EXPORT.EXE and other star catalog utilities

The utility program EXPORT.EXE can convert the Hubble guide star catalog GSC 1.1 or the GSC_ACT catalog to a compact binary version similar as the GSC 1.2. This will reduce the GSC size from 2 CD's to about 304 Mbytes only. It can also export the HNSKY star databases to an ASCII file.

Screen shot:

You will need the original GSC files and the \tables\regions.tbl file. Only the binary GSC files will be created, no binary region files under \TABLES

Converted will be the RA, DEC, Magnitude, Class, Position error, Magnitude error, Magnitude band and Multi F/T only.

Conversion will take less then one hour.

The GSC star databases contains 15 million stars to about magnitude 15. In case you have a fast internet connection, you should not convert it but download the binary GSC 1.2 at the CDS  directly. However if you already own the GSC 1.1 or the GSC_ACT  in FITS format (2 full CD's !) you can convert them to the binary format.

For users without a fast internet connection, you can order the FITS version on 2 CD's at Project Pluto !!! HNSKY can access these CD's directly but to save disk space convert these files to the binary format using the EXPORT.EXE  utility .

Download: HNSKYPD.ZIP (280 Kbytes) containing the Windows program EXPORT.EXE and some DOS utility programs for experts to create new star databases for the HNSKY program and utilities to export GSC 1.1/ACT and USNO A2 to TXT/ASCII files:

1) EXPORT.EXE. As described above to convert the GSC to binary format and to export HNSKY star databases.

2) CONV_GSC.EXE. Export the GSC 1.1 or GSC ACT (FITS format) to a .TXT file.

3) A2_TXT.EXE. Export the USNO A2 files  to a .TXT files.

4) MAKE_DAT.EXE  Makes a HNSKY star database type .DAT from a .TXT file.

5) MAKE_D32.EXE  Makes a HNSKY star database type .D32 from a .TXT file.

Success,  Han  Kleijn