User guide

Sky Quality Meter Workbench reads sky brightness from a Unihedron Sky Quality Meter, keeps every reading on your computer, and shows you what it recorded: one night in detail, or years of nights together.

New here? Start with Getting started. It takes four steps.

• Getting startedSet your observing site, connect the meter, and bring in readings you already have.
• RecordingTake readings by hand or on a nightly schedule, and start with Windows.
• Reading the numbersWhat mpsas means, the Bortle classes, the three averages, and which readings are counted.
• The moonHow the moon is shown on charts and the calendar, and leaving moonlit readings out.
• SQM HistoryLook back over weeks, months or years as a table, a trend or a calendar.
• Publishing your chartKeep tonight’s chart and a reading card up to date on disk, and upload them to a website.
• Chart stylesThe seven chart looks, with an example of each, and which to use where.
• Files and dataWhere your readings, settings and logs are kept, and what uninstalling leaves.
• Updates and privacyChecking for new versions, and exactly what the application sends.
• TroubleshootingCommon problems and fixes, error reports, and what the application never does.

The version you are running is shown in Help ▸ About. Questions? Email support@bartonlakeinstruments.com.