Celestar Manual
Using the Drive
41
4.
The LED above the ON/OFF switch will turn on and the
tracking motor will start tracking.
TRACKING RATE SELECTION
The drive has four basic rates: sidereal, solar, lunar and King.
While solar and lunar rates are obvious, sidereal and King rates
require an little more explaining. Sidereal rate is based on a
single rotation of the Earth which takes 1,436.5 minutes. An
astronomer by the name of King discovered that atmosphere
refraction affects the apparent motion of objects across the sky.
The King rate takes into account this refraction caused by the
earth’s atmosphere and is recommended for deep sky
astrophotography. For deep sky observing, either King or
sidereal rate is fine.
Each of the tracking rates is represented by icons, see Figure 6-
1. Sidereal rate is represented by a star, solar rate by a sun,
lunar rate by a crescent moon, and King rate by a crown.
Underneath each icon is an LED to indicate which rate has been
selected. Once the power has been turned on, the drive tracks at
sidereal rate , the default tracking rate. To change the tracking
rate, press the “RATE” button. Pressing the button once
changes the drive rate once. The rates are selected sequentially
from left-to-right as listed above.
Note that the PEC function does NOT have to be activated for the drive to work. However, once the PEC
is activated, the drive rate is locked on the one selection. You can not change the rates until PEC is turned
off.
PERIODIC ERROR CORRECTION
Periodic Error Correction, or PEC for short, is a system that improves the tracking accuracy of the drive
by reducing the number of the user corrections. PEC is designed to improve photographic quality by
reducing the amplitude of the worm errors. Using the PEC function is a two-step process. First, you must
guide for at least 5-1/2 minutes during which time the system records the correction you make. (It takes
the worm gear 5.41 minutes to make one complete revolution, hence the need to guide for 5-1/2 minutes.)
This “teaches” the PEC chip the characteristics of the worm. The second step is to play back the
corrections you made during the recording phase. Keep in mind, this feature is for advanced
astrophotographers and requires careful guiding.
Note: All telescope drives have some periodic error.
Here’s how to use the PEC function.
1.
Find a bright star relatively close to the object you want to photograph.
2.
Insert a high power eyepiece with illuminated cross hairs into your telescope. Orient the guiding
eyepiece cross hairs so that one is parallel to the declination while the other is parallel to the R.A. axis.
3.
Center the guide star on the illuminated cross hairs, focus the telescope, and study the periodic
movement.
Figure 6-2
Refraction caused by the
Earth’s atmosphere makes
celestial objects within 45
°
of
the horizon appear higher in the
sky then they actual are. This
refraction also affects the rate at
which stars rise and set. King
rate takes this refraction into
account.
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