GalaxSee Menu Item Descriptions

This document describes each of the functions listed under the menus of the GalaxSee software.The menu names in the table below are linked to a list of descriptions of each of the functions in the menu.
File Menu
  • Open Galaxy...
  • Close Galaxy
  • Save Galaxy... 
  • Quit
Edit Menu
  • Coming Soon!
View Menu
  • Star Size
  • Star Color
  • Hide Color
  • Redshift
  • Depth Cueing
  • Show Box
  • Black Background
  • ChromaDepth
  • Toolbar
  • Status Bar
Action Menu
  • Zoom in
  • Zoom out
  • Rotate
  • Reset
Galaxy Menu
  • New Galaxy
  • Run
  • Stop
  • Forward One Step
  • Show(Hide) Info
  • Halve Timestep
  • Double Timestep
  • List Options
  • Galaxy Setup...
  • Model Settings...
  • Scale...
Help Menu
  • About Gal


  •  

    File Menu:

    Open Galaxy...
    Opens a previously saved galaxy.
    Close Galaxy
    Closes the current galaxy. All of the galaxy's data is deleted.
    Save Galaxy...
    Saves the masses, locations, velocities, and color(s) of the stars in the current galaxy in a text file.
    Quit
    Exits the GalaxSee program.
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    Edit Menu:

    Coming Soon

        - editing options!
    Go to top.


     

    View Menu:


    Perspective
    Adjusts the 3-D distortion on the framing box from perfectly square (none) to highly exaggerated (10) in steps of one. The default is three. A good way to understand this option is to try both extremes of the scale and observe the difference.
    Star Size
    Adjusts the size of the stars or represents them as balls.
    Star Color
    Changes the stars to any one of seven colors choices.
    Hide Color
    Makes all the stars of a particular color invisible (or makes them visible again)
    Redshift
    Turns on (or off) a (highly exaggerated!) redshift indicator. All the stars moving away from a particular viewpoint (that point being the bottom of the screen when the image is centered with command-M or when "New Galaxy" is chosen) are colored red and those moving toward the viewpoint are colored blue. (This particular viewpoint was chosen because it works well with a rotating galaxy.) It should be noted (and explained to the students!) that in actuality, redshift is a very small effect and is only detectable with instruments that separate the spectrum of a star.
    Depth Cueing
    When checked, adds a depth gradation to the edges of the framing box and the stars themselves to make them appear darker when they are at the back of the viewing frame.
    Show Box
    When checked, frames the current galaxy in a 3-D cube to help orient the user.
    Black Background
    When checked, displays a black background instead of a white background.
    ChromaDepth
    When checked, this option sets the colors of the stars based on proximity to the viewer. closer stars are colored towards the red end of the spectrum, further stars are colored blue. When viewed with ChromaDepth glasses, this produces a 3-D effect.
    Toolbar
    Toggles the toolbar at the top of the window.
    Status Bar
    Toggles the status bar at the bottom of the window.
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    Action Menu:

    Zoom in
    Zooms in on the galaxy view. Hold down for continuous zooming.
    Zoom out
    Zoom out from the galaxy view. Hold down for continuous zooming.
    Rotate
    Allows the user to rotate the galaxy by small amounts in the horizontal and vertical directions using a dialog box.
    Center Image
    Sets the viewing angle to the default.
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    Galaxy Menu:


    New Galaxy
    Creates a new galaxy according to the variables selected in the Galaxy Setup dialog box. The current galaxy will be deleted unless saved before this function is executed.
    Run
    Starts the current galaxy moving continuously through the timestep intervals selected in the Model Settings Menu.
    Stop
    Stops the current galaxy from moving continuously through the selected timestep intervals.
    Forward One Step
    Moves the current galaxy forward in time for a single timestep.
    Show Info
    Displays the Information window. This window contains the settings of the Galaxy Setup dialog box and the Model Settings dialog box along with information about the progress of the current galaxy . If Do Bookkeeping is checked, then it also displays the conservation of momentum and energy values for the current galaxy. More information about the information window can be found in the tutorial.
    Halve Timestep
    Reduces the timestep by one half of the current timestep setting selected in the Model Settings dialog box.
    Double Timestep
    Doubles the current timestep setting selected in the Model Settings dialog box.
    List Options -> Show List
    Displays a list of the stars in the current galaxy with their masses, positions, velocities, and color. The list is updated at each timestep.
    List Options -> List Font
    Allows the user to increase or decrease the font used to one appropriate for their screen size.
    Galaxy Setup...
    Displays the Galaxy Setup dialog box. A more detailed description of each item in the Galaxy Setup box can be found in the GalaxSee tutorial.
    Model Settings...
    Displays the Model Settings dialog box. A more detailed description of each item in the Model Settings box can be found in the GalaxSee tutorial.
    Scale...
    Displays the Scale dialog box with the following options:
    Choosing one of these options will result in a change of scale affecting the entire system being modeled. The lengths, times, masses and the size of the box (which is visible when Show Box, under the View menu, is checked) are all affected. This allows you to conveniently model systems much smaller than a galaxy. The scale feature is discussed in more detail elsewhere.
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    Help Menu:


    About GalaxSee...
    Provides version number and copyright information.
    Go to top.

    Go to the Help Index.


    Developed by

     
     
     
     
     
     

    The Shodor Education Foundation, Inc.
    © Copyright 1996