[sac-forum] Re: [amastro] Re: [AZ-Observing] Messier 2 Declination Error

Mr. G, your sweeping around the sky certainly sounds interesting, casual and enjoyable. I'd like to give that try that if my observ ing time wasn't so limited - perils of living in the big city. I like the idea of the DSC on the big scope just to verify what you have stumbled across. 

AJ Crayon
Phoenix, AZ
----- Original Message ----- From: "Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy)" <mrgalaxy@xxxxxxxx> 
To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <sac-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <AZ-Observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <evac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <amastro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 2:57 PM
Subject: [amastro] Re: [AZ-Observing] Messier 2 Declination Error



15480 Empire Rd.
Benson, AZ 85602
hm ph: 520-586-2244
Hi AJ,
Answering your other email, I know many people have gone to the digital setting circle (DSC) method of looking at the sky. That's great if your time is limited and you have a set agenda, which certainly sounds true for the monumental SAC database project that your club has produced! Although my time is limited and very valuable, on occasion I enjoy sweeping around the sky with no set purpose, essentially probing the sky in between all the data points which are in the databases. I find all sorts of objects: asterisms, double stars, galaxies and others that are too faint to be charted on the popular atlases. My preferred method of looking at the sky on those occasional lazy nights is even more outdated than star-hopping. I like to just sweep the sky, like the comet-hunters, but less organized. You never know what you might find. I like the sense of discovery even though I don't "know" what it is I found at the time. I have no opposition to using a DSC. In fact, I want to mount one on my 25-inch when I get it back in operation because it is too difficult to run up and down the ladder and push the scope around when up on the ladder. For the 13-inch Dob, though, I just like pushing it around to see what I can see. There's a lot of space in between all the objects listed in the database and sometimes that space is where the action is at, especially if you're looking for comets or asteroids. In fact, if I were to mount a DSC on my scope I would probably use it as a method of verifying what I swept up, rather than using it as a tool to find my object. 
Clear skies,
Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy)

-- "AJ Crayon" <acrayon@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Has anyone had problems locating M2 with digital setting circles or a GoTo system? This involves any of the electronic systems. I have run across declination errors with this entry on the XP4 Flash Sky Commander digital setting circles and on Orions SynScan GoTo system. Reason is because the declination is -0° 49' and the way computer hardware handles -0. Turns out most computers convert -0 to +0 resulting in incorrect calculations.
I corrected my version of XP4 with an update the the Messier catalog when this was discovered some time ago. I have just found the problem in the SynScan system and notified Orion this morning. 

So, I ask, has anyone else had problems with their system finding M2?

AJ Crayon
Phoenix, AZ

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