Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!midway!ellis.uchicago.edu!lrm3
From: lrm3@ellis.uchicago.edu (Lawrence Reed Miller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Re: Star mapping program for the Mac available?
Message-ID: <1990Aug15.191050.28796@midway.uchicago.edu>
Date: 15 Aug 90 19:10:50 GMT
References: <35810@ut-emx.UUCP> <2091@wn1.sci.kun.nl> <442@fbihh.UUCP>
Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator)
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of Chicago
Lines: 22

Unfortunately, he Guide Star Catalogue is not generally useful as a star
atlas.  While it does contain over 18 million stars and galaxies, they
are all below magnitude 7, which makes it the largest collection of
uninteresting objects ever compiled!  None of the stars in the catalog
are visible to the naked eye.  Neat stuff like Vega, Messier objects,
planets, etc are not included in the catalog.  The display software
included with the program, while useful for planning out observations
with the Hubble Space Telescope, does not produce displays that are very
useful for finding things for a small telescope (I have not seen any
information on display software other than the "Pickles" program which
is shipped with the disk.  If anyone knows of any other programs for
viewing the Catalog, I would love to hear about it!).  While there are
certain applications for which the Catalog is useful, I have not found
it particularly handy for "normal" amateur astronomy.  Software which
could read data off of the GSC disks and display it along with a
database of "interesting" objects would be really ideal, but I don't
think anything can do this yet.  Still, it is fun to have the precise
positions and magnitudes of 18 million objects lying around on your
desk.  The fun thing is that, at $55, its only about $0.0003 per
object!!! :^)  However, of you are looking for a catalog, I would look          elsewhere.

Lawrence Miller