Telescope
Welcome to Telescope - a terminal/console program for the amateur astronomer.
Note: Version 1.0 is a complete rewrite based on the rcurses library
This application can help structure your telescopes and eyepieces. It will calculate properties of your scopes and EPs. Scope+EP combination properties are also calculated.
The top panel lists your telescopes and the lower panel shows the eyepieces.
Here are the navigation keys and what they do:
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| t | Add telescope (name,app,fl[,notes]) |
| e | Add eyepiece (name,fl,afov[,notes]) |
| ENTER | Edit selected |
| TAB | Switch panels |
| UP/DOWN | Move cursor |
| Shift-UP | Move item up |
| Shift-DOWN | Move item down |
| HOME/END | Jump to start/end |
| o | Toggle order by Telescope APP and Eyepiece FL |
| SPACE | Tag/untag |
| u | Untag all |
| A | Tag all (bulk operation) |
| Ctrl-o | Create observation log with tagged equipment |
| x | Export tagged items to CSV |
| X | Export all items to JSON |
| v | Show version information |
| D | Delete item |
| r | Refresh all panes |
| q/Q | Quit (save/no save) |
| ? | Help |
Telescope and eyepiece data is saved in the file '.telescope' in your home directory. The app now supports:
What's New in Version 1.5
- 📝 Notes field: Add optional notes to telescopes and eyepieces
- 📤 Export functionality: Export tagged items to CSV or all items to JSON
- 🏷️ Bulk operations: Tag/untag all items at once with 'A'/'u' keys
- 🎨 Enhanced UI: Color-coded background highlights for optimal eyepiece ranges
- 💾 Automatic backups: Your data is automatically backed up (configurable)
-
⚙️ Configuration file: Customize colors and settings via
~/.telescope_config - ✅ Input validation: Improved error handling and validation
- 📦 Version checking: Press 'v' to check for updates from RubyGems
Configuration
Create a file ~/.telescope_config to customize colors and settings. See .telescope_config_example for available options.
Installation
You can install telescope by simply coloning this repo and put the file telescope in your "bin" directory. Or you can simply do gem install telescope-term.
After installation, fire up the program and press '?' to display the help text.
List of telescope abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| APP | Apperature (in millimeters) |
| FL | Focal Length (in millimeters) |
| F/? | Focal ratio (FL/APP) |
| <MAG | Maximum magnitude visible |
| xEYE | Light gathering compared to the human eye |
| MINx | Minimum usable magnification (may be lower for refractors) |
| MAXx | Maximum usable magnification |
| SEP-R | Minimum separation, Rayleigh limit |
| SEP-D | Minimum separation, Dawes limit |
| *FLD | Recommended eyepiece for star fields |
| GLXY | Recommended eyepiece for galaxies and nebulae |
| PLNT | Recommended eyepiece for planets and globular clusters |
| DBL* | Recommended eyepiece for planet details and double stars |
| >2*< | Recommended eyepiece for tight double stars |
| MOON | Minimum feature resolved on the Moon (in meters) |
| SUN | Minimum feature resolved on the Sun (in kilometers) |
List of eyepiece abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FL | Focal Length (in millimeters) |
| AFOV | Apparent Field Of View |
| MAGX | Magnification (with that telescope) |
| TFOV° | True Field Of View (deg/min/sec) |
| PPL | Exit pupil (in millimeters) |
| 2blw | Magnification with that telescope and a 2x Barlow lens |
| tfov | True Field Of View with the 2x Barlow lens |
| ppl | Exit pupil with the 2x Barlow lens |
Screenshot
