Bill Gray Jul 8, 2018
On 2018-07-07 14:59, stevensallyra1@... [find_orb] wrote:
>
>
> Hi Bill,
>
>
> I describe a problem below, which you answered, thank you for that. However when using FinOrb.
>
> Unfortunately this problem now means I cannot use FindOrb at all. I have tried uninstall/delete and reinstalling --same problem. For a minor planets registered observatory this is really, no REALLY a big nuisance.
>
> When on FindOrb, (which launches fine, click on OPEN (to open a file) the PC just hangs, with the expected window only half revealed. Task Manager will not shut FindOrb down. This makes FindOrb unusable.
>
> Has anyone else got this problem? It has come and gone over a period of time but is now permanent when using windows 10.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Steve
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stevensallyra1@... [find_orb] <find_orb@yahoogroups.com>
> To: find_orb <find_orb@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 9:31
> Subject: Re: [find_orb] Fwd: Update observatory list
>
> Hi, Bill,
>
> I have one small problem which is constantly occuring on my new window10 laptop. When you click on open after launching FindOrb, the machine quite often but not every time just hangs and fails to show file menu window.
> It only occurs using FindOrb and not on any other program. Sometimes the file window only partially opens the folder and then hangs, sometimes it works perfectly.
> I have re-downloaded Find Orb, but the problem has not gone away.
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Steve
>
> On 16 Mar 2018 7:46 p.m., "Bill Gray pluto@... <mailto:pluto@...> [find_orb]" <find_orb@yahoogroups.com <mailto:find_orb@yahoogroups.com>> wrote:
>
> Hi Steve,
>
> On 2018-03-16 06:38, stevensallyra1@... <mailto:stevensallyra1@...> [find_orb] wrote:
> > Many thanks for the information. Does that mean I need to set
> > Astrometrica to 167 metre's rather than the 119 metres given
> > by Google earth?
>
> You could ask Herbert Raab about this, and he might tell
> you that he's already computing the offset and converting your
> 119-m height above sea level to a 167-m height above the ellipsoid.
> I don't really know how Astrometrica handles that issue (I didn't
> know how MPC handled it until a few weeks ago).
>
> -- Bill
>
> > Thanks
> >
> > Steve
> >
> > On 14 Mar 2018 8:04 p.m., "Bill Gray pluto@... <mailto:pluto@...> [find_orb]" <find_orb@yahoogroups.com <mailto:find_orb@yahoogroups.com>> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Steve,
> >
> > On 2018-03-14 07:44, stevensallyra1@... <mailto:stevensallyra1@...> [find_orb] wrote:
> >
> > > You mention height above sea level, and the two ways of getting a
> > > true one. Is this something all observatories should consider and use?
> >
> > If you get a code from MPC, they'll take care of the problem for
> > you. Gareth Williams tells me that if a position comes in from
> > Google Earth, they'll know it's an "above sea level" (or, equivalently,
> > above the geoid) measurement. He then computes the difference between
> > ASL and the ellipsoid (the "geoid height"), which can be up to about
> > a hundred meters. In your case, entering your lat/lon at
> >
> > https://geographiclib.sourceforge.io/cgi-bin/GeoidEval
> >
> > tells us the geoid height is about 48 meters: you're 119 meters
> > above mean sea level, but about 167 meters above the ellipsoid.
> > (Checking 'ObsCodes.html', I see that the correction was applied.)
> >
> > GPS units usually just give ellipsoidal altitudes. Those can be
> > used without correction. (Which is the main reason MPC asks you to
> > tell them the source of your observatory's coordinates.)
> >
> > Whether you should worry about a hundred meters depends on what
> > you're doing. Observe an object as far away as the moon, and it'll
> > make a maximum difference of 0.05", which is on the edge of causing
> > a noticeable systematic error. Observe closer objects, and it can
> > matter a lot. Observe navigation satellites, as some people are
> > doing to test how good their timing is :
> >
> > https://www.projectpluto.com/gps_expl.htm
> >
> > and even an error of a few meters can (in some cases) be noticed.
> > Such observers have to be added to 'rovers.txt', simply because the
> > 'ObsCodes.html' format only has a precision of about six meters.
> >
> > -- Bill
> >
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Steve
> > >
> > > On 13 Mar 2018 4:31 p.m., "Bill Gray pluto@projectpluto..com [find_orb]" <find_orb@yahoogroups.com <mailto:find_orb@yahoogroups.com>> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi Steve,
> > >
> > > Aha! That code really ought to be in the list of actual,
> > > authorized MPC codes. And it is, but I think it must have
> > > been added in the last few days, along with four other new codes.
> > >
> > > If you download this file to your Find_Orb directory :
> > >
> > > https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/ObsCodes.html
> > >
> > > you should be all set. Run the program, and your astrometry
> > > shouldn't cause an error message to pop up.
> > >
> > > The initial "funding" for Find_Orb started out somewhat
> > > indirectly, through sales of my Guide desktop planetarium
> > > software. That caused me to write code for most of the
> > > underlying functions (planetary ephemerides, coordinate
> > > and time systems, etc.) So when I decided that I was curious
> > > about orbit determination, I had most of the bits and bobs
> > > already sitting on my hard drive.
> > >
> > > I posted the result, thinking it would mostly appeal to
> > > others interested in orbit determination and using it for
> > > educational purposes. That's happened, but it turned out
> > > to be of greater interest to observers. That resulted in some
> > > effort to make the program suitable for use by sleep-deprived
> > > people at telescopes in the middle of the night, ideally
> > > without too much frustration. (As with any software, it's
> > > important to know your users!)
> > >
> > > For some years, development of the program was based
> > > solely on my adding things in which I was interested. That
> > > eventually led to my getting some contracts to add still more
> > > improvements, which has really pushed things along nicely
> > > in the last few years.
> > >
> > > -- Bill
> > >
> > > On 2018-03-13 04:31, stevensallyra1@... <mailto:stevensallyra1@...> [find_orb] wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Hi Bill,
> > > > Many thanks for your prompt reply. Much Appreciated.
> > > > My MPC observatory code is Z34
> > > > Coordinates Long. 0 53 15.7 W, Lat. 52 18 07.2 N Alt..119 metres Google Earth (as close as you can enter into Astrometrica 0.8877 W 52.3020 N.)
> > > > I take it that the rovers.txt file then just needs replacing with the file you are going to amend and send to me?
> > > > Thanks and kind regards
> > > > Steve
> > > > PS What a great little program FindOrb is. Do you run by donations?
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: Bill Gray pluto@... <mailto:pluto@...> [find_orb] <find_orb@yahoogroups.com <mailto:find_orb@yahoogroups.com>>
> > > > To: find_orb <find_orb@yahoogroups.com <mailto:find_orb@yahoogroups.com>>
> > > > Sent: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 22:00
> > > > Subject: Re: [find_orb] Fwd: Update observatory list
> > > >
> > > > Hi Steve,
> > > >
> > > > You should update 'rovers.txt', for several reasons.
> > > >
> > > > 'ObsCodes.htm' is the MPC's list of observatories :
> > > >
> > > > https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/ObsCodes.html
> > > >
> > > > 'rovers.txt' is Find_Orb's list of additional observatories.
> > > > Unlike the MPC's file, you can specify your observatory in
> > > > latitude and altitude instead of in parallax constants, and
> > > > your coordinates can be in decimal degrees or in "traditional"
> > > > base-60 degrees/minutes/seconds. Also, the file itself
> > > > contains documentation on how to add new codes.
> > > >
> > > > Further comments at
> > > >
> > > > https://projectpluto.com/find_orb.htm#obs_codes
> > > >
> > > > Not mentioned there, but: you may want to send me your
> > > > position. I'll add it to 'rovers.txt'. The advantage of this
> > > > is that if you update Find_Orb, you won't lose the observatory
> > > > code you've added.
> > > >
> > > > -- Bill
> > > >
> > > > On 2018-03-12 14:01, stevensallyra1@... <mailto:stevensallyra1@...> <mailto:stevensallyra1@...> <mailto:stevensallyra1@...%3E?>; [find_orb] wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Hi,
> > > > >
> > > > > Please advise the steps needed to update the observatory list on FindOrb.
> > > > > There seem to be two files in the FindOrb directory that need updating. Why two ?
> > > > >
> > > > > I'm not too sharp on computers!
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks
> > > > >
> > > > > Steve
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ---------------------------
> > > > > Posted by: stevensallyra1@... <mailto:stevensallyra1@...> <mailto:stevensallyra1@...> <mailto:stevensallyra1@...%3E?>;
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