[APBeta] Finder Chart printing

[Michael Portuesi]

I've done some testing of the new Finder Charts feature on the Mac.  First, I want to say I'm *very* excited to see this feature integrated into the app.  I didn't expect this to happen.

The good:

- This feature is *much* faster than my old PFC script from 1.6, on the same hardware (Mac Mini, Core 2 Duo).  The old script started slow, and would slow down considerably as the number of charts increased.  This version was able to crank out the entire Messier catalog in just a few minutes.  On my Win7 box, it should run even faster.

The "not-so-good, but okay":

- There is a lot of wasted space at the bottom of the page.  My version of the script dealt with this by using only three charts (naked eye, Finder FOV, eyepiece) and giving as much space over to the Finder FOV as possible, in order to maximize the amount of the page used for finder FOV and to maximize page usage in general.  The small amount space remaining was used to print object stats, but that was simply frosting on the cake.

The bad (as in deal-breaker):

- The Naked-eye chart shows the Finder FOV, but is missing Telrad or Rigel red-dot finder rings.  The original script allowed you to select these two.  Having the Telrad bulls-eye rings is very useful, as you can position the outer rings near bright stars and get a finer aim right off the bat.

- The Finder scope chart is completely unusable.  The Finder view not only needs to show the FOV of the finder (or chosen FOV), but about one FOV context in all directions.  Thus, if your finder shows 5 degrees FOV, the Finder chart should show anywhere from 10-15 degrees of sky, with the finder centered.  The extra context allows you to roughly place the telescope using naked eye, then fine-tune the aim using the stars on the extra area plotted on the FOV chart.

I'm very happy to see this feature integrated, and I appreciate the effort that went into it.  But as it stands right now I can't make any use of it for star-hopping at the telescope.

Thanks,
M.


On Apr 2, 2011, at 7:38 AM, Paul Rodman wrote:

> Any feedback on the new Finder Chart printing feature (apart from "what's with the zillion options?"). Does it suitably replace the old Print Finder Charts script? Does it lack any features?
> 
> Paul R.
> 
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