The new version of NightCal Astronomical Observing Software (version 0.7.2) has been released today (6th January 2006). YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT FREE NOW FROM www.nightcal.co.uk . NightCal is a simple, practical tool for basic observation session planning. It produces a single A4 sheet monthly calendar telling the user when it gets dark, when the Moon rises and sets and what the Moon should look like when it does make an appearance. It also provides data on the elongation of the inferior planets and a quick aide mémoire for planetary conjunctions. The output is designed to be printed so that you can stick it on your notice board at home or at work or saved as a graphics file for inclusion in newsletters or publishing on the web. We hope you find it useful.
This new version (0.7.2) contains many improvements including:
- Full installation program.
- Ability to view help files from within NightCal.
- New special greyscale calendar printing option optimised for viewing printed output in red light.
- Southern hemisphere users can now have the Moon graphic rotated.
- Implementation of options window to allow you to control the display of calendar information and to alter some default values, including:
- Option to input/display latitude and longitude in decimals.
- Option to start calendar on any day of the week.
- Option for which form of evening twilight to display (Civil, Nautical or Astronomical)
- Half hour increments introduced for time zones.
Plus numerous other enhancements, tweaks and minor bug fixes. Please note that the minimum operating system specification has been raised from Windows ‘95 to Windows ‘98.

If you like NightCal software, please feel free to rate it and post comments about NightCal at www.astrotips.com/Downloads-index-req-vi...title-NightCal.phtml .

Sounds good.

I remember last time you announced a version there was some talk that in the future the code could be GPLed so that it could be ported to Java or some other more open platform but the developer wanted to wait a while. Any update on that situation?

Cheers,

Bart.

Looking great Bob & Mike - thanks for sharing!

Sounds good.

I remember last time you announced a version there was some talk that in the future the code could be GPLed so that it could be ported to Java or some other more open platform but the developer wanted to wait a while. Any update on that situation?

Cheers,

Bart.

Still no answer I'm afraid, but thanks for the interest.

Its looking Good though Guys

Dear Starman
I see your are still using the version of the Key from version 0.6.2 of NightCal. If you look in the NightCal directory, you'll find a new version of Key.gif

Oops I'll do that when I get home.

Keep up the good work 8)

Dear Bob and Michael,

This is a great program for those of us who plan our imaging around the end of astro twilight one evening and the onset of astro twilight the following morning and in conjunction with the moon being absent during this interval.

I derive the necessary information (end of astro twilight, start of astro twilight, rise and set time of moon) manually using SkyMap Pro. In using my latest manually extracted stats with those produced by NightCal, there is perfect agreement with all of the stated times.

However, I do have one recommendation/request: please add to the empty box to the right of twilight the onset of twilight the following morning so that the information will be complete. I have checked the options and it does not seem to be available to the user.

Anyway, this is a godsend ... and thank you!

Anthony.

Nifty program, thanks for all the hard work.

Bob and Michael,

well done on all the work that went into this utility. I really like the libration details noted on the Moon graphic as it was something I was seeking in software packages for a long time. Would it be possible to put details in a new release of NightCal of what are the maximum and minimum librations in the period covered? That is, the combined latitude and longitude details as you are doing at the moment for the graphic.

thanks again!

John

Anthony - The 'empty' box is actually used to display conjunction information and will, in the next major release, also be used to tell you about metoer shower maxima. The ability to display whatever combination of twilight and/or sunrise/set info you want is already on the list for future releases!

John - I'll add the request for more advanced libration info onto the long term wish list, but I'm afraid I can't see, at present, how this would be displayed. The problem is a lack of space (excuse the pun). You can get this information from Virtual Lunar Atlas software, but not in a tabulated calendar. One idea which we have thought about is the ability to export selected data to a monthly spreadsheet. The maths is already being done by NightCal so it's a matter of exporting the info, not calcaluting it.

As with all these things, the problem is one of time. Bob does the actual programming and detailed technical support (the clever stuff), whilst I deal with the basic design, specification, installation program, documentation, website and simple technical support (the farty stuff). I'm still recovering from a long term illness and Bob is tied up with other things at the moment, so I wouldn't expect any work on the next version of NightCal now for many months. Hopefully the next version will be out by the end of 2006, but there are no promises. The only reason this new version came out within 4 months of the first release was that most of the work on the options screens had already been done before version 0.6 was released.

Michael Morris

Michael,

This piece of software is a god-send and irrespective if and when there is a future release.

Thanks for your efforts and time!

Anthony.

A new updated version of NightCal Astronomical Observing Calendar Software (version 0.7.2a) is now availble for FREE download at www.nightcal.co.uk . This new version includes an interactive help file.

Just a quick note to let you know that we have released a minor upgrade to NightCal (version 0.7.2b). This version has an updated Help file that details a workaround for a common display bug. Details of this workaround are also availble on the NightCal website at www.nightcal.co.uk

I downloaded this version today and when I go to install it, adware comes up with.
"The process has been identified as win32.adware.chiem"
Is the installer infected with some sort of trojan???
Anyone else getting this or is it one of those stupid false positives?, I dont get it when installing anything else.

I hadn't seen this before - I just downloaded it and scanned it with Avira (basic system free) and have no problems.

www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php

I switched to free when my previous well-known brand name offered a yearly price but found I couln't do an on-line update after the early nag to renew licence (just before or just at begining the twelve month).

The following facility might interest you:

www.virustotal.com/

You send your suspect file to the site via above web-page and the facility runs your suspect file through about 40 different virus checks and send you the response - all in one interactive session. Good for having some confidence that your own system is giving a false hit.

The calendar program looks interesting.

Mark

Hi Mark,
Thanks for that, I ran the installer through
www.virustotal.com/

It came back ok in all but one of the scanners, esafe.
esafe it was a "suspicious file"
So it looks like a flase positive to me.

Not the first time, there is a well known false positive adware gives for a .htm file in virtual moon atlas. There is some characteristic in the htm file that adware knows to be a characteristic of some adware but in this case its a false alarm.

I'm glad Dave

One critism of that site (Virustotal) is that virus writers can use it as a measure of how good thier malware is and therefore there is a risk that the site might be compelled to revisit their reason to exist. Though for the hell of it I can't work out how the site pays for itself.

But to reaffirm - I had no warnings from my malware detection software (including Microsoft Defender) that the NightCal (latest version) was threatening.

Mark