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ADVANCED OBSERVATION
STAR CHARTS AND SETTING CIRCLES
Star charts and setting circles will allow you to find the location of
any known celestial objects viewable by your telescope. By using the
measurements listed on the mount and the coordinates provided in a
star chart, you will be able to find stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies
for exploration with your telescope. In order to ensure that you can
use the declination and right ascension coordinate system, you will
need to first polar align your telescope for your viewing location.
POLAR ALIGNMENT OF YOUR TELESCOPE
Polar alignment of your telescope uses easy to find stars to help you
find the center of the celestial sphere. Before aligning your telescope,
you must familiarize yourself with some of the major constellations
in the night sky. For viewing in the Northern Hemisphere, knowing
the locations of Polaris (the North Star) and the constellations Ursa
Major (the Big Dipper) and Cassiopeia (the Queen) will allow you
to properly align your telescope. In the Southern Hemisphere, you
will need to use a star chart to find stars near the meridian and the ce-
lestial equator so that you can use the star-drift method to polar align
your telescope. Both Northern and Southern Hemisphere alignment
are described here.
BEFORE GETTING STARTED
Before you begin aligning your telescope, look at the mount and
familiarize yourself with the various scales used in aligning your
scope. The topmost scale on the mount is the declination scale,
which shows the declination angle (between 0° and 90° each way) of
what you are viewing. Slightly below the declination scale is the hour
circle, which shows the right ascension (from 0 to 24 hours) of what
you are viewing. The bottommost scale, located just above the base
of the mount, is the latitude scale which shows latitude measurements
from 0 to 90 degrees. In order to ensure that your measurements are
correct when aligning your telescope, it is important to make sure
that the base of your mount is level. If the base of the mount is not
level, your measurements will be off and aligning will be much more
difficult.