Virtual Sky 3 for Windows 95/98 (www-release)

1. About Virtual Sky
2. Installation
3. Uninstall Virtual Sky
4. Installation of additional Dll's
5. Legal Stuff


1. About Virtual Sky

Virtual Sky is a simple planetarium software for Windows 95 (not tested under 98 or NT). It shows the view of the sky an star maps from any location on earth an any time betwen -4712 and 9999.

Click with the mouse on objects to get informations about them. You can reduce the number of objects and the diameter of the star maps, if the memory of your PC is to small. 32 MB are required, 96 is better...

Files with orbital elements for Comets, Asteroids, Earth Satellites and geographic locations can be edit. Also the data files of some other astronomy software are supported.

2. Installation

In the downloadable version there is no setup-routine (to minimize the download-volume). Unzip the downloaded files into a special folder on your harddisk and start Virtual Sky by double-clicking the vsky.exe - file.

Other versions may have a setup-routine.


3. Uninstallieren Virtual Sky

a) If you recieved Virtual Sky together with a setup-tool uninstall it as usual under Windows 95.

b) Otherwise just delete vour Virtual Sky- Folder with all files in it.


4. Installation of additonal Dll's

To use the VSOP87C planetary theorie or the ELP2000/82 lunar theorie you must download the large versions of the vsop87c.dll resp. elp2000.dlls. The small versions are only 50 KB small.

You must install the large dlls into your System Folder (typically c:\windows\system).

- Close Virtual Sky, if it is runnig.
- Make a backup of your old elp2000 and vsop87c-dlls.
- Put the new, large elp2000 and vsop87c-dlls to your system folder.

After restarting Virtual Sky new menu commands in the menu 'Configuration' will appear.

If you select the vsop87c-theory as calculation method, the pluto ephemerides will be calculated by the DE200-integration of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory too.

5. Legal Stuff

Virtual Sky is copyrighted freeware. All rights are preserved. You do not have to pay any money, if you are using this software obtaining the following conditions.

Virtual Sky is astronomy - software. If you want to use it for so called astro"logic" "calculations": this is not the intention of this software - please cancel the installation resp. delete Virtual Sky 2 from your hard disk if it is allready installed. You loose your license for using Virtual Sky 2, if you use it for "astrologic" "calculations" - it is illegal to use my software for those purposes.

Virtual Sky is a software designed by a computer- and astronomy-amateur for use by amateurs only. You may copy it and distribute it to your friends, if it is used for non-commercial purpose. You may not change any files, witch you distribute to other persons. Any commercial use is strongly forbidden. DON'T MAKE MONEY WITH THIS SOFTWARE! The copyright is remaining to Manfred Dings.

If you find bugs in Virtual Sky - contact me by e-mail. Also if you have some ideas, how Virtual Sky could become more useful. Just send an e-mail to m.dings@hmt.uni-sb.de.

Virtual Sky IS SUPPLIED WITHOUT WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND THE AUTHOR IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT LOSS ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

DON'T MAKE MONEY WITH THIS SOFTWARE!



Trademarks
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Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Trademarks of other companies mentioned in this file, in the help file, in the software or any other documentation appear for identification purposes only and are the property of their respective companies.

Copyright  1997-2000 by Manfred Dings.

I'm testing my system often by a professional anti-virus software. But there's no guarantee, that my files are completely virus-free (I hope, they are...).