ICEINSPACE
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04-09-2008, 12:08 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: numeralla nsw
Posts: 22
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starhop blues
G'day,
Are there any hints for a beginning starhopper? I have read all the bumph but it seems very confusing when at the eyepiece.
Peter
Last edited by fairway68; 04-09-2008 at 12:09 PM.
Reason: add name
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04-09-2008, 12:19 PM
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an overactive imagination
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Erlistoun WA
Posts: 592
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Hi Pete!
What scope are you using?
A good start is always http://www.stellarium.org/
Often when I star hop I just pick a section of the sky and just slowly cruise using my mounts hand paddle. When I find something I dont recognize I use Stellarium to locate it and find out what it is.
Stellarium is also a great little program where you can pick an object, find its location and magnitude the go outside and see if you can find it in the eye piece.
Have fun!
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04-09-2008, 04:32 PM
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Newtonian power! Love it!
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Mandurah
Posts: 2,597
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... I have had the same problem, with my old blue scope  figuring out what magnitude a star is isn't easy. so get yourself a KICK A55 star map. one that shows only upto a cirtain mag. to do this i figure to look at a known star... yes i can see it , find the star, look at its rated mag. theres one point. then do this untill you cant see a star... (look for patterns that can guide you in). so once you have found your limiting magnitude in your area then you can look at star maps and go I should be able to see that, look for the group of stars pick it out and then "Hop" to the next. there was a set of star maps on IIS forums from a japanese dude. they are good when printed out on A3 and laminated.! Hope that helped
Brendan
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04-09-2008, 05:03 PM
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pro lumen
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: ballina
Posts: 3,265
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Hi Peter
SIRIUS, CANOPUS, RIGEL KENT, ARCTURUS, VEGA, CAPELLA, RIGEL, PROCYON, ACHERNAR, HADAR, ALTAIR, BETELGEUSE, ALDEBARAN, ACRUX, SPICA, ANTARES, POLLUX, FOMALHAUT, DENEB, MIMOSA.
these are thge 20 brightest stars in the sky useing them as a referance point is very helpfull for finding other objects .
An good example in the comeing months would be achernar
just by projecting some fairly straight lines off this one star
will help you find many galaxys.
cheers graham
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04-09-2008, 09:53 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Monto
Posts: 16,741
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The best tools for learning how to star hop is a pair of Binoculars and the all sky map from the Sky and Telescope magazine.
Start from Scorpio, which is high in the sky in the early evening, and easily recognised in any star chart.
There is a heap of stuff to look for that's an easy hop away. Once you get a bit of confidence, you'll be able to venture a bit further afield.
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05-09-2008, 08:03 PM
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Compulsive Tinkerer
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Blue Mountains, NSW
Posts: 1,766
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Nothing is better than practice. Find a reference star and a taget star you can find then plan a star hop, execute it and get it right. Then work on another and keep going.
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06-09-2008, 03:50 PM
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Old Man Yells at Cloud
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Rockingham WA
Posts: 3,435
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The comment about practice is gold.
After a while you will get the hang of it and develop your own technique.
I start out with a widefield map of the area of interest and a low power eyepiece, then I familiarise myself with star patterns within that area... mostly I look for things like stars forming 'v' shapes, circles and lines, arcs etc.... rotating the map until it matches the orientation I see in the scope.
With this done I can get the scope roughly centered on the area where the object of interest(galaxy, neb etc) should be, and then move to a narrowfield map and higher power eyepiece and do it over again... star patterns, etc.
After a short while the object will suddenly jump into your view(if it's bright enough), and you'll wonder why it seemed so hard to find before.
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06-09-2008, 05:11 PM
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I have detailed files....
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kellyville Ridge, NSW Australia
Posts: 3,306
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Hi Peter,
Practice is the key, as is getting out under a clear sky and just looking up with a star chart handy so that you know what you are looking at quickly.
I found that I was getting quite good during the summer/autumn months at which constellation was which and therefore pinpointing DSO's and such became a doddle cause I could jump from know stars like Nightstalker listed. However, NOW, since I have been limiting my views to the eyepiece/webcam screen, I start to get a little foggy when I look up and see Scorpius UPSIDE DOWN!!.
My advice therefore is: Spend a few clear nights a month on a deckchair or even (if its warm enough) lying flat on your back staring up at the heavens with a red torch handy and a planetarium. If you have binoculars, most of the cool stuff can still be picked out with these and their wide field of view and easy to point optics make it a joy to look up and become familiar with the sky's view for that time of the year. Once you get familiar with the constellations or find something nice to look at closer, point your scope at it (but keep your binoculars handy) for a better view.
One thing I might add which is quite cool is to mount your binoculars on the scope rings using a tripod adaptor and then use the binoculars as a "finderscope" which is fabulous for scanning around, locking down and then using the eyepiece to ZOOM in on the cool stuff.
Them's my thoughts...
Cheers
Chris
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06-09-2008, 06:57 PM
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Futurist
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Gold Coast QLD Australia
Posts: 234
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With no knowledge of your scope or finder scope, or the quality of your sky, I can only offer you this advice.
In my suburban backyard, star hopping with the finder scope (8x50) is fine as the brighter stars stand out in the finder and it's easy to navigate from there.
At a dark sky site however, it's a different story with the optical finder. When looking through the 8x50 there are so many more stars than seen with the naked eye and so many that look a similar magnitude and it is easy to get confused and lost. At a dark sky site I use a zero magnification red dot finder. With this I can look at the drighter stars with naked eye and line up the RDF. Using this method going backwards and forwards from the RDF and the eyepiece and sometimes even the 8x50, I find I can navigate easier than with the optical finder alone. Also use a good star map preferably down to the seventh magnitude and also use a planisphere.
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07-09-2008, 08:39 AM
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Meteor & fossil collector
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bentleigh
Posts: 1,386
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A good planisphere is probably the cheapest and most useful tool you will ever buy...you may change scopes many times, but you will still have the same planisphere!
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08-09-2008, 04:23 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: numeralla nsw
Posts: 22
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novicehopper
If i can't learn with all this info there is something more seriously wrong than I first thought! ( It' s all in the mind you know) Many thanks for all the advice and guidance, and words of experience.
When I get a clear night I will try the ideas. I think I'm trying to go too fast.Have had 7 Yes 7 sequential cloudy nights and the New Newt/dob is yet to see the light!

Cheers
Peter
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17-09-2008, 11:58 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Perth, Australia
Posts: 80
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Best thing I purchased for my dob was a Telrad.
This was really helpful especially when using starcharts (paper or electronic) that have a telrad circle overlay. This way I could do my starhops by moving the view in the Telrad (ie move 3 large Telrad cricles to the east).
Most electronic charts Cartes, Du Ciel, etc allow you to create finder cirlces for overlaying on the chart and Sky Atlas 2000 comes with a transparent overlay with a Telrad template on it.
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21-09-2008, 12:48 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Perth, Australia
Posts: 80
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Peter, something you might find useful (if your using a Dob).
I bought this Digital Level from Bunnings last week for $35.
I'm using it on my lightbridge.
The original magnets in the base are a bit weak (kept slidiing down the scope) so I replaced them with three new ones (8mm dia x 4mm high) for about $3 from a local Perth magnet supplier. I find it great for helping to put myself in the right elevation when looking for an object so then all I have to do is sweep left and right till I locate it. (Most planeterium software will give alt/az info so you know what the altitude is to the object from your location).
Works well enogh until I get around to getting an Argo Navis.
Cheers
Garin
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