2022-09-21, 03:06 PM
A couple of things:
1) There are two kinds of objects that can appear as rectangles. One is dark nebulae, as Phil mentioned. You can also just turn them off in the View Controls if they bother you. The other is nebulae (mostly HII regions) without outlines. These are generally very faint wisps of nebulosity for which there is little more than a position cataloged for them.
2) There is a small + at the center of both types that you can pass your cursor over or double-click on to see the object info.
3) The only real difference between the Atlas and eyepiece view has to do with the simulation. The eyepiece view shows things you can see in the scope under the current conditions. Generally that means fewer objects are displayed. In the Atlas you can control the magnitude limits/visibility directly. But in the end they both use the same preferences and view controls so you can turn them off or adjust how they appear in the exactly same way.
The best thing to do is to always use the most appropriate chart for the job, and then customize it to give you what you want. Using the Atlas when you really want an eyepiece simulation would be an unnecessary kludge. The eyepiece simulation shows you what you will see in the eyepiece and no more, which can be useful. In either chart, you can turn off the dark nebulae in the View Controls. Remember you can change everything about the chart, from what is displayed to how each element appears (including colors and line styles) in the Chart Preferences as well.
1) There are two kinds of objects that can appear as rectangles. One is dark nebulae, as Phil mentioned. You can also just turn them off in the View Controls if they bother you. The other is nebulae (mostly HII regions) without outlines. These are generally very faint wisps of nebulosity for which there is little more than a position cataloged for them.
2) There is a small + at the center of both types that you can pass your cursor over or double-click on to see the object info.
3) The only real difference between the Atlas and eyepiece view has to do with the simulation. The eyepiece view shows things you can see in the scope under the current conditions. Generally that means fewer objects are displayed. In the Atlas you can control the magnitude limits/visibility directly. But in the end they both use the same preferences and view controls so you can turn them off or adjust how they appear in the exactly same way.
The best thing to do is to always use the most appropriate chart for the job, and then customize it to give you what you want. Using the Atlas when you really want an eyepiece simulation would be an unnecessary kludge. The eyepiece simulation shows you what you will see in the eyepiece and no more, which can be useful. In either chart, you can turn off the dark nebulae in the View Controls. Remember you can change everything about the chart, from what is displayed to how each element appears (including colors and line styles) in the Chart Preferences as well.
Clear skies,
Greg
Head Dude at Skyhound
Greg
Head Dude at Skyhound