Updated Version of MegaStar

[deepskytraveler]

An updated version of MegaStar is now available from the Willmann-Bell MegaStar Updates page. It is dated October 2, 2012 and is V5.0.14 (although it is erroneously labeled as V5.0.12 adjacent to the download link). The ZIP file contains just the executable. There is no indication of what has changed or been fixed in this update. I did a quick test drive of .14 and could not detect anything different. Anyone have any inside information? I may give Perry a call tomorrow and see what I can learn.

-Mark

[davidem27]

Hello Mark,
I updated Megastar to v5.0.0.14 just before reading this post.
I noticed that there was no details by willbell about this upgrade and I also checked in the Megastar folder about some txt file like "history.txt" or somethin' else. Result: 0. :(

It seems we should have to wait an opportune update of this webpage...
http://www.willbell.com/software/megastar/ms5updateshistory.htm

Clear skies

[deepskytraveler]

Hello Davide,

I phoned Willmann-Bell and spoke with Perry Remaklus' wife. In response to my question I was told that changes were made to MegaStar so it will run under Windows 7 and 8.

That's all :( Oh btw, I've been running MegaStar under Windows 7 for several years without any problems.

[davidem27]

What an "incredible" update! :D

Just for not joking this is a "minor update", infact the number changed was the third in the string x.xx.xx.
Usually minor changes are reported in the version of a program in the third part of his version :)

Okay, let's wait for the next update!

I would like to see an improvement of the planet rendering: e.g Juputer shows the same face every time you set the Date/Time.
It would be nice to see real surface of the planets. I know that Megastar is not "suited" for planets, and that there are many good planetaries that do this job well.
But it should be good if Megastar would too.

What kind of improvement would you like to see in next update versions?

[obrazell]

What Megastar needs should it ever be updated are not planet fixes but updates to its main data bases - move stellar to UCAC 4 and update with the new objects that have become of interest since Megastar 5 came out so long ago. However all of this is unlikely as Willamnn-Bell have said they don't see a future for it and it costs far too much now for what it is compared to other software.

Owen

[deepskytraveler]

Davide,

Actually I don't want to see any significant changes made to MegaStar. I like it for what it is which is why I've been using it since the first version came out sometime in the early 90's if I recall correctly. Ultimately it comes down to these three things for me.
- It is lean code so it doesn't require robust hardware to run on
- The ability to customize it for your unique needs and use patterns
- Ease of use at the scope in the field

So what changes would I like to see?
-The DSO and star catalogs should be updated so they are more current and known data errors corrected
-Inclusion of new DSO catalogs
-Fix the copy and paste bug
-Add basic logging capability, which at a minimum enables the capture of the date/time/object id, and can be exported for subsequent usage elsewhere

I have used many other star charting, planetarium, and observation planning programs. Today I use SkyTools 3 Pro extensively for planning my observing sessions and I use SkySafari Pro for arm chair observing and for double star observing with my refractor on a go-to mount. But time after time no matter what I have tried, nothing tops MegaStar for me with my 15" dob.

[davidem27]

Hi Mark,
I agree with you almost at 100 percent!
MegaStar is really the top-notch for us, visual seekers and observers.

I miss some features, like a planetarium would do (just remember that MS is designed to be a digital atlas).
I would like to see different plotting method, with mercator, planisphere and so on.

E.G. I want to have plotted only the distribution of the Arp Planetaries on the sky, well stretched in a flat image, I can't!
The only other planetarium that makes the selection of a list of objects is SkyMap Pro, excellent too: I can select to display a specified target list...perfect.
But it haven't the feature of projection type, so I can't plot the distribution of the objects I need. Like the Herschel 400 list on the sky. Or the distribution of the Hickson Galaxy Groups.

Do you know a planetarium that has this feature?

Thanks for reading

[Preston Pendergraft]

You might be able to do that on Sky Safari, I believe it can take lists of objects and show them on the sky and show if they are up and easily viewed or on the horizon, etc.

[davidem27]

If SkySafari can plot the sky using many projection method, it could be the solution.

But I do not have a Mac OS!

Meanwhile, I'm writing down in database my old observation and I'm checking them in MegaStar+RealSky. Here to you a little bug in the catalog :)
348

[nicoscy]

You might be able to do that on Sky Safari, I believe it can take lists of objects and show them on the sky and show if they are up and easily viewed or on the horizon, etc.

I use Sky Safari on iphone & ipad. Yes, you can create custom list of objects and it does show for each item whether it's above or below the horizon. A pretty neat tool to use as a quick reference guide and for detailed info on each target.

BUT: It will not create a custom list that only shows the items you are interested in at the same time plotted and stretched in a flat image. rather, as you cycle through your custom observing list, it will swing to each target and you can zoom in and out and then move to the next target.

Do note that it has a major flaw which has kept me from using it on the field. Whereas you can switch to night mode in a nice dampened red background and all, every time you use the keyboard, for every button pressed, the usual color scheme of the idevice comes up (that silvery color) and then the software takes over in under a second to change it to red. Even a fraction of a second exposure to a backlit device with its normal color scheme may be sufficient to ruin part of your night vision.I just checked for this particular bug and it hasn't been ironed out yet.

I find that it may be very useful in outreach events as it is a great reference tool to help you toss in some information which may interest those who look through the eyepiece for the first time and want more details.

[davidem27]

Nothing beats the the oldie atlas. And MegaStar do the best printed maps :)

[Marko]

From what I understand the creator of MegaStar decided to move on and the chances of any real update are slim to none.
It was written by Emil Bonanno done through E.L.B. Software.
I thank Emil greatly just the same as MegaStar has held it's own again so many others and is 'lightweight'. That is to say it is 'fast' and not slugish due to code 'bloat' that too frequently leads to huge packages that are sometimes slow to do anything due to enormous bulk of code they run.

My most wanted 'features' (that will never happen but I can dream) are these:
When you wish to display an eyepiece circle megastar often claims it will not fit when in fact a circle close to twice the size would fit. This makes you zoom out, put in the circle then zoom back in. Really gets me.

Second thing is several of the constilation stick figures are anything but the now more standard Sky And Telescope figures also seen on any Will Tirion drawing such as Deep Map 600 (my favorite quick ref). Specifically: Cetus, Andromeda and Sagittarius 'just don't look right' but at least Sagittarius is recognizable and only missing the base of the 'teapot'. This is a small point but certainly would make MegaStar more 'standard' in it's presentation.

Lastly the RealSky images I overlay are most of the time ok but maybe on about 1/10 or less of the targets you can hit areas where the images edges that are white or dark show up right next to the image and thus you don't see the surrounding star fields (This is a key mode I use the RealSky images for to hop). This I recognize may be extremely difficult to fix due to it may be the plates themselves have areas that don't overlay or merge nicely.

[Don Pensack]

Well, they could fix the presentation of coordinate lines, which tend to be non-continuous in curves.
They could also allow users to fix the coordinates of objects. Thousands have incorrect coordinates. Don't even try to find some of the Ruprecht clusters.
Nebula outlines could be better drawn. A lot of the missing data for galaxies IS available elsewhere and could be added.
As for the eyepiece feature, every time I select an eyepiece it automatically sets the chart size for that circle. How do you have it set that it malfunctions like you describe?
As for the constellation stick figures...I miss the way they were drawn in Sky & Tel back in the '50s and '60s, where the constellations were drawn in with a lot more stars used and before the current re-drawings of Aquila, Aquarius, Cetus, Leo, and others. I recognize that connecting the dots using mag.5 stars doesn't cut it with amateurs in today's light-polluted skies, but I miss the old connect-the-dots patterns. Not that it really matters for most Megastar users, though. I haven't turned on that feature in years.

[Ron Abbott]

Mark,
I'm with you!! I use Sky Tools 3 mainly for its logging capability, but NOTHING beats the custom finder charts you can produce with MegaStar! I love the orientation features and the eyepiece circle overlays.

Stargazr
Land of Oz Observatory
http://www.astrolandofoz.com

[DrAl]

As an alternative to MegaStar, you might try AstroPlanner. It has similar features for the creation of finder charts with overlays and images. There are many options for the presentation.
Al
Santa Cruz, CA