In fact, the "Click to download updated comet data and add it to Guide"

> simply calls a separate program to download that file, save it, and then
> import the data from it. You can instead download the file in your browser,
> save it, and then click on the "Add MPC asteroids/comets" line at the bottom
> of the dialog. Guide will present you with a file-selection dialog; pick
> the file you've saved, and it'll import the elements.
>
> But if you find that the browser can get the file while Guide can't, please
> let me know. Or if neither can access the file.

Bill

I had altered my formerly downloaded element for comet Garradd using the "edit
comet/asteroid data" to get a more realistic magnitude for the comet. The magnitude
did change. Then I deleted the "soft02cmt.txt" file from the directory. Then I
used my browser to downloaded a new "soft02cmt.txt" to another directory and used
the "add MPC asteroid/comets" page to read the file.
I then went through the normal procedure using the "click to download updated comet
data".

Each time comet Garradd's magnitude changed back to the MPC magnitude of 12.6.

And as you said a couple of days ago the magnitude on the site is their correct
data and my Guide9 is reading it right using both methods.

Larry Wood


In the former case, we can

> assume an issue in the 'tear2.exe' program Guide uses to grab files on-line
> (which, incidentally, would mean issues in updating artificial satellite
> elements and grabbing star catalog data). In the latter case, Guide is
> presumably getting the MPC comet data, but then running into issues in merging
> it with its existing comet data. Either way, I'd want to know about it... as
> I wrote above, I really should have thought of this diagnostic step earlier.
>
> -- Bill
>