"So which one qualifies as a bright object?"

John Steinberg wrote:

Incidentally, I had occasion to play with and fondle the new Celestron
toy at CES. Very impressive piece of gadgetry even if I couldn't use
it outside the confines of the exhibit hall.

No idea why someone would buy it, but that also likely means it will
sell like hotcakes on a cold winter morning.


Likely you are right. Though: I am always entranced by gadgets and have
not ordered one. Could be I'm not well :-)

Phil

Phil Wheeler wrote:
John Steinberg wrote:


Incidentally, I had occasion to play with and fondle the new Celestron
toy at CES. Very impressive piece of gadgetry even if I couldn't use
it outside the confines of the exhibit hall.
No idea why someone would buy it, but that also likely means it will
sell like hotcakes on a cold winter morning.


Likely you are right. Though: I am always entranced by gadgets and have
not ordered one. Could be I'm not well :-)

Phil


If it works AS advertized, than I will get one
and put it on top of my C 11 G 11, and have a
poor mans DSC's (hopefully that is, if it works)



AM

http://sctuser.home.comcast.net

Linux CentOS 4.2 KDE 3.3

AM wrote:
Phil Wheeler wrote:

John Steinberg wrote:


Incidentally, I had occasion to play with and fondle the new Celestron
toy at CES. Very impressive piece of gadgetry even if I couldn't use
it outside the confines of the exhibit hall. No idea why someone
would buy it, but that also likely means it will
sell like hotcakes on a cold winter morning.


Likely you are right. Though: I am always entranced by gadgets and
have not ordered one. Could be I'm not well :-)

Phil



If it works AS advertized, than I will get one
and put it on top of my C 11 G 11, and have a
poor mans DSC's (hopefully that is, if it works)


Since it has a magnetic compass inside (among other goodies), proximity
to motors and the like could be a problem. Of course, in the
Nexstar8GPS, etc., that is worked out; but there the sensors have a
fixed and invariant relationship to the scope.

Phil

Phil

Martin Brown wrote:
I don't object to them defending genuine intellectual property either,
but I do object to them beating up smaller competitors with expensive
frivolous litigation.

Yes, I agree.

Any ideas why SkyAlign asks you to put your location into the controller
at start up? Just pointing it at 3 bright stars should be enough.
Celestrons website claims PatPending but I didn't spot it on USPTO.

Possibly lunar parallax?

--
Brian Tung
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html

Brian Tung wrote:
Martin Brown wrote:

Any ideas why SkyAlign asks you to put your location into the controller
at start up? Just pointing it at 3 bright stars should be enough.
Celestrons website claims PatPending but I didn't spot it on USPTO.

Possibly lunar parallax?

Fair point. Though isn't lunar parallax a shade under 1 lunar diameter
(and the moons position is a pig to calculate - if they do it accurately)

Anyone that can't identify the moon doesn't deserve a telescope.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:
Fair point. Though isn't lunar parallax a shade under 1 lunar diameter
(and the moons position is a pig to calculate - if they do it accurately)

Anyone that can't identify the moon doesn't deserve a telescope.

Well, that's a good question. Maybe it gives you rise/set times.

--
Brian Tung
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html