Suggest a star field for testing

SteveInNZ2 (Steve) · #1 31-05-2023, 07:18 AM

Does anyone have a favorite area of the southern sky for testing for flatness, etc ? Maybe a couple of degrees square with a nice spread of stars of similar brightness with space between them.

I want to compare some lenses and OTA's, correctors, spacing, foV, etc.

Steve.

AstroViking (Steve) · #2 31-05-2023, 08:56 AM

How about the Jewel Box cluster in Crux? Or IC2602, the Southern Pleiades?

Tinderboxsky (Steve) · #3 31-05-2023, 10:31 AM

I like the star field around Proxima Centauri. Meets your needs with the added bonus of tracking down Proxima. Alpha Centauri is just over 2 degrees away, so, would be easy to exclude from the area you are seeking.