Observation Aid : HawkAstroSkyView

One of the disadvantages of our home block with regards to astrophotography is the tree coverage. There are just a handful of sites on the block which afford a clear sky view - and then only a small patch of the sky depending on the location. Trying to plan observing sessions is a hit-or-miss affair which involves wandering around trying to find a location where the target object is in view for the required time and duration of the observation.

To try and simplify this process an application was coded to plot an RA/DEC grid onto which is plotted objects - such as the Sun and Moon, the planets and a selection of deep sky objects (DSOs). Overlayed with that plot is colour-coded mapping of the azimuth/altitude views from a number of locations on the block.

Buttons are provided to adjust the date and time of the view and by adjusting these it's possible to plan when and where a target object may be observed. This simplified the planning process considerably !

The issue with this method of displaying the position of target objects is that the mapping of the azimuth/altitude windows on the sky produces a result which isn't easily visualised. The coloured areas so mapped don't agree with the actual view when standing outside and looking up.

Therefore - although this application greatly simplifies observation planning - it was decided to do the inverse where the parent grid is azimuth/altitude and an RA/DEC grid is mapped onto that. This produces a display more akin to the actual view as seen when standing outside. Should only take a week or two to code that.