View source for Astrolog

{{Infobox software
| name                   = Astrolog
| logo                   =
| screenshot             =
| caption                =
| collapsible            =
| author                 = Walter Pullen
| developer              =
| released               = September 10, 1991
| latest release version = 7.70
| latest release date    = April 23, 2024
| latest preview version =
| latest preview date    =
| programming language   = [[C++]]
| operating system       =
| platform               =
| size                   =
| language               =
| genre                  = [[Astrology]]
| license                = [[GNU General Public License|GPL]]
| website                = http://www.astrolog.org/astrolog.htm
}}
[[Image:Astrolog.png|thumb|240px|Astrolog wheel chart, monochrome, ''Astronomicon'' font. Shown in the inner ring, clockwise from the top, are: ☽ the Moon, ⚳ Ceres, ☊ ascending node, ⯲ Sedna, ♅ Uranus, ⯰ Eris, ⚷ Chiron, ♆ Neptune, ⚴ Pallas, 🝽 Gonggong, ♃ Jupiter, ♄ Saturn, ⯓ Pluto, 🝾 Quaoar, ⚵ Juno, ☋ descending node, ♀ Venus, ⚶ Vesta, 🝻 Haumea, ☿ Mercury, ♂ Mars, 🝼 Makemake, ⯚ Hygiea and 🝿 Orcus.]]
'''Astrolog''' is an open-source [[Astrology and computers|astrological software program]] that has been available online free of charge since 1991. It has been (as of 2024) authored by Walter Pullen since its creation, and was originally distributed via postings to the [[Usenet]] newsgroup {{mono|[news:alt.astrology alt.astrology]}}.
Astrolog can create [[horoscope]]s, [[natal chart]]s, and calculate current planetary positions in sidereal, traditional, and heliocentric formats. It can be used to relate astrological house and sign dispositors and other nonstandard systems. Astrolog uses 23 different [[House (astrology)|house systems]], can calculate 24 different [[Astrological aspect|aspects]] such as trines, squares, semisquares, and rarer ones such as biquintiles, quatronoviles, and sesquiquadrates. Astrolog computes the traditional planets, along with [[asteroid]]s such as Ceres, Juno and Vesta, [[trans-Neptunian object]]s such as Eris, Haumea and Makemake, [[uranian object]]s such as Vulkanus and Russian Proserpina, and 27 different [[natural satellite|planetary moons]]. It can show nearly 50 fixed stars, display [[exoplanet]] transits, and animate the chart in real time synchronized with the OS clock. Astrolog can do forms of locational astrology such as [[astrocartography]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astrocartographyinfo.com/astrocartography_DIY.html|title=Astrocartography Information Resource|publisher=astrocartographyinfo.com|access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref> Recent versions use the [[tz database]] for [[time zone]] and [[daylight saving time]] detection.
All versions of Astrolog have been distributed with [[source code]], and the most recent versions are [[free software]] under the [[GNU General Public License]]. Several different parties have contributed to the core program or to alternate versions of it. For example, Astrolog started with the early astrological formulas implemented by [[Michael Erlewine]]. Later versions of it made use of the Placalc and then Swiss Ephemeris libraries<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.astro.com/swisseph/swephinfo_e.htm|title=The Swiss Ephemeris|publisher=Astrodienst AG|access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref> produced by Astrodienst AG.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://astrolog.offline.ee/astrolog/changed/changed.html|title=Astrolog 5.41 download (changed versions)|publisher=astrolog.offline.ee|access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref> Other parties contributed [[PostScript]] graphics, and integrated ephemeris files for minor planetary objects. Astrolog has been ported to many different platforms, where versions exist for [[Unix]], [[MS-DOS]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Macintosh]], [[OS/2]], and [[Amiga]], among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cosmicledger.com/software/astrolog/|title=Astrolog for OS/2|publisher=The Cosmic Ledger|access-date=2019-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825221339/http://cosmicledger.com/software/astrolog/|archive-date=2017-08-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.paganlink.org/library/astrology/kastrolog.html|title=Paganlink Software Archive: Kastrolog|publisher=Paganlink Software |access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref> Astrolog has also been distributed as sample packages with versions of [[SUSE Linux]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.curtronics.com/docs/SuSE-6.4-packages.html|title=SUSE Linux 6.4 package descriptions|publisher=curtronics.com|access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref>
Some consider Astrolog to rival commercial programs in quality. In November 1995, The Mountain Astrologer reviewed a number of software programs, where Astrolog was the one freeware program included, described as "good enough to be worthy of review with the main commercial programs".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Mountain Astrologer|date=November 1995|title=TMA Software Reviews|page=53|author=Tom Bridges}}</ref> In the 1990s, Astrolog was mentioned a number of times in American Astrology's "The New Astrology" article by Ken Irving, because at the time it was the only readily available program that could compute Gauquelin sectors as described by astrologer [[Michel Gauquelin]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=American Astrology|date=July 1996|title=The New Astrology: New Chart Software Arrives|pages=56–57|author=Kenneth Irving}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetos.info/software.html|title=Software for Gauquelin Sectors|publisher=planetos.info|access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref>
All versions of Astrolog include a [[Command line argument|command line]] interface. Most criticism of the program is due to command switches being confusing to memorize or use. Windows and Macintosh versions eventually included standard [[graphical user interface|GUI]]. The command switch interface allows all of Astrolog's features to be accessed from shell scripts or to be invoked by other programs. There are a number of online [[Web server|servers]] that use Astrolog as a back end to generate charts for the user.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astro.com/cgi/genchart.cgi?gm=pu|title=Pullen/Astrolog charts at astro.com|publisher=Astrodienst AG|access-date=2019-04-28}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.astrolog.org/astrolog.htm Astrolog website with version 7.70]
[[Category:Astrology software]]
[[Category:Cross-platform free software]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C++]]
[[Category:Software using the GPL license]]
[[Category:1991_software]]