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Is It Possible Import An Observation List With LiveSky.com? (Answer: Importation Is Not Yet Available Via LiveSky.com - Coming Soon!)

ovanaelst

January 17, 2021 17:41

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Hello, is it possible to import an observation list with LiveSky basic?

 

Thank you.

 

Olivier

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10 comments

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith January 18, 2021 15:46

  Oliver, 

  At the moment LiveSky.com can only export data.  Importing data is next on the roadmap for LiveSky.com.

  Thanks!

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith January 18, 2021 15:49

  Oliver, 

  Note, importing data via LiveSky.com will probably require a premium subscription when the feature is available.

  Thanks!

• 0
  
  ovanaelst January 18, 2021 17:00

  Thanks. In fact I'm looking to import lists into sky safari 6 pro. How can I do it?

  Note: it's easy in sky safari 5 pro through iCloud. But I don't know how to do it in version 6. So I keep using version 5 while I purchased version 6.

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith January 18, 2021 17:26

  iOS or Android?

• 0
  
  ovanaelst January 18, 2021 17:34

  iOS 9.3.5

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith January 18, 2021 17:50

  Please see here: SkySafari 6 Pro | Moving Observing List, Saved Settings and Equipment from SS5 to SS6.

• 0
  
  Chris Lee February 24, 2021 13:43

  Will any future update just be about importing lists or would  it import observations? I now use LiveSky for all my observations but have past observations i have recorded and would like to add these into LiveSky so that when i target an object in Sky Safari i can see if it is one i have observed before i had Sky Safari.

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith February 24, 2021 18:34

  Chris, 

  LiveSky import and export functionality will be much improved in the future.  LiveSky is fundamental to all our apps.

  Thanks!

• 0
  
  Chris Lee February 24, 2021 19:00

  OK so would you recommend that I don't laboriusly re-enter over 500 past target observations into LiveSky and wait for the upgrade?!!

• 0
  
  Keiron Smith February 24, 2021 20:07

  Chris, 

  Options include:

  1. Manually create a SkySafari skylist file. See below.
  2. Write/use a script to create a SkySafari skylist file.  See Ruby code posted here: Is There A Way To Automate The Conversion Between CSV And .Skylist File Formats? (Answer: Use Another Program To Convert)
  3. Use another program to covert your list to a SkySafari skylist file; i.e. AstroPlanner, Deep-Sky Planner, Eye & Telescope

  https://knightware.biz/community/public/dsp7/kb/article-25.htm#converter

  How To Create A Skylist File:

  • 1. If you want to convert your own observing lists to a text file that SkySafari can import, here's an example of the format that you need to use:
  • SkySafariObservingListVersion=3.0
    SkyObject=BeginObject
  • ObjectID=4,0,701
    
    
    CatalogNumber=M 42
    
    
    CatalogNumber=NGC 1976
    
    
    CatalogNumber=LBN 974
    
    
    CommonName=Orion Nebula
    
    EndObject=SkyObject
SkyObject=BeginObject

    ObjectID=2,0,971
    
    
    CatalogNumber=Alpha CrB
    
    
    CatalogNumber=5 CrB
    
    
    CatalogNumber=HR 5793
    
    
    CatalogNumber=HD 139006
    
    
    CommonName=Alphecca
    
    EndObject=SkyObject
SkyObject=BeginObject

    ObjectID=1,0,5
    
    
    CatalogNumber=
    
    
    CommonName=Jupiter
    
    
    DateObserved=2455758.204807
    
    
    Comment=Great red spot was great! And red!
    
    EndObject=SkyObject
SkyObject=BeginObject

    ObjectID=1,0,4667
    
    
    CommonName=Garradd
    
    
    CommonName=C/2009 P1
    
    EndObject=SkyObject
SkyObject=BeginObject

    ObjectID=1,0,14877
    
    
    CommonName=1998 DD24
    
    
    CatalogNumber=42608
    
    EndObject=SkyObject

    2. Some comments:

    3. Lines may be separated by a single linefeed (LF) character ('\n', ASCII hex code 0x0A, decimal value 10), or by carriage return (CR) characters ('\r', ASCII code 0x0D, decimal 13), or by CR-LF pairs. In other words, your text file may be a unix-style text file, or a classic Mac or DOS/Windows text file.

  • The first line must be SkySafariObservingListVersion=3.0

  • Observing list entries are groups of keyword=value pairs. Groups are demarcated by BeginObject and EndObjectlines.

  • In the sample above, we've indented the keyword/value pairs within each object for clarity, but you don't have to. SkySafari strips out leading whitespace when importing the file.

  • The ObjectID field is what SkySafari uses internally to identify the object. Since you don't know this, you can use the following:

    1,-1,-1
    for solar system objects
    
    2,-1,-1
    for stars
    
    4,-1,-1
    for deep sky objects
    
    

    SkySafari will try to find the object based on the CatalogNumber or CommonName values, and fix up the ObjectIDvalues internally after it imports the list.

  • The CatalogNumber values are used preferentially instead of the name(s). Please use the same catalog abbreviations that SkySafari uses, e.g. Alpha CMa, HR 7001, M 97, NGC 1695. If the object has no CatalogNumber (like Jupiter), then enter its name(s) in the CommonName field. For asteroids, the asteroid number is the CatalogNumber; use the CommonName field for all other solar system object identifiers.

  • An object must contain all of the CatalogNumbers and CommonNames you've specified to import properly. This is how SkySafari resolves ambiguities between diffiferent objects with the same name: for example, comet Garradd (C/2009 P1) vs. comet Garradd (C/2008 J5), or the asteroid Europa (number 52) vs. Europa (Jupiter's moon, no number). In most cases, though, only a single CatalogNumber or CommonName should be required to uniquely identify the object.

     

  • DateObserved and Comment are optional. DateObserved is the julian date on which your observation took place; Comment is the notes you want associated with the object. Newlines in the notes should be indicated with a \n sequence.