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KStars Revision History
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1.0 (Kornephoros): (* indicates to-be-done)
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===================----------------------------------
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Display Features:
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- Added Comets and Asteroids (numbers of each?).
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- Added Jupiter's Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
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- Added configurable "Target Indicator" at center of display.
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Other Features:
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* Have any planetary body leave a trail as it moves across the sky.
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- Tag any named object with a name label (in popup menu)
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- High-quality printouts
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- "Default Zoom" menu item/toolbar button
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Performance:
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- Rigorous performance profiling with valgrind has resulted in
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sky-rendering times about half of what they were in 0.9.1
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- Startup time has been greatly reduced by more efficient
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algorithms to read in large data files.
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New Tools:
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- Altitude vs. Time plotter
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- Light-curve Plotter for variable stars
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- Detailed Information Window has been greatly expanded; in addition
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to presenting data about the object, it allows you to manage the
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object's internet links, query professional astronomical databases,
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and attach personalized text to the object's data record.
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* KStars script generator: a GUI to build KStars DCOP scripts.
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Miscellany:
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- New KStars icon
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- Opening secondary KStars windows is finally stable
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- Expanded DCOP functionality; can now generate interesting
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"demo movies" with KStars.
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- Delay "focus below horizon" popup window to avoid mysterious
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exit condition.
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- Updated some inline object images
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* Expanded number of image/info links
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- KStars can now alternately use a localized list of internet links,
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rather than the default which links to mostly English-only
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websites.
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- We no longer support KDE 2.x
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0.9.1 (Indus):
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===============--------------------------------------
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This is a maintenance release; it contains all the feature
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improvements we have made up to the KDE 3.1 feature freeze.
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- The Info Panel has been removed; in its place, we display the
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time/geography/focus data directly on screen in three separate
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"Info Boxes". These can be dragged around the window to any
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position, and they "stick" to the window edges on resize events.
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In addition, each box can be "shaded" (by double-clicking)
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between a full mode, and a short mode, in which only one line of
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information is shown.
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- New "Detailed Information" window displays name, position and other
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information about any object in the sky.
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- Redesign of Time Step widget in the main toolbar. The new custom
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widget renders properly in all widget styles and should function
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more consistently.
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- ~50% improvement in sky-rendering speed due to code optimization
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- Improved display of angles as strings (use
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degree/arcminute/arcsecond symbols instead of letters d,m,s).
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- More accurate Rise/Set/Transit times for planets
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- new AstroCalculator module: "Day Duration"...calculates time of
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sunrise/sunset/noon as well as length of day and position of Sun
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at these three times.
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- Added many locations to geographic database, including major
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observatories.
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- More AstroInfo articles on on Blackbody Radiation, Parallax,
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Stars, Star Colors, Dark Matter, and Elliptical Galaxies
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- Handling of Daylight Savings time (a.k.a. Summer Time) is more stable.
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- Many bugfixes, including some more memory leaks.
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- Various usability/stability improvements.
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0.9 (Indus):
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============--------------------------------------------
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Display Features:
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- Configurable InfoPanel: can choose to show parts of infopanel, or hide
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it all.
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- We now show the sky "slewing" to a new position, instead of "snapping"
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immediately to the new position. You can turn this off in the options.
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- Added planet name labels
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- Planets drawn with more realistic angular sizes and position angles
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- The NGC/IC catalogs are now complete (13,000 deep sky objects; the old
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version had ~10,000). In addition, the new catalog has more precise
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coordinates.
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- Deep sky objects drawn with correct angular size and position angle
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(including images)
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- Added many more zoom levels
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- KDE3 automatically alpha-blends the planet, Messier, and star bitmaps
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in the sky map
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- KStars can spawn multiple windows. Use this with caution; it isn't
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stable yet!
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- Added View Options toolbar, which provides buttons to toggle the display
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of major sky features (stars, constellations, planets, deep sky obj.,
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coordinate grid, and horizon)
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- Added Advanced tab to Configuration window
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Other Features:
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- Can now add custom object catalogs!
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- Manual focus function (you enter exact coordinates to center on).
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- Added AstroCalc calculator window
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- Added wider range of timesteps
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- Time can now run backwards
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- Added Daylight Savings Time rules
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- Added DCOP interface, which will form the foundation of our scriptable
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behavior features.
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- Can zoom with the mouse wheel, or by dragging with the middle mouse
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button.
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- new "Advanced" Options tab for tweaking behaviors such as atmospheric
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refraction correction, hiding objects while moving, and animated slewing
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- Preliminary Print function (does not work well yet)
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- "Tip of the Day" window
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Calculation Accuracy:
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- More accurate Planet positions: now properly include aberration,
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nutation, light travel time delay. Planet positions are updated
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more often.
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- Atmospheric refraction: in Alt/Az mode, we include the effect of our
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atmosphere, which bends light that passes through it, slightly altering
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the positions of objects in the sky.
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- rewrote time handling code; simulation time is now kept by a separate
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class.
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Performance:
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- Using a memory cache for object images, which greatly reduces CPU load
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when object images are on-screen.
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- rewrite of splashscreen/data loading procedure to be more efficient.
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- Find Object (by Name) function is faster
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- clicking on the map to identify an object is more intelligent when
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several objects are near the clicked location (it prioritizes the
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selection by object type).
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Code Structure:
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- major code overhauls to improve performance and memory usage
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- Improved OOP code structure (classes are more independent; and
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have private data).
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- Planet data stored in a hierarchy of classes.
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- the information panel is now its own class
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- using XMLGUI to describe menu and toolbar structure
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- Menus conform to the standard KDE structure
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Several bugfixes, including some crash conditions.
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0.8 (Hydra):
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============-----------------------------------------------
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Sky display: Milky Way is now filled. Added coordinate grid.
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Reorganized "colors" tab in options window. Added options to
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show constellation names in native language, or as official IAU
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abbreviations. Popup menu now shows Rise/Set times of the object.
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Added "genetive" star names (e.g., "alpha Orionis"). Added
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keyboard shortcuts to center on planets, and on cardinal direction
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points along the horizon (N, S, E, W).
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Customization: Ability to add custom geographic locations, custom
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URLs, and custom color schemes. Added "star chart" predefined
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color scheme.
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Geographic locations: Added about 80 non-US cities to locations
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database. Improved determination of a location's time zone.
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Added optional "Province" field to geolocation database.
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Documentation: Updated Handbook. Added AstroInfo articles to the
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Handbook. Added toolbar button to launch handbook browser
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Performance:
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- Improved memory handling (unused objects are not loaded into
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memory on startup).
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0.7 (Gemini):
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=============------------------------------------------------
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Added realistic star colors.
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Added ability to provide custom image and information links.
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Most Messier objects now shown as inline images directly on the sky map.
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Expanded number of internet links.
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Added Pluto.
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Added Milky Way countour.
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Added spectral type of stars to popup menu.
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Automated object tracking when an object is centered.
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Display name and coordinates of centered object in the infoPanel.
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Fixed "extra layout" error messages.
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Improved efficiency of KSPlanet::findPosition().
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Initial startup parameters make more sense.
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If focus point is below horizon when KStars restarts, a warning message
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is triggered. Also, if it is shut down while tracking an object, it
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will still be tracking when restarted.
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Choose latin or localized constellation names.
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Various bug fixes and minor improvements.
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0.6 (Fomalhaut):
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================--------------------------------------------
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Added the moon, with phases.
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Reorganized the InfoPanel widget (and painted it black).
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The sky map now stretches when the window is resized.
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Improved startup speed and vastly improved speed of the "Find Object"
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function.
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0.5 (Enif):
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===========------------------------------
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Added Sun and all planets except Pluto.
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Reorganized view options dialog.
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Added Splash Screen, with loading messages.
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0.4 (Deneb):
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============-----------------------------
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Added customizable display options, including color palette.
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Implemented Alt/Az Coordinate system.
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Added optional opaque horizon.
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Expanded star catalog.
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Deep-sky objects symbols indicate object type, and color indicates catalog.
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Added NGC/IC catalog.
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Added links to HST press release images.
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Added Find-by-name function.
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Updated documentation.
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0.3 (Castor):
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=============----------------------------
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added Messier objects, constellation lines, image downloads,
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drag sky w/ mouse.
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0.2 (Betelgeuse):
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=================----------------
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added global coverage to city database
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0.1 (Altair):
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=============--------------------
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first public release
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