Move Program Functions
(Lowell Observatory)


( PostScript File also availible )
( Move Program Manual )

Move Program Command Index Table

Move
Commands
BP, CO, CR, DE, DM, FN, FS, HO, HP, IC, ID
KM, PM, PP, OG, RE, RM, RT, SC, SD, SM, SR, ST, TI, UI, VC, ZE
Tracking
Commands
CL, EE, EO, ER, LE, RJ, SE, SN, TR
Equinox
Commands
EX, KE, NE
Guider
Commands
F1, F2, F3, F4, F6, SHIFT-F6, CRTL-F6, F7, SHIFT-F7
F8, F9, SHIFT-F9, CRTL-F9, F10, SHIFT-10, F11
SHIFT-F11, F12, GAF, GAB, GBL, GBX, GCO, GDB, GEG, GFO, GFW, GGA, GGG, GGI, GGO, GGS, GHO, GIF, GIG, GIN, GLD, GLK, GOS, GSA, GSI, GSL, GSO, GSP, GSS, GST, GSV, GSW, GTP, GTV, GXY, GZO
( Guider Documentation )
File
Commands
A, C, CF, D, DF, E, L, N, NS, OF, OL, RF
Maintenance
Commands
AM, FF, FL, MF, PE, SE
Exit
Command
QU



Move Program Commands in Alphabetical Order and Color Coded

Command Description
A (In conjunction with the OL command) Add new entries to an existing file.
AM Toggle between mean and ``apparent'' (uncorrected) coordinates.
BP Toggle the dome occulting warning beeper on/off. Note that if on, the beeper is turned off while the telescope is moved to a new position. If it was on, it is turned back on after the move completes.
C (In conjunction with the OL command) Change entries in an existing file.
CF Close the currently open file. If no file is open, the command is ignored. When the file is closed, number of entries and descriptor are blanked and the name of the currently open file is changed to ``No file open''.
CL Coordinate lock state modify. The program requests that you enter an S to lock at sidereal rate; T to lock at track rate (using the rates currently on the display); or O to turn lock off.
CO Enter desired coordinates manually. After user confirmation, the telescope is moved to the requested position. The coordinates are assumed to be in the current keyboard equinox.
CR (31") Position the 31" telescope for cover removal.
D (In conjunction with the OL command) Delete entries from an existing file.
DE Delete ephemerides. The command may be optionally entered as DE n. If the n is omitted, the program will prompt for it. All ephemerides numbered n or greater are deleted
DF DOS directory of files command. The entered string is passed to the DOS DIR command. The string may be entered on the command line (eg, DF A:*.EPH or DF C:\USER\*.SRC). If the string is not entered on the command line, the program will prompt for it.
DM (72",42")Toggle dome following on or off.
E (In conjunction with the OL command) Exit back to main menu.
EE Enter an ephemeris for use with the EG, LE, SE and EO commands. The command may be optionally entered as EE n. If the n is omitted, the first call to EE allows entry of ephemeris number 1, the second call allows entry of ephemeris number 2, etc. The optional parameter n is used to replace an existing ephemeris (n must be less than or equal to the number of currently entered ephemerides). Each ephemeris entry consists of an object name; the year, month, day of the first ephemeris point; the equinox of the ephemeris; and ephemeris times (h,m,s) and positions. As many times/positions as desired may be entered. Up to 999 ephemerides may be stored. Alternatively, you may provide a file containing the ephemeris. When the object name is requested, enter @fname where fname is the file name of the ephemeris. The file may be an output file from jplephem (ie, a planetary ephemeris); from naifeph (ie, a satellite ephemeris); from ef8 (ie, an asteroid ephemeris); from cef8 (ie, a comet ephemeris); or a special ephemeris generated via IDL (see Marc Buie for details). The program automatically determines the type of ephemeris and reads it correctly. If you enter a ``standard'' ephemeris (ie, from jplephem, naifeph, cef8, or ef8), each ephemeris file must be for only one object. The program will extract the object name, equinox, and ephemeris information from ephemeris points between T minus 2 hours and T plus 15 hours where This the UT time at which the ephemeris is entered. Thus, one only needs to generate a single data file for an entire run -- the program will extract the appropriate part of the ephemeris for each night. The IDL output file is a special case. This file can have multiple objects and the program will extract the ephemeris for each object in the file for times between T-2h and T+15h. If the input file contains enough ephemerides that adding all of them would exceed the limit of 999 stored ephemerides, the program only stores those which bring the number stored to 999.
EG Move to a position defined at the current time by an ephemeris previously entered via EE. The program calculates the position of the object at the current time (a warning is generated if the position is extrapolated from the ephemeris rather than interpolated) and requests confirmation for the move. Once the telescope moves to the requested position, the calculated rates and current ephemeris number are displayed on the screen, and the telescope goes into track rate lock at those rates.
EO Compute an ephemeris offset as the current position of the telescope minus that calculated from the currently entered ephemeris. Add this offset to all subsequent EG moves. Entering a new ephemeris with EE zeroes the offsets.
ER Manually enter a rate. The rate appears on the screen, and is tagged with ephemeris number 0. To start tracking at the entered rate, use the CL command.
EX Toggle display equinox between date equinox and the alternate equinox. Note that the keyboard equinox changes with the display.
FF (72",42")Define the position of the fiducial switches (HA and Dec).
FL Toggle mechanical flexure correction on and off.
FN Toggle between fractional and normal display. In normal display, the RA is, for example HH MM SS.S and in fractional it is HH MM.MM.
FS Move telescope to flat field screen position and turn off sidereal track. If dome following is enabled, the dome is moved to the appropriate position and then disabled.
HO Move the telescope to the home position. This is 3 degrees east of the meridian and 3 degrees south of the equator and corresponds to the white marks on the setting circles. If dome following is enabled, the dome is moved to its home positon and then disabled. Sidereal track is turned off.
HP Generate a help display.
IC (72",42")Re-initialize coordinates. If the telescope is totally lost, one may reset the coordinates from the fiducial switches. The program asks the user to move the telescope manually back to the home position (the white marks on the setting circles). The telescope is then automatically slewed over the switches to reset the coordinates. The procedure is the same as performed on startup if the saved position file is not found or if the user requested a manual startup.
ID Allows initialization of the dome exactly as in the initialization step 3. At the 72 inch, if the coast initialization is skipped, the parameters are left as they currently are defined.
KE Change equinox of keyboard coordinates, but not display equinox.
KM Keypad (relative) move. This routine uses the numeric keypad to do relative moves. The move is D arc seconds where D can be changed using the keypad + and - keys and may be varied between 0.5 and 300 arcsec. Each time the value is changed, it is flashed at the bottom of the screen. The current value can also be shown (without changing it) with the F1 key. The 8 key moves the telescope north; the 2 key south; the 4 key east; the 6 key west; the 7, 9, 3, and 1 key are combinations. The current step size is retained between successive calls to KM. Type F2 to exit from KM.
L (In conjunction with the OL command) List an existing file on the terminal.
LE Display a list of currently entered ephemeris numbers/object names.
MF Modify mechanical flexure and/or dome offset constants.
N (In conjunction with the OL command) Create a new observing list. The program prompts for the name of the file to create, the default equinox for the coordinates, and a descriptive name for the data. Each star entry consists of a star ID (up to 20 characters); the star's RA, DEC, proper motions, and equinox (default if not specified); and a comment field (up to 28 characters). If no device/directory is specified in the file name, the list will be put on the default directory C:\USER. Note that observing list files created before May 1995 do not contain proper motions. The program will properly distinguish between old and new style observing list files in a way which is transparent to the user. However, all files created after this date will be in the new style (with proper motions).
NE Enter a new alternate equinox.
NS Move to the nearest star in the currently opened file. If this star is not acceptable, move to the next nearest, etc.
OF Open a coordinates file. The name of the file is requested. Once the file is opened, the third area of the screen displays the file name, number of entries in the file and descriptor for the file. If a path is not specified, the file is assumed to reside on the MOVE disk in the default user directory, C:\USER. If the file does not exist, an error message is printed and control returns to the menu.
OG Move to an object by its name (Messier NGC, IC, HR, Bayer, Flamsteed, or common name)
OL Modify/update/change an observing list file. When in this mode, the screen is cleared of the display and the user can use the whole screen for input and output. The options in OL are:
PE Determine mechanical flexure terms via pointing errors.
PM Move back to any one of twenty previous positions. Any move which the telescope makes successfully (is not aborted) is added to the previous move table and can be returned to via the PM command. Note that relative moves (via a KM, RM or remote relative move) are not added to the table. The last twenty successful moves are stored in the table. The current object name, position and equinox can be saved in the table with the SC command. PM may be optionally entered as PM n where n is the desired position number.
PP Get a PPM star from the mini-catalog. The program asks if the PPM star is to be near the current telescope position or near some other position. If some other position, it requests that the user enter the desired coordinates (of current keyboard equinox). Next, it requests the magnitude range for the request (the catalog contains stars brighter than mag 8.0). A range from 3.0 to 4.0 can be entered as 3,4 or 4,3 or 3.0,4.0 or 4.0,3.0. Entering a single value is equivalent to equesting all stars brighter than that value.Given this information, the program searches the catalog to find the nearest PPM star (either to the current telescope position or to the user-provided coordinates) which meets the requested magnitude limit. When a star is found,the program reports the PPM number; the RA and Dec (at equinox 2000.0, epoch of date) andat the current display equinox if not 2000.0); the angular separation of the PPM star from the base coordinates (either the current coordinates or the requested coordinates) ; and the Vmag of the star. The user then is given three choices: Try for another star (the next nearest is found); move tothe star and then return to the menu; or return to the menu. Since the PP command replaces the old SA command (SAO star), SA has been retained as a synonym for PP.
QU Exit MOVE (confirmation is requested). Proper exit is necessary for parameter files to be stored.
RE Do full reset of coordinates by manually setting on a known star and entering its coordinates.
RF Read from the currently opened file. A star number is requested. Appropriate error messages are generated if a file is not currently open or if a number larger than the number of objects in the file is requested. The computer types the Star ID, RA, Dec, and comment field and asks for confirmation before moving. After a move, the program returns to the main menu. The file remains open.
RJ This is a rectangular jog. This was a routine written especially one event for OSIRIS at the 72" and may never be used again.
RM Relative move. Allows user to enter offsets in either of two modes: as an RA and Dec offset (in arcsec) from the current telescope position or as a position angle and total offset from the current telescope position. The telescope then moves to the new position. The total move must be less than two degrees.
RT Save current object name, position & equinox on the previous move stack.
SD Set the system date. If the WWV clock is running properly, it will reset the date correctly within a minute so that this command has no effect
SE Show an ephemeris previously entered via an EE command The name, equinox, times, positions, computed velocities, and offsets are shown.
SF Display mechanical flexure and dome offset constants.
SM Toggle between Sun and Moon display on screen (MS will also do this).
SN Spiral or jail bar scan. The program reqests the scan parameters and the scan rate. Type any key or hit any paddle button to start and then to stop.
SR Allows modification of the telescope rates (sidereal, guide, or set). The default rate for guide is 5 arcsec/sec and for set is 50 arcsec/sec. The program allows setting the RA and Dec rates differently or to the same value. The slew rate cannot be changed by the user.
ST Set the system time. If the WWV clock is running properly, it will reset the time correctly within a minute so that this command has no effect.
TI Toggle time display between UT and MST.
TR Sidereal tracking toggle. Reverses the current state of the sidereal rate tracking each time it is entered. The current state is indicated on the display.
UC Use the coordinates of the last move (the most recent addition to the previous move table) to update the display. The update is made in the current display equinox, no matter what the equinox of the last move was.
UI Move telescope to the chromey spot (PAS P, 108, 944). This spot is supposed to have the most uniform illumination at sunset or sunrise. It is on the Sun's meridian, 20 degrees on the opposite side of the zenith as the sun.
ZE Move telescope to the vertical. If dome following is enabled, the dome is moved to an azimuth of 180 degrees and sidereal track is turned off.


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