How to add comets to your Stellarium Solar System
I expect most of you have already done this but here are instructions on how to update your Stellarium Solar systems with the comets Ison and Pannstarrs.
- Open Stellarium
- Press F2 to open the "configuration" window.
- Under the "Plugins" tab in the "Configuration" window,
- Select "Solar System Editor".
- Under "options" at the bottom of the tab, click the "Configure" button. A window for "Solar System; objects" will open.
- Under the "Solar System tab" of the "Solar System objects" window, click the "Import orbital elements in MPC format" button at the bottom of the tab.
- An "import data"window will open.
Under the "lists" tab of the "Import data" window, Select the "type" as
"comets" - Select the "source" as "download a list of objects from the internet"
- Under "or select from the list" click on "Select bookmark" and select "MPC's list of observablecomets," and then click the button "get orbital elements."
- A list of objects found will load. Scroll down and check the box next to C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS), then scroll down and tick C/2012 S1 (ISON)
- Click the "Add; objects". C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) and C/2012
S1 (ISON) will then be added to your solar system. Close the Solar System
editor and Configuration window. - If you want to see where each will be in the sky, you'll need to update your location and time.
- Press F3 to open the "Find object" window. Type in C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) or begin to type it until only one choice is visible below the search box.
- Click the magnifying glass at the right of the search box to lock in on PANSTARRS It will automatically give you a view of the sky where PANSTARRS is located.
- Remember they won’t show up on Stellarium as a bright objects with a tail!I