Learn To Star Hop - It's Easy!

[Mr Q]

That's right, easy, so give it a try on the next clear night. Learning this valuable skill is easy and will be your tool for locating many other DSOs in the years to come. All you need is a basic star atlas and the will to learn. No atlas? You can down load one at the below link. Use the "A" version, since it is the easiest to locate pilot stars (that you hop from) and many of the brightest DSOs. BTW, it's well worth printing out for future use, since most atlases are relatively expensive.

STAR ATLAS

OK, got the atlas (or already have one)? Now you can start on the first practice object.

Star Hop #1 (to determine your LP field of view) in Perseus.

In these hops, I am using a typical LP FOV of 1 1/2 degrees. By locating the below objects, you can determine how big your FOV is by counting your FOVs to each object.

1. Locate the 2nd mag. star Algol Persi.

2. Move your scope so that Algol is at the edge of your FOV in the OPPOSITE direction of your hopping direction (which is WNW)

3. Move 3 1/2 FOVs to the WNW to locate the OC M34.

Remember, N is toward Polaris (north star), S is towards the S horizon, E is to the left of any object to the eastern horizon and W is towards the right towards the western horizon. It's like looking at a land map placed on a glass table and you are looking at it from below the glass - N and S stay the same but E and W are reversed.

Star Hop #2 in Perseus

1. Locate the pilot star Eta Persi (4th mag. star)

2. Move 3 LP FOVs to the NNW to the double cluster 884/869 (6th mag.)

By now you have a good idea what your actual FOV is in degrees for the LP EP you are using.

Star Hop #3 in Perseus

1. Locate the 4th mag. pilot star Lambda Persi.

2. Move 1 FOV NE to the OC 1528 (6th mag.)

3. From OC 1528, move 1 FOV SE to oc 1545 (6th mag.)

Star Hop #4 in Perseus/Cassiopia

1. Locate the Double Cluster 889/869 in Perseus.

2. Move 1 1/2 FOV to the NNW to the large OC Stock 2 in Cassiopia.

After locating Stock 2, try to locate it from another pilot star - Eta Persi. Move 4 LP FOV to the NW to Stock 2.

After finding the above objects, locate Alpha Persi and with a LP EP, scan this nice very large cluster (Mel 20) while patting yourself on the back for successfully completing your first multiple star hops

[Capricorn]

Damn, am I glad I have a goto. :eek:

Select from menu, press enter, press goto. :grin:

[swamp thing]

1356037885[/url'>' post='1747979']

Damn, am I glad I have a goto.

Select from menu, press enter, press goto.

Perhaps you could start an in depth thread on how to set one up covering all the pit falls. I'm sure there are a great deal of beginners that would benefit from more in depth instruction from wise old hands like yourself.

[Mark S W]

THANK YOU THANK YOU,

That was very well put. I really appericated the part about E and W being reversed. I can star hop but this makes it even easier.

[bomberbaz]

erm pardon me for asking the question but why is E & W reversed? I mean if the map is reversed, why dont they simply un-reverse it.

I must be missing something really simples but I dont get what it is

Baz

[stem1989]

thanks for the post,link and advice

[Leebert]

Great post - thank you.

I keep meaning to improve my working knowledge of the night sky and I think star hopping is the way to do it as I'll see more things that I miss with Goto as you only ever look at the very small part of the sky you have selected rather than working your way across it.

[BinocularSky]

Damn, am I glad I have a goto. :eek:

Select from menu, press enter, press goto. :grin:

You missed a bit out :

1. Initialise mount with n-star alignment.

(then your bit 2, 3, 4,)

5. Wait while the mount slowly drags the scope to somewhere near your target object.

6. Fiddle with controls to get object centred.

7. Realise that it looks nothing like what it should and start again.

8. Get exactly the same result as the first time.

9. Realise your knowledge of bright stars is depleted by your reliance on GOTO and has caused you to confuse Castor with Pollux and start again.

10. As the mount stops mid-slew, realise that you forgot to put fresh batteries in the handset.

11. Fortunately, you have a battery pack. Plug that in and start again.

12. As the mount stops mid-slew, realise that you forgot to recharge the battery pack.

13. Go indoors and remove batteries from remote controls, radios and anything else that has the same size batteries as your handset.

14. Start again.

15. Eventually get the correct object centred.

16. Your success has caused you to get blasé , so you select M86 (+ repeat 4 & 5)

17. Mount puts you exactly in a blank space surrounded by several galaxies.

18. Realise your knowledge of visual fields is depleted by your reliance on GOTO and you haven't a clue which galaxy is which.

19. Go indoors to get star chart.

20. Even though you didn't put any lights on, you realise that your dark adaptation must have been damaged because you can no longer see the galaxies that surrounded your blank bit of sky.

21. As you gaze into the eyepiece waiting for your dark adaptation to return, a point of light drifts across your field of view. Slow-moving satellite?

22. As more points of light drift across the FoV, you realise that it is strangely silent: your mount has stopped tracking.

23. You realise that the cold has caused your batteries to drain quickly. Your mount is now entirely useless.

24. In great disappointment because it's such a fantastically clear (if cold) night, pack kit away and go to bed (again forgetting put your battery pack on charge).

[bomberbaz]

You missed a bit out :

1. Initialise mount with n-star alignment.

(then your bit 2, 3, 4,)

5. Wait while the mount slowly drags the scope to somewhere near your target object.

6. Fiddle with controls to get object centred.

7. Realise that it looks nothing like what it should and start again.

8. Get exactly the same result as the first time.

9. Realise your knowledge of bright stars is depleted by your reliance on GOTO and has caused you to confuse Castor with Pollux and start again.

10. As the mount stops mid-slew, realise that you forgot to put fresh batteries in the handset.

11. Fortunately, you have a battery pack. Plug that in and start again.

12. As the mount stops mid-slew, realise that you forgot to recharge the battery pack.

13. Go indoors and remove batteries from remote controls, radios and anything else that has the same size batteries as your handset.

14. Start again.

15. Eventually get the correct object centred.

16. Your success has caused you to get blasé , so you select M86 (+ repeat 4 & 5)

17. Mount puts you exactly in a blank space surrounded by several galaxies.

18. Realise your knowledge of visual fields is depleted by your reliance on GOTO and you haven't a clue which galaxy is which.

19. Go indoors to get star chart.

20. Even though you didn't put any lights on, you realise that your dark adaptation must have been damaged because you can no longer see the galaxies that surrounded your blank bit of sky.

21. As you gaze into the eyepiece waiting for your dark adaptation to return, a point of light drifts across your field of view. Slow-moving satellite?

22. As more points of light drift across the FoV, you realise that it is strangely silent: your mount has stopped tracking.

23. You realise that the cold has caused your batteries to drain quickly. Your mount is now entirely useless.

24. In great disappointment because it's such a fantastically clear (if cold) night, pack kit away and go to bed (again forgetting put your battery pack on charge).

hahahaha, quality

[BinocularSky]

hahahaha, quality

Thanks, but I've just realised I missed out a few steps (like "On the next night, you spend 30 minutes getting mount aligned, only for the clouds to roll in before you've had a chance to observe anything" and "Realise that the reason it goes to apparently random wrong bits of sky is that you'd inadvertently switched it to 'southern hemisphere' mode." ).

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

I totally agree with you Mr Q. Call me old fashioned,but I think that learning the sky 'properly' is a skill that's worth acquiring. Star hopping will give you a better 'mental picture' of the night sky,and also a feeling of achievement when you find your desired object to view. GOTO has it's uses,I suppose,but I think it could be a bit of a crutch. I see the difference between the two methods as being akin to that of being a 'Tourist' or a 'Traveller' Just my two pence worth!

[Astro Imp]

Thanks, but I've just realised I missed out a few steps (like "On the next night, you spend 30 minutes getting mount aligned, only for the clouds to roll in before you've had a chance to observe anything" and "Realise that the reason it goes to apparently random wrong bits of sky is that you'd inadvertently switched it to 'southern hemisphere' mode." ).

Steve this and your original post show you have a wicked sense of humour but I think they're brilliant.

[Mr Q]

Baz - Perhaps this link will help you with the E-W direction reversal concept

COORDINATES

[Mr Q]

Damn, am I glad I have a goto. :eek:

Select from menu, press enter, press goto. :grin:

But what happens when something goes wrong with the electronics (as often does - dead battery, component malfunction, etc.)? Do you quit and stop observing? Having a locating skill as a back-up is not a bad idea and star hopping is just such a valuable skill worth keeping in your back pocket...just in case

Just for the record, to keep a discussion on go-to vs manual locating from escalating, go-tos are fine for casual observing just as a light in your house is convienant at night. But what if the power goes out? Having a torch or candle is an easy way out of the problem, just as the skill of manually locating an object is - star hopping.

[Lorne]

I use the A set of those charts too - A3 size laminated (matt finish pouches)to stop them getting soggy when out observing. Just use the sheet you need for what ever area you want to look at. works a treat

[8kids]

I've tried star hopping I didn't get on with it though.......burnt my feet.

[Double Kick Drum]

Great thread Mr Q.

Nothing like the feeling of finding stuff through your own guile and knowledge.... and occasional luck.

[Mr Q]

Since I got several positive replies for the star hopping excersise, I'm working on another one that targets some galaxies in the present constellations near the zenith. Most of them will require a 6" scope or larger (4" can detect them on very dark, transparent nights). Though they will be fairly easy to locate, actually detecting these faint galaxies is another problem. So just locating them is the star hopping focus and is the goal of future DSO searches.

[bomberbaz]

I have just spent an hour reading my S&T atlas and figuring some things I can see using the Telrad and then spotting scope. Still not quite grasping this E/W business. I really must be missing something simples but anyway, the way the atlas shows it is as appears in the night sky to the North of me which due to LP, is my main target area.

So now I have set myself a target of three messier galaxies, two binary stars and parttridge in a pear tree. . Sorry that last bit was a nebula, got carried away

Oh nearly forgot, also need to clear skies

[BinocularSky]

Still not quite grasping this E/W business

Try this: Lie on your front on the floor, with your head at the north end of your body and your feet at the south end (don't worry, no feng shui nonsense!). The floor is a normal geographic map. East is on your right and west on your left.

Now roll over onto your back. The ceiling is your star chart. Your head is still north, feet south, but east is now on your left and west on your right.

[Mr Q]

It's amazing how some people get the concept right away and some (like me) take a little while to visualize it. But when it finally happens, you'll say "Damn, how could I not understand such a simple thing"

Or, here's another example. Look at your ugly face in a mirror - your hair is still "up" and your chin still "down" but your left ear is now on the right side of the reflected image's face In our daily life we automatically reverse things through brain training and since this training starts at birth, we seldom think about it...until celestial spheres come along. Then it's a whole new ballgame to reverse our training and see things differently

BTW, has anyone had a chance to do the hopping exercise yet? If so, how did you do? I'll wait a few days before posting the next hopping exercise that locates some faint galaxies in Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda and Aries.

[bomberbaz]

I understand perfectly how that works MrQ but I dont uinderstand how that portrays to a map. My S&T atlas is a smaller version of what i see in the night sky so why are we suddenly switch things over, thsi is the point I am missing.

Yours confused, Baz

[Astro Imp]

BTW, has anyone had a chance to do the hopping exercise yet? If so, how did you do? I'll wait a few days before posting the next hopping exercise that locates some faint galaxies in Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda and Aries.

You are joking right!! haven't seen a clear patch of sky for over week in my neck of the woods

[KevUU]

Try this: Lie on your front on the floor, with your head at the north end of your body and your feet at the south end (don't worry, no feng shui nonsense!). The floor is a normal geographic map. East is on your right and west on your left.

Now roll over onto your back. The ceiling is your star chart. Your head is still north, feet south, but east is now on your left and west on your right.

*blinks*

Oh. I see. It really is that simple isn't it?

Thankyou

[bomberbaz]

Ok I think I understand now having thought about it some more. Still not quite sure I know why its like this but sometimes its best to just go with what things are and not bother to much why.

Thanks anyway guys

BAz