Stellarium

[west]

Hi all,

I have download the Stellarium software as recommended.

Could you please confirm how I input my coordinates correctly?

The reason I ask is that when I search for my locations longitude and latitude it appears to be in a slightly different format/structure than what is all ready put in the default locations.

Apologises in advance if this is a stupid questions, and I would like to highlight here that I know the numbers will be different

A example from Stellarium:- Latitude = N 55° 3' 0.00"

Longitude = E 9° 25' 12.00"

What I seem to find for my location is :- Latitude = 52.2833

Longitude = -0.25

So how do I input that example correctly into Stellarium?

Thanks for your time

West

[milkyjoe]

Try pressing F6 on your keyboard from within the program. From here you can choose your location or put your coords in.

[west]

My location is not available on the search, it appears only larger towns/cities are.

So if I was to input my location from the example above how should it appear?

i.e Latitude = N 52 2' 8.33"

Longitude = E 0 25' 00.00"

????????????????????????????????

PS Thanks for the quick reply

[milkyjoe]

Where do you live?

[west]

I live in a village called Buckden in Cambridgeshire.

[milkyjoe]

OK. Open the url 'maps.google.co.uk' in a web browser, pop your town in to the search box and hit enter. When your town appears, right-click on the red 'A' and select 'What's here?' - when you do this your coordinates will appear in the search box. ;-)

[west]

Ok so do I just copy and paste?

the output from google maps was 52.295462,-0.249166

[callump]

There is a nice page that converts from decimal to degrees minutes and seconds at:Convert Latitude / Longitude in Degrees/Minutes/Seconds to/from Decimal (FCC) USA

For your decimal lat/long this site gives

52° 16' 59.8794" / W 0° 15' 0"

Put these values into Stellarium and you should be o.k.

Callum

[Cornelius Varley]

Does Huntingdon or Cambridge appear in the Stelarium list.

Peter

[west]

Thanks Callum

Peter, Huntingdon and Cambridge both appear should I just use them????

[Cornelius Varley]

Go for Huntingdon.

Peter

[west]

Thanks guys

I know I made that harder than it should have been, but as I take my first steps in to my new found hobby I would like everything to be right from the start

West

[GJBC]

this is the site i use for converting long and lat from one format to another

Convert Latitude / Longitude in Degrees/Minutes/Seconds to/from Decimal (FCC) USA

first thing i do is go to Google maps point at my back garden (not a road) right click and say directions from here that will give a reference point like you have shown above only longer. an example is this one which points directly at the point of land jutting out into Grantham water 52.297227, -0.293160 just copy and paste those int Google maps. it is the green arrow point you are looking for.

so going back to task in hand, once you have your co-ord precisely. latitude will always be first

paste the fist part, eg 52.297227, into the "enter Decimal latitude " box

and

paste the second part eg -0.293160 into the "Enter Decimal longitude" box

ps don't forget the minus character this will only be there if you are west of the meridian and is there in the example you gave us.

then hit "convert to degrees minutes seconds" button and it will convert them to the format required by Stellarium. eg Lat 52° 17' 50.0166" long 0° 17' 35.3754" Stellarium will need you to shorten the last part of both numbers so .3754 will become. 37 and .0166 will become .01

follow the instructions then as normal and hey presto. a new location set don't forget (if it is) to tick the box for default location and it then should give you can get a good idea of the elevation by using the terrain option in Google map using the map view and set the terrain in the option drop down.

Hope it helps