Hello SkySafari Support Team,
I am a long-time user of your app, and I have recently discovered a whole set of bugs related to the object databases in SkySafari 7 Pro and SkySafari 8 Pro.
Below is a detailed breakdown of three specific issues I encountered, along with reproduction steps, object lists, and expected results. I have also attached ZIP archives containing screenshots, screen recordings, and sample log/list files to help your development team reproduce and fix these problems.
Here are the details:
Problem 1: Broken link between objects and historical observing sessions (objects shown as "unrecognized")
Description:
I have a large number of historical observation logs (observing sessions) originally created in SkySafari 6 Pro. After migrating to SkySafari 7 Pro and SkySafari 8 Pro, certain objects within these older sessions are now displayed as "unrecognized".
Symptoms:
- When tapping on an unrecognized object within a session, the app displays an error message: "The object cannot be found."
- However, if I manually search for the exact same object using the app's standard Search feature, SkySafari finds it without any issues.
- If I search for the object, open its info card, and tap "Show Observations", the app shows zero logs. In reality, there should be numerous historical observations linked to it.
Actual Result:
The connection/link between historical observing sessions (observations) and specific objects in the database has been lost.
Expected Result:
Legacy observations imported from older versions should correctly link to the current database objects, and tapping "Show Observations" should display all historical records.
Attachments:
I have attached a ZIP archive containing:
- Screenshots highlighting the affected objects and error messages.
- Sample log files containing the problematic objects.
- A screen recording demonstrating the entire issue in real-time.
Link to ZIP Archive:
https://mega.nz/file/9R1EBQYY#olsQf8k6tDnGmWSiWKFgB9vVa3UnOqxTzu4HJ5m5N5Y
Problem 2: Objects in Observing Lists shown as "unrecognized" and map to completely wrong objects
Description:
In SkySafari 7 Pro and SkySafari 8 Pro, numerous objects within imported observing lists (.skylist) are displayed as "unrecognized". Furthermore, tapping on these objects opens the information and properties card for a completely different astronomical object.
Steps to Reproduce / Example:
- Open the attached observing list: Herschel2500-v08.skylist.
- Tap on the very first object in the list, which is NGC 7234.
- Instead of NGC 7234, the app opens the object info page for NGC 5966.
Actual Result:
The object is marked as "unrecognized," and its database entry incorrectly points to an entirely different object. This issue affects a huge number of entries across various observing lists.
Expected Result:
The app should correctly recognize the object from the .skylist file, display its correct properties (e.g., NGC 7234 should open NGC 7234), and preserve the integrity of the observing list database.
Attachments:
I have attached a ZIP archive containing:
- The original observing list file (Herschel2500-v08.skylist) featuring the problematic entries.
- Screenshots showing the incorrect object mapping.
- A screen recording demonstrating the bug in action.
Link to ZIP Archive:
https://mega.nz/file/9R1EBQYY#olsQf8k6tDnGmWSiWKFgB9vVa3UnOqxTzu4HJ5m5N5Y
Problem 3: Missing objects in SS7 and SS8 databases (Regression)
Description:
There is a database regression issue where multiple astronomical objects that were present and searchable in SkySafari 6 Pro have gone missing in newer versions.
The situation is bad in SkySafari 7 Pro, but it gets significantly worse in SkySafari 8 Pro, where even more objects from the same catalog have disappeared.
Objects missing in SkySafari 7 Pro:
- NGC 6144
- PGC 4713561
- PGC 4713565
- PGC 4713558
- PGC 5056923
Objects missing in SkySafari 8 Pro (even larger list):
- NGC 6144
- PGC 4689222
- PGC 4689223
- PGC 4713552
- PGC 4713553
- PGC 4713557
- PGC 4713558
- PGC 4713559
- PGC 4713561
- PGC 4713562
- PGC 4713563
- PGC 4713564
- PGC 4713565
- PGC 5056919
- PGC 5056921
- PGC 5056923
Note: In SkySafari 8 Pro, the app fails to return any results when searching for these specific identifiers, despite them being fully available in older generation software (SS6 Pro).
Expected Result:
All objects available in legacy databases (SS6 Pro) should be preserved or properly mapped in the newer versions (SS7 Pro and SS8 Pro) without catalog data loss.
Link to ZIP Archive:
https://mega.nz/file/9R1EBQYY#olsQf8k6tDnGmWSiWKFgB9vVa3UnOqxTzu4HJ5m5N5Y
