ROBERT BRUCE DENNY
Pilots at Vanguard St, Mesa, AZ

2006022, Oct 5, 2006

Mar 22, 2006

11/308403

Robert Denny - Mesa AZ, US

G06F 19/00

702002000

A method and system for creating astronomical observing plans is disclosed. The method provides the observer with a visual means to allocate observing time to multiple astronomical objects when each of said objects are in a favorable sky position for observation. The system uses a separate planetarium program as a visual aid and receives both target selection and varying date/time inputs from the planetarium. Using this list, plus user inputs specifying one or more images to be taken of each target, the system generates a continuous display that indicates the status of the observatory (busy or idle) for the currently selected time in the planetarium. In the preferred embodiment, this status display is fed back to the planetarium, however this is not a requirement. By varying the time in the planetarium, the user can easily select new objects to add to the list at favorable sky positions and times when the observatory is idle. The method thus visually solves the combined problem of target selection and timing. Once the list of selected targets is complete, the system can produce an observing plan document in a format suitable for a plurality of automated observatory control systems.