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Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | (show all) Calypte scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/20/07 Loc: Anza, California used Celestron 8SE -- some questions       #5280608 - 06/20/12 12:04 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have a used (="pre-owned") 8SE. (1) Does the scope remember its settings after being turned off, or must it be realigned every time? My A-P Mach1GTO mount remembers. (2) Is there a problem with false "successful" SkyAlign alignments? The very first time I went through the Sky-Align procedure, the keypad said the procedure was successful, but when I told it to go to Saturn, it pointed near the northern horizon. When I looked at the stars it said were a match for my chosen stars, it listed winter stars (one was Pollux). Also, I found that the hours in the time setting had not advanced from when I had played with it in the afternoon, but the minutes were correct. I repeated Sky Align, and the second time it worked correctly. However, some go-tos later in the evening missed their targets by enough that they were not in a low-power eyepiece (60x). Sync-ing on objects didn't significantly improve the accuracy. (3) Is there a way to enter custom locations? Post Extras:       jacklbartlett member Reged: 12/30/11 Loc: North Carolina, Onslow Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Calypte]       #5280647 - 06/20/12 12:21 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The 8SE does not retain the time and date on power down. It does retain the location. As for question (2) did you power down the scope between uses, if so it will not keep time while powered off. You can use hyberate mode if you wish to power off between sessions. That being said I had no issues with my 8SE and enjoyed it very much. Did you get a manual with the scope, if so go over it severl times, if not you can download one from celestron.com. Post Extras:       Calypte scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/20/07 Loc: Anza, California Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: jacklbartlett]       #5280776 - 06/20/12 01:59 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks. I already downloaded the manual. Yes, I discovered this morning that the time and date have to be re-entered every time the scope is powered up. That's not so bad, but what's frustrating right now is that it's not smart enough to find Venus. It wants ME to find Venus. The scope is supposed to do that! My A-P Mach1GTO, once set up, remembers where and when it is, even after power down, and it can find Venus on its own, right now. Edited to add: I still can't see Venus in the scope (crescent is too narrow, I guess), but I found Mercury. To find it, I removed the eyepiece and aligned the scope on the Sun, using the shadow of the red-dot finder and the light of the Sun on my hand. Very rough, but it was all I could do. A go-to to Venus yielded nothing that I could see, but I found Sirius, did a sync, and then went to Mercury, which was easy to see near the edge of the field of a 35 mm Panoptic. Edited by Calypte (06/20/12 02:38 PM) Post Extras:       bubbles3660 member Reged: 04/03/12 Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Calypte]       #5280835 - 06/20/12 02:41 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   There are lots of things that can be causing that: Incorrect... date, time, timezone, daylight savings, city database, lat/long, tripod leveling, OTA positioning on fork arm, battery drain, backlash. Have you tried two-star align? That works for me. Post Extras:       Calypte scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/20/07 Loc: Anza, California Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: bubbles3660]       #5280877 - 06/20/12 03:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Have you tried two-star align? That works for me. Not yet. Tonight. Post Extras:       barbarosa professor emeritus Reged: 04/11/10 Loc: "lamorinda", CA Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Calypte]       #5280888 - 06/20/12 03:13 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: My A-P Mach1GTO mount remembers. Welcome to the Nexstar world and to a terrific forum. I have to say though that your comparison of the performance and features of a $6350 (list) mount against the 8 SE will cause Nexstar owners to swell with pride. Post Extras:       Calypte scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/20/07 Loc: Anza, California Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: barbarosa]       #5281010 - 06/20/12 04:46 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Quote: My A-P Mach1GTO mount remembers. Welcome to the Nexstar world and to a terrific forum. I have to say though that your comparison of the performance and features of a $6350 (list) mount against the 8 SE will cause Nexstar owners to swell with pride. More than that, since the $6350 doesn't include counterweights, tripod, dovetail adapters, etc. But the tracking of the A-P for imaging is something SE users can't imagine, as is go-to accuracy (but it needs good polar alignment first). Also, used for visual, the A-P doesn't quiver in the slightest when focused at high power with scopes up to my 10-inch Meade SCT. Plus, the A-P knows what time of day it is, which the SE doesn't. I bought the 8SE to use as a star party scope, so I wouldn't have to tear down my Mach1 -- a real nuisance, especially when setting back up. The view of Saturn through the 8SE is a bit soft. I spent some time with collimation, which was way off when I got the scope. That improved Saturn a lot, but it's not as crisp as my NP101is. It'll be interesting to see if public viewers say "it looks like you stuck a picture out there," as they do with the 4-inch TV scope. Seriously, though, I'm curious about the "SkySync" GPS accessory. Would it pump the date & time into the SE mount? Post Extras:       Bob Griffiths Getting Grouchy Reged: 10/10/05 Loc: Frederick Maryland Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Calypte]       #5281929 - 06/21/12 08:51 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Calypte... Sure the GPS unit will plug in the correct time and date (you still have to manually set your correct time zone however (one time deal) .. I have a Celestron N-16 GPS on my scope and I'll tell you flat out that now that I am retired and do not travel with the scope in the trunk of my car 24/7 ..it is worth all of $9.99 to me... I use the scope for star parties with both of my local clubs.. and YES I have both of the dark observation sites entered into my scope as custom locations.. although to be honest it took me a couple of years to do so... Most of us use a regular 2 star alignment and always use Polaris as one of our 2 stars... The tick with SkyAlign is to use 2 stars separated by about 90 degrees and no not use any star higher then 70 or so degrees NOR lower then 30 degrees ...and pick the 3rd (conformation star) to form as tall a triangle as possible.. and do not use a planet ... Bob G. Post Extras:       Calypte scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/20/07 Loc: Anza, California Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Bob Griffiths]       #5282255 - 06/21/12 01:10 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: ...and YES I have both of the dark observation sites entered into my scope as custom locations.. although to be honest it took me a couple of years to do so... How did you do this? I can't find it in the manual. HOWEVER, having worked with the scope for several hours over each of two nights, I don't think the location has to be very precise. I first used a location about 45 miles away, and then I changed it to one 22 miles away, and I see no noticeable difference in go-to accuracy. IOW, it may be a non-issue for my situation, and the GPS thingy may not be worth the expense. Quote: Most of us use a regular 2 star alignment and always use Polaris as one of our 2 stars... I tried the "auto two-star alignment," and the first star it asked for was Alphard, which was invisible in the western twilight sky. I'll try regular 2-star. Quote: The tick with SkyAlign is to use 2 stars separated by about 90 degrees and no not use any star higher then 70 or so degrees NOR lower then 30 degrees ...and pick the 3rd (conformation star) to form as tall a triangle as possible.. and do not use a planet ... After my first failed attempt at SkyAlign (due to the time being wrong in the keypad, due to my having shut off the power previously), it has worked well for me. In a previous post I took shot at the scope for Saturn being "soft," but I must say that I had excellent seeing last night, and Saturn was superb at 206x. The go-to has been loads of fun, as I have visited a number of globulars and planetaries that I haven't looked at in years. I think some prior knowledge of the sky helps, as sometimes the scope misses the target by a good bit, and it's only because I know what I'm looking for that I know that the scope has missed. The drive has lots of backlash. I know there's an adjustment in the keypad, so I'll investigate that. Post Extras:       Skip Starlifter Driver Reged: 01/23/08 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas, USA Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Calypte]       #5282272 - 06/21/12 01:25 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: I tried the "auto two-star alignment," and the first star it asked for was Alphard, which was invisible in the western twilight sky. I'll try regular 2-star. Most of do use the auto 2 star (a2sa). You don't have to accept that first star in the list. Just scroll down until you find the star you want (use the 6 & 9 keys for scrolling up and down). I usually start with Polaris and then select a star from the list that is between 90 and 180 degrees away. Post Extras:       Midnight Dan Postmaster Reged: 01/23/08 Loc: Hilton, NY, Yellow Zone (Bortl... Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Skip]       #5282370 - 06/21/12 02:24 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Calypte: I believe the older models like the 8 and 8i (Bob's scope) allowed storing multiple custom locations. Unfortunately, the latest version, the 8SE, has dropped that feature. I used to own an 8 and I definitely miss that feature! Like Skip, I use Auto-two star and start with Polaris as the first star. -Dan Post Extras:       Bob Griffiths Getting Grouchy Reged: 10/10/05 Loc: Frederick Maryland Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Midnight Dan]       #5282417 - 06/21/12 03:02 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Dan the man of the midnight sun may be correct... on the 8i 's etc.. But I have been using the Version 4.13 firmware in my 8i and my clubs location is still in there...BUT I honestly have not entered the info in 3 maybe 4 years.. never found a need to update the firmware use the same version in my CPC1100. On entering your location .. I have used Baltimore, and Washington DC (both 70 miles away from me but not in the same direction and got GoTos that were most of the time "somewhere in or just out of the FOV ..... Post Extras:       Calypte scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/20/07 Loc: Anza, California Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Midnight Dan]       #5282451 - 06/21/12 03:34 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Hi Calypte: I believe the older models like the 8 and 8i (Bob's scope) allowed storing multiple custom locations. Unfortunately, the latest version, the 8SE, has dropped that feature. I used to own an 8 and I definitely miss that feature! Like Skip, I use Auto-two star and start with Polaris as the first star. -Dan Maybe they thought the SkySync gadget obviated the need for custom locations. Does anybody here routinely set up before complete darkness? My A-P mount is no smarter (well, it does remember the time and date), but it assumes the polar axis is pointed north, and with that "knowledge" and a couple of other set-up steps, I can get close to the Moon, Venus or 1st mag star on my first go-to attempt. Correct the azimuth, and I'm off and running to get Saturn while other scopes are still making excuses about the sky being too light. Post Extras:       Midnight Dan Postmaster Reged: 01/23/08 Loc: Hilton, NY, Yellow Zone (Bortl... Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Calypte]       #5282480 - 06/21/12 03:52 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I like to get my gear out put into position before dark. Gives it time to acclimate to ambient temperatures. But you can't really align the SE mount without seeing the stars so It's not completely setup until after dark. -Dan Post Extras:       Arctic_Eddie Post Laureate Reged: 12/30/07 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Midnight Dan]       #5282589 - 06/21/12 05:17 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If the A2SA method has any star on the list that is below the horizon then there is still a problem with the user entered time/date/location data. Select Polaris as your first star then scroll the list for something about 30° altitude in the ESE or WSW. Post Extras:       Chris J member Reged: 05/21/12 Loc: Dartmoor, Devon, England Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Arctic_Eddie]       #5283875 - 06/22/12 01:32 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Can I just ask how you select a star 180deg from Polaris, surely this is going to be somewhere near the southern celestial pole, so unless you live on the equator both co-ordinates would not be visible? Post Extras:       Arctic_Eddie Post Laureate Reged: 12/30/07 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Chris J]       #5283995 - 06/22/12 02:42 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   That's true, you won't see a star exactly 180° opposite Polaris if you're in the northern hemisphere as it would always be below the southern horizon by an angle about equal to your latitude. You want a second star about 90° from the first. This gives you an orthogonal pair and an excellent solution to platform tilt and AZ/AL to RA/DEC coordinate translation. Post Extras:       Chris J member Reged: 05/21/12 Loc: Dartmoor, Devon, England Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Arctic_Eddie]       #5284089 - 06/22/12 04:05 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Or would it be possible to describe the full 180° from Polaris on a single hemisphere like a Great Circle on the celestial sphere that would be useful to align the telescope? Answers on a spreadsheet I think Post Extras:       Arctic_Eddie Post Laureate Reged: 12/30/07 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Chris J]       #5284127 - 06/22/12 04:28 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Some of the U.K. lads can give you some pointers on which stars to use. Here in Florida, I use Polaris and something low in the WSW, my most open viewing direction. Post Extras:       Chris J member Reged: 05/21/12 Loc: Dartmoor, Devon, England Re: used Celestron 8SE -- some questions [Re: Arctic_Eddie]       #5284155 - 06/22/12 04:52 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Polaris always bothers me because the RA is so inaccurate, my old Meade seemed to prefer alignment stars close to the celestial equator, is this not the case with the SE. (So far with my 6SE I've enjoyed one view of the very early moon which didn't exactly tax either of us! and alignment was hardly a problem!!) Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | (show all)

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