Deep-Sky Observing
Deep-Sky Planner allows you to search through a database of over 891,000 deep-sky objects from 28 deep-sky catalogs and report results in a tabular format. The database includes brightest emission line data for planetary nebulae which allows you to choose the best optical or narrowband filter for each object. In addition to essential object data, the contents of a report can be configured to include or exclude any item (column) of data.
The star atlases cross referenced in Deep-Sky Planner's deep-sky observing reports include:
- The Herald-Bobroff AstroAtlas by David Herald and Peter Bobroff, HB2000, 1994.
- Millennium Star Atlas by Roger Sinnott and Michael A.C. Perryman, Sky Publishing Corporation, 1997.
- Pocket Sky Atlas by Roger Sinnott, Sky Publishing Corporation, 2006.
- Sky Atlas 2000.0 by Wil Tirion, Sky Publishing Corporation, 1981.
- Uranometria 2000.0 by Wil Tirion, Barry Rappaport and George Lovi, Willmann-Bell, Inc, 1987.
- Uranometria 2000.0 2d Ed. by Wil Tirion, Barry Rappaport and Will Remaklus, Willmann-Bell, Inc, 2001.
- interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas by Ronald Stoyan and Stephan Schurig, Oculum Verlag GmbH, 2013.
Click here to see a list of catalogs that can be searched with deep-sky observing reports in Deep-Sky Planner.
Search criteria available in deep-sky observing reports include:
- object designation, including range of object numbers or object name with wildcard pattern matching
- common name of object, e.g., search NGC for 'Owl nebula'
- whether ever viewable at your latitude
- magnitude range
- angular size range
- constellation(s)
- object type(s)
- sky position (on a chart from 7 supported atlases, within a range of altitudes and azimuths, whether visible given your local horizon, or within a radius of an equatorial position that can be specified by telescope position or by looking up an object in the database)
- moon distance (closest distance if the moon is up)
- viewing time (up during the date's astronomical darkness or during a user-specified time period)
- whether observed
The results can be sorted in any combination of ascending or descending order of any one or more data items (columns) in the report.
- compute altitude and azimuth of objects at specified date & time
- slew your GO TO telescope to the object (or sync the telescope position with the object)
- push-to using Argo Navis, Nexus DSC or Sky Commander
- show a star chart centered on the object using TheSky 6/X/64, Redshift, Starry Night, Stellarium or Cartes du Ciel (see version compatibility)
- view a Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) image centered on the reported object
- view a graph of any reported object's altitude over time on the specified date
- view a graph of any reported object's altitude at a time of day over a specified year
- view all common names and cross references for any reported object
- view your logged observations of any reported object
- add observations to your log for any reported object
- save reports as formatted text, HTML, delimited text (CSV) or iCal (planet events only)
- print a report and print to fit page size
Video snip: Deep-sky observing report shows NGC planetaries visible at a site with a local horizon defined on the evening of June 13, 2024, sorted by surface brightness (SB).