Notice a resemblance to the Dedication Plaque!

The inspiration continues...

In February 2004, I was searching the WWW for a Palm Pilot program that would control the Observatory's computer-controlled mounts.  At the time, the computer I was using was so bright in the dark o'night that I had to find a better, darker solution. Also, the speed was so slow, it took forever to boot up, and I had just aquired a new Palm T3. After a futile search, I went to a listserv and inquired of the experts. Immediately, Cyrille Thieullet from France returned my note to say he had just started writing a program, Astromist, that had the protocol to run my Takahashi Temma II control.   Since that fateful day, we have had a rich collaboration that has lead, most excitingly, to the very first wireless PDA control of a telescope (March 2005), using Bluetooth and an AIRcable device as the interface. Further, we have created many, many nice features to lead the observer through the night!  If you would like to read more about the program, I have written a paper that was submitted to and unfortunately rejected from both Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazines this past May 2005.  It is my hope that the program will soon have as its new name GuideStar and will soon be recognized for its vision as the complete observer's resource. This program will certainly lead anyone through the night! ...Good seeing, Tom McCarthy

 GuideStar (pdf file)

This page will offer an direct inspection of the program and its features.  It is currently under construction so don't be surprised if you hit a dead end! You can begin by clicking on the program icon that is shown on a Palm T3 or T5 desk top below.