Targeting and Back to basics..........

[DonLumioni74]

Hi all

Having a little trouble with my bins at the moment, had lovely clear skies last night so thought would get them out and see if I could take a gander at M31. I was able to pinpoint where she was roughly but then couldn't for the life of me hone in on my guide stars through the bins, they are look the same!! 

Was out in Kefalonia end of May and had no trouble pinpointing Jupiter and her moons. But in the back garden looking for a specific target was very difficult.

What techniques do people use to pinpoint targets? Are there any good books\resources just to take me back to basics?

I do have a red dot but haven't had chance to attach to my bins yet (Celestron  20 x 80's on Manfrotto Tripod).

[BinocularSky]

3 hours ago, DonLumioni74 said:

What techniques do people use to pinpoint targets

With handheld binos, I look at the object, then just shove the binoculars in the way without moving my head. Mounted without a finder, I locate a horizon object vertically below the target, then pan upwards.

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Are there any good books\resources just to take me back to basics?

I'm writing one at the moment ? -- give it a month or two.