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.
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.
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
