Good advice there from Trevor (and none less than Douglas Adams!
)
Rob, I'm guessing you're somewhere near Pukapunyal? As Trevor suggested it is probably a good idea to get along to a nearby astro night, or find someone on IIS who's nearby who can help.
This stuff always seems daunting at first, but it sounds like you're just missing some basics. So I'll try to explain what the basics are that I think you are missing
.
When drift aligning, the stars you use need to be within say 30 degrees of the celestial equator. If you aren't sure which stars to use, a planisphere or star chart may help. I always recommend a planisphere to anyone starting in astronomy - they are cheap (about $30 say) and can show you how the sky looks on any day at any time, so they are great for learning the sky and picking out alignment stars!
You probably have done some searching and found a description of how to drift align, so I won't go into that much (let us know if you want us to! I'm making an assumption here which won't help you unless its right
).
The other tip I would give you when starting to drift align, is to start with
big changes (adjustments). A wise old man (who's a year younger than me
) taught me that one - thanks Paul!
Once you've adjusted too far (i.e. the star is now drifting the opposite way), you know true south is in between your current alignment and the previous one. So then you start halving the difference
. A practical application of binary search theory
. With practice it will get you aligned in practically no time (say 30mins) but to start with expect some stuff ups and "learning experiences"
.
When I started I could spend all night drift aligning and then pack up in disgust. Prior to building the obs, I could drift align in less than an hour - typically 20-30 minutes for most stuff.
Its a steep learning curve. Have patience, padewan. Ask questions.
Al.
