Cheat!?

[iPeace]

1 hour ago, Astro Imp said:

...just to present some amusement by quoting someone who has absolutely no interest in our hobby.

Mission accomplished.

[Demonperformer]

Horses for courses.

If I am imaging, I don't want to waste precious time finding my object. Is using my polemaster 'cheating' because it does automatically in minutes what I could spend hours doing by watching the drift of a star in the eyepiece cheating? I don't think so!

That said, while imaging I love to get out the 7x50 bins and see what is there ... just cruising ... and sometimes stumbling upon some unknown gem ...

So I'm another member of the 'both' camp.

Thanks.

[cloudsweeper]

2 hours ago, Astro Imp said:

I feel I must apologise, it wasn't my intention to rake over old ground but just to present some amusement by quoting someone who has absolutely no interest in our hobby.

No need, Alan.  Friendly discussion is good, and even old themes can throw up a different slant now and then!

Doug.

[barkis]

All opinions and preferences are welcome,  as long as they are accepted  with good will and a sense of humour. 

No Trump v Kim style  confrontations  please. We are all friends on this forum, at least I hope that is so.?

[Peter Drew]

I have a few GOTO's but don't use them although I could. My main interest these days being solar I don't need to star hop to find it. I have to say, that if I'm looking for an object to show somebody, then finding it is somewhat more of a relief than an achievement.  

[Macavity]

Most Heinous of all... I sit *indoors* and remote control
the GoTo! But to "Video Astronomize" FAINT objects, I
do use combination techniques. HEQ5's a bit dodgy too! 

A notable moment was to image the Hubble Deep Field.
{Goto Faint star... HOP to even fainter stars... (repeat)}! 
Each time I am comparing the star patterns to charts...
And finally you take a leap of faith  into total blackness! 

I have appreciated GoTo as a LEARNING tool sometimes?
Was looking in quite the wrong place for a certain DSO!

[Astrobits]

In my view, GoTo is fine if you want to look at/image particular objects, or are doing some sort of visual marathon against the clock/sun. It also helps greatly if doing outreach. Your queue of 'customers' don't want to watch you struggling to find something for them to look at.

For just viewing the heavens star hopping can spring surprises you didn't expect. The odd unmarked star cluster/asterism, novae can appear without your GoTo knowing about them. Just remember Messrs Hale and Bopp were star hopping to a particular DSO when they found their comet

Nigel