Lost in Space!! How to align?

I got for xmas a Meade ETX-70AT telescope...

Well, no luck with the aligment process. Follow every step found in dif
web sites, and nothing... =( I dont want to give up and leave the
telescope in the garage (or ebay!!)

I do have a few problems... I dont know anything about the stars (where
they are in space, names, etc).

I do level my telescope right, and is poniting to north and also try
with my true north. Enter also the right date and a very acurate time
into my autostar. But when I am doing the easy align (or well the
Autostar does it), well, it moves to a certain location but I dont see
that "bright star" that I am supose to see (even if i move around). I
am in the city so I am thinking that may be that could be a reason I
dont see that bright star (all look the same to me)

Since I dont know that much, well I'm not even sure if is point to the
right location (or close to it).

My questions are :

Where do I start?

I am trying to use xephem or the software that came with the telscope
so see if I can identify the stars, but, I still find "complex" how to
read the "sky view" map.
I was able to see the moon and all I can say is WOW.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I got for xmas a Meade ETX-70AT telescope...

Well, no luck with the aligment process. Follow every step found in dif
web sites, and nothing... =( I dont want to give up and leave the
telescope in the garage (or ebay!!)

I do have a few problems... I dont know anything about the stars (where
they are in space, names, etc).

I do level my telescope right, and is poniting to north and also try
with my true north. Enter also the right date and a very acurate time
into my autostar. But when I am doing the easy align (or well the
Autostar does it), well, it moves to a certain location but I dont see
that "bright star" that I am supose to see (even if i move around). I
am in the city so I am thinking that may be that could be a reason I
dont see that bright star (all look the same to me)

Since I dont know that much, well I'm not even sure if is point to the
right location (or close to it).

My questions are :

Where do I start?
I'd suggest buying the current months copy of any astronomy magazine, or a
device called a 'planisphere'. The former will have in the centre pages, a
picture showing the night sky, with the main stars named. The latter, has
a 'all year' version of the same data, available by setting the date and
time round the outside. These show only the brightest stars, ad really
should allow you to identify stars. Look for 'patterns'. For instance, the
three stars forming the belt of Orion, are in northern skies very visible.
You can then see Rigel 'below' these to the south west, and Betelgeuse
about the same distance above these to the north east. If the scope says
it wants to point at Aldeberan, you may be able to identify the 'blob' of
stars forming the Pleiades, and find Aldeberan between these and
Betelgeuse. You are really only looking for about a couple of dozen of the
really brightest stars, and a few 'famous' extras (like the Pleiades). If
you still cannot identify any of the stars, then you should perhaps see if
there is a planetarium near you (these give a really good idea of how the
skies look, and may allow you to identify some of the main ones), or a
astronomy club, where somebody may be able to help.

I am trying to use xephem or the software that came with the telscope
so see if I can identify the stars, but, I still find "complex" how to
read the "sky view" map.
I was able to see the moon and all I can say is WOW.
On most packages you can 'turn down' the star brightness. You only want
the brightest few dozen displayed, to give a real representation of what
you are likely to see from a town site. Though these packages are very
good, they show so many stars, that they can confuse, and for the initial
searching, a simpler 'paper' form that can be taken outside (like the
planisphere), may well work better.
Are you sure you are putting in the time zone right?. The star should be
fairly obvious. The likely reasons for it to be pointing in the wrong
direction, are getting the time zone wrong (the commonest - usually
getting the correction the 'wrong way' for this), getting the magnetic
variation wrong (again reversing it), getting the location wrong (go to
the 'heavens above' web site, and select your town nme from the data
base - it'll display the latitude and longitude close enough to work).

Good Luck.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I got for xmas a Meade ETX-70AT telescope...
Well, no luck with the aligment process. Follow every step found in dif
web sites, and nothing... =( I dont want to give up and leave the
telescope in the garage (or ebay!!)
I do have a few problems... I dont know anything about the stars (where
they are in space, names, etc).
I do level my telescope right, and is poniting to north and also try
with my true north. Enter also the right date and a very acurate time
into my autostar. But when I am doing the easy align (or well the

I bought an ETX105 a year ago, and had similar problems to yourself.
1. Have you entered your location into Autostar ? and decided whether you
are using daylight saving time ?
2. The angle of view in the finder is quite small (particularly if, like me,
you wear spectacles) so you do need to accurately level the telescope tube,
and start off with it pointing to True North. I tried using a compass, and
even though I have surveying experience, this was OK only occasionally.
Eventually, I took time and laid out an accurate meridian on my lawn (used
sun's shadow at local noon and corrected using the equation of time, and my
longitude west of Greenwich), and I started finding the guide stars in the
viewfinder!
HTH
--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm

no luck with the aligment process. Follow every step.....

I bought an ETX105 a year ago, and had similar problems to yourself.
1. Have you entered.... and decided whether.... you do need to accurately
level.... and start off with it pointing..... tried using a
compass....was OK
only occasionally....

You now, dinking with GoTo scopes seems like so much BS. The simple made
complex. Features we don't 'really' need just because the chip can handle
the code. Dependence on batteries and stepper motors just to move the
tube... aaaarrrgh! Tried it for a year and went back to manual, astronomy
is FUN again.

"JD" wrote in message
...
I bought an ETX105 a year ago, and had similar problems to yourself.
1. Have you entered.... and decided whether.... you do need to
accurately
level.... and start off with it pointing..... tried using a
compass....was OK
only occasionally....

You now, dinking with GoTo scopes seems like so much BS. The simple made
complex. Features we don't 'really' need just because the chip can handle
the code. Dependence on batteries and stepper motors just to move the
tube... aaaarrrgh! Tried it for a year and went back to manual, astronomy
is FUN again.

I also have a 200mm f5 Dob and I use whichever is most useful for what I
want to view. But, without having started with my ETX and learnt my way
around a bit (in the light polluted skies of Milton Keynes!) I certainly
wouldn't have bought the Dob.
And two nights ago I was taking photos of Comet Machholtz and the Pleiades
using an 85mm lens on my EOS10D - no telescope in sight.

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm

There is thingy called VIEW FINDER, use that. I assume it was supplied with
the ETX.??? )-:
At first, the scope all ways points away from the alignment stars, so you
have to use the wide field of the finder scope to center it.
Pick stars that is the brightest, Sirius, for example, if it's up there. If
you can't find Sirius, than you are blind, see an eye doctor.
(o:
There is another THINGY you must buy is a BINOCULAR, have you heard of it?
Do you know what is it?
Get a 8x50 or 10x50 for start. $50, I hope it don't get you into bankruptcy!
(o:
JS


wrote in message
ups.com...
I got for xmas a Meade ETX-70AT telescope...

Well, no luck with the aligment process. Follow every step found in dif
web sites, and nothing... =( I dont want to give up and leave the
telescope in the garage (or ebay!!)

I do have a few problems... I dont know anything about the stars (where
they are in space, names, etc).

I do level my telescope right, and is poniting to north and also try
with my true north. Enter also the right date and a very acurate time
into my autostar. But when I am doing the easy align (or well the
Autostar does it), well, it moves to a certain location but I dont see
that "bright star" that I am supose to see (even if i move around). I
am in the city so I am thinking that may be that could be a reason I
dont see that bright star (all look the same to me)

Since I dont know that much, well I'm not even sure if is point to the
right location (or close to it).

My questions are :

Where do I start?

I am trying to use xephem or the software that came with the telscope
so see if I can identify the stars, but, I still find "complex" how to
read the "sky view" map.
I was able to see the moon and all I can say is WOW.

On 11 Jan 2005 12:53:51 -0800, wrote:

I got for xmas a Meade ETX-70AT telescope...

Well, no luck with the aligment process. Follow every step found in dif
web sites, and nothing... =( I dont want to give up and leave the
telescope in the garage (or ebay!!)

I do have a few problems... I dont know anything about the stars (where
they are in space, names, etc).

I do level my telescope right, and is poniting to north and also try
with my true north. Enter also the right date and a very acurate time
into my autostar. But when I am doing the easy align (or well the
Autostar does it), well, it moves to a certain location but I dont see
that "bright star" that I am supose to see (even if i move around). I
am in the city so I am thinking that may be that could be a reason I
dont see that bright star (all look the same to me)

Since I dont know that much, well I'm not even sure if is point to the
right location (or close to it).

My questions are :

Where do I start?

I am trying to use xephem or the software that came with the telscope
so see if I can identify the stars, but, I still find "complex" how to
read the "sky view" map.
I was able to see the moon and all I can say is WOW.


How many stars can you see in the night sky 25, over 100? When I
lived in the city I could see around 30 stars naked eye.

Download yourself a copy of cartes du ciel for free play around with
it. Pick the brightest stars in the sky to try and identify. Once
you know 10 bright stars and where they are in the sky, you should be
able to align with ease.

Make certain your autostar controller is set to celestial and not
terrestrial as well.

Also setup your viewfinder so that whatever is in the viewfinder is
also in the regular eye piece. Try to focus on a tree or object a
mile away, and get them right on. Should make it easier for you to
get a "good" alignment.

Good luck,

Don't forget to turn off the porch light, adds to the light pollution.
JS

wrote in message
ups.com...
I got for xmas a Meade ETX-70AT telescope...

Well, no luck with the aligment process. Follow every step found in dif
web sites, and nothing... =( I dont want to give up and leave the
telescope in the garage (or ebay!!)

I do have a few problems... I dont know anything about the stars (where
they are in space, names, etc).

I do level my telescope right, and is poniting to north and also try
with my true north. Enter also the right date and a very acurate time
into my autostar. But when I am doing the easy align (or well the
Autostar does it), well, it moves to a certain location but I dont see
that "bright star" that I am supose to see (even if i move around). I
am in the city so I am thinking that may be that could be a reason I
dont see that bright star (all look the same to me)

Since I dont know that much, well I'm not even sure if is point to the
right location (or close to it).

My questions are :

Where do I start?

I am trying to use xephem or the software that came with the telscope
so see if I can identify the stars, but, I still find "complex" how to
read the "sky view" map.
I was able to see the moon and all I can say is WOW.

Ouch....
No Szaki, no view finder supplied, and I gues if I knew which one is
Sirius, I wont be making "BEGINNERS questions". And yes! I do have the
porch light off. Duhhh! And YES I DID REMOVE THE DUST COVER!! =O)

Thanks all for your suggestions, cloudy skys last nite to try some of
your recomendations but I will post back with my results.

I decide that my first step will be "get to know the space" since I
guess I can only tell which one is the moon ( can I? =D ), and after
that I will then go back to the telescope.

Luis.

An old fashioned aid would be to buy a planisphere, a dial that show you
the constellations and brightest stars. That way, you could learn some
of the brightest ones and tell if the alignment was even getting you
close.

The other thing to try is starting over, and being sure to follow the
directions, step by step, reading every single thing asked for. It's
all too easy to overlook a key step and mess up.

If you know someone else who's into technology or astronomy, I'd
recommend trying this with someone else along for the ride. Two heads
can be better than one.

Good luck!

Larry Stedman
Vestal