From: Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@me.com>

Date: September 18, 2010 11:48:23 AM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: hot pixels..

Milton,

I worked out a possible cause of my guiding problems..

I`ve just opened the camera window inside the house here for the Scorpion, with the camera attached to the Kwiq guidescope but with the lens cap on..

The same faint artefacts that I thought were stars are there now, so I`m guessing these are in fact hot pixels?

If I was guiding on hot pixels wouldn`t this cause these strange callibration problems..?

Next time (which may be a few days according to forecasts) I`ll try jogging the mount control buttons more to find a brighter star to guide on..

Doing this shouldn`t take me significantly away from the object of interest should it?

I have to re-do the 3 star alignment anyway (I forgot to hibernate last time) & will re-do PA using the best means at my disposal (bar drift aligning)..

Thanks..

Mark.