Planet 2000

  Astro Compass

Planet 2000

Application Description
Keywords: Planets position; Solar and Lunar eclipses (1900-2100 and 1999-2030); Conjunctions and oppositions; Compass; Clocks; Moon phases; Rise, transit and set; Epoch:1600-3000; 88 stars.
Description
The program Planet 2000 allows to calculate the position of the solar system bodies, from Mercury up to Saturn. It also calculates the Sun and the Moon position. The program gives the celestial coordinates (Right ascension and Declination) and the coordinates of the celestial body respect on the observer (topocentric coordinates Azimuth and Altitude).
Moreover it gives the time of the rise, set and transit. For the planet it also gives the distance from the Sun; for the Moon the distance from the Earth and its phases.
The program displays the heavenly vault; the celestial objects are displayed using two systems:
1) altazimuth system coordinates: the abscissa and the ordinate indicating the azimuth (angle from the Northern point of the horizon eastward) and the altitude of the object from the observer's horizon, respectively;
2) spherical zenithal system: the center of the circle is the observer’s zenith; circumference is the observer’s horizon.
It is possible to display stars all in one go. The user can tap on star to obtain its name and its constellation.
It is possible to use the Palm like a real Compass. Put yourself in front to any celestial object: the program calculates its position and then it will display a Compass. You will be able to find any correct geographical direction: North, East, South, West.
Also it is possible to obtain the dates of the Equinoxes and Solstices for any year from 1000 up to 3000 (see the role of the Precession of the equinoxes!) and the conjunctions and oppositions, respect to Sun, of the planets from Mercury to Saturn.
Total-annular solar eclipses processed by the program are comprised between 1900 and 2100 (exactly 287 eclipses from May 28th, 1900 to September 4th, 2100).
The program also allows to observe Partial Solar Eclipses that will happen from 2000 up to 2019.
The program generates animation of each total and partial solar eclipse: the user can change geographical coordinates and observe it (if possible) from any site.
Function Astro Clocks allows to display 3 clocks: Local Time, Universal Time (time on Greenwich meridian), Sidereal Time (Right Ascension that transits across observer’s celestial meridian). It is possible to choose starting date and starting time. The three times will be updated every second.
It displays Equation of Time for any date. When the Sun crosses the meridian of the Time Zone it is solar noon there. But for our clock noon can fall before or after the Sun transit.
The Earth’s Surface function allows to calculate the distance between two points on the Earth’s surface. Moreover the program allows to know a lot of other geographical information about the parallel of any latitude.
The program gives information about all Lunar eclipses from 1999 up to 2030. For each eclipse we have: type of eclipse, date and instants, magnitude, zenith coordinates, graphical representation.

Astro Compass

Application Description
The program allows to use the Palm like a real Compass.
Put yourself in front to any celestial object of solar system (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) or 28 bright stars (Sirius, Vega and so on): the program calculates its position on heavenly vault and then it will display a Compass. You will be able to find any correct geographical direction: North, East, South, West.
Moreover the program gives:
a) topocentric coordinates (Azimuth and Altitude);
b)equatorial coordinates (Right Ascension and Declination);
c) times of rise, transit and set of the celestial object (for the Moon, when the event occur the next day, it will be displayed “****”).
Near the object name you can see the Azimuth and Altitude values (or Right Ascension and Declination). On the right the program shows the altitude of the object respect on the horizon and Local Sidereal Time.
It is possible to store geographical coordinates. Also it is possible to obtain the dates of the Equinoxes and Solstices for any year from 1000 up to 3000 (see the role of the Precession of the equinoxes!)
Earth’s Surface function
It is possible to calculate the distance between two points on the Earth’s surface. Moreover the program allows to know other geographical information about the parallel of any latitude: distance from Earth’s center, the radius of the parallel, the length of one degree of longitude and latitude, the linear velocity, the radius of curvature of the Earth’s meridian at any latitude.