Object Details WindowToolsObject Details WindowObjects in the SkyDetails
The Object Details Window
Object Details Window
The Object Details Window presents advanced data available about
a specific object in the sky. To access this tool,
right-click on any object, and select the
Details... item from the popup menu.
The window is divided into a number of Tabs. In the
General Tab, we present basic data about
the current object. This includes names and catalog designations,
object type, and magnitude
(brightness). Also shown are the object's Equatorial and Horizontal
coordinates, as well as its rise, set and transit times.
Objects in the SkyInternet LinksCustomizing
In the Links tab, you can manage the internet
links associated with this object. The Image and Information links
associated with the object are listed. These are the links that
appear in the popup menu when the object is
right-clicked. You can add custom
links to the object with the Add Link...
button. This will open a window in which you fill in the URL and link
text for the new link (you can also test the URL in the web browser
from this window). Keep in mind that the custom link can easily point
to a file on your local disk, so you can use this feature to index
your personal astronomical images or observing logs.
You can also modify or remove any link using the
Edit Link... and
Remove Link... buttons.
The Advanced Tab allows you to query professional
astronomical databases on the internet for information regarding the
current object. To use these databases, simply highlight the
desired database in the list, and press the View
button to see the results of your query in a web browser window. The
query is made using the primary name of the object you clicked on to
open the Details Dialog. The following databases are available for
querying:
High Energy Astrophysical Archive (HEASARC). Here you
can retrieve data about the current object from a number of
High-energy observatories, which covers the
Ultraviolet, X-ray and Gamma Ray portions of the electromagnetic
spectrum.Multimission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST).
The Space Telescope Science Institute provides access to the entire
collection of images and spectra taken with the Hubble Space
Telescope, as well as several other space-based observatories.
NASA Astrophysical Data System (ADS). This
incredible bibliographic database encompass the entire body of
literature published in international peer-review Journals about
astronomy and astrophysics. The database is divided into four
general subject areas (Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics
Preprints, Instrumentation, and Physics and Geophysics). Each of these
has three sub-nodes that query the database
in different ways. Keyword search will return articles
which listed the object's name as a keyword. Title word
search will return articles which included the object name in
their Title, and the Title & Keyword search uses
both options together.
NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED). NED provides
encapsulated data and bibliographic links about
extragalactic objects. You should only use NED if your target is
extragalactic; &ie; if it is itself a galaxy.
Set of Identifications, Measurements, and Bibliography
for Astronomical Data (SIMBAD). SIMBAD is similar to NED, except it
provides data about all kinds of objects, not just galaxies.
SkyView provides images from All-Sky surveys that have
been performed in dozens of different parts of the spectrum, from
Gamma Rays to the Radio. The &kstars; interface will retrieve an image
from any of these surveys, centered on the selected object.
Finally, in the Log Tab, you can type in some text
that will remain associated with this object's Details window.
You could use this to attach personal observing notes, for example.