Nexstar 8 SE specific problem

[Rapallokid]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone else has experienced  the same problem am about to describe  and can help me?

I am having a problem with the set up of a Nexstar 8se. It relates to the alignment .

For 10 years, I previously owned a 6se so am familiar with the  setting  up process and how to aligning it.

However on this scope that I traded up to, it seems to think it is somewhere else ( far away !!)  

Once longitude and Latitude  are entered ( using coordinates from GPS Stellarium)  and date is entered MM/DD/YY  I do a I three star align but the three start I pick are not the same as the ones the hand set say I have used. Ive never heard of them ! There ore when I slew  to a chosen target it is miles off, I mean opposite direction and through the floor !

I have also used a city close to me as a chosen location, I used oxford which is around 20 miles. Same result. How can they both be so wrong?

Another example. I did a single star align on Polaris. So me and the OTA are facing North (ish) .Scope says aligned. I set it to slew to Jupiter, so it should slew around by approx. 180 degrees and upwards . But its not even close. It actually slews down towards my right foot !

I have done the following.

The OTA is mounted the correct way. Arm on left scope facing forwards ( image attached)

Reset the hand set to factory settings

Updated the firmware

Changed the power tank and the cables

Checked every setting I am familiar with in the user guide.

Im sure that it is something obvious, but it has me beaten !

 

Has anyone else experienced this and please can you tell me how to correct it.

 

Your assistance would be gratefully appreciated.

 

Regards

 

Rapallokid.

 

[Kimboman]

Hi I have the 6se and I can only think that your lattitude and longitude may be set to south instead of north just a thought

[Cosmic Geoff]

This is almost certainly a problem with the input data & settings.  The time has to be entered in the right (24 hour) format. Your longitude (in Oxfordshire) should be minus something, e.g. -001deg 23min or whatever, and the latitude about 52 degrees.

I would also mention that the 3-star Skyalign is not (by general consensus) any more accurate than the 2-star align.  Its purpose is to allow the newbie to select 3 bright objects without knowing what they are, and get a successful alignment.  The 2-star align is quicker and just as accurate, but one has to know which star is which (as presumably the OP does by now).

Edited October 25, 2021 by Cosmic Geoff

[oscar_camilleri]

Also make sure its daylight savings time. 

[Mick H]

Make sure the mount and tripod are level, and the ota is balanced.

your latitude should be North and longitude should be West.

Do a auto 2 star align choosing maybe Altair and Vega as your alignment stars or...............

...........Buy Celestron Starsense AutoAlign to take the hard work out of it (I love it), if you can afford it.😉 

[Rapallokid]

Thanks, unfortunately I have tried all of these to no avail. 

I'm sure it must be a setting, otherwise why would it respond the same if I enter a location or select a preset location? I also checked the stored site in the menu, that all corresponds!