KStars gives the user the ability to load a user created catalog via Configure KStars. If star names are loaded with only one letter identifying the star, e.g., R And, S Ant, the stars do not appear in the Pointing -> Find Object menu. If the object has two letters (SS Ant), that object does appear in Find Object. The reason for this importance is that the first variable star in a constellation always starts with the single letter R. STEPS TO REPRODUCE 1. Create a CSV file with star names, RA/Dec, other useful info, like magnitude 2. In the Settings -> Configure KStars -> Catalogs page, select "Manage Deep Sky Catalogs." Although this is supposedly for Deep Sky objects, you can use this function for any object you wish. 3. Create a catalog, like a CSV copy of the variable star catalog, where some of the stars have only one letter before the constellation abbreviation (e.g., R And) and other stars have two letters before the constellation (RR And). 4. Go through the steps to load the user defined CSV catalog. Process is very straightforward. 5.While still in the Create Catalog page, look for the single letter star. It's there. 6.Go to Pointing -> Find Object page. Look for that star. Cannot be found. 7.Go back to the Create Catalog page. Change the star name, e.g., make R And -> RQ And 8.Return to pointing menu. RQ And can be found. OBSERVED RESULT EXPECTED RESULT SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS Latest versions of KDE, Qt etc via Ubuntu Running kstars-bleeding ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Can you upload a sample of such catalog so we can reproduce the issue?
Created attachment 142840 [details] CSV Small Catalogue Approx 75 entries in CSV format.
Created attachment 142841 [details] 1.8k load
Created attachment 142842 [details] Test description
I've attached three files The first two are samples of the file I was trying to load. The third file lists the "one character" stars that I could find, or nor find, after loading each a catalogue. As you can see, what is visible when clicking on the Pointing -> Find Object field varies upon catalogue size. For the larger sample, note that all "two star" searches yield resuts for all the loaded constellations. Don't hesitate to call me for more test results.
This bug reporting format on KDE can be restrictive. If you want to ask me a question on the INDI forum, please do.
This got cutoff when I was first responding. Problem first detected on my desktop in New Mexico. Now replicating on my laptop in Virginia. Both are running Ubuntu 20.04 LTS with KStars-bleeding.
Don't some of these stars already exist in KStars? R AND --> Rho Andromeda ?
Most of the stars do have other names, but it's not as simple as R And -> Rho And. R And is HD1967 in the Henry Draper Catalog. These star names are from the variable star catalog, which contains about 57k entries. The first variable star in a constellation gets designated R <3 letter constellation name>. The ninth star in a constellation is Z <3 letter constellation name>, and then the next star is RR <3 letter constellation name>. When taking data on variable stars we're usually given the name from the variable star catalog, so having the ability to do a query in the Pointing dialogue, then have the scope go to that star is helpful.
Which catalog is this? We had variable star dialog before in KStars, and I believe this is the best way to go about this instead of relying on the find dialog.
The catalog is a CSV adaptation of the gcvs5 catalog from Russia. http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/index.htm Having a native variable star catalog in KStars would be a great addition. Skychart (Cartes du Ciel) has a variable star catalog embedded in its program.
I can't access that website, is the data + description hosted elsewhere?
Jasem, Try this website. Click on gcvs,cat.dat. It's the same text file that's on the Moscow site. http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/ftp/cats/B/gcvs/ I do notice that in the copying they've managed to drop the first two lines of the catalog which are R And + S And.
Byte-by-byte Description of file: gcvs5.txt Bytes Format Units Label Explanations 1- 2 I2 --- Constell [1/88]Constellation numeric code 3- 6 I4 --- Number Star number within the constellation 7 A1 --- Component *Component identification 9- 18 A10 --- GCVS *Variable star designation 19 A1 --- NoteFlag [*] Remarks 21- 22 I2 h RAh Hours RA, equinox J2000.0 23- 24 I2 min RAm Minutes RA, equinox J2000.0 25- 29 F5.2 s RAs Seconds RA, equinox J2000.0 31 A1 --- DE- Sign Dec, equinox J2000.0 32- 33 I2 deg DEd Degrees Dec, equinox J2000.0 34- 35 I2 arcmin DEm Minutes Dec, equinox J2000.0 36- 39 F4.1 arcsec DEs Seconds Dec, equinox J2000.0 40 A1 --- u_DEs *[:] position accuracy flag 42- 51 A10 --- VarType Type of variability 53 A1 --- l_magMax [<>(]">" if magMax is a faint limit; "<" if magMax is a bright limit 54- 59 F6.3 mag magMax Magnitude at maximum brightness 60 A1 --- u_magMax Uncertainty flag (:) on magMax 63- 64 A2 --- l_magMinI [<(]"<" if magMinI is a bright limit "(" if magMinI is an amplitude 65- 70 F6.3 mag magMinI Minimum I magnitude or amplitude 71 A1 --- u_magMinI Uncertainty flag (:) on magMinI 72- 73 A1 --- n_magMinI *Alternative photometric system for magMinI 74 A1 --- f_magMinI [)] ")" if magMinI is an amplitude 76- 77 A2 --- l_magMinII [<(]"<" if magMinII is a bright limit "(" if magMinII is an amplitude 78- 83 F6.3 mag magMinII Minimum II magnitude or amplitude 84 A1 --- u_magMinII Uncertainty flag (:) on magMinII 85- 86 A1 --- n_magMinII *Alternative photometric system for magMinII 87 A1 --- f_magMinII [)] ")" if magMinII is an amplitude 89- 90 A2 --- magCode *The photometric system for magnitudes 92-102 F11.5 d Epoch *Epoch for maximum light, Julian days 103 A1 --- q_Epoch *[:+-] Quality flag on Epoch 105-108 A4 --- YearNova Year of outburst for nova or supernova 109 A1 --- q_Year [:] Quality flag on Year of outburst 111 A1 --- l_Period *[<>(] Code for upper or lower limits 112-127 F16.10 d Period Period of the variable star 128 A1 --- u_Period Uncertainty flag (:) on Period 129-130 A2 --- n_Period *[*/N)] 132-134 A3 % M-m/D *Rising time (M-m) or duration of eclipse (D) 135 A1 --- u_M-m/D Uncertainty flag (:) on M-m/D 136 A1 --- n_M-m/D *[*] Note for eclipsing variable 138-154 A17 --- SpType Spectral type 156-160 A5 --- *Ref1 Reference to a study of the star 162-166 A5 --- *Ref2 Reference to a chart or photograph 168-178 A12 --- *Exists *Cases of non-existence of the variable etc. 180- 185 F6.3 arcsec/yr PMa Proper motion RA 187- 192 F6.3 arcsec/yr PMd Proper motion DE 194-201 F8.3 yr Epoch coor *Epoch of the coordinates 203 A1 --- u_Ident *Uncertainty flag (?) on identification 205- 213 A12 --- Ident *The source of astrometric data 215- 224 A10 --- VarTypeII *The new type of variability 226- 235 A10 --- GCVSII *Variable star designation
I added an issue to KStars to support this catalog: https://invent.kde.org/education/kstars/-/issues/139
Fantastic. On the Moscow website, there is this request when citing their catalog. Whenever you use our catalogs, please, give full reference: Samus N.N., Kazarovets E.V., Durlevich O.V., Kireeva N.N., Pastukhova E.N., General Catalogue of Variable Stars: Version GCVS 5.1, Astronomy Reports, 2017, vol. 61, No. 1