Telescope Reviews: New Tool: DSO Browser

· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt

· Submit a Review / Article

Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums

Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User

You are not logged in. [Login]

Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online
FAQ · Calendar

Observing >> Deep Sky Observing

Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | (show all)

skybsd
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/01/08

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: sebagr]
#4074696 - 09/26/10 03:37 PM

Man - you're cooking

Fantastic work!

Regards,

skybsd

Post Extras:

Jim Curry
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/29/07

Loc: STL

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: skybsd]
#4075821 - 09/27/10 06:26 AM

Sebagr:
I've been off for awhile, I use Explorer V8. I believe it supports auto geolocating due to the ads that scroll by when I'm on news websites.

Jim

Post Extras:

sebagr
member

Reged: 08/07/10

Loc: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: Jim Curry]
#4075936 - 09/27/10 09:06 AM

Quote:

Sebagr:
I've been off for awhile, I use Explorer V8. I believe it supports auto geolocating due to the ads that scroll by when I'm on news websites.

Jim

Hey Jim,

IE 8 does not support geolocation natively, only after installing Google Gears I believe, sorry

In fact, I'm not sure if IE 9 will support it either! They are soooo behind all other browsers...

If you see localized ads it's mainly because Google can get an approximate idea of your location using your IP address, but that's done server-side - i.e. not inside your browser but in the server when you request any resource, being a web page, image, etc.

Clear skies,
S.

Post Extras:

azure1961p
Postmaster

Reged: 01/17/09

Loc: USA

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: sebagr]
#4077117 - 09/27/10 07:46 PM

You know between the doublestar search engine in the Doublestar Forum and now this program in this forum I'm really armed for putting together a nights viewing.

If I were to suggest anything, and its perfect as is right now, I d think it ideal if with the onjects listed it also shows the number of the atlas pages they can be found on in Uranometria and Millenium. Now that means an awful lot of tedium - its not needed but its a thought.

I love the power of the program in putting a nights agenda together.

Pete

Post Extras:

sebagr
member

Reged: 08/07/10

Loc: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: C_Moon]
#4080870 - 09/29/10 02:59 PM

Quote:

One thing that would be useful, but perhaps it is not easy to do, would be to allow the user to pick an object, and then tell you the best dates to view based on altitude and time constraints (e.g., dates when M22 is >30 deg altitude between 1am and 3am).

Hey Paul,

I wanted to let you know that this is almost in place now.

If you make a search and click on 'more info' for any object, you'll see a new section telling you the best period of time to see that object at midnight from your location.

I'll add the ability to specify the transit hour in the near future.

Anyway, just a heads up.

Clear skies!

S.

Post Extras:

sebagr
member

Reged: 08/07/10

Loc: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: azure1961p]
#4080872 - 09/29/10 03:00 PM

@Pete: thanks for your suggestion. Yeah, that'd be quite a pain to add, but it's worth keeping in mind.

Maybe in the future, when other stuff is done, I'll get my hands dirty with that.

Post Extras:

ThreeD
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 12/23/08

Loc: Sacramento suburbs

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: sebagr]
#4081813 - 09/29/10 09:57 PM

Almost done... Now can you turn it into a standlone app that doesn't need web access?

BTW, very cool tool. Thanks for sharing it.

Post Extras:

sebagr
member

Reged: 08/07/10

Loc: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: ThreeD]
#4081929 - 09/29/10 10:48 PM

Quote:

Almost done... Now can you turn it into a standlone app that doesn't need web access?

BTW, very cool tool. Thanks for sharing it.

Ahh that'd be great for the field, right?

Indeed, but there are 2 BIG problems with desktop applications IMHO:

a) You need 1 version per Operating System (there are ways to do just 1 for many OSs but there are usually quite inefficient and ugly), whereas web apps are immediately available in all devices (I even tried DSO Browser on my iPhone and works great!

)

b) Desktop apps are FAR more difficult to maintain and release. You see, if there's a problem with any version and many people downloaded it, there's nothing you can do about it until they download it again. However, web apps are amazing in this regard: you make an improvement and everybody gets it at once.

Granted, without an Internet connection you're screwed, but that's why I added that Print option so you can actually print your results and take them with you to the field

I'm planning to add some features involving users participation, for which some kind of web interaction is mandatory anyway.

Clear skies!

Post Extras:

star drop
Snowed In

Reged: 02/02/08

Loc: Snow Plop, WNY

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: sebagr]
#4082900 - 09/30/10 11:52 AM

Hi Sebastian and welcome to Cloudy Nights. Thank you for the very nice browser tool.

Post Extras:

ThreeD
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 12/23/08

Loc: Sacramento suburbs

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: sebagr]
#4083212 - 09/30/10 02:06 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Almost done... Now can you turn it into a standlone app that doesn't need web access?

BTW, very cool tool. Thanks for sharing it.

Ahh that'd be great for the field, right?

Indeed, but there are 2 BIG problems with desktop applications IMHO:

a) You need 1 version per Operating System (there are ways to do just 1 for many OSs but there are usually quite inefficient and ugly), whereas web apps are immediately available in all devices (I even tried DSO Browser on my iPhone and works great! )

Java. Definitely not the pinnacle of efficiency but apps such as OpenOffice are written using it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- if you are talking about the code itself C works for me.

Quote:

b) Desktop apps are FAR more difficult to maintain and release. You see, if there's a problem with any version and many people downloaded it, there's nothing you can do about it until they download it again. However, web apps are amazing in this regard: you make an improvement and everybody gets it at once.

I'm aware of this. I've been the lead software developer on successful consumer products such as "Snappy Video Snapshot" though I've tended to do much more embedded development during the last decade.

Quote:

Granted, without an Internet connection you're screwed, but that's why I added that Print option so you can actually print your results and take them with you to the field

Yup. That's what I'll be doing... Thanks again for sharing this tool.

Post Extras:

uniondrone
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/05/09

Loc: Streetlight Archipelago

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: ThreeD]
#4097460 - 10/06/10 07:44 PM

I just wanted to thank Sebastian again! This tool gets better and better.

Post Extras:

Tele
sage

Reged: 11/01/05

Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: uniondrone]
#4098458 - 10/07/10 09:21 AM

Awesome looks like what I've been looking for ever since I got Windows 7 and NGCView quit working right.
Thanks

Post Extras:

sebagr
member

Reged: 08/07/10

Loc: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: Tele]
#4098596 - 10/07/10 10:39 AM

Hi guys,

Thanks for your comments

Keep checking regularly, more updates coming in the following weeks/months - including a user system to let you personalize the site, weekly email reminders for your favorite objects, etc

Cheers!

Post Extras:

uniondrone
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/05/09

Loc: Streetlight Archipelago

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: sebagr]
#4248139 - 12/14/10 12:22 PM

I just wanted to again bump this to the top. This is such a useful resource that I cannot give it enough recommendation.

Post Extras:

Dave Mitsky
Postmaster

Reged: 04/08/02

Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: uniondrone]
#4248424 - 12/14/10 02:33 PM

I've made this a sticky post.

Dave Mitsky

Post Extras:

uniondrone
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 12/05/09

Loc: Streetlight Archipelago

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: Dave Mitsky]
#4248590 - 12/14/10 03:51 PM

Excellent!

Post Extras:

shoeleprich
sage

Reged: 02/14/10

Loc: Maine: Land of the frozen

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: uniondrone]
#4385438 - 02/14/11 10:00 AM

This is a really nice tool. It looks like you've put a TON of work into it. I love everything on here. I only have two suggestions, if you have time, of course. Perhaps this would be a good idea: In the catalog search area, I think instead of choosing just one catalog or all of them, maybe you could make it so that we could choose two or three at the same time (ex Messier and NGC). Also, I have no clue how difficult this might be, but would it be possible to include a printable star chart, in addition to all the other info, showing the location of the object when you click on it? Overall, really awesome tool. I am definitely going to use this a lot.

Clear skies and welcome to CN!

Thanks,

Post Extras:

sebagr
member

Reged: 08/07/10

Loc: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new

[Re: shoeleprich]
#4385549 - 02/14/11 10:52 AM

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your suggestions. As a matter of fact, those two are already in my list because other two people suggested them

However the star chart is kind of difficult, there are many other things to do before that. I'm just trying to have some free time to do them! Hopefully March will do...

Thanks again, and I'm glad you find it useful

Clear skies!

Sebastian.

Post Extras:

shoeleprich
sage

Reged: 02/14/10

Loc: Maine: Land of the frozen

Re: New Tool: DSO Browser new