From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: June 5, 2010 1:39:00 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Plate solving

Mark;

On 5-Jun-10, at 12:40 AM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

I had a reasonable PA done recently with All Star such that stars slewed to with the HC were just a little off centre in the DSLR`s FOV after hibernating the mount & waking it a couple of nights later.  After a week of sleep however, the Tarantula nebula had migrated to the outside of the frame of the DSLR.

Then your not Polar Aligned if this is happening.

I was intending to use the preserved alignment (which included a 3 star done before the All star) & do the All Star again next time centring the star more precisely with the reticle of my illuminated reticle EP (I stretched the spring on it`s LED & it now will stay on permanently)

Since then it`s rained heavily & consistently for several days & I brought the scope inside so have to begin again anyway..

I have marks on my bricks at the base for the tripod legs but putting the OTA & weights back is always a little different to last time I`ve found...

I can guarantee that you will have to completely re-do the Polar Alignment. As soon as you move the scope, it's back to square one.

This has been the worst May / June weather we've had for at least a decade. We've had up to 18" snow, set 100+ new record low temperatures for May / June across North America and right now it just started with marble sized hail. The rest of the week :

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-52_metric_e.html

is rain and below normal temperatures, so much for Global Warming drying us out and cooking us. I have my scope double bagged with an inner plastic bag liner and an outer heavy nylon shell (BBQ Cover) which works great for keeping the sky dry.

TTYL..

Milton Aupperle