Introduction to TheSky6's Object Model

Object Name

Explanation

StarChart Object

The StarChart object makes it possible to programmatically access almost every visual aspect of the Sky Display.  For instance you can turn off and any object type or programmatically change its font, line type, fill, and or magnitude limit.  The StarChart object also allows access to nearly every property that is saved within a star chart document such as latitude, longitude, mirror image, there are over one hundred and fifty properties available.  The sample script StarChart.wsf gives examples of how to utilize the StarChart Object.

DataWizard Object

The DataWizard object is probably the most powerful and widely of all objects offered by TheSky6.  It allows users to run predefined queries that return a group of desired object.  The query’s filtering ability is almost unlimited.  For example, you can programmatically run a real-time query to return all bright double stars above fifty degrees altitude.  

The DataWizard's RunQuery property returns an ObjectInformation object which holds a group of objects returned by the query.  See the sub routine DataWizard example in the sample script StarChart.wsf for a sample code to utilize this object.

MyFOVs Object

The MyFOVs object provides scripted access to TheSky6's Field of View Indicators and their properties.

Beware of these restrictions:

The MyFOVs object:

1. Gives access to properties by detector name only.

2. Does not yet give access to FOV elements.

3. Does not give the ability to Add or Delete FOVs via script. This must be done via TheSky6's View | Field of View Indicators command.

4. You will have to use the Refresh method of the StarChart Object to update any changes made programmatically to a FOV.

ObjectInformation Object

The ObjectInformation object gives access to TheSky6’s wealth of celestial object database information.  The StarChart’s object’s Find and ClickFind methods return an ObjectInformation Object. Almost two hundred unique properties are accessible from the ObjectInformation Object.

Not all available properties apply to all objects so there is a way to discover which properties do apply.  For example, you may access a particular satellites altitude and azimuth, a planet’s heliocentric coordinates, the moons penumbra radius, or a stars cataloged position error etc.  

The ObjectInformation object may hold "n" number of objects and accessed by way of an index.

RASCOMTele Object

The RASCOMTele Object allows scripted control of most any computerized "go to" mount compatible with TheSky6.

RASCOMTheSky Object

The StarChart object has superceded most of the functionality of this object.  This legacy object is supplied mainly for backward compatibility.  

Developers are strongly encouraged to migrate source code to use the StarChart object instead of the RASCOMTheSky object except for the following methods which are not available from any other object:

ImageLink

AutoMap

ConnectDome

CoupleDome

Quit

DisconnectTelescope

DisconnectDome

SetTelescopeParkPosition  

RASServerApp Object

The RASServerApp object represents TheSky6 application.

Utils Object

The Utils object gives access to commonly used astronomy related routines and conversions.  The routines include the ability to compute the position angle and angular separation between to objects, the hour angle, air-mass, refraction and rise transit set times of an object, the local sidereal time, universal time, Julian date of TheSky6 as well as the ability to precess coordinates to and from epoch 2000.  

The conversions include the ability to convert a string to a double and vise versa for both equatorial coordinates (right ascension/declination) and horizon coordinates (azimuth/altitude), the ability to convert between equatorial and horizon coordinates and vise versa, convert a calendar day (year, month, day, hour, minute, second) to a Julian date and vise-versa as well as the ability to format most any "sexagesimal" to a string with a wide variety of formats.  

See the sample script TheSkyUtils.vbs for sample code using this object.

Raven Object

The Raven object gives programmers the ability to synchronize the dome to the telescope.  In other words, the dome can “track” the telescope.  By default TheSky6’s dome coupling aligns the dome slit with the telescope optic whenever TheSky6 commands the telescope to slew. This behavior works for most applications, but there are those instances where the telescope is only slewed to an object once and monitored all night-in this case it might be undesirable to slew to the object between exposures so instead this method allows full control over when the dome slit is aligned with the telescope optic.