Observation logger for amateur astronomy

[alex-w]

Original description: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/stellarium

Observation logging integration into Stellarium: recording of observations into a small database, display of user-acquired images, sharing of observation data between users.

Whiteboard The "full specification" in the Stellarium Wiki mentions the COMAST XML schema. It is called "OpenAstronomyLog" now and version 2.0 has been released recently:

http://groups.google.com/group/openastronomylog

It is licensed under the APACHE Software License 2.0, so a plug-in that uses it should be licensed under the GNU GPL v3 to be compatible with it and in the same time with Stellarium's "GPL v2 and later".

XML schemas are not supported by the Qt framework in the moment, but they will be in version 4.6:

http://qt.nokia.com/doc/4.6-snapshot/qt4-6-intro.html#xml-schema-validation

--Bogdan Marinov

I've started this. I looked at the OpenAstronomyLog, but thought it was a bit pedantic even for me. I have a good deal of what they have, but not everything. If we want to actually inter-operate, this can be changed. Thoughts? --Timothy Reaves

2017-08-25 Unfortunately not much seemed to have happened in the last years :-( OpenAstronomyLog has been moved to https://github.com/openastronomylog/openastronomylog Compliance with this schema would be useful, I think, so that observation databases could be used by several programs. --Georg Zotti

[alex-w]

Additions from old bugtracker:

I use Stellarium along side my physical telescope. Would it be possible to add an observation log so that a selected object can be marked as Viewed. I can then look back on the log, or search for unviewed or favorite objects.

[alex-w]

Additions from old bugtracker:

It would be a great feature to be able to by pushing a button when an object is marked and record the observation with date/time and from where the observation was done (maybe this info could show below the other information you show a marked object or in a separate table. I'm deeply impressed bu Stellarium and am using it to introduce my 7-year old son into the world of astronomy - It's a fantastic tool. My son wants to record his obesrvations and tries to do so in a separate notebook but with this kind of functionality it would be easier and would trigger him to try and cover as many objects as possible. Again a fantastic software - thanks.

[alex-w]

This is a good task for the community to participate in the contribution into Stellarium. Who wants to help us?

[EmeraldHillsSkies]

I'm a long-time user of Stellarium - but just discovered Observing Lists. Wow. Thanks to everybody who has brought it to life. You guys realize... if we could just add a related table for "Observations," this would completely and radically upgrade Stellarium's ability to be an observation tracker. Whoa. I could completely drop an entirely different application from my workflow and use Stellarium in place of my logging software. It seems to me, at least in my work flow, in an ideal world, we would simply add a button to the bottom row of buttons, maybe to the far left of "Highlight All." This button could say, "New Log Entry". This would open up a modal dialogue box above the list with (for starters at least) a couple of simple fields:

Log Entry: [a multi-line note field for a journal/log entry about the observation] Date: [system supplied, but preferably, we could over-write it] Time: [Again, system-supplied, but we could over write it] Session: [The system would supply the latest "session number" from another related table of sessions. Over-writing it would create a new session, which would be sticky and would continue to auto-supply this field until the user over-wrote a new one. In this way, for the first target in a new night of observing, the observer would rename it "Session 128" or whatever.]

At the bottom of the modal dialogue would be the standard "Cancel" and "Save" buttons. Once saved, it would be ideal to return back to the observing list.

Ideally, the user could then choose to add a new column to the observing list. The column would be called, "Last logged." If the object has never been logged, this field in the table would be blank. If there was at least one log entry, ideally, the "last logged" field would list the date of the last log entry. In this way, even in a Messier Marathon or whatever, the target could be logged for that particular night of observing.

What do you think???? For my own work flow, and I bet for a lot of others, just those additions would get us up and running. With everything else that Stellarium offers, this would become a powerhouse for both session planning and session logging/tracking. Wow. Thanks again for getting us this far already!

Hoping/wishing,

Doug Louisville, Kentucky, USA

[gzotti]

Thanks for your ideas. Any good workflow description may motivate some observer with programming skills to contribute.

There is a terrible disproportion between observing users (who utilize the program under the real sky and enjoy the fresh air and occasional fireball) and the three developers who have their own plans and requirements for indoor simulation. Not sure if I can speak for my co-developers, but I should stop developing and go back out observing for a year to get a feel of what I would like to use. (Or somebody else does that. But I am just dreaming of 1-3 more motivated 'observing developers' who take over telescope/observing stuff!)

[EmeraldHillsSkies]

Thanks for your response. I can only imagine how much work this has been… Because it’s an amazing piece of software. I wish so much that I had programming expertise so I could help with this. right now, as I drive, I am praying that someone will pick up this torch. It would sure open up a lot of additional power for Stellarium.

Sent from Proton Mail for iOS

On Sat, Nov 11, 2023 at 3:13 PM, Georg Zotti @.***(mailto:On Sat, Nov 11, 2023 at 3:13 PM, Georg Zotti < wrote:

Thanks for your ideas. Any good workflow description may motivate some observer with programming skills to contribute.

There is a terrible disproportion between observing users (who utilize the program under the real sky and enjoy the fresh air and occasional fireball) and the three developers who have their own plans and requirements for indoor simulation. Not sure if I can speak for my co-developers, but I should stop developing and go back out observing for a year to get a feel of what I would like to use. (Or somebody else does that. But I am just dreaming of 1-3 more motivated 'observing developers' who take over telescope/observing stuff!)

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