Night Vision
Night Vision is a "planetarium" program that will display the heavens from any location on earth. Viewing options allow the user to control which sky objects to display, which font to use, and manipulation of various star parameters. Time may be set to run at multiple speeds, including backwards. Star charts may be printed.

A list of features:
  • View manipulation via mouse drag and mouse wheel
  • Larger and continuously varible star sizes
  • Enhanced find for stars and deep sky objects
  • Zoom-based limiting magnitude for stars and deep sky objects
  • Deep sky object name button on toolbar

System requirements
  • Minimum JRE: 1.6.0 Build 22
  • Enough space on your monitor

Night Vision on an eComStation machine with Open JDK

Installing Night Vision
Download nvj52.zip. Create a folder (directory) "nvj". Unzip the "nvj52.zip" file to the new folder "nvj".

The nvj.cmd file
Night Vision version 5.2 works with Open JDK in OS/2-eCS. I have made a nvj.cmd file with the following contents; 
@echo off
set path=[drive: java]\JAVA160\bin
set BEGINLIBPATH=[drive: java]\JAVA160\bin
set CLASSPATH=
[drive: nvj]
cd [drive: nvj]\nvj
java -Duser.home=C:\PROGRAMS\NVJ -jar nvj.jar 2>nvj_bugs.txt
I use 2 separate folders (directories), one for Java and one for Night Vision with the files created by this program. The references used in the cmd file;

  • [drive: java] = drive with Java
  • [drive: nvj] = drive with Night Vision

should be replaced with real drive letters. Edit and save the file "nvj.cmd" from the distribution. This file is copied to the "nvj" folder (directory). Furthermore, different paths?, adjust according to your needs.
Create a new program object. Specify the path and file name: "[drive: nvj]\nvj\nvj.cmd". In the tabpage Session check the boxes "OS/2 window", "Running as an icon" and "Close Window to end program". In the tabpage General you can enter the name "Night Vision 5.2". You find enclosed in the file a suitable OS/2 icon.

Parameters / options explained
  • The addition "2>nvj_bugs.txt" ensures that errors are saved in the file "nvj_bugs.txt". The 2 in "2>" is not a typo!
  • The specification "-Duser.home=C:\PROGRAMS\NVJ" ensures that Night Vision will save all necessary files in own directory instead of saving them in the home directory.

Download
In the file you can find the above command file (all driveletters are set to C:) and an OS/2 Night Vision icon: nvj-ecs.zip.

revision December 31, 2019