16
Venus). Select an object using
▲
or
▼
key. Then press ENTER. Next use the arrow keys to
slew to the object until it is centered in your eyepiece. Then press ENTER.
You may need to use the number keys to change the slewing speed to make the
centering procedure easier.
4.6.2. One Star Align
From the main menu select “Align”. Select “One Star Align”. Use
▲
and
▼
buttons to
select a star and press ENTER. A list of align planets or stars that are above the horizon is
computed based on your local time and location. Use arrow buttons to move the telescope and
center the star in your eyepiece. You can use the number buttons to change the slew speed.
Press ENTER when finished. If your setup is leveled well, one star alignment should be
sufficient for good GOTO accuracy. To increase the accuracy you may choose to do two star
alignment.
4.6.3. Two Star Align
Two star alignment will increase the GOTO accuracy of the mount. It is suggested to do
two star alignment after one star alignment. Two star alignment requires a wider view of the sky,
since the two align stars need to be far apart. Select “Two Star Align” in the Align menu. When
you finish the first star, the system will prompt you to choose the second star. If the star you
choose is too close to the first one, the system will let you choose another one. When you are
aligned with the second star, two star alignment is finished. You can reject the suggested star if
it is blocked by the tree or behind the house.
“Two Star Align” results will be overridden if “One Star Align” or “Sync. to Target” is
performed after “Two Star Align.”
4.6.4. Three-Star Align
Three star alignment is only available for EQ mode. It will increase the accuracy of
GOTO and tracking for an EQ mount.
Before GoToNova can find anything for you it needs to establish that the Park Position of
your mount’s polar axis is indeed pointing at the north celestial pole. Furthermore, every
mount’s accuracy of construction varies somewhat, so the optical axis of the telescope may not
be perpendicular to the declination axis or, more rarely, the polar axis may not be at right angles
to the declination axis. These small errors (known collectively as the cone error) can make a big
difference to the GOTO performance of your mount, so it pays to understand the implications.
From the main menu select “Align”. Select “Three Star Align”. GoToNova will then
present you with the name of a suggested alignment star. If this star is hidden by a tree or
building, press the down arrow to advance through the list in alphabetical order until you find a
star that is visible. Press ENTER and the mount will slew to where it thinks the star you have
selected lies, beeping once it has finished moving. Most likely, the scope won’t be pointing
exactly at the star, so use the up, down, left or right arrows to centre the star — first in the
finder, then in the eyepiece. Once you are done, press ENTER and the next alignment star will
be selected. Repeat this process until you have selected all three stars whereupon GoToNova