Cartes du Ciel Comet Data

[iamjulian]

Hello

I am struggling with getting comet data into Cdc. The computer I have the programme on is not hooked up to the internet so the auto install is not an option. There is an option to manually load a .DAT file from a specified location. I saved the comet data from MPC site in a text file and as comet.dat When I browse to the file and then click the load button, nothing happens.

I can go into the add tab and add comets one by one. They show up in the corret place when searching for them by name, but, they don't show up as the comet icon unless I search them specifically.

Advice online seems to suggest the comet.dat file should go here:

c:\program files\ciel\cat\planet\ but my cat\ folder does not contain a folder called planet!?

Any advice very welcome, thanks!

[Merlin66]

Just add a planets folder to the data folder under Ceil and then copy your comet.dat to it.

Also, you may have to set the preferences to display the comets;

setup/solarsystem/comet tab and select show comets, I have mine set to everything above 18mag.

Ken

[iamjulian]

Sincere apologies for not replying sooner. Thank you for the tips. I have not had time to re-test them yet, though I did create a planet folder and add the .dat file, the "load" button did not do anything with it. I have set the preferences to display comets, left at the mag 18 default and changed to display any that are 10 magnitudes less than the stars.

I must be doing something wrong as it can see the .dat files when I browse to them, it just won't load them.

[Merlin66]

When I download comet data from MPC it seems to go into:

Documents and Settings/user/local settings/application data/skychart/mpc

The actual file name is: comet-2010-08-30.dat

I've just copied this file to the CdC folder (program files/ciel/cat/planets/) and then pointed the "or use a local file" tab to this file - click load and it loads the comet data!

Hope this helps.

ken

[moflaher]

There is another way to get comet elements. The update function is looking by default to a now defunct link, and for example, 103PHartley is not there. Below is a step by step description of what I did. (This work for CDC 3.0)

1. Go to setup/internet

2. go to orbital elements

3. Replace the web address by this one:http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/Soft00Cmt.txt

4.Click Apply, Ok

5. Go to Setup/solar system

6. Go to the comets tab, then to the tab "load MPC file"

7. Click download and follow instructions to download the latest orbital elements from the MPC.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Martin

[Merlin66]

Martin,

I agree 100%

The original posting refered to using a local file... non internet connected.

[iamjulian]

Ah yes, I saw the /application data/skychart/mpc version and tried to replicate that but again without success. Use local file lets me browse to the file and the cometes.dat file shows up. But clicking the load button does nothing. Perhaps the format is incorrect? I opened the .txt file from MPC website and saved the contents as .dat in notepad - I read somewhere that this works, but perhaps not? On pressing the load button I expected at least an error message. Shall try again tonight as I cannot remember everything I tried at the weekend.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

[Merlin66]

Hmmm

The cometes.dat file is the old CdC base file...there should also be the copy of the file downloaded from MPC.

Unzip and Copy the attached .dat file to the planet folder and point the comet "load from a local file" to it.

Ken

COMET-2010-08-30.zip

[iamjulian]

Thank you, I loaded that file and it worked... sort of.

If I search for example, "McNaught" the map re-centres on a label called McNaught. But right clicking on the label to get the details does not work and the label disappear and there is no symbol displayed.

I have the checkbox to say display comet symbols on the map, but they do not show. The comets are loaded, and as far as I can tell, in the correct place, but they only display if I search them in the text box.

Any ideas? Thanks

[Merlin66]

The comet data ( and the minor planet) data is limited in time.

You need to double check the orbital data is valid for the epoch/ time you are using.

Other than that I haven't experienced any problems.....

Ken