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Add MPC comets/asteroids Use MPCORB Enter Time Fixed levels Line of variation Toggle user datasets Make PostScript file Make .BMP File ---------------- Find conjunction Show eclipse ---------------- Install to hard drive The "DSS/RealSky Images" option leads to a dialog box in which images from the Digital Sky Survey and RealSky datasets can be extracted and their display controlled. This is discussed in detail starting on page 54. "Get A1.0/A2.0 data" provides some options to access two huge star catalogs created by the USNO (US Naval Observatory), and to control their display. This is discussed starting on page 56. In the "Edit Comet data" option you may add new comets and asteroids by entering their orbital elements (detailed instructions on page 77). The MPC (Minor Planet Center) has very kindly provided orbital elements for comets and asteroids, suitable for use in Guide, on its Web site. You can get data for currently visible comets, "Critical List" minor planets, and distant minor planets (those beyond the orbit of Saturn). The files can be downloaded from http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Soft02.html in either ASCII text or HTML format (Guide can use both, so it doesn't matter which you use.) Once you have downloaded the data you'd like to use, click on the "Add MPC comets/asteroids" option. Guide will ask for the name of the file you've downloaded; provide it, and Guide will add new objects and update old objects using that data. Alternatively, if you subscribe to the Minor Planet Electronic Circular (MPECs) distributed via e-mail by the MPC, you can specify a file containing one or more Circulars. Guide will comb through it for orbital data, and add the orbits to its database. The "Use MPCORB" option is grayed out by default. It allows you to switch between Guide's built-in asteroid data, or the data in a file of asteroid elements downloaded from the MPC's ftp site. This file is available at: ftp://cfa-ftp.harvard.edu/pub/MPCORB
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