Quote:
Originally Posted by Solanum
I don't think (hope!) it is getting the star into the right place that is the problem, I was used to doing this with my AN and after alignment the AN always put me spot on, even with a high power eyepiece....
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It usually won't get the alignment stars in the FOV, at least the first one. The purpose of doing the centre and align steps during the star alignment is that you're showing the software what the offset is between where it thinks the star is and where it really is. That's how it gets its bearings, and calculates its model of the sky.
The accuracy can also be affected by your choice of alignment stars. It's best to choose your alignment stars carefully, using these rules as a guide:
- altitude: alignment stars should be between 20 and 70 degrees in altitude and around 30 degrees difference in their altitude
- azimuth: alignment stars should be between 90 and 120 degrees apart in azimuth, and not close to 180 degrees
If you're going to be observing primarily on one side of the meridian, pick both alignment stars on that side. And for particularly faint objects, there is the Precise Goto function, where you would goto a star near the object you're after and sync on that. That improves the accuracy of the goto in that area of the sky.
And I haven't even touched on approach directions...which can affect your alignment if your scope suffers from significant backlash...most do, but it's a tricky thing to explain, so best to digest this lot first
