#1921  
Old 04-05-2020, 05:49 PM
WarpedSpacer (Claude)
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Trouble 3 Star aligning My Celestron CPC 8 inch

Hi


I have an issue re sky aligning my scope (CPC Celestron 8 inch) could anyone assist me. Im trying to put in the coordinates manually (150 07 60.00 East, -36 05 60.00 South) and for some reason it wont respond when I press Enter after i key in the numbers. My GPS doesnt seem to be working. Hope its OK me posting here but Ive waited so long for a clear sky since my scope arrived
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  #1922  
Old 04-05-2020, 06:49 PM
raymo
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Are you entering your position in degrees, minutes, and seconds, or in decimal format, and which does your GPS require? Most GOTO mounts
will only accept it in one of the two formats.
raymo
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  #1923  
Old 04-05-2020, 07:30 PM
WarpedSpacer (Claude)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raymo View Post
Are you entering your position in degrees, minutes, and seconds, or in decimal format, and which does your GPS require? Most GOTO mounts
will only accept it in one of the two formats.
raymo
I was entering degrees, minutes, and seconds. Not decimal format (I believe)
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  #1924  
Old 04-05-2020, 07:33 PM
WarpedSpacer (Claude)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raymo View Post
Are you entering your position in degrees, minutes, and seconds, or in decimal format, and which does your GPS require? Most GOTO mounts
will only accept it in one of the two formats.
raymo
The Celestron site says it uses degrees, minutes, and seconds BUT the celestron page was last updated in 2010 & in another site (StaryNight) they said they used decimal. You think Celestron would keep their pages updated more regularly
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  #1925  
Old 04-05-2020, 07:41 PM
raymo
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The handbook that came with your mount should show the required format.
Either way, just try both formats, and then at least you will know if that is the problem solved or not.
raymo
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  #1926  
Old 04-05-2020, 07:46 PM
WarpedSpacer (Claude)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raymo View Post
The handbook that came with your mount should show the required format.
Either way, just try both formats, and then at least you will know if that is the problem solved or not.
raymo
thanks
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  #1927  
Old 05-05-2020, 10:19 AM
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Allan_L (Allan)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WarpedSpacer View Post
Hi


I have an issue re sky aligning my scope (CPC Celestron 8 inch) could anyone assist me. Im trying to put in the coordinates manually (150 07 60.00 East, -36 05 60.00 South) and for some reason it wont respond when I press Enter after i key in the numbers. My GPS doesnt seem to be working. Hope its OK me posting here but Ive waited so long for a clear sky since my scope arrived
Hi Claude,
potentially I see two problems.

you wouldn't normally enter a minus sign if you are also entering "South"

and 60 seconds does not compute.
That is an extra minute.

Maybe this may help

It's been a long time since I ran a CPC, so memory is a little foggy on the details.
Regards
Allan
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  #1928  
Old 05-05-2020, 10:41 AM
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Allan_L (Allan)
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Also,
Are you sure the built in GPS is not working?
Presumably this means you bought it second hand.
So it may be an older model, which may bring in other possibilities.

But, in relation to buying a second hand CPC, the manual says:

If your CPC is transported over a long
distance it may take as long
as one hour to establish a satellite link
from its new location. Observers wishing
to travel long distances with their
telescope are advised to turn on their
telescope in advance to allow the GPS to
acquire the necessary data.

Additionally, the GPS could be set to off.
This is in the Utilities sub menu.
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  #1929  
Old 05-05-2020, 03:49 PM
WarpedSpacer (Claude)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Allan_L View Post
Hi Claude,
potentially I see two problems.

you wouldn't normally enter a minus sign if you are also entering "South"

and 60 seconds does not compute.
That is an extra minute.

Maybe this may help

It's been a long time since I ran a CPC, so memory is a little foggy on the details.
Regards
Allan

Thanks Allan. I think you hit the nail on the head on all 3 counts. You're right I think now the GPS is working (its a new new shiny sparkling scope and Im getting attached already) My big mistake (stupid I know) is that I was so busy fretting looking for the minus key that I didnt realise that as I was speeding through confirming the data the scope was throwing at me I also confirmed North when I should have toggled down to South. Im embarrassed but its best to be up front about it (I think?). The 60s I got from a site on the net that prompts you to type in your town/city etc and they'll tell you your co-ordinates. Ive got better more reliable co-ordinates now but I dont think Ill need them now and just let the GPS do its work.

So Im feeling pretty optimistic now that I will get the scope up and running tonight & it looks like it will be lovely clear skys AND of course the added bonus of the meteor shower.

Thank you for taking the trouble to advise me. It was very kind of you & is much appreciated.


Regards


Claude
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  #1930  
Old 06-05-2020, 09:42 AM
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Allan_L (Allan)
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Thanks for the feedback Claude.
Nice to know I helped,
and that it was a simple fix.
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  #1931  
Old 20-05-2020, 11:34 AM
raf.serrano (Raf)
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Hi Everyone

Hi Everyone!

I'm from Melbourne and a newbie in astro photography, just stumbled on this amazing website with so much info while doing some research

Cheers

Last edited by raf.serrano; 22-05-2020 at 02:30 AM.
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  #1932  
Old 24-05-2020, 11:20 AM
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Drac0 (Mark)
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Hi all.

Been doing Milky Way & wide field astrophotography for a while now but got my first telescope in April and looking forward to the challenges and adventures it brings. Hoping for clear skies & dark nights.


Cheers
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  #1933  
Old 27-05-2020, 07:39 AM
Brisbanedad (Anu)
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New member

Hi everyone,

Happy to have joined the group and hoping to get back into my little hobby. I did a small amount of viewing and photography, then that all changed when I had two kids! I finally took the scope out to the back yard last week after 3 years, so thought I would sign up here and see what's new.

Clears skies to all!

Anu
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  #1934  
Old 27-05-2020, 11:49 AM
jahnpahwa (JP)
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Been pestering a while

Hi everyone,

I've been here a month or two now but haven't introduced myself in this thread.
This hobby came totally out of the blue for me, I'd never really thought about the sky or space beyond the norm of an average kid of the 80s (I gather kids of the 60s really got into it on a different level).
My wife is studying a lot at the moment and I needed something to make sure I wasn't spending late night binge-watching netflix, or buying useless stuff on gumtree. I'm not sure what made it jump into my mind, but I got the idea that I'd love to try to see the rings of Saturn and so started reading about howto go about that.... things quickly evolved and I'm really enjoying taking photos and liquidating one set of toys in the shed to form another.

I've 3 and 9 year old daughters, I just turned 40 and had a massive adventure bender in Tas before comign back and falling down this astro rabbit hole.

My current state of mind:
1) I'm waiting for a clear night to get tracking going (phd2 and 120mm mini in evoguide 50)
2) I'm really loving playing with narrowband imaging, again waiting to get my O and S filters aimed at something not covered in cloud (I tried shooting through solid cloud last night, confirm that O and S do not much, but Ha still pulls a decent image)
3) I've got an 80mm refractor on the way for wider field imaging, but also about to get an alt-az 100mm fra for pushing around in the dark while the photomaker does its thing... I'm keen to learn about the sky a bit, rather than just see it as a bunch of potential pics (kind of feel thats where I'm headed at the mo).
4) the above 100mm will be my daughters when she wants to use it, I still have an image of the two of us out there looking at stuff together... standing on a ladder and looking through the newt is not the same as having a wander through the sky on your own.

So thats about it. I really need to let my credit card come up for air not. I've been getting out almost every night, I still set up when the forecast is bad and don't pack it away until midnight, just in case. I'm really glad to have the advice from people here, as without being able to meet with the local astro club, it has been almost a singular source of info to get me started.

Anyone from Canberra is always welcome to come over and have a session, by the way.. I've space for at least another few setups in my yard, with a table right there for beers and tea and coffee and mint slices. I'd love to have you round! Just hit me with a message here.
Cheers!
JP
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  #1935  
Old 21-06-2020, 05:46 PM
Kieran (Kieran)
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There is a lot to read here. Without going through every forum (and when I have specific questions or know what I am looking for I will look into them) are there any good websites for beginners in astronomy?
What are the best suggestions for a great overview that can branch off into different areas when one wants to and not be overwhelmed?

Thanks for any suggestions.
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  #1936  
Old 22-06-2020, 10:08 AM
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jayconnor (Jay)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kieran View Post
There is a lot to read here. Without going through every forum (and when I have specific questions or know what I am looking for I will look into them) are there any good websites for beginners in astronomy?
What are the best suggestions for a great overview that can branch off into different areas when one wants to and not be overwhelmed?

Thanks for any suggestions.
Hey Kieran and welcome to the forums.

My best piece of advice is two things.

If you haven't purchased anything yet make sure you do your research of what exactly you want out of astro and make sure you spend most of your money on a decent mount.

Secondly focus on one area and learn that, get good at it. Im only a beginner myself and im trying to do everything. Its not good and its information overload. No question is a silly question and there are so many wonderful people willing to help on this forum.

Clear Skies Kieran.
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  #1937  
Old 28-06-2020, 07:03 AM
johnanderson008 (John)
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Is polar alignment necessary when you have a observatory?

Hi All,

Just wondering if polar alignment is necessary when you have an observatory,
I plan to build a roll-off roof in my shed and not move my NEQ6 mount once I have set it up. I'm planning to use it for astrophotography, super new to this, so any help would be much appreciated
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  #1938  
Old 28-06-2020, 07:55 PM
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doppler (Rick)
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Hi John, as long as nothing moves you only have to do the initial polar alignment. Some people have their mounts on a tripod in their obs, this setup might need a tweak occasionally but on a pier the polar alignment will hold well. You will have to star align your goto each time you turn the mount on though as these settings are not saved when the power is off.
Rick
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  #1939  
Old 25-07-2020, 03:26 PM
johnanderson008 (John)
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Hi All Just wondering if anyone can give me a good Idea on which OTA to get I have a SCT 8 in at the moment and I am getting into astrophotography, I have about $1500 cash is it worth holding onto the SCT for now and buying a 100mm APO in a few months? (if Im lucky) or should I spend that cash on a new camera. ( I am using a dlsr at the moment) I have added a photo of my rig, Thanks for any help

Quote:
Originally Posted by doppler View Post
Hi John, as long as nothing moves you only have to do the initial polar alignment. Some people have their mounts on a tripod in their obs, this setup might need a tweak occasionally but on a pier the polar alignment will hold well. You will have to star align your goto each time you turn the mount on though as these settings are not saved when the power is off.
Rick
Thanks, heaps Rick, I think I will set up a permanent once the OBS is finished I have attached a few photos I love this hobby!
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Last edited by RB; 25-07-2020 at 06:22 PM.
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  #1940  
Old 14-09-2020, 12:11 PM
Em3xus (Michael)
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Hi everyone,

Just registered today to ask some questions on beginners gear to buy for my wife.

She's wanted a telescope for years now and we finally have our own home and a good few places to put it. She also had a Canon 5D Mark 3 camera and would like a DSLR compatible telescope to take deep space pictures.

I'm finding a lot of different kits online but unfortunately many are out of my price range. Wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of something relatively cheap (2-3k maximum for everything minus the camera) that can take deep space pictures and has a mount for a DSLR?



Thanks!
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