1.Polar align the telescope using an optional equatorial wedge. To polar align the NexStar you must select EQ North Align (or EO South Align) from the alignment options. For more information on polar aligning, see the Polar Alignment section earlier in the manual.
2.Remove all visual accessories.
3.Thread the Radial Guider onto your telescope.
4.Thread the
5.Mount your camera body onto the
6.Set the shutter speed to the "B" setting.
7.Focus the telescope on a star.
8.Center your subject in the field of your camera.
9.Find a suitable guide star in the telescope field. This can be the most time consuming process.
10.Open the shutter using a cable release.
11.Monitor your guide star for the duration of the exposure using the buttons on the hand controller to make the needed corrections.
12.Close the camera's shutter.
Periodic Error Correction (PEC)
PEC for short, is a system that improves the tracking accuracy of the drive by reducing the number of user corrections needed to keep a guide star centered in the eyepiece. PEC is designed to improve photographic quality by reducing the amplitude of the worm errors. Using the PEC function is a
Using Periodic Error Correction
Once the telescope has been polar aligned using the EQ North Align (or EQ South for southern hemisphere) method, select PEC from the Utilities menu and press ENTER to begin recording your 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.
4.Before actually recording the periodic error, take a few minutes to practice guiding. Set the hand control slew rate to an appropriate guide rate (rate 1 = .5x, rate 2 = 1x) and practice centering the guide star in the cross hairs for several minutes. This will help you familiarize yourself with the periodic error of the drive and the operation of the hand control. Remember to ignore declination drift when programming the PEC.
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