I've used hand-pushed GEM's all my life, and I'm wondering if a computerized
GO-TO alt-az mounting like the NexStar 8 would be suitable for my needs.
Here are my questions:
What is the difference between the NexStar 8 SE and NexStar 8i (XLT) ?
With both these scopes, one has to do a 3-star alignment first for
automatic tracking to work, correct? Now, suppose I see the crescent moon
in the western sky at dusk, and I want to observe it and track it.
But there are no other objects visible in the sky because it's still
too light, so I can't do a 3-object alignment. I can't track it then?
Are there at least manual alt/az slow motions
that I can use to follow the object?
Is there any option that would allow the telescope to remember the previous
alignment? If I do the alignment in my back yard one night, then I transport
the scope to a remote location the following night, and set it up in the same
orientation (with a magnetic compass attached to the tripod, say), would the
alignment be close enough that I could track an object like the Moon
that I first center manually in the scope? I'm not anticipating that the magnetic
compass could be accurate enough to allow me to FIND a object at my remote
location, but is it accurate enough to allow me to TRACK an object once I find it?
Does the hand control allow me to slew the telescope in RA and DEC, or only in altitude
and azimuth? Or neither?
GO-TO alt-az mounting like the NexStar 8 would be suitable for my needs.
Here are my questions:
What is the difference between the NexStar 8 SE and NexStar 8i (XLT) ?
With both these scopes, one has to do a 3-star alignment first for
automatic tracking to work, correct? Now, suppose I see the crescent moon
in the western sky at dusk, and I want to observe it and track it.
But there are no other objects visible in the sky because it's still
too light, so I can't do a 3-object alignment. I can't track it then?
Are there at least manual alt/az slow motions
that I can use to follow the object?
Is there any option that would allow the telescope to remember the previous
alignment? If I do the alignment in my back yard one night, then I transport
the scope to a remote location the following night, and set it up in the same
orientation (with a magnetic compass attached to the tripod, say), would the
alignment be close enough that I could track an object like the Moon
that I first center manually in the scope? I'm not anticipating that the magnetic
compass could be accurate enough to allow me to FIND a object at my remote
location, but is it accurate enough to allow me to TRACK an object once I find it?
Does the hand control allow me to slew the telescope in RA and DEC, or only in altitude
and azimuth? Or neither?
