Help with DSC setting DEC=0 (Sky Wizard 3)

How do I set my DEC=0 for great alignments?

I'm just back from the Winter Star Party and it was great. I had good
observing for at least 4-5 hour on 3 nights, clear but breezy all of
one night, and great for all of 2 nights.

However, I noticed that I am getting inconsistent alignments.
I am using a Tangent Box (Orion Discovery MIII ver. 3.66) with a GEM. I
use a reticle eyepiece to center my guide stars. On some nights,
using Castor and Sirius as my 2 stars - I get Warps of 0.0, and I was
Bang-On with ALL my objects, even when I have to flop over the tube.
I then left my scope without moving it, then do a restart of the DSC,
resetting DEC=0 and the Guide Stars.
I am sometimes then off with my Warp and my objects are just around my
view, not Bang-On. The ONLY thing that changed was the DEC=0 adjustment!
It MUST be the DEC=0 set-up.
I, usually, get Polaris in my eyepiece (Not the reticle one - it's far
too hard to do this) for my Polar Alignment and adjust my latitude
pivot and my azimuth rotation close enough for adequate visual
tracking.
I rotate my DEC setting circles, with my RA at the top of travel, and
the DEC parallel to the RA, and set for 90 degrees!
I then rotate the tube declination east, till the analog setting
circles read 0 degrees.
Then I set my DEC=0 on my DIII.
My first star MUST be in the east (Castor), then Sirius.

Is there a way to use a bubble level, as in the Dob, or Alt-Az mounts to
get a consistent accurate DEC=0?????

I would like to have something less subjective, and more accurate,
than the couple of degree errors inherent with my preliminary DEC=0
set-up.

How can I do it?

Thanks.
Mike .....

"Mike Pupeza" wrote in message =
news
How do I set my DEC=3D0 for great alignments?
=20
I'm just back from the Winter Star Party and it was great. I had good
observing for at least 4-5 hour on 3 nights, clear but breezy all of
one night, and great for all of 2 nights.
=20
However, I noticed that I am getting inconsistent alignments.
I am using a Tangent Box (Orion Discovery MIII ver. 3.66) with a GEM. =
I
use a reticle eyepiece to center my guide stars. On some nights,
using Castor and Sirius as my 2 stars - I get Warps of 0.0, and I was
Bang-On with ALL my objects, even when I have to flop over the tube.
I then left my scope without moving it, then do a restart of the DSC,
resetting DEC=3D0 and the Guide Stars.
I am sometimes then off with my Warp and my objects are just around my
view, not Bang-On. The ONLY thing that changed was the DEC=3D0 =
adjustment!
It MUST be the DEC=3D0 set-up.
I, usually, get Polaris in my eyepiece (Not the reticle one - it's far
too hard to do this) for my Polar Alignment and adjust my latitude
pivot and my azimuth rotation close enough for adequate visual
tracking.
I rotate my DEC setting circles, with my RA at the top of travel, and
the DEC parallel to the RA, and set for 90 degrees!
I then rotate the tube declination east, till the analog setting
circles read 0 degrees.
Then I set my DEC=3D0 on my DIII.
My first star MUST be in the east (Castor), then Sirius.
=20
Is there a way to use a bubble level, as in the Dob, or Alt-Az mounts =
to=20
get a consistent accurate DEC=3D0?????
=20
I would like to have something less subjective, and more accurate,
than the couple of degree errors inherent with my preliminary DEC=3D0
set-up.
=20
How can I do it?

You don't. A two star shoot is always more accurate than a one star =
shoot. A one star shoot assumes your RA axis is on perfect north, which =
is rarely the case. You'd need one of those polar-alignment half-circle =
illuminated reticles and know how to use it (at the exact time of your =
alignment, you need to know how far away and at what angle true north is =
from polaris).

I always set dec 0 by finding a star on the meridian that is near dec
0. Center the scope on it. Then using the DSC readout move the scope
the proper number of degrees that places the telescope at 0 dec. Now I
can set my dec 0 on the DSC.

Example, Point the scope at iota hydra which is at -1d 9' 58" dec.
After the star is centered, looking at the readout on the DSC move the
scope in +dec 1.1 degrees. (close enough) your scope is now at 0 dec.

Kruger


On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 09:29:04 -0500, Mike Pupeza
wrote:

How do I set my DEC=0 for great alignments?

I'm just back from the Winter Star Party and it was great. I had good
observing for at least 4-5 hour on 3 nights, clear but breezy all of
one night, and great for all of 2 nights.

However, I noticed that I am getting inconsistent alignments.
I am using a Tangent Box (Orion Discovery MIII ver. 3.66) with a GEM. I
use a reticle eyepiece to center my guide stars. On some nights,
using Castor and Sirius as my 2 stars - I get Warps of 0.0, and I was
Bang-On with ALL my objects, even when I have to flop over the tube.
I then left my scope without moving it, then do a restart of the DSC,
resetting DEC=0 and the Guide Stars.
I am sometimes then off with my Warp and my objects are just around my
view, not Bang-On. The ONLY thing that changed was the DEC=0 adjustment!
It MUST be the DEC=0 set-up.
I, usually, get Polaris in my eyepiece (Not the reticle one - it's far
too hard to do this) for my Polar Alignment and adjust my latitude
pivot and my azimuth rotation close enough for adequate visual
tracking.
I rotate my DEC setting circles, with my RA at the top of travel, and
the DEC parallel to the RA, and set for 90 degrees!
I then rotate the tube declination east, till the analog setting
circles read 0 degrees.
Then I set my DEC=0 on my DIII.
My first star MUST be in the east (Castor), then Sirius.

Is there a way to use a bubble level, as in the Dob, or Alt-Az mounts to
get a consistent accurate DEC=0?????

I would like to have something less subjective, and more accurate,
than the couple of degree errors inherent with my preliminary DEC=0
set-up.

How can I do it?

Thanks.
Mike .....