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Old 14-12-2016, 06:02 PM
Wavytone
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Wavytone is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Killara, Sydney
Posts: 4,147
I'm using a GOTO altaz mount.

IMHO it's easy however you will need something that easily identifies the bright stars and planets and there are two solutions:

A) a planisphere, which is a plastic disk bearing a star chart; set the cursor for the date and time and look up, use the map to identify the bright stars for alignment; buy one for a few $ from Bintel;

B) use a smartphone or iPad, with an app like Sky Safari or StarMap Pro to do the same.

I usually try to use a star low in the east/west near the horizon, and another on the meridian near the zenith (ie overhead).

If the mount is levelled and you have set the location date and time, even a 1-star alignment is sufficient for goto to work well enough. In this case a star near the horizon works best; choosing a star high up does not.

In the meantime if you have an iPhone/iPad, get the app "Emerald Chronometer" from Emerald Sequioa. If you have an iPad, there's also the Emerald Observatory app which is a beautiful astronomical clock.
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