Short:    Great Astronomical Program (V39.18)
Uploader: astegema@ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de (Achim Stegemann)
Author:   astegema@ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de (Achim Stegemann)
Type:     misc/sci

Version:  39.18

Requires: MC68020/68881
          OS 3.0
          Harddrive (20 MB space)
          4 MB free RAM (absolute minimum)
          MUI 3.8

Recommended: MC68040 or MC68060
             OS 3.1
             16 MB FastRAM
             CyberGfx V2.25+ (=V40.113+) or V3

Additionally recommended:
* The tower.library by Christoph Feck.
* The rgfx.datatype by me.


IMPORTANT:

Digital Almanac V39.18 requires the unpacked data archive of "DAlmanac_Data.lha" V39.10 !!

This exe-archive contains an extra installer script for installing the data archive.

For complete installation, follow these steps:
* Download both archives.
* Unpack the exe archive.
* Start the exe installer.
* Start the data installer.


A French catalog is available, but not a French documentation, because I don't speak
French :-). The french installer script is only partly in french !


INTRODUCTION:

Digital Almanac is one of the best programs for hobby astronomers (and professionals ?)
available for the Amiga !

It offers:

* Complete SAO and PPM star catalog (470782 stars) up to mag 14.
* About 40000 deep-sky objects (Messier, NGC, IC, UGC, Abell, Zwicky and other misc objects).
* About 36000 minor planets and asteroids as well as the comets Halley, Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp
  and others.
* Highly accurate calculation of Moon and planets with JPL's integration tables (DE404).
  (Accuracy partly <0.1'' over a period of some thousand years !!).
* Textures for five planets.
* Moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
* Milky way structure.
* View the sky from any solar system object.
* Animation mode (also saving in IFF-ANIM format !!).
* Loading and saving of configuration files.
* Highly optimized algorithms for maximum speed, mostly written in assembler.
* Lots of configuration possibilities.
* Online and menu help with HELP-key and MUI's bubblehelp.
* Export of ephemeris tables (printer or file).
* CyberGfx High- and Truecolor mode support.
* Picture galery creation.
* User editable database of orbital elements (asteroids or comets).
* Recognizes CPU for maximum speed.

And of course lots of bug fixes made in the previous versions.

Included in the archive are two project files of a solar and a lunar eclipse ready to watch !

THIS PROGRAM IS SHAREWARE!

Following features are restricted for non registered users:

* Deep-sky catalog access limited to the Messier catalog.
* All saving functions are disabled.
* No hardcopy.
* No changing site to a different planet, only Earth enabled.
* No detailed course of eclipses.
* No picture galery.
* Plotting stars only to 6m.
* Plotting other objects only to 10m.
* No changing of pixelsize.
* No events in the calendar.
* The program will terminate after 20 min and all 5 min a requester will appear.

Read the guide file for more information and how to become a registered user or
visit my homepage.

Internet: http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~astegema


Changes since V39.14:

* Complete new star database, containing both PPM and SAO catalog.
  Star database name changed to "stars.data".
* Uses improved asyncronous disk IO for reading star and asteroid datas.
* Fixed documentation.
* Added menu item "Reset".
* Reorganized indices. Shortened datas by 1.8 MB at same information.
* Addded nice sound for the intro.
* Special CD-ROM version. Not available on the Aminet.
* Shortened star database about 4 MB using special compression.
  Almost no speed-loss when rendering all stars (< 1 sec on an MC68060).
* Star database sorted by magnitude. This allows faster drawing with brighter stars.
* Display change from CGX-True/Hicolor to 8-Bit failed.
* Faster Gfx-clipping.
* Requires MUI 3.8 from now on.
* Support of boards.library. Just a gimmick in "About" window ...
* Fixed the star catalog.
  All PPM declinations where wrong in the seconds unit.
  90000 PPM stars had wrong index !!
  Removed stars that appeared twice.
  Corrected all GC indeces.