James L Chen The NexStar Evolution and SkyPortal User’s Guide Graphics by Adam Chen The Patrick Moore The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/3192 The NexStar Evolution and SkyPortal User’s Guide James L Chen Adam Chen James L Chen Shenandoah Astronomical Society Gore, VA, USA Adam Chen Baltimore, MD, USA ISSN 1431-9756 ISSN 2197-6562 (electronic) The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series ISBN 978-3-319-32538-5 ISBN 978-3-319-32539-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32539-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016936674 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made Cover design by Adam Chen Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland This book is dedicated to my friends Helen and Steve, and to Cheryl and Ray, for their friendship and support over the years Other Books by James L Chen How to Find the Apollo Landing Sites (The Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series) A Guide to Hubble Space Telescope Objects: Their Selection, Location, and Significance (The Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series) The Vixen Star Book User’s Guide (The Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series) vii Preface It is very likely that every amateur astronomer has owned a Celestron telescope at one time or another And I am no exception My experiences with Celestron telescopes began at the same time as my passion for backyard astronomy was reborn The Washington, D.C., area in the early 1980s was well known for George Washington Birthday sales Every year, bargain hunters were treated to exceptional deals on all forms of consumer products, such as clothing, furniture, televisions, stereo electronics, and cameras In 1987, a local Washington, D.C., camera store consolidated all its surplus camera and telescope items into its main warehouse for a true blowout George Washington’s birthday sale This particular sale included several Celestron telescopes that were unsold from the previous year’s Halley’s Comet sales push My best friend and I entered the warehouse store and went crazy, with me leaving with two Celestron telescopes and an armful of eyepieces My prized acquisitions were an orange tube Celestron C-5 with equatorial wedge and an orange tube C-90 Astro with fork mount and clock drive The Celestron C-5 completely renewed my interest in astronomy It also sparked a bad case of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or sometimes known as GAS In the next decade, I found myself building, buying, and selling many telescopes (including a self-built 10-in Dobsonian telescope that resulted in my first published article in the November 1989 of Astronomy magazine) Along the way, both orange tube Celestron telescopes were sold To this day, I wish I had kept that orange C-5 By the early 1990s, I found myself owning a Celestron Ultima The Ultima was the ultimate expression of a pre-computerized 8-in Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, with heavy fork tines and an accurate clock drive system with hand controller It was heavy, and boy was it stable It had wonderful optics and was a joy to use, with the exception of having to move it in and out of the house Alas, apochromatic ix * * * * * * * * * * * * * * X H# 31-8 27-6 60-8 32-8 33-8 34-8 37-6 32-5 31-5 33-4 34-4 28-5 24-8 20-4 25-7 5-6 33-6 34-6 156-1 25-6 88-8 80-8 60-7 61-7 85-8 38-7 67-7 38-8 28-7 NGC # 2286 2301 2311 2335 2343 2353 2506 1788 1980 1999 2022 2024 2169 2185 2186 2194 869 884 1023 1245 1342 1444 1513 1528 1545 2324 2421 2422 2423 Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Mon Ori Ori Ori Ori Ori Ori Ori Ori Ori Per Per Per Per Per Per Per Per Per Pup Pup Pup Pup Const 10 11.5 10.7 6.4 11 9.5 9.2 4.4 4.7 10.5 6.9 7.1 6.4 8.8 6.2 8.8 9.4 4.5 6.9 5.8 9.6 9.1 5.3 8.5 11 Mag OC OC OC Oc OC OC OC DN DN DN PN DN OC DN OC OC OC OC G OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC OC Type 15 15 12 20 10 8×5 14 × 14 16 × 12 28 × 27 30 × 30 2×2 36 36 × 1.2 10 15 12 25 18 25 20 Size W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W Season 0647.6 − 0310 0651.8 + 0028 0657.8 − 0435 0706.6 − 1005 0708.3 − 1039 0714.6 − 1018 0800.2 − 1047 0506.9 − 0321 0535.4 − 0554 0536.5 − 0642 0542.1 + 0905 0541.9 − 0151 0608.4 + 1357 0611.1 − 0613 0612.2 + 0527 0613.8 + 1248 0219.0 + 5709 0222.4 + 5707 0240.3 + 3904 0314.7 + 4715 0331.6 + 3720 0349.4 + 5240 0410.0 + 4931 0415.4 + 5114 0420.9 + 5015 0704.2 + 0103 0736.3 − 2037 0736.6 − 1430 0737.1 − 1352 RA + Dec (continued) 50 stars loose scattered 40 stars large pretty easy 25 stars brt rich easy resolvable 35 stars triangular tight group 15 stars brt rich tight cute 25 stars loose bl/wh easy 50 stars rich nebulousity easy Round non uniform near magstar Surround iota Orionis nebulosity brt nucleus hazy lg difficult Fuzzy oval small slight blue–gr Irregular patchy brt very large 15 stars brt tightly grouped brt fuzzy with NGC 2183 + 2184 30 stars loose poor some brt Rich slightly circular resolve Double Cluster resolvable Double Cluster resolvable el elonated brt starlike nucl 40 stars large brt stars cluster 25 stars sl elongated poor 15 stars string of brt stars 40 stars loose compact nucleus 80 stars loosely packed rich 25 stars loose brt starswh org 30 stars stars = a Y loose 50 stars no shape lg fairly rich M47 60 stars lg brt stars easy Comment Appendix G 205 * * X H# 39-4 64-4 58-7 10-7 23-7 1-8 8-8 43-8 4-7 NGC # 2438 2440 2479 2482 2489 2509 1647 1750 1817 (continued) Pup Pup Pup Pup Pup Pup Tau Tau Tau Const 7.9 11.3 11.5 9.5 8.7 9.4 9.3 Mag PN PN OC OC OC OC OC OC OC Type 45 15 68 54 × 20 18 Size W W W W W W W W W Season 0741.8 − 1444 0741.9 − 1813 0755.1 − 1743 0754.9 − 2418 0756.2 − 3004 0800.2 − 1904 0446.0 + 1904 0503.9 + 2339 0512.2 + 1642 RA + Dec brt obvious circular within M46 Greenish round easy to find 40 stars faint round small easy 50 stars lg rich no shape 30 stars circular brt st easy 40 stars some brt most faint 30 stars round double stars Part of NGC 1746 clusters 16 stars loose scattered poor Comment 206 Appendix G Appendix H Current Sky Portal WiFi Module Compatible Celestron Mount Specifications Advanced VX Telescope type Tripod Tripod leg diameter Mount height (max) Mount height (min) Weight capacity (max) Tripod weight Weight of counterweights Warranty Alignment procedures Software precision Computer hand control Database Power requirements GPS Alignment procedures Software precision Computerized (GOTO) Adjustable, stainless steel 2″ 64″ in (1626 mm) 44″ in (1118 mm) 30 lbs 18 lbs (8.16 kg) × 12 lbs 2-year telescope warranty AutoAlign, 2-star align, quick align, 1-star align, last alignment, solar system align 24 bit, 0.08 calculation Double line, 16 character liquid crystal display; 19 fiber optic backlit LED buttons 40,000+ objects, 100 user defined programmable objects Enhanced information on over 200 objects 12 VDC 3.2 Amps Optional SkySync GPS accessory AutoAlign, 2-star align, quick align, 1-star align, last alignment, solar system align 24 bit, 0.08 calculation (continued) © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 J.L Chen, The NexStar Evolution and SkyPortal User’s Guide, The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32539-2 207 Appendix H 208 (continued) Telescope type Computerized (GOTO) Computer hand control Double line, 16 character liquid crystal display; 19 fiber optic backlit LED buttons 40,000 + objects, 100 user defined programmable objects Enhanced information on over 200 objects 12 VDC 3.2 Amps Optional SkySync GPS Accessory Database Power requirements GPS CGEM Mount type Tripod Power requirements Mount weight Tripod weight Weight of counterweights Weight (lbs) Payload capacity Latitude range Motor drive Slew speeds Tracking rates Tracking modes Alignment procedures Software precision Computer hand control Database Power requirements GPS Computerized equatorial Adjustable, stainless steel Car battery adapter 41 lbs (19 kg) 17 lbs (7.71 kg) × 17 lbs 75 lbs (34 kg) 40 lbs (18 kg) 15–70° Low cog DC servo motors with encoders, both axes Nine slew speeds Sidereal, solar and lunar EQ North and EQ South AutoAlign, 2-star align, quick align, 1-star align, last alignment, solar system align 24 bit, 0.08 calculation Double line, 16 character Liquid Crystal Display; 19 fiber optic backlit LED buttons 40,000+ objects, 100 user defined programmable objects Enhanced information on over 200 objects 12 VDC 3.2 Amps Optional SkySync GPS Accessory CGE Pro Mount Tripod and pier weight EQ mount weight Counterweight bar Weight of counterweights Weight (lbs) Payload capacity 52 lbs (24 kg) 75 lbs (34 kg) lbs (2.27 kg) × 22 lbs 154 lbs (70 kg) 90 lbs (41 kg) (continued) Appendix H 209 (continued) Motor drive Slew speeds Tracking rates Tracking modes Alignment procedures Computer hand control Database Power requirements Internal clock GPS DC servo motors with encoders, both axes Nine slew speeds 5.5 deg/s, deg/s, 0.5 deg/s, 64x, 16x, 8x, 4x, 1x, 0.5x Sidereal, solar and lunar EQ north and EQ south 2-Star align, solar system align, last alignment, quick align, 1-star align Double line, 16 character liquid crystal display; 19 backlit LED buttons 40,000+ objects, 100 user defined programmable objects Enhanced information on over 200 objects 12 VDC 3.5A Yes Optional SkySync GPS accessory Appendix I Glossary AltAz AFOV Android Autoguider Backlash Compensation Dovetail Altitude and Azimuth mount Features the intuitive left–right and up–down movements of the telescope Many GoTo telescopes operate in an alt-az configuration Apparent Field of View Usually applied to telescope eyepieces A mobile operating system developed by Google for mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones This function processes the signal from a CCD camera installed on a guide scope, and it automatically guides the telescope and mount with high precision over an extended period This enables long exposure photography and imaging of astronomical objects Provides a reduced time lag at the point of revised motion where the mount drive gears briefly lose contact An almost universally accepted method of attaching telescope optical tubes to telescope mounts, originally introduced by Vixen, and now adopted by many manufacturer’s including Celestron © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 J.L Chen, The NexStar Evolution and SkyPortal User’s Guide, The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32539-2 211 212 Caldwell Catalog Equatorial mount FMC FOV GoTo Mount GPS HVAC IC Catalog iOS Kings rate Appendix I A list of 109 bright deep sky objects not included in the Messier Catalog, compiled by Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore The list contains 35 galaxies, nebulae, 13 planetary nebulae, 25 star clusters, dark nebula, 18 globular clusters, supernova remnants, and star cluster/ nebula combinations The Caldwell Catalog includes bright deep-sky objects visible in the Southern Hemisphere that were not listed in the Messier Catalog Features the ability to track an astronomical object by countering the rotation of the Earth The RA, or right ascension, axis is set parallel to the Earth’s axis The declination axis is the axis of rotation that is at right angles to the polar axis of an equatorial mounting and that permits pointing the telescope to celestial objects of different declinations Declination is the measurement of an objects angular distance from the celestial equator Fully multi-coatings Multi-layered antireflective coatings on all optical surfaces of a lens system Applicable to eyepieces, refractors, and binoviewers Field-of-view The true FOV is found by diving the AFOV of an eyepiece by the magnification that results from using the eyepiece Computerized telescope mounts that automatically point the telescope towards the requested object Global Positioning System A system of 24 orbiting satellites (plus four spares) that use timing signals between them and to ground receivers to accurately, within m, determine positioning on the Earth’s surface Also known as SATNAV Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning 5386 deep sky objects cataloged by J.L.E Dreyer as a supplement to the NGC catalog A mobile operating system developed by Apple for mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones The tracking rate developed to account for atmospheric refraction Appendix I 213 Meridian An imaginary line drawn from due South directly overhead to due North A list of 110 (actually 109) deep sky objects originally created by Charles Messier in the late 1700 It consists of 39 galaxies, nebulae, planetary nebulae, and 55 star clusters Sidereal rate plus compensation for the Moon’s motion around the Earth A catalog of deep sky objects based on William Herschel’s Catalog of Nebulae The NGC catalog contains 7840 objects, and was created by J.L.E Dreyer Optical tube assembly Usually includes optics (lenses and/or mirrors), tube, mounting bracket(s), and focuser Periodic Error Correction, which compensates for slight manufacturing errors in the mechanical gear of equatorial mount drive systems that causes an irregular motion of the tracking gear PEC enables smoother tracking, especially for astrophotography and astro-imaging see GPS The standard tracking rate for compensating for the Earth’s rotation This is the rate the stars move across the sky Celestron’s proprietary GoTo mount alignment algorithm, requiring the user to align the telescope with three stars or planets It is not necessary to know the names of the objects using SkyAlign Celestron’s proprietary optical coating, StarBright XLT reflective and anti-reflective coatings are the purest available (exceeding 99.99 %) and include aluminum (Al), hafnium oxide (HfO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2), and magnesium fluoride (MgF2) Schmidt-Cassegrain design telescope Also known as a catadioptric design, meaning a telescope with a combination of lenses and mirrors Celestron’s free application, available for download to iOS or Android mobile smart devices Powered by Sky Safari 4, SkyPortal allows the user to control the Evolution series telescopes, or through the use of the optional SkyPortal WiFi module attached to certain other Celestron Messier catalog Moon or lunar rate NGC or New General Catalogue OTA PEC SATNAV Sidereal rate SkyAlign StarBright XLT SCT SkyPortal app 214 Slew, or Slewing Solar rate TOTOTA Wall wart WiFi technology Appendix I telescopes or German mounts, to control the telescope and mount over a WiFi connection The SkyPortal app allows the user to explore the Solar System, 120,000 stars, 220 star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and dozens of asteroids, comets, and satellites—including the ISS The movement of a telescope on its mount using its drive motors The tracking rate required to maintain the accurate tracking of the Sun This rate differs from the sidereal rate The author’s acronym for turning off, turning back on, and trying the alignment process again An AC-to-DC power supply that plugs into a wall electrical socket Integrated wireless Internet allows connection to smartphone or tablet with the SkyPortal app to control Celestron’s Wi-Fi enabled products Bibliography Published Works Bakich, Michael E., “Behind the Scenes at Celestron”, Astronomy Magazine, December, 2013 Celestron, NexStar Evolution Series Telescopes Instruction Manual, 2014 Chen, James L., The Vixen Star Book User Guide, Springer, The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series, 2015 Harrington, Philip S., Star Ware—The Amateur Astronomer’s Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories, 4th ed., John Wiley and Son, Inc., 2007 O’Meara, Stephen James, The Messier Objects, Cambridge University Press, 2006 O’Meara, Stephen James, The Caldwell Objects, Cambridge University Press, 2002 Internet Sources www.celestron.com, accessed October 2015—March 2016 www.apple.com, accessed October 2015—March 2016 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 J.L Chen, The NexStar Evolution and SkyPortal User’s Guide, The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32539-2 215 Index A Abell objects, 75, 94 Access Point Mode, 127 Accessories camera adapter, 144, 145 case, 130, 132, 163 dew shade, 119 digital camera adapter, 144, 145 dovetail plate, 157 equatorial wedge, 23, 32, 38, 77, 88, 89, 115, 136, 137, 139 filter, 2, 18, 37, 46–48, 50, 51, 53, 55–59, 62–64, 66, 67, 70, 71, 73, 77, 87, 105, 133–136, 140, 141, 143, 148 focal reducer, 144, 145 imager, 134, 139, 140, 153 lens shade, 129, 130 mirror diagonal-2”, 133 nightscape CCD camera, 142–144 Skyris, 139, 141, 153 Stereo Binocular Viewer, 131–132 T-adapter, 138, 139 Tele-extender, 138, 139, 153 Universal Piggyback mount, 142 Vibration suppression pads, 129, 130 Alternative OTA, 159 Ambient temperature, 40, 117, 119, 162 Auto Two Star Align, 13, 77, 83 B Battery, 9, 12, 27, 28, 40, 69, 70, 75, 91, 92, 113, 117, 128, 137, 162 Brightness setting, 64, 114 C Caldwell objects, 43, 55–57, 59 Celestron AS-GT, 18–20 CGE, 17–18, 20, 21, 24, 125, 155 CGE Pro, 21–24, 124, 125, 155 CGEM, 20–22, 24, 124, 155 CGEM DX, 20–21, 124, 125, 155 Compustar, 3, 7–8, 16 GT, 11, 13, 19 LCM, 14, 33, 124, 125, 155 NexStar CPC, 33, 125, 155 NexStar GPS, 10, 13, 125, 155 NexStar SE, 10–11, 33, 124, 125, 136, 155 SkyProdigy, 14–15, 124 SLT, 11–13, 33 Ultima 2000, 3, 8–10 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 J.L Chen, The NexStar Evolution and SkyPortal User’s Guide, The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32539-2 217 Index 218 VX, 24, 25, 124, 155 Cold weather operation, 118 Compustar, 3, 7, 9, 16 E EQ North/EQ South Alignment, 77, 88 Equatorial mount, 2, 4, 16, 17, 23, 77, 123, 157, 161 Equatorial wedge, 23, 32, 38, 77, 88, 89, 115, 136, 137, 139 Eyepieces Abbe orthoscopic, 147, 151 Barlow, 150–152 Erfle, 149, 150 Huygens, 146 Kellner, 146, 147 Konig, 146, 147, 149 modern wide-angle, 152 Plossl, 42, 83–86, 89, 114, 146–149, 151, 152 Ramsden, 146, 147 Ultima Duo, 152–154 ultra wide-angle, 150 G Global positioning system (GPS), 10, 12, 18, 19, 24, 33, 37, 62, 101, 108, 114, 116, 124, 135 GoTo Asterisms, 43, 58, 59 Asteroids, 42, 48, 49 Brightest Stars, 42, 51–53 Caldwell, 4, 43, 55–57, 59 Comets, 5, 42, 48, 49 Constellations, 43, 57–59 Deep Sky, 4, 43, 55, 57 Double Stars, 4, 42, 43, 54 Messier, 4, 43, 55–57, 59 Meteor Showers, 59, 60 Moons, 42, 47, 48 Named Stars, 42, 51, 52 Nearest Stars, 42, 53 NGC/IC, 4, 69 Satellites, 42, 50 Sun & Planets, 42, 44, 46, 47 Tonight's Best, 42–44, 47 GPS See Global positioning system (GPS) H Help, 73, 76 Hibernate, 18, 47, 69, 101, 103, 110, 116 I IC objects, 69 iOS screen brightness, 64 L Last Alignment, 77 Latitude-Longitude, 37, 78, 114, 121 Local time, 32, 78, 83, 85, 86, 114 Location, 24, 32, 37, 40, 57, 58, 60, 62, 63, 72, 76, 78, 84–86, 88, 93, 114, 120, 121, 124, 162 M Manual align, 38, 41, 125, 154 Messier objects, 2, 43, 55, 56 Mount, 1, 7, 12, 14, 16–18, 20–24, 27, 28, 32, 35–38, 40, 41, 69, 70, 75–77, 88, 91, 105, 112–118, 120, 121, 123–125, 129, 135–138, 141, 142, 153–155, 157–159, 161–163 N NexStar+ AZ Hand Control, 33 NexStar Evolution, 27, 28, 30, 32–34, 36–45, 47, 50, 51, 53, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69, 70, 72, 75–78, 83–86, 88, 89, 91–94, 101, 104, 109, 113–121, 125, 129, 132–134, 136–140, 142–146, 148–155, 157, 159, 161–164 NexStar+ hand control, 24, 28, 43, 75–78, 83–86, 88, 89, 91–94, 101, 104, 109, 117, 118, 120–121 NGC objects, Night vision setting, 32, 72, 73, 75, 119 O One Star Align, 13, 37, 77, 84, 85, 87, 114 Index P Periodic error correction (PEC), 4, 9, 18, 21, 22, 24, 114 Power requirements, 140 Power supply, 2, 27, 70, 91, 113, 137 Programmable periodic error correction (PEC), 24 Q Quick Align, 13, 18, 77, 85, 164 S Satellite searches, 42, 50 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT), 2, 3, 7, 16, 28, 133, 138, 142, 144 Setting, 32, 36, 37, 47, 60, 62–73, 77, 78, 87, 91–94, 101, 108, 114, 118, 120, 127 Setup procedures, 77, 87, 115 Sky Sensor, 2, 3, 5, 7, 15–17 SkyAlign, 11–13, 20, 33, 37–41, 44, 69, 76, 78–91, 94, 114, 116 SkyPortal app, 27, 28, 30, 32–34, 36–45, 47, 50, 51, 53, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69, 70, 72, 75, 76, 104, 113–116, 118, 120, 123, 124, 154 SkyPortal update, 125, 163 SkyPortal WiFi module, 7, 8, 32, 36, 38, 120, 124, 125 SkyQLink, 36, 123, 127 219 SkyQLink2, 36, 123 Solar System Align, 13, 77, 87, 114 Solar System Objects Comets, 33, 34, 64 Moon, 1, 34, 64, 77, 88, 153 Planets, 1, 64, 77, 88 StarSense AutoAlign, 41, 125, 154, 155 Stereo Binocular Viewer, 131, 132 T Temperature requirements, 28, 39, 40, 117, 119, 162 TOTOTA, 116 Transporting, 163 Tripod, 8, 9, 11, 12, 21, 23, 28, 35, 39, 88, 89, 114, 129 Two Star Align, 13, 77, 83, 85, 86 V Vixen Sky Sensor, 4, 7, 15–17 Super Polaris, 7, 15–17 W Wedge align, 38, 41, 69, 125, 154 WiFi Access, 123–124 WiFi connection, 36, 69, 114, 120, 127 WiFi Environment, 120 WiFi module, 36, 123–125 ... Tubes on the NexStar Evolution Mounts 157 Operating the NexStar Evolution Mount with Another OTA: SkyPortal Versus NexStar+ HC 159 11 Maintenance and Care of the NexStar Evolution. .. astronomy, and plans for this book took form Within these pages, the description and process of using the novel WiFi-based control system provided by the NexStar Evolution and the SkyPortal applications... focusing, the hand control and an “AUX” port for connecting a computer, an auto-guider or other items The weight of the optical tube and fork was only 31 lbs Add another 18 lbs for the sturdy tripod and