Command ReferenceMenu CommandsCommandsMenuFile Menu&Ctrl;NFileNew WindowOpen another &kstars; window
&Ctrl;WFileClose WindowClose &kstars; window
&Ctrl;DFileDownload Data...Open the Download Extra Data tool
&Ctrl;OFileOpen FITS...Open a FITS image in the FITS Editor tool
&Ctrl;IFileSave Sky Image...Create image on disk from current display
&Ctrl;RFileRun Script...Run the specified KStars script
&Ctrl;PFilePrint...Send the current sky map to the printer (or to a
PostScript/PDF file)
&Ctrl;QFileQuitQuit &kstars;
Time Menu&Ctrl;ETimeSet Time to NowSync time to system clock&Ctrl;STimeSet Time...Set time and dateTimeStart/Stop ClockToggle whether time passesPointing MenuZPointingZenithCenter the display at the
Zenith point (straight up)
NPointingNorthCenter the display above the North point on the
horizonEPointingEastCenter the display above the East point on the
horizonSPointingSouthCenter the display above the South point on the
horizonWPointingWestCenter the display above the West point on the
horizon&Ctrl;MPointingSet Focus Manually...Center the display on specific
sky coordinates
&Ctrl;FPointingFind ObjectLocate an object by name using the
Find Object Window&Ctrl;TPointingEngage/Stop TrackingToggle tracking on/off. While tracking,
the display will remain centered on the current position or
object.View Menu+ViewZoom inZooms view in-ViewZoom outZooms view out&Ctrl;ZViewDefault ZoomRestore the default Zoom setting&Ctrl;&Shift;ZViewZoom to Angular Size...Zoom to specified field-of-view angle&Ctrl;&Shift;FViewFull Screen ModeToggle full-screen modeSpaceViewHorizontal/Equatorial CoordinatesToggle between the
Horizontal and
Equatorial
Coordinate SystemsDevices MenuDevicesTelescope Wizard...Opens the Telescope Wizard, which
provides a step-by-step guide to help you connect to your telescope and
control it with &kstars;.DevicesDevice ManagerOpens up the device manager, which allows you to start/shutdown device drivers and connect to remote INDI servers.DevicesINDI Control PanelOpens up INDI Control Panel, which allows you to control all the features supported by a device.DevicesCapture Image Sequence...Acquire images from a CCD camera or webcam deviceDevicesConfigure INDIOpens up a dialog to configure INDI-related features such as automatic device updates.Tools Menu&Ctrl;CToolsCalculator...
Opens the AstroCalculator Tool,
which provides full access to many of the mathematical functions used by
&kstars;.
&Ctrl;LToolsObserving List...Opens the Observing List
Tool, which provide convenient access to some common functions for a list of
objects chosen by you.&Ctrl;VToolsAAVSO Light Curves...
Opens the AAVSO Light Curve Generator
Tool, which allows you to download a light curve for any variable
star from the American Association of Variable Star Observers.
&Ctrl;AToolsAltitude vs. Time...
Opens the Altitude vs. Time Tool, which
can plot curves representing the altitude of any object as a
function of time. This is useful for planning observing
sessions.
&Ctrl;UToolsWhat's Up Tonight...
Opens the What's Up Tonight Tool,
which presents a summary of the objects which are observable
from your location on a given date.
&Ctrl;BToolsScript Builder...
Opens the Script Builder Tool,
which provides a GUI interface for building &kstars; DCOP scripts.
&Ctrl;YToolsSolar System...
Opens the Solar System Viewer,
which displays an overhead view of the solar system on the
current simulation date.
&Ctrl;JToolsJupiter's Moons...
Opens the Jupiter Moons Tool,
which displays the positions of Jupiter's four brightest
moons as a function of time.
Settings MenuSettingsInfo BoxesHide/Show Info BoxesToggle display of all three Info Boxes
SettingsInfo BoxesHide/Show TimeToggle display of the Time Info Box
SettingsInfo BoxesHide/Show FocusToggle display of the Focus Info Box
SettingsInfo BoxesHide/Show LocationToggle display of the Location Info Box
SettingsToolbarsHide/Show Main ToolbarToggle display of the Main Toolbar
SettingsToolbarsHide/Show View ToolbarToggle display of the View Toolbar
SettingsStatusbarHide/Show StatusbarToggle display of the Statusbar
SettingsStatusbarHide/Show Az/Alt fieldToggle display of the mouse cursor's horizontal
coordinates in the statusbar
SettingsStatusbarHide/Show RA/Dec fieldToggle display of the mouse cursor's horizontal
coordinates in the statusbar
SettingsColor Schemes
This submenu contains all of the defined color schemes, including your
custom schemes. Select any item to set that color scheme.
SettingsFOV Symbols
This submenu lists the available field-of-view (FOV) Symbols.
The FOV Symbol is drawn at the center of the display. You
may choose from the list of predefined symbols (No symbol,
7x35 Binoculars, One degree, HST WFPC2 or 30m at 1.3cm), or you may define
your own symbols (or modify existing symbols) using the
Edit FOV symbols... item.
&Ctrl;GSettingsGeographic...
Select a new geographic
location
SettingsConfigure &kstars;...Modify configuration
optionsSettingsStartup Wizard...Opens the Setup Wizard,
which allows you to easily set your geographic location and download some
extra data files.Help Menu
&help.menu.documentation;
Popup MenuPopup MenuDescription
The right click popup menu is
context-sensitive, meaning its content varies depending on what kind of
object you click on. We list all possible popup menu items here, with
the relevant object type [in brackets].[All]
Identification and type: The top one to three lines are devoted to the
name(s) of the object, and its type. For stars, the Spectral Type
is also shown here.
[All]
Rise, Transit, and Set times for the object on the current simulation
date are shown on the next three lines.
[All]Center and Track: Center the display
on this location, and engage tracking. Equivalent to double-clicking.
[All]Angular Distance To...: In this mode,
a dotted line is drawn from the first target object
to the current mouse position. When you invoke the popup menu of a second
object, this item will read Compute Angular Distance.
Selecting this item will display the angular distance between the two
objects in the statusbar. You can press the Esc key to
exit angular distance mode without measuring an angle.
[All]Details: Open the
Object Details window for this object.
[All]Attach Label: Attach a permanent name label
to the object. If the object already has a label attached, this item
will read Remove Label.
[All]Show ... Image: download an image of the
object from the internet, and display it in the Image Viewer tool.
The "..." text is replaced by a short description of the image's
source. An object may have multiple image links available in its
popup menu.
[All]... Page: Display a webpage about the object
in your default web browser. The "..." text is replaced by a short
description of the page. An object may have multiple web links available
in its popup menu.
[All Named Objects]Objects in the SkyInternet LinksCustomizingAdd Link...: This allows you to add your own
custom links to the popup menu of any object. It opens a small window
in which you enter the &URL; of the link, and the text you want to
appear in the popup menu. There is also a pair of radio buttons which
allow you to specify whether the &URL; is an image or an
HTML document, so &kstars; knows whether to launch
the web browser or the image viewer. You can use this to add links to
files on your local disk, so this feature could be used to attach
observing logs or other custom information to objects in &kstars;.
Your custom links are automatically loaded whenever &kstars; starts up,
and they are stored in the folder ~/.kde/share/apps/kstars/, in files
myimage_url.dat and
myinfo_url.dat. If you build an extensive list
of custom links, consider submitting them to us, we would like to
include them in the next version of &kstars;!
Keyboard CommandsCommandsKeyboardNavigation KeysNavigation ControlsKeyboardArrow Keys
Use the arrow keys to pan the display. Holding down the &Shift;
key doubles the scrolling speed.
+ / -Zoom In/Out&Ctrl;ZRestore the default Zoom setting&Ctrl;&Shift;ZZoom to specified field-of-view angle0–9Center Display on a major Solar System body:
0: Sun1: Mercury2: Venus3: Moon4: Mars5: Jupiter6: Saturn7: Uranus8: Neptune9: PlutoZCenter the display at the Zenith
Point (straight up)NCenter the display above the North point on the horizonECenter the display above the East point on the horizonSCenter the display above the South point on the horizonWCenter the display above the West point on the horizon&Ctrl;TToggle tracking mode<Advance the simulation clock backwards by one time step>Advance the simulation clock forwards by one time stepMenu ShortcutsCommandsMenuKeyboard Shortcuts&Ctrl;NOpen a new &kstars; window&Ctrl;WClose a &kstars; window&Ctrl;DDownload extra data&Ctrl;OOpen a FITS image in the FITS Editor&Ctrl;IExport sky image to a file&Ctrl;RRun a &kstars; DCOP script&Ctrl;PPrint the current sky map&Ctrl;QQuit &kstars;&Ctrl;ESync the simulation clock with the current system time&Ctrl;SSet the simulation clock to a specified Time and Date&Ctrl;&Shift;FToggle full-screen modeSpaceToggle between the
Horizontal and
Equatorial
Coordinate Systems
F1Open the &kstars; HandbookActions for the Selected ObjectObjects in the SkyKeyboard ActionsEach of the following keystrokes performs an action on the
selected object. The selected object is the last
object which was clicked on (identified in the status bar). Alternatively,
if you hold down the Shift key, then the action is
performed on the centered object instead.DOpen the Details window for the selected objectLToggle a name label for the selected objectOAdd the selected object to the observing listPOpen the selected object's popup menuTToggle a trail on the selected object (solar system bodies only)Tools Shortcuts&Ctrl;FOpen the Find Object window,
for specifying a sky object on which to center&Ctrl;MOpen the Set Focus Manually... tool,
for specifying RA/Dec or Az/Alt coordinates on which to center[ / ]Start/End an Angular Distance measurement at the current mouse
cursor position. The angular distance between start and end points is displayed
in the statusbar.&Ctrl;GOpen the Set Geographic Location
window&Ctrl;COpen the AstroCalculator
&Ctrl;VOpen the AAVSO Lightcurve Generator
&Ctrl;AOpen the Altitude vs. Time
tool&Ctrl;UOpen the What's Up Tonight?
tool&Ctrl;BOpen the Script Builder
tool&Ctrl;YOpen the Solar System Viewer
&Ctrl;JOpen the Jupiter Moons
tool&Ctrl;LOpen the Observing List
toolMouse CommandsCommandsMouseNavigation ControlsMouseMoving the mouse
The sky coordinates (RA/Dec and Az/Alt) of the mouse cursor are updated
in the status bar
"Hovering" the mouse
A temporary name label is attached to the object nearest to the mouse cursor.
Left-clickingObjects in the SkyIdentifying
The object nearest the mouse click is identified in the
status bar.
Double-clickingObjects in the SkyCentering
Center and track on the location or object
nearest the mouse click. Double-clicking on an Info Box will
shade it to show/hide extra information.
Right-clickingObjects in the SkyInvoking Popup Menu for
Open the popup menu for the
location or object nearest the mouse cursor.
Scrolling the mouse wheelZoom the display in or out. If you do not
have a mouse wheel, you can hold the middle mouse button and
drag vertically.
Click-and-draggingDragging the sky mapPan the display, following the drag motion.
&Ctrl;+dragging the sky mapDefine a rectangle in the map. When the
mouse button is released, the display is zoomed in to match the
field-of-view to the bounds of the rectangle.
Dragging an Info BoxThe Info Box is repositioned in the map. Info
Boxes will stick to window edges, so that they
remain on the edge when the window is resized.