#376 HJD conversion for file-based formats

[David Benn]

We currently handle HJD conversion for additive loads for this scenario:

1. AID load then...
2. Additive file (AAVSO upload format or ASAS) load.

What about additive loads of file-based formats only where one or more of which are HJD based? Either the RA/Dec must be requested via dialog or obtained from one of the files. CSS has RA/Dec info, but it seems to differ per observation (!). ASAS has RA/Dec info also, but it differs per dataset. So, one can't just say: based upon the AID data I loaded, now that I am loading an ASAS/CSS file, I can apply the same RA/Dec to all AID observations for HJD conversion purposes.

How to solve this in a general way?

As part of this, AID additive load should be possible. The current approach should work once this is enabled.

[David Benn]

See also:

• http://www.aavso.org/direct-web-query-vsxvsp
• http://mira.aavso.org/pipermail/aavso-discussion/2009-July/033152.html
• http://britastro.org/computing/applets_dt.html
• http://search.cpan.org/~rcreager/Astro-Time-HJD-0.02/HJD.pm

If we eventually want to move to J2000 coordinates, e.g. with a web GET version of VSX info source code, some of the links above may help.

[David Benn]

Re: the RA/Dec dialog to be implemented when StarInfo object has null RA and Dec values:

1. The RA/Dec dialog will be called in Mediator.convertObsToHJD() when RA/Dec null. It should accept H|D:M:S.n or H|D.n

2. Observation retriever classes should specialise the base getStarInfo() method to add RA and Dec if known.

[David Benn]

Added RA and Dec dialogs for non-AID loads in 2.16.2

[David Benn]

See Sebastian's comment about the need for arbitrary HJD conversion:

http://www.aavso.org/naming-series-and-period-decimal-places#comment-10405

[David Benn]

See also https://sourceforge.net/p/vstar/bugs-and-features/456/

[David Benn]

Handled in 2.21.0. See #595.