                      MoonIcon32 v2.0 - Jan 2000
                      --------------------------

What is MoonIcon32?
-------------------
MoonIcon32 is a MicroSoft Windows 95/98/NT program that displays the current
phase of the Moon, the current sunlit side of the Earth, and/or the current
view of the planet Mars in system tray icons.  When the mouse is moved over
the Moon icon, the title displays the Moon's current location in the sky, or
the next moonrise/last moonset time if the Moon is below the horizon.
Likewise, the current location of the Sun in the sky is displayed over the
Earth icon, and the current central meridian position for Mars is shown over
the Mars icon.  If any icon is clicked, a screen appears that displays
detailed information about the Moon, Sun, Earth, Mars and the Solar System
in five separate sections.

The Moon's rise, transit, and set times for your location are shown on the
first section, as well as moon phase data for the current month and advanced
information for amateur astronomers.  The next section displays the local
sunrise and sunset times, along with morning and evening twilight times, and
the Sun's position in the sky.  The third section displays Earth's current
sunlit side, and a number of values for the current month and year.
Information for the planet Mars is presented in the fourth section and an
image representing the side of Mars currently facing the Earth is displayed.
Finally, the fifth section displays the relative position of the nine
planets in the Solar System in three separate views.


Installing MoonIcon32 - Quick Steps
-----------------------------------
Simply copy MoonIcon32.EXE to your computer, preferrably in a folder
named "MoonIcon32".  Create a shortcut to it, double-click the shortcut's
icon, and MoonIcon32 presents you with a Welcome screen.  Click OK and go
to File | Setup to set your local latitude and longitude (see the "Other
Documentation" section below for a listing of the proper values for many
major cities for the U.S. and other countries around the world).  Once you
finish configuring MoonIcon32 to your liking, a small icon appears on the
Windows task bar in the "system tray", displaying the current phase of the
Moon.

I also highly recommend placing the shortcut in the "Startup" folder so
it loads every time you start Windows.


Installing MoonIcon32 - Detailed Steps
--------------------------------------

 1) Create a folder on your computer for MoonIcon32, such as
    "C:\MoonIcon32".

 2) Copy all files associated with MoonIcon32 to this new folder.

 3) Create a shortcut to MoonIcon32.  Make sure the "Start In:" field
    contains the name of your MoonIcon32 folder as well.

 4) Double-click the new MoonIcon32 shortcut.

 5) A Welcome screen appears.  After reading the text, press the "OK"
    button.

 6) Refer to the file "LL_USA.TXT" if you live in the U.S., or
    "LL_Other.TXT" if you live outside the U.S.  Find your city (or one
    close to it) in the listing and note the longitude and latitude values.

 7) Select File | Setup option from the Main Menu to bring up the Setup
    screen.

 8) Enter the longitude and latitude values noted in Step 6) on the Setup
    screen.

 9) While on the Setup screen, enter your other preferences as well, or
    simply use the default values.

10) When you are finished, press "OK" to save your changes.

11) You should now see a small icon of the Moon, Earth, and/or Mars in the
    bottom right corner of your screen (near the clock on most PCs).

12) MoonIcon32 is now successfully installed!

13) To have MoonIcon32 automatically start each time you start Windows,
    place a copy of the shortcut in the "Startup" folder.


Using MoonIcon32
----------------
Once MoonIcon32 is running, you may move the mouse cursor over the icon to
display the current position of the Moon in the sky.  Just like moving the
mouse over the Windows clock displays the current date in a yellow "hint
box", MoonIcon32 displays the moon's position in the hint box.  As the Moon
moves through the sky, the text in the hint box will change accordingly,
always showing the most up-to-date information.

Single-clicking the icon using the primary mouse button (usually the left
mouse button) will display the main MoonIcon32 screen.  On this screen are
several "tabs" near the top, with one tab for each of celestial bodies the
program displays.  Note that the icon you click will display a related
tab, for example, clicking the Moon icon will show the Moon tab, clicking
the Earth icon will show the Sun tab, and clicking the Mars icon will
show the Mars tab.  Also, the secondary mouse button (usually the right
mouse button) will display a "sub-tab" of the corresponding main tab, for
example, right-clicking the Moon tab will show the Moon tab's "Lunation"
sub-tab, and right-clicking the Earth icon will show the Earth tab.
Finally, right-clicking the Mars icon will hide the main screen again.

The first tab is, of course, for the Moon.  Clicking on this tab will show
information relating to the Moon.  This tab has so much information on it
that it contains several "sub-tabs" near the bottom.  The first sub-tab is
named "Rise/Set" and it displays the Moon's rise and set times for your
location.  Each tab shows the current time near the top, along with the
current position of that tab's celestial body.  For the Moon, it also shows
when the Moon is most visible in the sky in the "Visibility" section.

The next sub-tab on the main "Moon" tab is named "Lunation", and in addition
to showing a large image of the current Moon phase, this month's phase dates
and times are listed.  Finally, the third sub-tab is called "Advanced" and
it shows the Moon's current astronomical position in the sky.  This
information is mainly intended for amateur astronomers, but can also be used
as an educational aid for anyone interested in astronomy.

The second main tab is for the Sun.  Named "Sun" (appropriately enough), it
displays the current position of the Sun near the top, and shows the Sun's
twilight start, rise, transit, set and twilight end times for your location.
The bottom of the screen displays the amount of daylight for today and the
difference in daylight from yesterday, and also shows advanced position
information.

The third main tab is named "Earth", and its main feature is displaying the
current sunlit side of the Earth.  Recall that the Earth rotates once per
day, giving us the normal daily cycle of day and night.  At any time during
the day, one half of the Earth is lit by the Sun, and the other half is in
darkness.  This tab in MoonIcon32 shows the current sunlit half of the
Earth, so at sunrise you show be able to see your location on the far left
side of the image, at around noon your location will be near the center of
the image, and at sunset your location will appear near the right edge of
the image.  During the night, your location will not be visible on the
image of the Earth, since the Sun is not in the sky.

The fourth main tab is for the planet Mars.  Named "Mars", this tab
displays an image of Mars similar to what you would see through a
telescope.  The image represents the side of Mars that is currently facing
Earth.  Other information such as the the Central Meridian and transit
times are also available.

Finally, the fifth main tab is called "SolSys".  This main tab has three
sub-tabs, one for the Inner Planets, a second for the Outer Planets, and a
third for a user-selectable "Custom Orbit".  The first two tabs show the
relative positions of either the inner or outer planets, respectively, and
the third tab allows you to select a specific planet as the outermost
orbit.  For an interesting effect, click on the "Mercury" button, then
use the down arrow key to proceed to Venus, then Earth, etc., and watch
how the view of the Solar System changes.

It's fun to check MoonIcon32 at various times of the day to see how each of
the tabs show different constantly-updated information.  When you are
finished viewing the main screen, click the close button in the upper
right-hand corner.  This will hide the main screen again and return
MoonIcon32 to a small system tray icon.  Refer to the section entitled
"Exiting MoonIcon32" below for information on how to properly close the
program.


"Floating" windows
------------------
MoonIcon32 has options to display the image of the Moon, Earth and Mars
found on the corresponding main tabs in their own small windows.  You
may move a "floating window" to any location on the desktop and
MoonIcon32 will update it as the day goes by, and it will remember its
position the next time you start the program.  Clicking on the image
itself will display the main screen with the corresponding main tab
selected.  Right-clicking a floating window image will hide the main
screen.

These options can be turned on or off individually by using the "Show
the Floating Window" checkboxes on the Setup screen.


Configuring MoonIcon32
----------------------
If you ever want to change the settings that MoonIcon32 uses, simply select
the File | Setup main menu option.  You can select this option at any time
to modify your settings, such as using a different twilight setting or a
new zodiac.  Experiment with various settings and watch how MoonIcon32
displays new information!

Once you are finished making changes, press the "OK" button to save your
updates, or press the "Cancel" button to simply exit without saving.


Exiting MoonIcon32
------------------
Because MoonIcon32 is a "system tray" program, it does not close down like
other Windows programs normally do.  When the "Close" button is clicked
(the small "X" in the upper right corner of the window), the program is
not closed, but simply reduced back to a system tray icon.

To properly close MoonIcon32, select the "File | Exit MoonIcon32" main menu
option.  This removes the system tray icon and completely closes the
program.


Un-Installing MoonIcon32
------------------------
To un-install MoonIcon32, simply delete the folder where you installed the
program.  Any shortcuts you created to start the program should be deleted
as well, especially if you created one in the "Startup" folder.


MoonIcon32 History
------------------
Users who recognize the name "MoonIcon" from a similar program I wrote a
few years ago for the Windows 3.x platform will appreciate the new look for
the 32-bit Windows platforms.  It has been a long time since I have updated
my five shareware programs, namely MoonIcon, EarthSun, MarsIcon, SolSys
and GRedSpot, but due to the many requests from around the world for a
32-bit version, I have finally updated MoonIcon.  I have also included the
best feature of the very popular icon-program EarthSun into MoonIcon32,
which is the display of the current sunlit side of the Earth, and the
MarsIcon and SolSys features are available as well.


Future Enhancements
-------------------
The Right Ascension and Declination values for the nine planets on the
SolSys tab are not yet available, and will display "n/a".  The length
of a year for each planet, however, is displayed beside the planet's
name.

Coming versions of MoonIcon32 will likely include features from GRedSpot,
specifically adding a section for the planet Jupiter.  A new section will
show Jupiter and the current position of the Great Red Spot and the
four Galilean moons Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto.  Having all five
of the previous 16-bit programs in a single 32-bit program will make
development easier, and will provide users with a unified and consistent
location for up-to-the-minute information on the skies above us.

I have been using MoonIcon32 on my own computer for several months, and I
wanted to complete a finished version for release to the public as soon
as possible.  As such, my effort was focused more on the software than
on the documentation.  A full-featured help system such as the 16-bit
versions have is first on my list of additions.

Some advanced users enjoyed the printing and multi-day calculation
features, and I hope to add these in upcoming versions.  Finally, I
need to add international language support for users in other countries,
and I have the calculations for displaying Saturn, its rings and its
major moons, so I plan on adding a section for this planet as well.


Known bugs
----------
I strive for complete and accurate information in MoonIcon32, but
unfortunately it is not always available.  The age of the Moon sometimes
displays "Unknown" near the end of a lunation cycle, just before the next
New Moon.  Also, the "Available Moonlight" section displays "Unknown" late
in the cycle as well.  I will certainly look into these problems and I
hope to have a fix for them in upcoming versions.


Questions and Comments
----------------------
Your suggestions for new features and improvements are always welcome.
Previous versions of MoonIcon and the other 16-bit icon programs were
greatly enhanced by ideas from people like you, and I hope you will
help in improving MoonIcon32 as well.  Please e-mail your comments to
me at the address:

   MoonIcon32@aol.com

or at the postal address:

   Scott Thoman
   P.O. Box 191
   Macedon, New York  14502  -USA-

and look for them in upcoming versions.


Ordering Information
--------------------
See the "OrderForm.TXT" file for information on how to order the registered
version of MoonIcon32.  When you order, you will receive a personalized
registration number that will fully register your shareware copy.  Note that
all features in the registered version are available in the shareware
version, and that all minor upgrades are FREE.  If you find a newer version
of MoonIcon32 than the one you are currently using, simply download it and
install it to the same folder to take advantage of the new features.

Discounts for several copies and educational discounts for schools or youth
organizations are also available.

Finally, if you enjoy MoonIcon32, please register your copy and tell a
friend!  Uploading it to your favorite shareware sites is also extremely
helpful, since it allows other users to find it and enjoy it as well.


Other Documentation
-------------------
Refer to the included file LL_USA.TXT for a listing of latitude and
longitude values for many cities in the United States.  Likewise, for
cities around the world, consult the LL_Other.TXT file.


Version History:
----------------

Version  Release Date  Notes
-------  ------------  --------------------------------------------------
  1.0      Jul 1999    Initial version

  2.0      Jan 2000    Totally new version with many more features,
                       including Mars, SolSys and multiple icon support.


Copyrights and Trademarks
-------------------------
MoonIcon32 and all related files and documentation:

   Copyright 1999-2000  Scott Thoman  All Rights Reserved.

All other copyrights, trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned
herein are the property of their respective owners.
