[AZ-Observing] Re: Troubles on the Pole [Was: Re: Re: Tonight (Friday)

Hello Stan,

I never had any luck with the two star alignment. What I did was use 
the drift alignment to get the mount aligned and then each evening 
just point the telescope at a know bright star and then find the star 
on the key pad and sync it. ANother star further away can also be 
done. But what I do is set the telescope to High Precision and then 
select the object I want to go to. The scope will slew to a bight and 
obvious star close to that object. You cent the star and hit enter 
and then the scope moves to the object of interest very closely. For 
faint star photometry where the star has no name but a RA and Dec. I 
find an object close to that RA and Dec then hold the Mode (Top 
center) down until the display shows the scope's RA and Dec. Then use 
the movement arrows to set the object of interest's RA and Dec. This 
works well. You can have the planetarium program loaded and the 
computer connected to the telescope and you can use the planetarium 
program to locate objects and move the telescope. Lots of fun.

Have you got the 16" Meade fine Polar aligned yet? I'm looking 
forward to your star party.

Jeff

At 08:37 -0700 02/25/2007, Stan Gorodenski wrote:
>Thanks for the tip on the Meade described method. I did not know this.
>What might also drive someone crazy who may not be aware of it and is
>striving for _perfect_ alignment is the fact that the two axis of
>rotation are obviously not perfectly orthogonal. If off too far, it
>might require putting some shims where the fork attaches to the RA
>drive, assuming the individual has a fork type mount so they can do it.
>Out of luck if the person has a German Equatorial to be able to make
>this kind of correction.
>Stan
>
>gene lucas wrote:
>
>>The two-star "go-to" computer-aided alignment routine, as explained in
>>the Meade manual for equatorial alignment, does NOT work properly (as
>>stated).  When re-centering on Polaris, going back and forth from
>>Polaris to an equatorial star, you MUST re-center to only 1/2 the
>>(error) distance.  Otherwise, the adjustment/solution will NOT
>>"converge".  This will drive you craaaaaazzzzzy.  (The Meade folks know
>>about all this.....)
-- 
Jeff Hopkins
HPO SOFT
Counting Photons
http://www.hposoft.com/Astro/astro.html
Hopkins Phoenix Observatory
7812 West Clayton Drive
Phoenix, Arizona 85033-2439 U.S.A.
(623)849-5889
www.hposoft.com
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