Save charts as templates you can use again
It’s easy to convert your Excel data into a chart, then customise it however you want. What’s more, you can save the chart you create as a template and apply it to other spreadsheet data in future. To create your chart, highlight the relevant data, click the Insert tab, move your cursor to the small down arrow in the Charts section (see screenshot), then click the All Charts tab.
You’ll see a list of chart options on the left. Some offer further style options at the top (see screenshot). Click OK to add the selected chart to your spreadsheet. There are several ways to customise your chart. For example, the Design tab has a selection of ‘Chart styles’ that you can click to select. Alternatively, when you click the chart, you’ll see three icons at its top right which let you tweak it further. When you’re happy with the chart, right-click it, click ‘Save as template’, name your template, then click Save.
From now on, you can apply this template to any spreadsheet data you want by selecting the data, clicking the Insert tab, the down arrow in the Charts section, then the All Charts tab. Here, click the Templates folder, select your template, then click OK.
If accuracy is more important to you than simply viewing celestial objects in a 3D planetarium, then use NASA’S Horizons – the computer system that powers The Sky Live. It lets you generate the exact coordinates (also known as ephemerides) of space objects, so you can watch them through the lens of your telescope.
To get the coordinates of an object, go to www.snipca.com/24760, then change the Target Body (under Current Settings) to the object you want to locate. Below that you also need to change the Observer Location to a point as near to your current location as possible. To add London, for example, click ‘change’ (next to Observer Location), click the dropdown menu (that says Observatories), select ‘non-us Cities’, then click the Display List button. Next, find and click ‘London England’ in the list, then click Use Selected Location.
Finally, click the Generate Ephemeris button to see detailed coordinates and information about the object you’re interested in. For further guidance, follow the Horizons tutorial at www. snipca.com/24763.