summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/doc/kstars/details.docbook
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/kstars/details.docbook')
-rw-r--r--doc/kstars/details.docbook113
1 files changed, 113 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/kstars/details.docbook b/doc/kstars/details.docbook
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4defd377
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/kstars/details.docbook
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+<sect1 id="tool-details">
+<title>Object Details Window</title>
+<indexterm><primary>Tools</primary>
+<secondary>Object Details Window</secondary></indexterm>
+<indexterm><primary>Objects in the Sky</primary>
+<secondary>Details</secondary></indexterm>
+
+<screenshot>
+<screeninfo>
+The Object Details Window
+</screeninfo>
+<mediaobject>
+ <imageobject>
+ <imagedata fileref="detaildialog.png" format="PNG"/>
+ </imageobject>
+ <textobject>
+ <phrase>Object Details Window</phrase>
+ </textobject>
+</mediaobject>
+</screenshot>
+
+<para>
+The Object Details Window presents advanced data available about
+a specific object in the sky. To access this tool,
+<mousebutton>right</mousebutton>-click on any object, and select the
+<guimenuitem>Details...</guimenuitem> item from the popup menu.
+</para>
+<para>
+The window is divided into a number of Tabs. In the
+<guilabel>General</guilabel> Tab, we present basic data about
+the current object. This includes names and catalog designations,
+object type, and <link linkend="ai-magnitude">magnitude</link>
+(brightness). Also shown are the object's Equatorial and Horizontal
+coordinates, as well as its rise, set and transit times.
+</para>
+<para>
+<indexterm><primary>Objects in the Sky</primary>
+<secondary>Internet Links</secondary>
+<tertiary>Customizing</tertiary></indexterm>
+In the <guilabel>Links</guilabel> tab, you can manage the internet
+links associated with this object. The Image and Information links
+associated with the object are listed. These are the links that
+appear in the popup menu when the object is
+<mousebutton>right</mousebutton>-clicked. You can add custom
+links to the object with the <guibutton>Add Link...</guibutton>
+button. This will open a window in which you fill in the URL and link
+text for the new link (you can also test the URL in the web browser
+from this window). Keep in mind that the custom link can easily point
+to a file on your local disk, so you can use this feature to index
+your personal astronomical images or observing logs.
+</para>
+<para>
+You can also modify or remove any link using the
+<guibutton>Edit Link...</guibutton> and
+<guibutton>Remove Link...</guibutton> buttons.
+</para>
+<para>
+The <guilabel>Advanced</guilabel> Tab allows you to query professional
+astronomical databases on the internet for information regarding the
+current object. To use these databases, simply highlight the
+desired database in the list, and press the <guibutton>View</guibutton>
+button to see the results of your query in a web browser window. The
+query is made using the primary name of the object you clicked on to
+open the Details Dialog. The following databases are available for
+querying:
+
+<itemizedlist>
+<listitem><para>High Energy Astrophysical Archive (HEASARC). Here you
+can retrieve data about the current object from a number of
+<quote>High-energy</quote> observatories, which covers the
+Ultraviolet, X-ray and Gamma Ray portions of the electromagnetic
+spectrum.</para></listitem>
+<listitem><para>Multimission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST).
+The Space Telescope Science Institute provides access to the entire
+collection of images and spectra taken with the Hubble Space
+Telescope, as well as several other space-based observatories.
+</para></listitem>
+<listitem><para>NASA Astrophysical Data System (ADS). This
+incredible bibliographic database encompass the entire body of
+literature published in international peer-review Journals about
+astronomy and astrophysics. The database is divided into four
+general subject areas (Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics
+Preprints, Instrumentation, and Physics and Geophysics). Each of these
+has three sub-nodes that query the database
+in different ways. <quote>Keyword search</quote> will return articles
+which listed the object's name as a keyword. <quote>Title word
+search</quote> will return articles which included the object name in
+their Title, and the <quote>Title &amp; Keyword search</quote> uses
+both options together.
+</para></listitem>
+<listitem><para>NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED). NED provides
+encapsulated data and bibliographic links about
+extragalactic objects. You should only use NED if your target is
+extragalactic; &ie; if it is itself a galaxy.
+</para></listitem>
+<listitem><para>Set of Identifications, Measurements, and Bibliography
+for Astronomical Data (SIMBAD). SIMBAD is similar to NED, except it
+provides data about all kinds of objects, not just galaxies.
+</para></listitem>
+<listitem><para>SkyView provides images from All-Sky surveys that have
+been performed in dozens of different parts of the spectrum, from
+Gamma Rays to the Radio. The &kstars; interface will retrieve an image
+from any of these surveys, centered on the selected object.
+</para></listitem>
+</itemizedlist>
+</para>
+<para>
+Finally, in the <guilabel>Log</guilabel> Tab, you can type in some text
+that will remain associated with this object's Details window.
+You could use this to attach personal observing notes, for example.
+</para>
+</sect1>
+