applies to all other solar system bodies.
c. Altitude and Azimuth
Altitude and Azimuth describe the elevation and
compass direction from the observer.
Altitude is measured in degrees above the horizon.
0.0 is on the horizon and 90.0 is straight up. A
negative altitude implies that the object is below
the horizon.
Azimuth is measured in degrees from North. 0.0 is
North, 90.0 is East, 180.0 is South and 270.0 is
West.
d. AU Astronomical Units
Astronomical Units are a measure of length which
are roughly equal to the radius of the Earth's
orbit around the Sun at its farthest point.
1 AU = 149.6 Million kilometers.
e. Formulas used by the program
The formulas used by this program were derived
using the book 'Practical astronomy with your
calculator' written by Duffet Smith, Peter.
Published by Press Syndicate of the University of
Cambridge 1979, 1981.
f. Development System
This program was written using Turbo-C 1.5 on a
Unisys IT with an EGA display and a 80287.
g. Program Accuracy
The accuracy of the positions calculated and
plotted vary at most by a couple of minutes of arc.
This will produce plots that are well within the
needs of an amateur astronomers, however, it should
not be used for Celestial navigation.
h. Astronomical Experiments
These are just some of the ways you can use Cosmos
to watch the heavens move. Many more are possible,
its up to your imagination.
-- Watch a complete day go by in minutes.
To see the Sun, Moon and the planets traverse the
sky while you watch it a simple task.
To see this motion set the Update Mode to
"Increment by minutes" and set the Update Rate to
four or five. Turn off the stars to increase the
display update speed. Look at the southern horizon
and watch the days go by.
-- Watch the stars circle the North Star as the
Earth rotates through a day.
The North Star is approximately aligned with the
Earth's axis of rotation. If you photograph the
northern sky with long exposures you will get a
picture with the stars forming concentric circles
around the North Star.
To create this picture using Cosmos, set up the
horizon display to view the northern sky from a
northern latitude. Turn on "Bodies Leave Trails".
Set the Update Mode to "Increment Minutes" and the
Update Rate to about 5. As you watch each frame of
the display progress the concentric circles appear.
-- Watch the Sun's height in the sky at noon change
through out the year.
As the Earth travels around the Sun the angle
between an observer on the Earth and the Sun
changes. On the Winter Solstice the Sun is low in
the sky at noon and on the Summer Solstice it
reaches its high point.
To see this you can use the program to display the
position of the Sun every day at noon. Set the
"Bodies Leave Trails" to YES. Set the Update Mode
to Increment Day and set the Update Rate to one.
Displaying the southern horizon you will see the
Sun Rise as Summer approaches and then began to
fall as Fall leads to Winter.
-- Watch the movement of the Sun during a Summer
day above the Arctic Circle.
At latitudes above the Arctic Circle the Sun will
not set on the longest day of the year, June 21.
To recreate this 24 hour day set the viewers
latitude to a value between 66.5 and 90.0. Set the
time of display to be June 21 of any year. This can
be accomplished by setting the Update Mode to
Increment Minutes and the Update Rate to about
five. If you watch the Suns movement during one
full day you will notice that the sun did not rise
and set but rather that it followed a path of equal
height around the horizon. If you display
Planetary Data (from the main menu) you will notice
that the Rise/Set time for the Sun is "Never Sets".
-- Watch the retrograde motion of the planets.
The retrograde motion of the planets refers to the
way they wander through the constellations from
night to night. In fact, the word planet means
wanderer.
To see this motion, set the Update Mode to
"Increment Sidereal Day" and set the Update rate to
two or three. This mode updates the display by the
same amount of time it takes the stars to return to
the same position in the sky each consecutive
night. Turning off the display of the Moon and Sun
is recommended for this experiment If you set
"Bodies Leave Trails" the planets will draw their
paths through the stars as they move. A
recommended Date/Location setup for this display
is; look at the southern horizon from North America
at Midnight on September first. With Stars
displayed it can take up to fifteen minutes (with
math co-processor)to get an interesting display.
i. History of Enhancements
Revision 5.73 5-9-88
First Public Release
Revision 5.74 5-25-88
New Memory Model allows all stars in starfile to
fit into memory.
Problem with program stating "Rename program to
cosmos.exe" when DOS switch char is changed has
been fixed.
Attempted fix for intermittent math error on some
systems was made. (time will tell)
Revision 5.75 6-1-88
Program uses expanded star file which now includes
star names/descriptions and also has more stars.
Revision 5.76 6-11-88
Added menu selection to re-read the default menu
setup from file MENU.SAV.
Revision 5.77 6-14-88
Fixed two coding bugs which caused floating point
math errors.
Revision 5.78 6-20-88
Test of Star Pick functions (UNRELEASED)
Revision 5.79 6-22-88
Changed format of starfile to binary file. Stars
load in 1/4 the old load time.
Revision 5.80 6-24-88
Fixed bug in program that incorrectly rounded star
magnitude cutoff values to integers.
Revision 5.81 6-25-88
Added constellation highlighting feature when a
star is Picked (See horizon display for details).
This new menu option causes old menu.sav files to
become invalid. Execute Menu Save option again.
Changed the color of Neptune so that it is
different than Jupiter.
Revision 5.82 6-26-88
First version to have Pick cursor working. Cursor
shape needs more work.
Revision 5.83 6-29-88
Method for highlighting constellations changed; no
longer use menu option to determine whether or not
to highlight. Instruction on how to use Pick Mode
are now given interactively to the user.
Revision 5.84 7-2-88
Program now uses and displays constellation names
instead of IAU designation.
Revision 5.85 7-3-88
Fixed problem that stars which are already plotted
on the horizon display are erased because another
star tries to plot on top of it. Fixed problem
where pick display where it left out the negative
sign on negative declinations.
Revision 5.86 8-7-88
Combined Program Logo screen and the star reading
screen into one Logo screen.
Revision 5.87 8-14-88
Added 'Up' field to Planetary Data Display. This
field contains an up-arrow if the body is above the
horizon at the displayed time.
Revision 5.88 8-18-88
First TEST version released with print out option
on the horizon screen.
Revision 5.89 8-29-88
Made changes to the horizon printout routine. Made
Internal changes.
Revision 5.90 9-6-88
Changed time printout on Horizon display to show
start time and current time when 'leave trails' is
on. This then shows how long it took to make the
trails on the screen.
Revision 5.91 9-9-88
Made same change as 5.90 to the Orbit display.
Revision 6.00 9-10-88
Fix to compiler now allows program to be compiled
using Huge model. This allowed the following
enhancements.
Put 'Display Help' function back in.
Did more work on Horizon display printout feature.
Added screen dump function to the Orbit display.
Incorporated .BGI and .CHR files into the program,
they are no longer needed.
Added update increment of 'Lunar Day' to time setup
menu.
Revision 6.01 9-12-88
Added 'Planet Distances' display.
Revision 6.02 9-13-88
Changed 'Planet Distances' display to show distance
of planets from Sun and from Earth.
Revision 6.03 9-15-88
Added distance measurement of Miles on the 'Planets
Distances' display.
Revision 6.04 9-16-88
Fixed memory allocation problem on systems with
256k of memory. Added messages to confirm writing
and reading of the menu save file.
Revision 6.05 9-17-88
Split out Planetary data display into three
separate displays. 1-Planet Positions 2-Planet
distances and 3-Planet rise/set times.
Revision 6.06 9-18-88
Added check in display printout routine to check
for printer being off line.
Revision 6.07 9-21-88
Cosmos now displays the update mode and rate at the
bottom of the horizon display.
Revision 6.08 9-23-88
Total-Rise-Time column added to the Rise-Times
display.
Revision 6.09 10-1-88
Cursor (in pick mode) now screen wraps instead of
stopping at the screen edges.
Revision 6.10 10-22-88
Enhanced program to use COSMOS environment variable.
( see Program Call section of document )
Revision 6.11 11-1-88
Added Monochrome (640x200) mode as a valid display
mode.
Revision 6.12 11-6-88
Fixed potential problem with program selecting non-
supported advance graphics modes.
Revision 6.13 11-29-88
Fixed problem of not plotting N.East stars when
viewing N.West on the horizon display.
Fixed program so it is now possible to PICK (see
pick mode) the North Star.
Revision 6.14 11-30-88
Added support for European Daylight Savings Time.
Revision 7.00 12-06-88
Added display to show the size difference between
planets ( see Size Display description )
Revision 7.01 12-07-88
Upgraded compiler for program to Turbo-C 2.0
Revision 7.02 12-12-88
Fixed problem with program crashing when dumping
display to printer in VGA mode.
Revision 7.03 12-13-88
Fixed a rare bug in displaying the setting times of
bodies when latitude is at the Arctic Circle.
Revision 7.04 12-17-88
Added Reset-Zoom function to Orbit Display. Fixed
error on the Help Display.
Revision 7.05 12-22-88
Added support for Hercules Display mode.
Revision 7.06 12-23-88
Cosmos now displays the update mode and rate at the
bottom of the Orbit display.
Revision 7.07 12-24-88
Enhanced PICK Mode to allow a Planet, the Sun or
the Moon to be selected.
Revision 7.08 12-26-88
Added Planet Magnitude information to the Rise-
Times display and the Pick Mode pop-up windows.
Revision 7.09 12-28-88
Fixes made to support Hercules Monochrome Mode.
Revision 7.10 12-30-88
Fixed problem with selecting the Moon in Pick Mode
on Horizon Display.
Revision 7.11 1-3-89
Changed program to list all valid options if
program is started with an invalid option.
Revision 7.12 1-7-89
Fixed a bug that would not allow -10,-11 or -12 to
be entered into the TIME ZONE field on the LOCATION
menu.
Revision 7.13 1-10-89
Removed check that would not let user enter Pick
Mode when no stars had been plotted. Related to
change in version 7.07
Revision 7.14 1-23-89
Fixed bug that caused intermittent program crashes
due to floating point math errors.
Revision 8.00 2/7/89
Added Zenith Display Mode.
Revision 8.01 2/8/89
Added Zenith View Angle control from the main menu.
MENU.SAV file must be re-created. MENU.SAV file
created from previous version can not be used.
Revision 8.02 2/8/89
Fix to Zenith display to catch picks being made
outside the display circle.
Revision 8.03 2/9/89
Changed layout of Zenith display to make it appear
more as the sky would if looking up. Labeled West
and East sides of Zenith display.
Revision 8.04 3/8/89
Starfile fixed to label Cancer constellation
correctly. No actual changes to program.
Revision 8.05 3/17/89
Added automatic updating feature to the data
displays -Rise Time display, Distance display, etc.
Revision 8.06 4/28/89
Added scroll functionality to the HORIZON display.
Revision 8.07 4/30/89
Added the Ecliptic Orbit Display.
j. Caveats
Since this program was written on an EGA system,
the displays were optimized to look best in EGA and
VGA modes. Although the program does run in CGA
mode, the display is of extremely low quality ( due
to the low resolution ) and is not useful if any
detail is required.
The program is very math intensive and needs a math
co-processor to run effectively. The program will
run without math co-processor support, however the
program becomes limited in its display updating
due to the long calculation times of the math
emulation routines.
If you have a math co-processor and are interested
in seeing just how slow this program will run
without it, do the following.
Before executing Cosmos ( at the DOS prompt ),
type "set 87=n". The program, when run, will
detect this value and use floating point emulation
routines instead of the math chip.
Now that you have seen what a good investment your
math co-processor is, you can re-enable it by
exiting Cosmos and typing "set 87=y".
NOTE: the " (Quotes) were not supposed to be typed
in.
k. Program Call
After moving to the directory which contains
Cosmos.exe, the .BGI and .CHR files, menu.sav and
the starfile, the program should be called as
follows:
COSMOS {-options}
Current options are:
s -Do not pause during title display.
n -Do not correct for Daylight Savings Time.
d -Use European Daylight Savings Time Dates.
v -Force VGA display mode.
(640x480, 16 colors)
e -Force EGA display mode.
(640x350, 16 colors)
c -Force CGA display mode.
(320x200, 4 colors, palette 1)
m -Force Monochrome display mode.
(640x200, 2 colors)
h -Force Hercules display mode.
(720x348, 2 colors)
Examples:
cosmos -n
{ Would turn off DST correction }
cosmos -v -n
{ Would turn off DST correction
AND force the program to override
the detected graphics mode and
use VGA graphics display mode
instead.
*** NOTE ***: OPTIONS ARE CASE SENSITIVE.
l. COSMOS Environment Variable
If there is an environment variable COSMOS set, the
program will use its value as the path to access
the files used by the program.
As an example, add the line SET COSMOS=C:\COSMOS\
to the autoexec.bat file (assuming the directory
c:\cosmos contains the cosmos program and all its
related files). Now change to any other directory,
say the root directory. Execute the cosmos program
(c:\cosmos\cosmos). Cosmos will now be able to
find its files even though you are not in the
cosmos directory.
Terms of License
As the licensee of the Full Function Version (excludes limited
version) of this program, you may use it on one computer. If you
are an individual (but not a company or an institution), you may
use the program on any other computer(s) that you own
personally. Companies and Institutions must register one copy
per computer or obtain a site license.
Copyright Notice
Everyone who purchase the full-function version will be notified
of updates and enhancements to the program.
If the version number displayed on the first screen ends with
'(Limited)', this version of Cosmos is being distributed as a
Limited Demonstration version. Its limitations are that it will
work only for the years 1986 through 1988 and that it includes
less stars in the data base. The Full Function version will work
between the years 1700 and 2500. The full function version also
includes over 2100 stars and messier objects.
The Full Function version can be requested by sending a support
donation using the form at the end of this document.
Limitations on distribution and use include the following:
No responsibilities for the operation of Cosmos is assumed or
implied by its author. The user of Cosmos uses the program
at their own risk. The author assumes no responsibly for
damages caused by use of this program.
This program and its documentation may not be distributed if
any changes have been made.
The copyright notice and statement of authorship must not be
modified or removed.
All copies of the Full-Function (Unlimited) version must be
registered and may not be distributed.
Cosmos may not be distributed for profit.
Use the following form to purchase the Full-Function (Unlimited)
version of Cosmos.
Remit to: Gene W. Lee Order Form
7500 Colorado Ave N. 8.07
Brooklyn Park, Mn.
55443
Please send:
____ Cosmos Disk (Full-Function Version)....... @ $ 25.00 ea. $ ____
(includes program and manual on disk)
(Minnesota residents please add 6.0% sales tax) Tax ____
Total $ ______
Payment by: ( ) Check drawn on US Bank ( ) Money Order
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Organization: ________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
: ____________________________________________________________
: ____________________________________________________________
Day Phone: (___) _________________ Eve: (___) ___________________
ORDERS OUTSIDE THE US: Use check or Money Order drawn on US BANK in
US DOLLARS. Add $5 (per copy) for non-US shipping of orders.
Sorry, no C.O.D. orders will be accepted.
WARNING: YOU MAY NOT USE COSMOS WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION WITHOUT A
PURCHASE OR LICENSE ARRANGEMENT.
WARNING: The author assumes no responsibility for damages caused by
uses of this program.
PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
System Type Survey
Computer Type ______________________________________________
System Memory _______ Monitor Type ____________ Math Chip _______
Index
Actual, 24
Altitude, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 17
Ambient, 12
Angle, 5, 10, 18, 24
Apparent, 6, 9, 12, 15
Arrows, 4
Ascension, 6, 9, 15
AU, 2, 17
AUs, 9
Automatic, 24
Azimuth, 2, 6, 9, 17
A' key, 9
Bodies Leave Trails, 18
Brightness, 4, 5
Cancer, 24
Cause, 9
Caveats, 2, 25
CGA, 3, 25, 26
Clock' Update, 13
Companies, 28
Company, 28
Compass, 5, 10, 17
Constellation, 4, 5, 6, 12, 15, 20, 21, 24
CONSTELLATIONS, 12, 19, 20
Continuously, 9
Copyright, 1, 2, 29, 30
Correctly, 24
COSMOS, 2, 3, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31
Co-processor, 3, 19, 25
Declination, 6, 9, 15
Declinations, 21
Default, 7, 8, 10, 16, 20
Degree, 5
Degrees, 17
Diameter, 8
Direction, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 17
Distance, 2, 9, 10, 22, 24
Distances, 21, 22
Distortion, 4, 5
Dome, 4
DOS, 3, 20, 25
DST, 16, 26
Earth, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 14, 18, 22
Ecliptic, 8
Edge-on, 8
EGA, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 25, 26
Elevation, 17
Emulation, 25
Equator, 14
European, 16, 22, 26
Excludes, 28
Full-function, 29, 30, 31
Functionality, 24
GMT, 2, 16
Graphics, 3, 22, 26
Greenwich, 14, 16
Height, 18, 19
Hercules, 3, 23, 26
Highlight, 4, 5, 6, 12, 20
Highlighted, 12
Highlighting, 6, 20
Horizon, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23,
24
HOUR, 13, 19
Hours, 13
Index, 2, 32
Individual, 28
Infinity, 12
Institution, 28
Institutions, 28
Intensity, 12
Introduction, 2, 3
Jupiter, 20
Kilometers, 9, 17
Label, 24
Latitude, 3, 10, 14, 18, 19, 23
Latitudes, 19
License, 2, 28, 31
Licensee, 28
Limitations, 3, 29, 30
Location, 2, 10, 14, 16, 19, 23
Longitude, 3, 10, 14
Lunar, 13, 21
Magnitude, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20, 23
Magnitudes, 12
Math, 3, 19, 20, 24, 25, 31
Measure, 17
Measured, 9, 10, 17
Menu, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
26
Menus, 12, 16
Meridian, 14
Messier, 3, 29
Midnight, 19
Miles, 8, 9, 22
Minutes, 13, 17, 18, 19
Monitor, 31
Monochrome, 3, 22, 23, 26
Moon, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23
Moon's, 9
Motion, 3, 7, 8, 18, 19
Navigation, 17
Nebula, 6, 15
Neptune, 20
Night, 19
Noon, 18
North, 5, 14, 17, 18, 19, 22
Northern, 18
Observer, 10, 17, 18
Observer's, 14
Obtain, 28
Orbit, 3, 7, 8, 17, 21, 23
Orbital, 2, 7, 8, 10, 14
Personally, 28
Perspective, 8
Phase, 2, 4, 5, 9, 16
Phases, 16
Pick, 2, 4, 5, 6, 12, 20, 21, 22, 23
Picked, 4, 5, 6, 12, 15, 20
Picking, 6
Picks, 24
Planet, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 19, 21, 22, 23
Planetarium, 1, 3, 4
Planetary, 10, 19, 21, 22
Planets, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 18, 19, 22, 23
Plot, 21
Plots, 17
Plotted, 4, 5, 17, 21, 23
Plotting, 22
Point, 3, 6, 17, 18, 20, 24, 25
Pointing, 6
Print, 21
Printer, 4, 5, 7, 8, 22, 23
Printout, 21, 22
Rate, 4, 5, 10, 13, 18, 19, 22, 23
Ratio, 8
Register, 28
Reset-Zoom, 23
Resolution, 3, 25
Retrograde, 3, 19
Revolution, 13
Rise, 2, 9, 18, 19, 22, 24
Rise-Times, 22, 23
Rotates, 18
Rotation, 18
Scroll, 4, 24
Sidereal, 13, 19
Site, 28
Skies, 3
Sky, 3, 4, 5, 18, 19, 24
Solar, 17
Solstice, 18
Spectral, 6, 15
Star, 2, 4, 5, 6, 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22
STARFILE, 2, 15, 20, 24, 26
Stars, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29
Sun, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23
Suns, 19
Sun's, 18
TIME ZONE, 16
Total-Rise-Time, 22
Trail, 7, 8, 10
Trails, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 21
Units, 2, 9, 17
Update, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23
Update Mode, 9
Vertical, 5
VGA, 3, 23, 25, 26
Waning, 17
WARNING, 31
Waxing, 17
YEAR, 13, 18, 19
Years, 3, 29
Zenith, 2, 5, 6, 10, 24
ZONE, 14, 23
Zoom, 7, 8
Zooms, 7, 8