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gnowellsct
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 729
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Re: Setting Circles
07/06/09 12:31 PM
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Let me be clear to folks about why digital setting circles are so much nicer than analog. I like analog and know several different methods for using them. But they don't hold a candle to dscs.
First, DSCs compensate (well, Argo Navis does) for certain intrinsic errors in pointing including polar alignment and other forms of flexure.
Second, and this is the main thing, you don't have to fidget wtih keeping long series of numbers in your head that you have to read and then take over to the scope and then adjust and then say, well now that I've done that four digit sequence what's the dec? You just punch in say M57 and you get two numeric values and you move the scope till each value is at zero. Very simple and no chart-to-scope transfer.
Analog setting circles are like an abacus, they are an analog computational system for finding coordinates on a spherical grid. That's about it.
For a real "pure" experience you can star hop on your German equatorial. I find this easier than star hopping in alt az because you can move exactly east and exactly north, as the charts indicate.
But dscs are really better.
Greg N
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"Aperture will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no aperture."
featuring selected astrojunk:
bunch o' widefield eyepieces
bunch o' narrowfield eyepieces
couple o' Barlows
couple o' scopes
couple o' mounts
couple o' tripods
and a pier 'n' stuff
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