CMTWIN32 Download Page
CMTWIN32 is a 32 bit Windows (Windows 95 and higher) program that will calculate and print a comet ephemeris that includes RA, DEC, Alt, AZ, estimated brightness, etc. It also has limited graphics capability to display the comet postion/track in RA/DEC or Alt/Az.
The program is supplied as a self-extracting ZIP file called COMET.EXE. Download the COMET.EXE file to a folder you have created and run the COMET.EXE file. The files required to create a full working copy CMTWIN32 will be extracted and decompressed into that folder. To run CMTWIN32 just double click on the CMTWIN32.EXE file.
The program and associated files are relatively small and kept in one folder. CMTWIN32 may be freely copied and distributed.
The contents of the README.TXT file included with the download are at the bottom of this page-it will answer most of your questions.
The CMT_EPHM.EXE utility will allow the user to download the comet orbital elements from the Observable Comets web page and convert those downloaded elements into the CMTWIN32 format.
After saving the comet orbital elements in ASCII format with the file name COMET.TXT, load the file into a text editor (such as NOTEPAD) to make sure the file is "clean" (no extra characters, blank lines, etc.). Be extra careful to make sure there are no blank lines at the end of the file. Then save the comet element file in the same folder as CMT_EPHM.EXE and run CMT_EPHM.EXE. A comet data file compatible with CMTWIN32 will be created (CMTEPHEM.DAT) that can be loaded directly into CMTWIN32. CMT_EPHM may be freely copied and distributed.
The following text is included in the CMTWIN32 download (COMET.EXE) in the README.TXT file. If you have any questions about CMTWIN32 before downloading you will probably find the answers here.
CMTWIN32 Instructions 07 Jul 01 ------------------------------------------------------------ CMTWIN32 is a 32-bit Windows based program and must be run from Windows 95, Windows 98 or higher. INSTALLATION: ------------- The program, CMTWIN32.EXE, needs a total of 4 files to operate. They are: * CMTWIN32.EXE: This is the actual executable file that is the CMTWIN32 program. * CMTEPHEM.DAT: This is a plain ordinary ASCII file and it contains all the comet orbital elements needed to predict the comet position and brightness. You can edit and change this file to suit your needs. You can add, delete, or update comet orbital elements. Details on the format of this file are contained in the beginning of the file. Just load into an ASCII editor (such as NOTEPAD) and read the instructions or edit. If you used the previous version of this software (CMTWIN.EXE) this file is EXACTLY the same. You can use your old file with this new software. * CMTEPHEM.INI: This file contains the latitude and longitude (in decimal form) of the observing location. Initially it contains the location of the authors site. This file can be missing and a new one will be generated. When you change the lat & lon in the program input screen the new lat & lon will be saved automatically in this file upon quitting the program. This file is also EXACTLY the same as the one used in the previous version of the software (CMTWIN.EXE) so you can just use this file too. * MSVBVM60.DLL: This file is required by the CMTWIN32.EXE program to run. Many commercial programs install this same file so you may already have this file in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM subdirectory. If you already have it there is no need to load this copy onto your hard drive - you can just forget it. INSTALL: -------- To install the CMTWIN32 program just create a new folder (call it what you want-CMTWIN32 would be an obvious choice) and copy all of the above 4 files to that folder. The MSVBVM60.DLL file can be put in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder if you want but it doesn't have to go there. If you don't put the MSVBVM60.DLL file in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder it MUST be kept in the same folder as the other CMTWIN32 program files. RUNNING CMTWIN32: ----------------- To run the program in Windows or Win95/98 select "START" and "RUN" and then, using "Browse," go to the folder you created above and double-click on CMTWIN32.EXE. It will run. You can also locate the file using Windows Explorer and double click on the program in the file list. You can make it more accessible by making a shortcut on your desktop. UNINSTALL: ---------- If you don't want the program on your system any more just delete the four files (and the folder you created) listed above and it will be gone-no messy Windows install or uninstall with files scattered all over your hard drive. NOTES: ------ There is not any robust error checking in the program so things like a printer that is not on when the print option is selected will cause the program to crash. I'll fix this stuff as time permits. A missing CMTEPHEM.DAT file will also cause problems. The main reason the alt/az plotting is present is to help in planning the best time to observe when the comet is highest above the horizon. This program has been used very extensively and I know of no bugs. If you do find one please let me know and I'll try to get it fixed. Other than that, I think the program is pretty much self-explanatory.