Catalogs Help
The Catalogs tab presents lists of astronomical objects in a searchable, scrollable table. Each row displays object information, including object name, magnitude, coordinates and more. Clicking on a row displays an alert box with additional object information, including altitude and azimuth. At the bottom of the alert box are several buttons: a Done button, a Favorites button, and a Go To button.
Go To
The Go To button appears in the alert box if the object is above the horizon, but is omitted if the object is below the horizon. Altitude and azimuth are calculated using the latitude, longitude and time of the iOS device. Since the go to is performed using serial commands, information about the object is not displayed in the Keypad LCD.
Add To Favorites
Tapping this button will add the object to the list of user favorites for the currently active catalog. If the object is already in the Favorites list, this button will become Remove From Favorites.
Done
Tapping the Done button dismisses the alert box from the Catalogs tab.
Object Catalogs
Three separate object catalogs, derived from the Meade object libraries, are selectable by the segmented switch at the top center of the Catalogs tab.
Stars≤6.5 contains 8874 stars of magnitude 6.5 or brighter.
Stars>6.5 contains 12348 stars fainter than magnitude 6.5.
Messier contains 110 Messier objects.
The catalog table can be scrolled vertically by swiping up and down. Additional columns of object information can be seen by swiping left and right.
Searching
Tapping in the search field (magnifying glass) brings up the keyboard. Live searching is done on all data in the table with each keystroke, filtering the contents of the table to only those rows with data matching the search field. Tapping a row in the filtered results displays the same alert as in the full table. The search string can be cleared by tapping the X at the right end of the search field, or canceled by tapping the Cancel button to the right.
Note: Filtering can create a slight delay on old iOS devices for the first character or two.
Tapping the keyboard Done button hides the keyboard and disables the search field, while retaining the search results in the table. To re-enable search, press the downward arrow icon at the right end of the search field. Search must be enabled and the keyboard displayed to cancel search and return to the full object list.
Favorites (Bookmarks)
The open book icon at the right end of the search field toggles to the Favorites list and back. Each catalog maintains its own separate list of favorites. Tapping a row in Favorites displays the same object alert box as seen in the full table. Objects can be removed individually from this alert box, or the entire Favorite list can be cleared with the Clear button in the upper right of the Catalogs tab.