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Old 09-05-2019, 10:22 PM
Oddity (Andrew)
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Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Sydney, NSW
Posts: 83
Tip: Easy way to improve your goto accuracy

I posted this elsewhere and thought this would be good place to repost.

My scope setup location varies and so I've gradually perfected my goto accuracy that I can punch in a dim object or star and confidently know that that faint fuzzy object in the dead centre is precisely what I was looking for. The single greatest improvement was from accurately starting at astronomic level north.

I've found the following to be the fastest, easiest and most accurate method, more reliable than using a compass and spirit level, and only requires SkySafari and your setting circles.

Steps
1) In SkySafari, point your phone at any very bright star and select it. (make sure you have the right star! If unsure, zoom out a little to double check)
2) Go to Object Info, scroll down to find the azimuth and altitude values
3) Manually point the scope at the object, centering it an eyepiece
4) Set and lock each setting circle to the respective value reported by SkySafari.
5) Move the scope to point at 0,0 on both circles.
6) Switch on your mount

Done! Your scope is now astronomically level north, and ready to start 2-star alignment.

Other tips:
- Get to learn the marks on your setting circles, sometimes they use weird labelling systems (eg. mine are every 15 degrees with a marker at 2.5 degree increments. Thanks Skywatcher)
- Selecting stars that meet the instruction manual's criteria are important. Look up at the sky to pick out ideal ones, then use SkySafari to identify them and double check that their altitude is within recommended range
- And of course, use an illuminated reticle

Last edited by Oddity; 10-05-2019 at 12:15 AM.
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