I frequently run sequences that contain up to 40 unique variable stars. It isn’t something you’d want to do by hand.
Currently I manipulate a CSV file from the AAVSO’s VSX to create a text file to Import with Starry Night. It sure would be a whole lot easier to have a new File/Import that would do a CSV or txt file with the target name, RA, and Dec on the same line separated by tabs (for the text file) or commas (for the CSV).
Something like that would make building sequences with a large number of targets a whole lot easier.
Steve, take a look at this CSV file and the matching text file:
I was able to successfully import this file containing a target into SGP via “Import targets” → “Starry Nights”, so I believe SGP will already do what you’re requesting.
What I’d like to see is this function enhanced, with the ability to add (at least) target start and end times to the import file, as well as a single event with filter, exposure, and repeat values set. Like you, I have my own celestial database and would like to quickly import target lists containing say 20+ targets or even Messier/Caldwell/Sharpless marathon lists for SGP to run through during the course of a night or more.
Yep, that is pretty much what I do already. To do this you need to know what that header line is even though the vast majority of columns are ignored. It would be much easier for end users to only have to worry about 3 columns of data and no header.
Start and end times would be good too. Since the vast majority of my targets have the same exposure settings I can get by with the copy to all, but I can see where it might be useful with targets with different exposures. Having to scroll through a long sequence looking for a particular tagret to modify is just a bit painful.