KStars: New Features in KDE 3.4

Have a list of objects you'd like to observe tonight? Just add them to the Observing List tool, and you'll have easy access to common actions such as Center & Track, Point Telescope, Show Details, and Show Alt. vs. Time. Objects are added to the list through the popup menu, or by clicking the object and pressing the "O" key. The tool also provides easy access to the "observing log" for each object, so you can attach notes each one.

In future releases, you'll be able to save Observing Lists to disk, and we'll provide a wizard for creating lists with logical rules (such as "include all bright galaxies in the constellation Virgo").

We've made substantial improvements to the Solar System Viewer. First of all, the orbital tracks are now the actual ellipses followed by each planet, rather than the circular approximations we used to use. Also, the display is no longer tied to the Sun, you can recenter it with the arrow keys or by dragging with the mouse. You can even double-click on a planet to recenter the display on that body.

Best of all, the tool now has an independent clock, so you can easily see the configuration of the planets on any date. You can also set the clock in motion, and watch the celestial dance of the planets as they travel around the Sun.

We added a large number of DCOP functions for telescope control, so your observing sessions can now be fully scripted! These functions have been incorporated into the Script Builder tool.

In addition, the INDI protocol now supports Takahashi Temma telescopes, and device automation is now possible.

In addition to the "Eyepiece" and "Camera" modes for designing a Field-of-View indicator, there is now a "Radio Telescope" mode. You specify the diameter of the dish and the wavelength observed, and it computes a FOV indicator with the correct beam size. Also, we added a "semitransparent circle" shape for FOV indicators.