Can i manually use a goto cg5 to view say a comet ?

[Altair]

Well the heading is really my question - I dont have a lead to update the software in the handset but am wondering can i still view manually using CG5 advanced tripod?

[cyborg421]

If you can put in RA and Dec manually, you can use this website

http://www.heavens-above.com/

It lists comets brighter than Mag 14 and gives their position.

Simon

[cantharis]

Absolutely - the comet´s proper motion will still be a lot less than its sidereal motion. By all accounts we are expecting some good comets later in 2013 - but then Halley´s comet in 1986 was a huge disappointment. Fingers crossed.

[Altair]

Oh thanks to both of you! Yes i can enter the co- ordinates to slew to the object.. I have not had first light yet with the mount so looking forward to it!

here's hoping we do get to see the " very bright " comet next year! I cant remember when i last saw a good one!

[sologuitarist61]

Good luck with the mount Altair. I ummed and ahhed for ages before getting mine, and I haven't regretted it, even though a lot have said that I should have gone for the HEQ5. Sounds like a coffee grinder on fast slew though so if you are on a late viewing period, make sure you plan your viewing so that you only have brief slews between objects (unless you don't like the neighbours of course!!

[Herbig]

Yes you should be able to use the mount manually, just release the clutches and point the scope where ever you want. Tighten the cluches again and the mount should continue to track. You will have lost your star align though

The CG5 GT has a more substantial tripod than the EQ5, but it is noisy!

[dtr42]

Absolutely - the comet´s proper motion will still be a lot less than its sidereal motion. By all accounts we are expecting some good comets later in 2013 - but then Halley´s comet in 1986 was a huge disappointment. Fingers crossed.

Oh thanks to both of you! Yes i can enter the co- ordinates to slew to the object.. I have not had first light yet with the mount so looking forward to it!

here's hoping we do get to see the " very bright " comet next year! I cant remember when i last saw a good one!

think the last one i saw was hale bopp back in 1997 which was very big and bright early january 97

[allcart]

Of course you don't have to slew at speed 9. Its much quieter but slightly slower at speed 7. But hey! you have all night.

[cantharis]

unless you don't like the neighbours of course!!

I shall be concerned about any noise I make upsetting my neighbours only when they start to show concern about their cats crapping in my garden.

[Altair]

Loved that last comment hehehe yep i just read Rod Molises guide to one of these old mounts and he said something like it sounds like a weasel stuck in a trap oooh ug yes it sure does sound like that . Just trying to remember those comets of the 80's? Alcock i remember

very high in the night sky and oh yes Hale Bopp had a good tail didnt it ? and stayed in the night sky for some time>?

Yep Halleys was so disappointing Id only been waiting for that one from the 60's.. lol

So i guess if i want to view the sun or a comet i just let off those clutches and let it slew in either solar or slower rate... Still waiting for clear skies here to test it out! GRRRRRRRRRR!

[matsey]

If you can put in RA and Dec manually, you can use this website

http://www.heavens-above.com/

It lists comets brighter than Mag 14 and gives their position.

Simon

You can also use Stellarium - I used that last year to find Comet Garradd and it was very accurate. I don't think comets are loaded into Stellarium by default though, so you may have to download the list from the Solar System Editor in the configuration menu first. It's not particularly obvious how you do that though (took me a few attempts to work it out).. here's what you do... go to Configuration Window (the spanner/star icon), then Solar System Editor, click on the Solar System tab, then the "import orbital elements in MPC format" button. On the lists tab, select "Comets" and "download a list of objects from the internet" radio buttons, choose "MPC's list of observable comets" in the drop down list then (finally!) click the "get orbital elements" button. Job done !

What you can then do is use Stellarium's ocular plugin to get a pretty accurate representation of what you'll see through your eyepiece and use it to match surrounding star patterns to positively identify the comet.

Hope that helps And yes, me too, really hoping that comet ends up as bright as predicted, will be quite a sight !

Matsey

[Altair]

Thanks Matsey, I know i tried once before to load those comets into Stellarium but i dont know what i did wrong then! I will have another

go .. I still havent seen that one heading out of Pegasus and i think its faded a bit since we had these ***** clouds!

[matsey]

hi Altair - yes although it's still a bit of a pain I think it is easier now with v11 (I vaguely remember last year using v10 I actually had to edit an .ini file in notepad to add a comet!). Hadn't heard about that comet in Pegasus though so thanks for mentioning that - just googled it and it's called 168P/Hergenrother and it is coming up in Stellarium - it's just above the square. I'm off to Norfolk today with possibly clear skies tonight (full week off work and, yep, clouds all week, typical!), so I'll see if I can find it myself. Might be a bit too dim now for my scope, but I'll have a go anyway

[Altair]

Hope you get some viewing done just love those dark Norfolk skies! Hopefully you will be able to spot it!