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i have just purchased a selection nexstar 8se scope

im still really new to this . i currently own a 200 skywatcher dobs but i spend longer looking for something than i do looking at something 

im terrible at learning what stars are called so im hoping for some advice so i can align the scope easier

many thanks 

 

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32 minutes ago, darren west said:

i have just downloaded it , just need to see how to calibrate it to my location 

 

When aligning the scope with either 1,2 or 3 stars.........etc..............make sure you enter the date in the American format (mm/dd/yy)

You can also enter your location by Long/Lat coordinates or pick the nearest big city to you.

Set the time to GMT. In the summer (when the clocks go forward again) you will have to reset it to BST.

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Darren,

I assume you mean setting Stellarium to your location, Witham, Essex.

With Stellarium running, press the "F6" key; this will bring up the "Location" window. At the top right of this window is an alphabetical list of the world's major towns and cities. I would suggest you select either "Braintree, Britain (UK)" or "Chelmsford, Britain (UK)", and then tick the "Use current location as default" box (bottom left corner). This should get you close enough to your location. When you are more familiar with Stellarium, you can set-up '"Witham with more accurate coordinates (if you start the name with ' and then " it will place the name at the top of the list).

Geoff

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Eventually you will want it:

Witham Data:

Longitude: 000  43 East,  might be +000  43

Latitude: 51  48 N

Timezone will be UTC 0, might be 00

Time is what your watch says and DST will be Off.

More data: Isn't there the NEAS based there or a bit North? North Essex Astro Soc. They occasionally have events up towards Braintree, useless way of describing it but Witham to Braintree Rd and over to the left is "Black?????" Not sure where nthe actual club meets. Actually not sure that they are still running, read little about them recently.

To learn the constellations and main stars, it really is stand outside and get cold. Will warn you that Celestron can pick some "odd" aligbment stars, as in "Never heard of that one". It could be worthwhile finding out how you specify/select alignment stars and as you say learn a few of the main bright ones. Deneb, Altair, Capella, Aldebaren, Castor ans Pollux.

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I have seen these single arm forks advertised a lot in recent years. How do they they track an object? Does the computer drive in both axis? If so it goes to show how far things have advanced, tracking in one axis accurately is hard enough let alone two.

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5 hours ago, Moonshed said:

I have seen these single arm forks advertised a lot in recent years. How do they they track an object? Does the computer drive in both axis? If so it goes to show how far things have advanced, tracking in one axis accurately is hard enough let alone two.

Yes, they track on both axes but this kind of fast calculation is child's play for a computer. It's exactly what they do best. (Let's not talk about what they don't do best! :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:)

For visual observing I absolutely love computer-driven alt-az mounts because they do their job remarkably well and you have the most convenient viewing positions short of some kind of exotic coudé focus installation. Equatorials are necessary for imaging but why put up with the hassle (meridian flips, tube rotation, considerable EP height variation) when a minimalist computer can track nicely in alt-az? ('Nicely' means fine for visual. When you're trying to guide to a precision of a third of an arcsecond for imaging, 'nicely' might fail by two orders of magnitude...)

Olly

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Olly, I can fully appreciate the easy accessibility and portability that these mounts offer today. All the convenience but none of the fuss. I have a German Equatorial mount for my 8" Celestron because it allows me to do astrophotography as well, but it can't be denied its a bit of a hassle to set up, and definately not what can reasonably be describe as portable. Yet the mount our friend here is eagerly awaiting delivery of it would be a simple matter to put it in a car and drive off to any convenient dark sky site. I would say it's the ideal system for affordable, portable and easy to use set up, using the same scope as mine. Technology is moving forward in leaps and bounds and astronomy has never been easier or more affordable. We live in exciting times!

Darren, I wish you clear nights and exciting times with your new gear. I feel your pain when it comes to trying to find DSOs when you don't have a GOTO, it used to drive me nuts. In the old days I have spent an hour looking for the Andromeda Galaxy, not realising I had passed over it a dozen times and the problem was light pollution. That is a problem you will suffer no more, just the press of a button and there you are, it will be in the eyepiece! I wish you well with it.

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Another excellent software-program is the Deep Sky Object Browser. This, too, needs your coordinates, but will find them itself by tracing your computer's i.p. address. This doesn't download anything to your system - it shows you what's up in the sky at your location. Between Stellarium and the DSO-Browser, you'll always have a long-list of great objects to hunt! Here's the link:

https://dso-browser.com/

Enjoy!

Dave

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Once polar alignment has been done, equatorials are easy enough. But it is the polar alignment which for me is the hassle. 

Driven mounts are great. Better to have less aperture/cheaper OTA and the right mount, I am beginning to think slightly. 

Dobsonians can't be bettered for simplicity and light grasp. 

Maybe the next big strides will be "small" scopes with adaptive mirrors and amateur arrays of scopes. 

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59 minutes ago, 25585 said:

Driven mounts are great. Better to have less aperture/cheaper OTA and the right mount, I am beginning to think slightly

I went this route with my Celestron Skyprodigy 70. Essentially the same basic mount as my Skywatcher Skymax 127, but with built-in Starsense, for under £200. As far as I could see, it was essentially the same mount as supplied with a 6" SCT at £1300. The 70 has a plastic cowl over the dovetail clamp, and this cowl is "designed" to be a snug fit around the small-diameter of a 70mm refractor. Half an hour with an Allen key and tin-snips, and the Skymax's 127mm Mak OTA has the option of its original Synscan or the new Starsense.

Geoff

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11 hours ago, 25585 said:

Once polar alignment has been done, equatorials are easy enough. But it is the polar alignment which for me is the hassle. 

 

I always used to find getting polar alignment a challenge, bending down and squinting up through the little eyepiece. But no longer, I invested in a Polemaster and it's the best investment I have made. I now get dead accurate PA in a matter of  three or four minutes, it couldn't be easier and is very accurate.

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15 hours ago, 25585 said:

If Goto mounts work as equatorials as well, can Polaris be found by the mount, then mode switched to RA/Dec etc?

I believe that some Goto Alt/Az mounts can be operated as an EQ, but they need to be mounted on a polar-aligned wedge. This would put the mount's Az axis perpendicular to the celestial equator, instead of it being perpendicular to the surrounding ground. Normally, the wedge is set manually, but with a co-axial camera, and motors driving azimuth rotation and an elevation jack-screw, it should be possible to align the wedge using plate-solving. This would require good visibility of the sky surrounding Polaris - not good from my preferred observing position.

The Heritage 90P Virtuoso manual includes instructions on getting EQ tracking, using its Alt/Az mount, when attached to a tripod with an elevation-adjustable mounting plate.

I think I will stick with Alt/Az Goto and visual or stacking short-duration exposures.

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