Selecting Data from a Star Catalog

Abstract

MCDUMP is a computer program that selects data from the SKYMAP SKY2000 Master Star Catalog a database about 150 MB in size, stored on a computer hard drive. The database describes about 300,000 stars, each by means of a 500-byte entry. MCDUMP reads all 300,000 entries, then generates an output file that comprises a subset of entries selected according to one or more criteria entered by the user. Examples of criteria that could be entered include: location in a selected portion of the sky; constancy or a specified degree of variability of brightness; absence of nearby, bright companion stars; a particular surface temperature; and brightness sufficient to enable detection by a specified astronomical instrument. The output of MCDUMP can be in the form of either a single 520-column file or multiple files that contain fewer columns to facilitate printing. MCDUMP has been configured and tested for use under the HP-UX 10.20 operating system (a Hewlett-Packard version of the UNIX operating system). It should also be possible to adapt MCDUMP to other versions of UNIX