Critical error,cannot find WMM data file in installation folder.  Could you please help me! I work with Windows XP Pro.  Thank you.
A.  This sounds like one of three possible problems.  Either (1) you have not actually run the SETUP installation program (or did not complete the installation), (2) you may have tried to manually move the software after installation to a new folder but did not move everything required, or (3) you are somehow executing the program from the folder into which you put the download rather than the folder into which the SETUP program put the software (presumably C:/Program Files/HeavenlyOpportunity if you chose the defaults).  Do any of these possibilities sound right, or do they sound like gobbledy-gook?

My recommendation is to: (1) uninstall Heavenly-Opportunity using the normal Windows Uninstall procedure.  If Windows says that H-O is not installed, that tells us something right there. (2) Assuming that you still have HO-x-x.exe in your download directory, (re)install it by double clicking on that program and then running SETUP.  This should open an install window that asks where you want to put the software, etc.  Choose the defaults.  (3) Finally, use the Windows Start button to locate Heavenly-Opportunity among all installed programs and launch it that way.  If this does not work for you, please let me know what happens and we will work from there.  I know installation can at times be a confusing maze, but once it works, you are home free.

Q.  Do you know a web site I could use to check for meteor showers or other interesting events like eclipses that would be upcoming in the next year?

A.  This is not my specialty at all, but I asked a friend for some recommendations.  Here is what I was told:

Variety of topics, with various alert services: Sky and Telescope
   
Sun information: SpaceWeather

Satellites: Heavens Above
               CalSky

Colorado aurora predictions, with alert service: University of Colorado

More on the aurora:
   
Space news:
    also the florida today newspaper site.

Meteors:
   
      North American Meteor Network
      Lew Gramer, Public Outreach
 

Following are some of the best websites for information on comets visible
this month:

      Seiichi Yoshida's Weekly Information about Bright Comets:
   
      Summary of Bright Comet Visibility in Northern Hemisphere:
  
      Summary of Bright Comet Visibility in Southern Hemisphere:

      Greg Crinklaw's "Skyhound" - Comet Details and Printable Finder Charts:
   
      Coordinates for Observable Comets (Harvard site):
   

For Eclipses, check:
    http://www.mreclipse.com/
    http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html

For night photography, you might check:
    http://www.thenocturnes.com/

And here's a great site that I would add to the list.  It looks very useful for predicting cloud cover (and other things) for a variety of locations, mostly in Canada and the U.S.:
     Clear Sky Clock

Q.  I am having trouble downloading and installing your program.  Can you help?
A.  Heavenly-Opportunity is distributed over the Internet as a 'self-extracting' program.  It requires four discrete installation steps that can be confusing for folks who do not regularly do this sort of thing.  Basically, the steps are (1) download the self-extracting program, (2) verify that the download worked properly, (3) unpack the installation program from the download program, and (4) run the installation program. 

Unfortunately, there are so many different web browsers, so many different Windows operating systems, and so many different ways that users have their systems configured, that making one set of instructions is, frankly, an impossible job unless you are Microsoft, which I am not.  But here’s a shot at the general steps that you must follow to get the job done. These instructions assume you are using Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, NT or something even newer.  The instructions also use the name HO-x-x.exe as a placeholder for whatever version of the downloadable file is the most current, for example, HO-2-3.exe means version 2.3.

Before you begin, let me say that, as far as I know, you should not need to turn off your firewall or anything else, though it is usually a good idea to exit all other Windows programs except, of course, your browser.  One possible exception would be your virus scanner, but to start with, let's leave that on as well.

STEP ONE: Download the self-extracting program, HO-x-x.exe

The multiple files needed for installation have all been "packed" into one file to make for easy download.  To download this file and save it to your hard disk, click on the link on the Heavenly-Opportunity web page to HO-x-x.exe using your web browser after noting it's listed file size.  (You may be warned that this is a program which could do bad things to your computer, that "some files can harm your computer if it contains malicious code".  Don’t worry; Heavenly-Opportunity will not harm your computer.)  Perhaps after other questions, your web browser will ask you what to do with this file.  You want to save it to a folder (sometimes called a directory) on your hard disk where you can find it later.  Often, your browser may suggest a place for you, like C:/Temp or C:/Windows/Temp.  Either of these places would be a fine choice, or choose somewhere else.  Just be sure to note the name of the folder so you can find HO-x-x.exe when the download is complete.

Assuming that you have gotten this far, you will normally see some indication that the download is taking place, perhaps with a progress bar.  You may be asked whether you want to open the file when the download is complete.  Say No to this question if asked, but you can say that you want to open the folder, if asked, because that will give you a head start on Step Two.  Regardless, you are making progress!

STEP TWO: Verify the size of the HO-x-x.exe you just downloaded

Although Internet downloads today are relatively error-free, errors can happen during the download process -- perhaps in conjunction with some virus scanners.  In particular, I want you to make sure that you have completely downloaded the HO-x-x.exe file.  So, open the Windows File Manager or Explorer or whatever program you use to see what files are found on your PC's hard disk.  (If you do not have an icon for Explorer on your desktop, right-click on the Start button and choose Explore.)  Then locate the folder in which you put the HO-x-x.exe file and locate that file name in the list. 

Note that your system may or may not actually show the file extension (.exe).  I recommend that you choose View | Details to see that the file is an “Application”, but more importantly, to see what the listed file size is.  The file size may also show up if you hold your cursor over the file long enough, or certainly if you right click on the file name and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.  In any event, check to see that the size listed is approximately the same as what is shown on the Heavenly-Opportunity web page where you downloaded the file in the first place.  Remember that the file size given by Windows is in kilobytes; divide it by 1000 to get megabytes.  If the file sizes differ by a large amount, the download must have failed and you must start all over again.  Otherwise, proceed to Step Three.

STEP THREE: Unpack the Installation Program from HO-x-x.exe

Once you have downloaded and verified the size of H-O-x-x.exe, Heavenly-Opportunity is still not ready to run on your PC, but you are ready to 'unpack' the installation program.  Unpack means to get the files out of the HO-x-x.exe file that are necessary for installation.  To start the unpacking process, double-click on the HO-x-x.exe file name, which should be easy since you have already located it on your hard disk.  (Press Run if asked whether you really want to run this program because the "publisher could not be verified".)  Running the downloaded file will bring up a small WinZip Self-Extractor dialog box that asks which folder you want the unpacked contents to go into.  If the name in the "Unzip to folder:" box is not the same as the folder you put HO-x-x.exe into, use the Browse button to choose that folder – the one you were just looking at.  Then push the Unzip button.  You should see a progress bar flash by and then you will get a message that three or more files were unzipped successfully.  Press the OK button and then the Close button.  You are making good progress.

STEP FOUR: Install Heavenly-Opportunity

You should still be able to see your folder contents and may now see that you have new files in that folder, including one application called Setup.exe.  This is good news because Setup is the program that will actually install Heavenly-Opportunity.  Double-click on the Setup application.  You will now likely get a message that you will be installing new software and to exit all other Windows programs; do as it says.  Pressing OK will take you to another dialog that asks where you want to install Heavenly-Opportunity.  I recommend keeping the suggested folder (C:/Program Files/HeavenlyOpportunity), so just push the big button in the upper left of the dialog.  The installer will take care of the rest, except that you may be asked whether you would like to keep newer files currently on your system.  Always keep your newer files, regardless of how poorly Microsoft has worded the question.  [NOTE: I have had reports of installation problems, especially under Microsoft Vista, where you may get one or more messages saying that there is trouble registering a (DLL) file.  Just reply "Ignore" and all should be well.]

STEP FIVE:  Run Heavenly-Opportunity

I know I said installation was a four-step process -- and it is.  But you probably want to actually run Heavenly-Opportunity now that you have gone to all this trouble.  Fortunately, the hard work is behind you now.  Press the Windows Start button, choose All Programs, and look for Heavenly-Opportunity in the list of installed programs.  Point to Heavenly-Opportunity, click on the program name, and Heavenly-Opportunity should start up from there. 

If anyone has suggestions to improve these instructions, please let me know, along with the operating system and browser you are using.

Q.  I hear that there may soon be changes to our Daylight Savings Time, specifically the beginning and ending dates.  Will Heavenly-Opportunity be changed to address the new conventions?
A.  Yes, as necessary .  Indiana adopted a uniform DST across the state to take effect April 2, 2006, and is reflected in the most recent version of H-O.  Federal changes are in the works that will take effect in 2007.  As I have heard, apparently Congress wasn't entirely sure whether changing daylight savings would actually result in an energy savings, requested a study by the Department of Energy to specify the savings, and allowed themselves an 'out' to retract that part of the Energy Policy Act if it did not pay off.  H-O will be changed as necessary to reflect whatever restructuring is required.  If you hear of some new wrinkles I might not know about, please let me know.

Q.  Can you tell me why when I check the box for "Adjust height above horizon to" it only changes the time and compass heading for the sun and not the moon?
A. The real answer is that I have not figured out how to modify the algorithm for the moon's dynamics to actually make this adjustment.  The algorithm I had for sun dynamics already had that feature built-in.  Maybe some day I can figure this out.  A somewhat more practical answer is that I see this feature being used more for alpenglow photos and less for photos of the moon taken from high altitudes, but perhaps that is just rationalizing my inability to modify the moon's algorithm.

Q.  I am conducting a photography seminar on July 19, 2008, at Rocky Mountain National Park.  I chose this date because Heavenly-Opportunity reports the Sunset at 8:28 p.m. with an (almost full) Moonrise at 9:30 p.m..   I thought photographers might have some fun with this after the seminar, but now I'm wondering if there's too much time between sunset and moonrise for the moon to have an orange glow.  I think all of the incidents I've seen of this were when sunset and moonrise occurred closer in time  What's your opinion?  If the glow doesn't occur when the moon rises, might it pick up some glow as it rises higher?
A.  Good question.  Looking at the date you chose, I see that the 9:30 moon rise occurs after civil twilight but during nautical twilight.  In general, that means that contrast will be lacking.   Though I have not paid a lot of attention to this aspect of timing, I believe the delay in your case will reduce the probability that you will have an orange glow.  BUT, I think that lighting conditions depend very much on the clouds (their makeup and configuration) and dust in the atmosphere.  Under certain circumstances, the conditions you chose could work well, but I just think that the odds are probably less than 50:50 with that delay that you will get exactly what you seek.  However, weather and attitude permitting, watching the full moon rise from the mountains will be awe inspiring regardless!

Q.  I know that I will need a good compass to get the most from Heavenly-Opportunity.  Do you have any recommendations as to what kind of compass would be a good starting point?  I can't really afford a $300-500 brunton, but could afford something in the $100-200 range.
A.  Good question.  My chief recommendation is, go slow.  There is little sense in spending a lot of money on high precision unless you really need it.  You will find that most compasses (and clinometers that measure vertical angles) will not enable measurment much finer than a degree or so.  That's really ok since my assumption is that the photographer will have at least some latitude to adjust his or her position to compensate for the inevitable: terrain, clouds, weather effects, and so on.  Further, I suggest that you gain experience with an inexpensive compass so that you can discover which features you like and which you dislike.  That way, if you are like me, when you lose or break the first one, you will make a more knowledgeable decision on your next purchase.  That said, I might recommend a Suunto M3G.  It is not terribly expensive (~$35 on line), it has a luminous dial that is easy to read in low light conditions, and it has a built-in clinometer.  You will not get sub-degree accuracy, but like I said, my working assumption is that you can position yourself to make those needed last-second adjustments.

Q.  I live outside the USA and was wondering whether there is a way to save locations into H-O's database so that I do not have to re-enter the Latitude and Longitude. I would use such an option to create a number of UK-based locations. Is this possible? If so, could you give me some brief instructions telling me how to do this?  Many thanks - and congratulations on producing such an excellent piece of software!  
A.  The answer is, No -- but Yes.  Let me explain.  It is not possible at this time to save a new location in H-O's database.  I have considered that possibility and may add such a feature eventually, but I believe there is an easy workaround.  Here's what to do:

Q. I would like to photograph a night scene backlit by a 25-50% moon at 10-30 degrees above the horizon between 60 min after sunset and 11:00 pm.  I thought the elevation adjustment would give the 10-30 deg location, but moon settings do not change with the elevation adjustment (like the sun does).  I know I can calculate the position in the sky (kind of), but maybe I’m just doing something wrong.
A. If I understand correctly, you want to search for a situation with a partial moon somewhat above the horizon.  Unfortunately, HO can't do that directly as you have outlined the problem (yet), but it can do 95% of the job if you are willing to winnow the results (if any) manually after HO's search.  Here's how:

1.  First do a search for your locatiopn checking the boxes:
"Moon phase between 25 and 50%" and
"Moonset between -60 minutes before and 240 minutes after sunset"  (- 60 to get 60 min after)
and any other check boxes you need

to get your (sample) results:

> Heavenly-Opportunity (V3.3.2) search performed on 10/13/2009 for:
> Selected place name = CO Fort Collins
>    Latitude =  40.58333
>    Longitude = -105.0833
>    Time Zone = Mountain (-105°)
>    Height above horizon =  0 ft.
>    Azimuth adjusted for a Magnetic Declination of 9.9°
>
> Search Criteria:
>    Dates between 10/13/2009 to 10/13/2010
>    Moon phase between 25 and 50%
>    Moonset between -60 minutes before and 240 minutes after sunset
>
>                ---------Sun-----------   -------------Moon---------------
> Day   Date      Rise  Az°    Set   Az°    Rise  Az°    Set   Az°   Phase%
> --- --------   ------ ---   ------ ---   ------ ---   ------ ---   ------
> Fri 10/23/09   07:21a  95   06:08p 245   12:53p 114   10:08p 227    29.5
> Thu 06/17/10   05:29a  48   08:33p 292   11:30a  74   12:19a 262    34.2
> Fri 07/16/10   05:43a  51   08:29p 289   11:42a  88   11:18p 249    31.8
> Sat 07/17/10   05:44a  51   08:29p 289   12:54p  95   11:47p 242    42.9
> Sat 08/14/10   06:10a  60   08:00p 280   11:51a 100   10:21p 238    28.8
> Sun 08/15/10   06:11a  61   07:58p 279   01:03p 106   10:58p 232    39.6
> Sun 09/12/10   06:38a  74   07:15p 266   11:55a 109   09:36p 230    25.0
> Mon 09/13/10   06:39a  74   07:13p 266   01:03p 112   10:24p 227    35.1
> Tue 10/12/10   07:08a  89   06:25p 251   12:46p 113   10:05p 228    29.5
>
>     9 days match all search criteria.

2.  Then throw out any dates that show the event after 11 pm, like 6/17.
3.  Then, check the Daily Details to confirm the desired elevation at the time of the shoot.  For example, if you look at 10/23/09 (the first match in the list that occurs before 11 pm), you can confirm that the moon is in your desired elevation window about 1 hour after sunset.

Q.  I am a registered user of Heavenly Opportunity.  I am planning on upgrading to Windows 7, 64 bit system.  Are there any issues with installing Heavenly Opportunity on the 64 bit Windows 7?
A. Yes.  This from a user: "I’m happy to report that HO seems to run just fine in Windows 7 64-bit. As noted on you web page, installation involves repeatedly confirming that you want to keep you current dll files rather than replace them with the older ones that came with the package."

Q.  I received your CD and have loaded the program.  Everything is working well except that I have not been able to do anything of significance with the password file.  I have tried dropping it in the Heavenly Opportunity folder but I still get the pop up box asking me if I have registered.  As long as nothing happens to the program, I don't mind answering the question each time I close it. 
A.  If you are still getting the 'registration' message, it means that H-O cannot find and read the password file in the folder from which the application was launched.  You say that the file is there, so what might explain the apparent discrepancy?  Could it be that you somehow installed HO in two different places, putting the password file in one but running out of the other?  That's the only explanation I can come up with, but there certainly could be others.  I would check your installation folder one more time and double check that file is indeed there and spelled correctly.  This must be resolved; if it is not, HO will quit working after about a month, so please get back to me if you still have problems.

Q.  I have Windows 7.  What do I need to do to insert the passwork file?
A.  I received the following problem description from a user.  I will update his description when I know more.  "... what I did is partially affected by some things I did when I first got the computer, which I won't be able to describe exactly. But here's what I can say:  Windows 7 declares some folder "off-limits" and denies access to them by the user, even if the user is an Administrator. This includes C:\Program Files (x86), which is the folder that contains the Heavenly Opportunity folder after installation. When attempting to save the 'password' file in that folder, the user is likely to get a message saying "access is denied".
    To gain access, the user needs to be granted permission to write to that folder. If the user's profile on that computer is an "Administrator" account type, this should be possible. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the Heavenly-Opportunity folder within the Program Files (x86) folder, right click on it and choose Properties. On the Security tab, the list of groups and users and the current permissions for each are shown. Highlight the user's profile name (or it may only have the Users group) to see the current permissions. If Write is not included, click the Edit button and another dialog box will open, which will also include the list of users and a list of check boxes for each type of permission. Highlight the user's profile (or Users) and click the check box next to the Write permission (or one can simply check the Full Control permission, which automatically includes Write). press OK to back out of the dialog boxes. It should now be possible to save the Thank.You file in the folder.  If that doesn't work, or if Write permission appears to be already granted, or if the permissions list is grayed out, I think this can be overcome by using the Advanced button. But I don't know enough about all the implications of that, so I'm not going to make any recommendations."  (Editor's note: I don't think this needs to be quite as complicated as this user makes it sound.)

    Let me also say that I have tried using Windows 7 only just a bit.  It does seem to keep the casual user from mucking about anywhere you might wish.  I found that to install H-O, I had to unzip the EXE file a folder of my choosing (3 files) and then run setup from there.  Awkward, but no big deal as you can clean up the 3 files when you are done.  Then, during installation, you have to manually Keep any newer files you may have -- quite a lot of them -- as there seems to be no Keep All button.  Finally, the installation reports an error registering a DLL, but just say Ignore.  Works for me.  You expert users out there, please report on your experiences and the best way to do things under Windows 7.  Also, make sure you always have the latest Windows updates and disable any antivirus software.  All the best.  jb

Q.  What is the "blue hour" and how can I use Heavenly-Opportunity to help me take photos during this time?
A.  I am not well versed in Blue Hour photography.  I have seen it mentioned in at least one photo magazine and have visited the website, http://bluhour.com/ and associated blog -- certainly worth a look. However, I have seen no quantitative description precisely defining the time window, not that this matters greatly.  From what I gather, the Blue Hour roughly corresponds to the last part of nautical twilight and the first part of civil twilight in the morning, vice versa in the evening.  Though not an "hour" per se, it is the time when the sky is just light enough to give it color (blue!) and shed sufficient light on foreground subjects for a decent low-contrast photo.  There is no doubt that many Blue Hour photos are great.  I would welcome any user thoughts on this special twilight issue.



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