If you intend to observe stationary targets (stars, galaxies, minor planet/comet search fields, etc.), you may take this opportunity to add them to the fixed object database (you may also choose to add them later, when you update the fixed object database). You may import stationary targets from your own catalog files, provided that they satisfy the following conditions:

• The catalog files are plain text files.
• The catalog files contain one record (object) per line
• The target name, right ascension, declination, and (optionally) magnitude information in the catalog files are situated in fixed columns, and have a definite format (e.g., hh mm ss.ss for right ascensions)

An example catalog file would be

 Star 1   14 45 28.9 -05 38 42    6.5
 Star 2   23 59 17.4 +89 57 38   12.5
 Star 3   06 15 38.0 -05 19 51   18.5

This file (catalog_example.txt) is available in directory TAO\targets. Each record gives (from left to right) the target name, right ascension, declination, and magnitude.

To import the above file to the fixed object database, you need to describe the format of each catalog record in a format description file, whose contents are illustrated below:

Designation:
  Starting column:                                    2
  Length:                                             8
Right ascension:
  Format (hh.hhhhh, hh mm ss.ss, hh mm.m,...):        hh mm ss.s
  Starting column:                                    11
Declination:
  Format (sdd.dddd, sdd mm ss.s, sdd mm ss,...):      sdd mm ss
  Starting colunn:                                    22
Magnitude:
  Format (none, mm.m, mm.mm, mm):                     mm.m
  Starting column:                                    34
Priority code:                                        K
Default user:                                         PRH
Remove old targets with same priority code? (yes/no)  yes

This file (format_example.txt) is available in directory TAO\targets, and may be used as a template to create your own format description files. The various options which may be specified in a format description file are explained below:

• Designation. This is the target name. You need to specify the column at which the designation begins (Starting column) and the number of characters in the designation field (Length).

• Right ascension. This is the J2000.0 target right ascension. You need to specify the right ascension format (supported formats are hh.hh, hh.hhh, hh.hhhh, hh.hhhhh, hh.hhhhhh, hh mm, hh mm.m, hh mm.mm, hh mm ss, hh mm ss.s, hh mm ss.ss, hh mm ss.sss) and the column at which the right ascension field begins (Starting column).

• Declination. This is the J2000.0 target declination. You need to specify the declination format (supported formats are sdd.d, sdd.dd, sdd.ddd, sdd.dddd, sdd.ddddd, sdd mm, sdd mm.m, sdd mm.mm, sdd mm ss, sdd mm ss.s, sdd mm ss.ss) and the column at which the declination field begins (Starting column).

• Magnitude. This is the target magnitude. You need to specify the magnitude format (supported formats are mm, mm.m, mm.mm; if your catalog does not include magnitude information or you do not want to import the magnitude information, set this option to none) and the column at which the magnitude field begins (Starting column).

• Priority code. This is a single-character code which will appear in front of the target name in the lists of potential targets. It may be used to identify the targets imported from different catalogs, or which are of interest to different users.

• Default user. This is a 3-character user identification code which will appear in the list of observation requests which is automatically generated when program addFixedTargets is executed to import a new catalog file to the fixed object database (see below for details).

• Remove old targets with same priority code? If this question is answered with yes, any targets in the database which have the same priority code specified in this format description file will be removed from the database when program addFixedTargets is executed to import a new catalog file to the fixed object database (see below for details). This feature is useful for observers (such as supernova or minor planet/comet searchers) whose stationary targets of interest may change completely from one night to the next. By removing old targets with the same priority code, one prevents the cluttering of the fixed object database with targets which are no longer of interest.

To import a catalog file into the fixed object database, you may use program addFixedTargets, which is located in the TAO\targets directory. Open a DOS window (Command Prompt) and cd to the TAO\targets directory. To review the command line options for program addFixedTargets, type the command

C:TAO\targets\>addFixedTargets ?

This will print the following help information:

addFixedTargets, Version 2003-09-19 (C) Paulo Holvorcem 1997-2003. All rights reserved. Licensed to T. Brahe Usage: addFixedTargets [-f formatFile] [-c catalogFile] [?] Command line options: -f formatFile Specifies the file which describes the format of the object catalog to import into the local fixed object database. If omitted, file format.txt will be used. -c catalogFile Specifies the catalog to import into the local fixed object database. If omitted, file catalog.txt will be used. ? Prints this help information.

To import the above example catalog into the fixed object database, one would then type the command

C:TAO\targets\>addFixedTargets -f format_example.txt -c catalog_example.txt

After the program executes you will see a screen message like this:

Log written to catalog_example_addFixedTargets.log Scheduler input file written to catalog_example_addFixedTargets.stg

The log file will contain a detailed record of the data import operation, including error messages. The scheduler input file is a plain text file which may be used as input to the TAO scheduler. It contains observation requests for each target in the catalog processed by program addFixedTargets. The scheduler input file resulting from processing the above example catalog and format description files would contain these observation requests:

Star 1; PRH
Star 2; PRH
Star 3; PRH

These requests would be scheduled using the default preferences specified in the user profile for user PRH (the user specified in the format description file). Both the log file and the scheduler input file will be found in directory TAO\targets.

Note: All right ascensions and declinations handled by TAO must be referred to the equator and equinox of J2000.0. It is assumed that the telescope is able to point with sufficient accuracy when it receives J2000.0 target coordinates.