[APBeta] Comet data

[RPEHLM]

Bug report filed. Ignore the 'one more thing' report, it may also be 
related to processing 'old' and 'new' format data in Comet.dat.

Regards
Robin
P.S. Great to have you back!

Paul Rodman wrote:
> It looks like I need to do some additional processing to determine if 
> the data is "old style" or "new style". I will see what I can do (once 
> I have unburied myself from the pile of e-mail). Feel free to post a 
> formal bug report.
>
> Paul R.
>
> On Jan 19, 2009, at 02:24 PM, RPEHLM wrote:
>
>> Wait a cotton-pickin minute!!!
>>
>> Just checked a bit further down the Comet.dat file.  There is a 
>> format change after the 89'th line.  Values CometObject(n) where 
>> n<=89 produce the effect previously described.  n>=90 produce what I 
>> would expect to see.  For exampe, n=90 produces:
>>
>> ID: [C/1995 01   ]
>> Name: [Hale-Bopp         ]
>>
>> So why the change in formatting?
>>
>> Regards
>> Robin
>>
>> RPEHLM wrote:
>>> Hi gang,
>>>
>>> I'm using the following script fragment to check out Comet.dat data:
>>>
>>> dim apco as APCometObject
>>> apco = CometObject(1)
>>> if apco = nil then
>>> debug "Comet object not found!"
>>> else
>>> debug "Comet object found"
>>> debug "ID: [" + apco.ID + "]"
>>> debug "Name: " + apco.Name + "]"
>>> end
>>>
>>> This fragment produces:
>>>
>>> Comet object found
>>> ID: [2P/Encke    ]
>>> Name: [                   ]
>>>
>>> Looking at the contents of Comet.dat it looks like ID should be 
>>> "0002P" and Name should be "2P/Encke" (maybe with some trailing 
>>> padding).  I tried the fragment with several other values for 
>>> CometObject(n), all produced the same result e.g. ID=something, 
>>> Name=blank.
>>>
>>> Given that I know zip about cometary data is my assumption about the 
>>> contents of the ID and Name fields correct?  Should I raise a bug 
>>> report or is my assumption wrong?
>>>
>>> Regards
>>> Robin
>>> P.S. The Comet.dat file was downloaded from 
>>> <http://www.astro.cz/mpcorb> and was dated 15-Oct-2008 (seems a bit 
>>> old to me, but there you go)
>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>
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