astronomer’s computer companion Jeff Foust &Ron LaFon San Francisco the astronomer’s computer companion. Copyright by Jeff Foust and Ron LaFon All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informa- tion storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher. Printed in the United States of America c Printed on recycled paper — Trademarks Trademarked names are used throughout this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we are using the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. :William Pollock :Karol Jurado :Derek Yee Design :Derek Yee :Margery Cantor copyeditors:Gail Nelson, Judy Ziajka :John Carroll :Nancy Humphreys Distributed to the book trade in the United States and Canada by Publishers Group West, Fourth Street, Berkeley, California , phone: --or --, fax: --. For information on translations or book distributors outside the United States, please contact No Starch Press directly: No Starch Press China Basin Street, Suite , San Francisco, CA - phone: --; fax: --; [email protected]; www.nostarch.com The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor No Starch Press shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in it. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Foust, Jeff. The astronomer's computer companion / Jeff Foust and Ron LaFon. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-886411-22-0 (acid-free paper) 1. Astronomy—Data processing. 2. Microcomputers. I. LaFon, Ron. II. Title. QB51.3.E43F68 1997 522'.85—dc21 97-36006 Table of Contents Chapter A Guided Tour A Quick Tour Chapter The Earth from Space What Does the Weather Look Like? Sources for Satellite Images Tell Me about the Weather Satellites That Monitor the Ozone Layer Satellite Pictures of Land and Sea LANDSAT and SPOT Images Can Be Very Pricey Some Sources for Free Images Pictures of the Earth’s Oceans And Beneath the Surface Getting the Big Picture—the Earth in Space Software That Simulates Earth Views Chapter The Moon Learning about the Moon Images of the Moon Observing the Moon and Its Effects Chapter Planets and Moons Basic Resources The Inner Planets: Mercury and Venus Mars Jupiter and Saturn The Outer Planets: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto Chapter Asteroids and Comets Asteroids and Meteors Comets Halley, Hyakutake, and Hale-Bopp Chapter The Sun The Basics of the Sun Solar Research Sunspots and Flares Aurorae Solar Eclipses Chapter Other Stars Stellar Basics Double and Variable Stars Finding Stars and Constellations Other Suns, Other Planets Chapter Supergiants and Supernovae: The Deaths of Stars Stellar Evolution The Deaths of Normal Stars The Death of Giant Stars: Supernovae Chapter Neutron Stars, Pulsars, and Black Holes Neutron Stars Pulsars Black Holes Chapter Galaxies The Milky Way Other Galaxies Observing Galaxies Chapter Nebulae and Clusters History Nebulae Clusters Observing Deep Sky Objects Chapter Quasars and Other Oddities Colliding Galaxies Active Galaxies Quasars Chapter Cosmology: Beginnings and Endings The Big Bang Evidence for the Big Bang Alternative Theories The Fate of the Universe Chapter Explorations on Your Own: Offline Planetarium Software Tours of Some Planetarium Packages Advanced Observing Programs Other Planetarium Software Packages Satellite Tracking Software Weather and Time Software Astronomical Image Processing Software Educational and Other Software Tours of Some Educational and Other Software Packages Other Educational and Astronomy Software Chapter Explorations on Your Own: Online Online Services Usenet Newsgroups Mailing Lists Discussions and Chats Finding It on the Web Chapter Remote Astronomy over the Internet Publicly Accessible Automated Telescopes Bradford Robotic Telescope University of Iowa Robotic Telescope Remote Access Astronomy Project Eyes on the Skies Solar Telescope Nassau Station Robotic Telescope Older Automated Telescopes MicroObservatory Telescopes in Education Hands-On Universe Other Telescopes Chapter Computers and Amateur Astronomy Computer-Controlled Telescopes CCD Cameras Scientific Resources for Amateurs Solar, Lunar, and Planetary Observations Asteroids and Comets Occultations Variable Stars and Supernovae Appendix A Software on the CD-ROM Installation Notes What If I Have Trouble? PC Software Atmospheric Conditions Programs Clocks Flight Simulators Galaxy Programs Utility Programs Gravity Programs Image Analysis Programs Multipurpose Programs Movie Makers Observational Programs Photography Tools Planetarium Programs Satellite Programs Screen Savers Solar System Programs Star Programs Viewers Macintosh Software Galaxy Programs Gravity Programs Multipurpose Programs Utility Programs Observational Programs Plantarium Programs Satellite Programs Solar Systems Star Programs Viewers Appendix B Images on the CD-ROM 383 Appendix C Animations on the CD-ROM 427 Asteroids Eclipses Jupiter Mars Moon Neptune Pathfinder Pluto Staurn Shoemaker-Levy Sun Uranus Venus Appendix D Sources Telescopes & Accessories Books Magazines CCDs Software Miscellaneous Astronomy Clubs, Planetariums, Science Museums, and Observatories UseNet News Groups Index Viewing the Electronic Book Acknowledgments When I first started corresponding with Bill Pollock of No Starch Press in late about a book project that would become The Astronomer’s Computer Companion, I don’t think I truly understood what I was getting myself into. I know I underestimated the amount of time and effort that goes into writing a book, especially when try- ing to juggle a multitude of other projects. To make up for that, though, I also underestimated the thrill one gets when one completes a book, or even a single chapter. It’s been a fun adventure. A number of individuals and companies have graciously provided shareware or demo versions of their software that are included on the CD-ROM. I thank Eric Bergman Terrell, David Chandler, Exploration Software, David Irizarry, Larry Kalinowksi, Microprojects, David Nagy, Parallax Multimedia, Procyon Systems, Rainman Software, Stephen Schimpf, Sienna Software, SkyMap Software, and Southern Stars Software, for their fine cooperation. Bill Pollock and Karol Jurado at No Starch Press provided expert advice, guidance, and encouragement throughout the writing and editing of this book. It is through their tireless efforts that my words and ideas became the polished final product you’re reading. Most importantly, I want to thank my mother, who always encouraged my interest in both astronomy and computers, even if she never always understood what I was up to. Thanks for keeping my focus on the stars. Jeff Foust 1 A GUIDED TOUR ’ is measured in light- years, and no one knows its size for certain. The best estimates for the distance in light-years to the most Tdistant objects known range from a few to more than 10billion light-years. That’s a pretty big number. In fact, it seems almost as big as the universe of software and online resources available on astronomy. Well, there aren’t quite that many different programs and Web sites available for you to choose from, but if you’re just getting started the wide range of choices can seem a little overwhelming. What software should you use? Where should you look online for more information on an astronomy topic? It’s easy to get lost and confused in cyberspace if you don’t know what you’re looking for or how to find and use it. The situation is similar to visiting a foreign country for the first time. The sheer number of attractions—historic sites to see, muse- ums to visit, restaurants to try, shows to attend, and so on—can overwhelm the new visitor. Sometimes you take a tour or hire a guide so that your first trip into a new territory will be interesting, delightful, and different, rather than simply incomprehensible. With so many computer resources available for astronomical pursuits, it can be difficult to know where to go and what to do first if you’re interested in a particular topic. This chapter will guide you through a hypothetical situation and introduce you to some of the computer resources available to answer your questions and guide you to more information if you’re a little unsure about how to get started using your computer in astronomy, follow along on our guided tour. A Quick Tour t’s a clear weeknight in late May, just after the Memorial Day Iholiday in the near future. After a long day at work and running errands, you don’t get home until after nine in the evening. Just before you step inside, you look up into the southern sky and an unusual sight grabs your attention. You see the Moon and two bright stars below it. One of them has a definite reddish tint and is hardly twinkling. The juxtaposition of the three objects makes you curious. You know the brightest and largest is the Moon, but what about those other two stars? Why haven’t you noticed them before? Your home computer can help you answer those questions. Since you’re wondering about the names and locations of objects in the night sky, the first place to turn to is a planetarium program you’ve already purchased and installed on your computer. You start up the program and start searching. Depending on what software you’re using, you may have to input the time and your present loca- tion. For example, in some programs, like Starry Night Deluxe for the Macintosh and Windows (see Figure 1.1), you choose from a list of cities. You can save a default choice, however, so you won’t have to do this each time you start the program. Once you have the present location and time set, you turn to the southern horizon.