ICEINSPACE
Moon Phase
CURRENT MOON
Waning Gibbous 70.3%
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17-09-2009, 06:48 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Western Sydney
Posts: 55
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Jen
You might find a lot of useful information here:- http://www.petesastrophotography.com/
There is also a guiding simulator on this site,which can be helpful,and you can practice when it is daylight or the weather just sucks outside.
enjoy and practice,practice ,practice
Wayne
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17-09-2009, 07:18 PM
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Narrowfield rules!
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Torquay
Posts: 5,064
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Jen
There are sooo, many instructions out there, most are confusing .
Lately, I downloaded and tried this , Startarg2, its unbeliveably simple and easy to use, play with it with your mouse (the audio is a bit annoying).
Last edited by Bassnut; 17-09-2009 at 07:30 PM.
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17-09-2009, 07:48 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Monto
Posts: 16,738
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Star Targ is great.
Good luck Jen.
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17-09-2009, 08:01 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Beautiful SE Tassie
Posts: 4,734
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17-09-2009, 08:19 PM
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Tripping in Space
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 500
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Here's the best instructions I found a few years back, hope it helps (sorry cannot remember the source) +it's for southern hemi's like us:
Drift Alignment in detail
The explanation of how to polar align using the drift method is as follows. In this procedure, adjusting the RA isn't important, just leave it, drift in the RA is just a case of your motor being slow/fast, not an alignment problem.
1. Point the telescope to a bright star low-ish (20 degrees say) on the eastern horizon, near the celestial equator (the line of 0 degrees DEC, something like the Orion nebula is fairly close, and good to look at in the mean time (given the right time of the year - it may be too high/not visible.) At this point the east/west rotation of the mount has minimal effect, leaving you to correct the angle of elevation of the mount.
1. If the star drifts NORTH your polar axis is too low. So you have to change the axis to angle up into the sky more. (the latitude knob on your eq mount.)
2. If the star drifts SOUTH your polar axis is too high. So you have to change the axis to angle down into the ground more. (the latitude knob on your eq mount.)
What do I mean by "drifts NORTH" and "drifts SOUTH" ? In the field of view or what??. Well this is what got me stuck for ages. The way I do it now, is you let the star drift for a bit, you then move the telescope to 'catch up with it' by using the DEC control. If you find the telescope is heading north, then the star is drifting north! :-) and that's what they mean by "drifts North".
2. Point the telescope to a bright star on the Meridian and on the celestial equator. So this is basically straight over your head somewhere. This way the angle of elevation of the mount (corrected above hopefully) will have minimal effect, leaving you to just correct the east/west rotation of the mount.
1. If the star drifts NORTH your polar axis is too far East, so rotate the mount west. (Rotate clockwise looking down on the mount).
2. If the star drifts SOUTH your polar axis is too far West, so rotate the mount east. (Rotate anti-clockwise looking down on the mount).
Again, What do I mean by "drifts NORTH" and "drifts SOUTH"? Well even though we are testing the rotation not the angle of elevation, it's the same as I described above basically.
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18-09-2009, 12:57 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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jen is your mount a go to? if it is there is a method FAR EASIER and for normal observing will be ample sufficient.
as for moving your scope left right up down, go one way, if it starts drifting faster, go double the distance in the oppisite direction. I cant remember all the details of if the star drifts this way. if the star drifts that way meh thats my method. and admittedly i actually do alot of man handling, not trying to do it with the screws on the eq6, i just loosen them off all the way for the RA and twist it till im in the ball park.
- you also need a decent compass to get you there sooner rather than later...
- and level your mount (not using the bubble level as on most scopes its off
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18-09-2009, 04:37 PM
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Moving to Pandora
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Swan Hill
Posts: 7,095
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bmitchell82
jen is your mount a go to? if it is there is a method FAR EASIER and for normal observing will be ample sufficient.
as for moving your scope left right up down, go one way, if it starts drifting faster, go double the distance in the oppisite direction. I cant remember all the details of if the star drifts this way. if the star drifts that way meh thats my method. and admittedly i actually do alot of man handling, not trying to do it with the screws on the eq6, i just loosen them off all the way for the RA and twist it till im in the ball park.
- you also need a decent compass to get you there sooner rather than later...
- and level your mount (not using the bubble level as on most scopes its off
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Brendan no its not a goto
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18-09-2009, 04:46 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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what mount is it?
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18-09-2009, 05:37 PM
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Moving to Pandora
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Swan Hill
Posts: 7,095
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bmitchell82
what mount is it?
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eq-3
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18-09-2009, 07:44 PM
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Love the moonless nights!
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,284
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With a single axis motor drive.
I was just asking Dad what happened to the motor, he said he gave it to you.
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18-09-2009, 08:41 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: all over the shop...
Posts: 2,098
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Are you bringing it to SV camp, Jen?
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19-09-2009, 08:37 AM
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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 Jen,
Have you tried setting up the scope pointing towards the SCP? Swan Hill's Magnetic declination is 10.2 deg so you will need to point one of the legs of the scope to 170 deg rather than magnetic south on a compass.
I found a REALLY good guide here http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-466-0-0-1-0.html with pictures and everything!
This allows you to recognise what the SCP looks like and identify it in the finder so you can check and correct the altitude of the scope (mine was wrong) and plonk the scope in the same position night after night with minimal drifting if at all.
By the way, the flashing green light means the RA motor batteries are wearing down.
See how you go.
Cheers
Chris
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19-09-2009, 10:02 AM
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Moving to Pandora
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Swan Hill
Posts: 7,095
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tlgerdes
With a single axis motor drive.
I was just asking Dad what happened to the motor, he said he gave it to you.
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really
Quote:
Originally Posted by glenluceskies
Are you bringing it to SV camp, Jen?
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Yep i sure am ive got some learning to do
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19-09-2009, 10:08 AM
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Moving to Pandora
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Swan Hill
Posts: 7,095
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Screwdriverone
Hi Jen,
Have you tried setting up the scope pointing towards the SCP? Swan Hill's Magnetic declination is 10.2 deg so you will need to point one of the legs of the scope to 170 deg rather than magnetic south on a compass.
I found a REALLY good guide here http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-466-0-0-1-0.html with pictures and everything!
This allows you to recognise what the SCP looks like and identify it in the finder so you can check and correct the altitude of the scope (mine was wrong) and plonk the scope in the same position night after night with minimal drifting if at all.
By the way, the flashing green light means the RA motor batteries are wearing down.
See how you go.
Cheers
Chris
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Chris
Oh bugger the batteries have only been used for about half an hour
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22-09-2009, 06:34 PM
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Grumpy Old Man-Child
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Gippsland
Posts: 1,768
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Have you compensated for magnetic off-set - the diff between "magnetic" south and true south. There is a" .gov.au" website that will give it you, but I lost it migrating to this PC. Sorry that's not very useful.
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22-09-2009, 09:43 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Glenhaven
Posts: 4,161
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Waxing_Gibbous
Have you compensated for magnetic off-set - the diff between "magnetic" south and true south. There is a" .gov.au" website that will give it you, but I lost it migrating to this PC. Sorry that's not very useful.
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Probably this one:
http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/geomag/agrfform.jsp
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22-09-2009, 10:37 PM
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Grumpy Old Man-Child
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Gippsland
Posts: 1,768
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Andrew,
That's the one!
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23-09-2009, 02:40 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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Quote:
Originally Posted by Screwdriverone
Hi Jen,
Have you tried setting up the scope pointing towards the SCP? Swan Hill's Magnetic declination is 10.2 deg so you will need to point one of the legs of the scope to 170 deg rather than magnetic south on a compass.
Chris
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That's funny, I could have sworn I had already worked out the magnetic deviation for Jen in my previous post......
I am sure I put it in there somewhere??
Cheers
Chris
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