GPS scope alignment

[Teignstar]

Good morning guys.

I have a Nexstar SE6 and am looking at ways to assist in aligning the GOTO system. Generally, I use the two star auto alignment, which does work, but at times can be 'temperamental'!!

Looking at the Celestron products, they do 3 No devices which would appear to assist this process. The SkySync GPS, the SkyQ link 2 and the SkyQ link.

In looking at them it is difficult to see what device is best.

I assume the SkyQ devices take over from the handset completely and indeed, appear to have a more comprehensive library. The SkySync appears to do the initial alignment, then the handset can be used.

As a novice here, I am looking for advice from people who may be using any of these devices to assist alignment, or indeed have gone through the same research.

I feel certain I am not the first, neither will I be the last novice to seek such advice in order to further there enjoyment and knowledge of looking at the sky. Certainly initial alignment of the GOTO scope is a 'hurdle' at times, when you could of course be enjoying the viewing.

Just to say, I am currently in southern Spain, with lovely clear starry nights..........and no scope!! So am looking with my eyes and an iphone app continueing my learning process.............ooooooh for a scope here.

I look forward and then all for their help.

[ronin]

As best I know the GPS will supply your location and the time, neither are really beyond doing manually, Google will give a location to 6 places of decimal and no scope I know of goes to that level.

What you do not say is what the problem actually is. Getting a GPS for Lat/Long/Time will not in itself make the alignment easier, as said you can supply this information If you have selected a location from the Celestron list then that is likely to be the problem - if the supplied location is half a degree difference from where you actually are then the scope does not know this so it starts out half a degree wrong and so the first alignment star will be half a degree out, which is probably out of view. Look up where you are and get positional data for there.

The scope assumes at the first movement a few things, your location and that it is level. Mine also presumes that it starts out pointing North, not Polaris but North. If I recall the start position of a Celestron is not strict so in effect the first movement does nothing as it is going from anywhere to somewhere.

The 6SE needs a low power eyepiece to get going with, the resultant field of view with the 25mm is simply too narrow, it will be giving 0.8 of a degree and that is edge to edge. So if you are 0.5 degree off then the first star is not in view. That half degree can in in location, sideways tilt or forward/back tilt, and any combination of more then one.

So have you got a good bubble level, well defined location, accurate time.

[PeterCPC]

I use the Skysync with my AVX and it saves me having to input any location or time data. Makes life a bit easier.

Peter