From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: September 6, 2008 7:47:02 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] necessity of drift aligning....

Mark;

On 6-Sep-08, at 4:21 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

Hi Milton, would a bout of drift aligning be necessary each time the scope is used

Nope

or only

when performing more difficult proceedures such as guiding & photography of DSOs?

You only need to do drift or polar alignment after you have moving the scope areound. If it's stationary and is not re-oriented (i.e. hauled into a garage etc.) before being used, then it should be a one time thing. Do it right once, and that's all you need to do.

I`ve

made several attempts at drift aligning since writing last, all using a reticle eyepiece as the

camera seems one too many factors to control at the same time.

I really don't understand why it would be such a difficult procedure or why the camera makes things worse, unless of course your mount is having either mechanical or weight issues (i.e. loading too big a scope on a mount is asking for trouble).

No doubt I`ll try it

eventually! I have a new C9.25 XLT OTA now but have had to postpone buying the colour Flea

2 because of the added expense of this OTA over the C8.

I really don't see how a C9.25 is going to help. It has an even longer focal length than a C8 or your 10" does, which means it's even more sensitive to misalignment than before and will require very precise pointing to put a target in the Field of View.

Hope the weather cleared up for

your experiments with the Grasshopper at the dark sky site! Mark.

I got skunked. I had one moderately good night in 3 weeks which was when capture Luma for M101 and M27. Then the weather went to crap, either raining for days on end or being clear during the day and clouding over at sunset for all night. At least I got some golf in and spent time with the immediate family.

Oh well maybe this winter will be better.

TTYL..

Milton J. Aupperle

President

ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting

Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist

#916, 742 Kingsmere Crescent S.W.

Calgary Alberta T2V2H8

1-(403)-453-1624

milton@outcastsoft.com