New Telescope Fix Beats Any Computer Telescope
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- Find any astronomy target in 30 seconds or less. This video shows you how to add a setting circle to your Dobsonian telescope mount, giving it super quick pinpoint accuracy like computerized telescopes. I show you how to create and install a setting circle on an old manual Dobsonian telescope. If I can do this, anybody can do this.
You'll be able to slew to any target in the sky in less than one minute (often even faster!).
#telescope #setting #circles
Here is the website with the free protractor creation tool:
www.blocklayer...
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#dobsonian #astrophotography
#mobileastrophotography
#reflector
#reflactor - Розваги
Just a note from the creator of the Protractor Template app, to say it now has a slider to make the tick lines thicker, which may help visibility on a black background.
Thanks for mentioning that. Anything else you find that might improve it, please let me know.
There's also an Imperial (inch) version - the smaller menu tab labelled 'Inch", directly under the selected 'Protractor Template' tab (blue background)
Thank you so much for creating that tool!
Yes - thanks for the program and the update to the tic marks.
You're REAL neighbor, Neighbor!
In process of installing, 3rd or 4th time to watch this. I made a smaller version to use for my AZ refractor.
I'm glad it was helpful. Clear skies!
Ok I a few vids in. And I'm hooked! Lol. Thanks for giving us some practical fix it demonstrations.
Thanks for watching! I hope they are helpful for you. I have a ton more fixes and videos that I'm actively working on. Clear skies!
I have setting circles on both my dobs, very handy. I recently got a new base made for my 12" and carved the setting circle into the base using a dremel tool.
That's a very creative way to do it!
Wow! Faster than a GoTo telescope. Simply fantastic my friend.
It works surprisingly well!
Hello, Mr. Dreese;
Thank you for all you do.
I REALLY appreciate this!
I've been trying to 'upgrade' my Dob & this looks like an EXCELLENT improvement!
Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
I hope you find it to be super helpful. I used to waste so much time searching for stuff and the setting circle (and inclinometer) totally changed everything for the better. Clear skies!
recommend a small red LED and battery pack. Affix the LED to the pointer so just that area is illuminated. Also, where did your lazy-susan disk come from?
That is a great idea! Thank you. Any of my telescopes that have a ball-bearing (lazy susan) support came that way. I've seen them for sale on Amazon, but the only big mods I've made in that department are to add a vinyl record album.
Awesome !
Thanks for watching!
Very helpful and fun to do, thanks for posting.
Thanks! I'm glad it was fun. I use these setting circles all the time. It saves me tons of effort. Clear skies!
omg i was using these on my 10inch dob in the 90s before computers got involved
Computerized Dobsonians are still incredibly expensive, so these setting circles are a surprisingly affordable alternative. Clear skies!
Perfect TY
Hope it helps. Clear skies!
Very cool! Great site!
Thanks for sharing!
Hope you found it helpful!
Use thin strip double backed tape, you can go around and put pieces around the edges to hold the protractor down..
Thanks for the tip!
Great upgrade.
I've found it very helpful. Thanks!
Great video!👍🏽👍🏽
Thanks! I still use these all the time.
This video rocks! I’ve been thinking about doing this and this gives me the last bit of information I needed. Thanks for the visual step by step.
One question though - would it be better to use a spray adhesive to attach the circle to the base so as to a kind the waves in the circle (if that makes sense)?
Good question! I think spray adhesive would work great. After I made this video, I added a setting circle to my smaller 8" Dobsonian and it kept curling up at the edges. I used staples, but spray adhesive would probably be more effective. I also had to use epoxy on the magnetic strips because they eventually came off.
Thanks for the update.
Reflactor....×where did you get the handles on the tube! Great video! I can't wait to do this for mine!
They are very helpful. I bought them on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4F779Y/
Yes it's possible to use setting circles to find objects in the night sky. Just like its possible to start a fire by rubbing 2 sticks together. Both are about as easy and convenient. I just spent 4 hrs trying to use setting circles to find and photograph M51. At the end of 4 hrs I had zero photos. Never did find it. My Meade 2120 lx5 has such a narrow field of view, that if you're off by a microscopic amount with the setting circles, you will not have your object in view.
Hi Mr. Doe, I understand your frustration. If I may, I have suggestions that might help. The big paper setting circles that I demonstrate in my videos will get you within about one degree of the object. As such, always start with your lowest magnification eyepiece. In my case, I always start with the 32mm. This does a couple of things - first it gives you the widest view possible so you can fine-tune the image location once you get it in that big field of view. Secndly, it gives you the most light. As magnification goes up, the dimmer the image gets. Once you get it centered with the 32mm eyepiece, I then start switching out eyepieces to get more magnification. Usually 15mm, then 8mm, then 5mm for example.
Lastly, M51 is super dim with magnitude 8.4. I've never been able to see it with my 8 inch Dobsonian, not even in a Class 5 rural sky. I imagine it would take very dark skies (Class 3 maybe?) to see it visually. I wish you the best of luck - you have a very nice telescope.
@@reflactor You can see M51 in Bortle 4 skies. If you look on an atlas, its location forms a right triangle with the last two stars in the handle of the big dipper. A finderscope/telrad/red dot finder would tell you if you're in the right place but certainly I start out with a 30MM EP to find my targets!
I've followed this tutorial and printed and installed my setting circle for my dobsonian, but the setting circle was slightly bigger than the base. Should I reprint or is there any other way to fix this? Fantastic tutorial.
You could still use it. Just know that it might get hit with your feet or during storage or when put in the car.
@@reflactor Alright. Thank you!
Im going to do the same with mine
Great idea! Do you ever use the inner circle of numbers ("inner marks")? I was thinking of deleting those to make the circle a bit simpler.
Good question. I don't use the inner circle of numbers at all. Keeping that in the print was a bit of a mistake.
If you travel to the Southern Hemisphere with your dob, you can use that inner circle.
Very nice. I will totally copy you :D Question: I was thinking about adding a small compass to set it on 0 to start with?
Hi ManuelZ: using a compass to get you close is a great idea. If you look on a topographic map, you can see the difference between magnetic north and true north. It varies depending on where you are on Earth. Note that Azimuth is referenced to true north.
@@reflactor Are you lining up the 0 to true north purely by eye? or how are you setting the base to point to Polaris
how did you determine that the protractor numbers should be counter clockwise?
Good question. I learned by messing it up the first time, lol. The second one was printed correctly. When I do this now, I imagine turning the top of the telescope (and the circle) to the right while the pointer stays stationary. So you want the numbers to increase counterclockwise. Thank you for watching!
Thamk you for the explaination :)
I wonder if I should cancel the telrad I ordered last night. I have a good finderscope so I think I might.
Good question. I know people who love their Telrads. I think in reasonably dark skies, they are wonderfully helpful. Here in DFW where we can see, maybe, a few dozen stars at best? I'm not sure how helpful they are, but I could be wrong.
Keep your Telrad (I prefer the Rigel QuickFinder myself), learn the sky by learning the Constellations, with a good atlas. Draw what ever Constellation lines you want to to use in the atlas (I learned using H.A. Rey’s patterns 55 years ago). I have no trouble finding any NGC object within the reach of my telescopes by star hopping. After half a century, I can point to virtually all the Messier Objects faster than someone using a go-to mount. Devices like this are fun to use to find the bright Planets and Stars in the daytime, and I wouldn’t discourage any from trying that. But there is no substitute to learning the sky!
@@jonathanhansen3709 Learning the sky is definitely a time saver. This weekend I was able to experience dark skies for the first time and I saw the Ring Nebula for the first time. It's easy to find (start at Vega, go left to the two diagonal stars and the Ring Nebula is right in between). I'll never forget how to find it now! Unfortunately, back at home, the light pollution is so bad that even the constellations are hard to see. That's why I need the setting circle and inclinometer.
@@reflactor I'm also in the Telrad camp. When you learn to use it, it is a lifesaver even in light polluted skies. I'm writing this 7-months post as I was researching whether it was worth it to buy the new Celestron dob with the starsense and I came across your video. I think for those terribly light polluted skies it will be great to have a setting circle made for my 14" and 10" dobs. (Also, I am out observing 100 nights a year so practice and knowing what is in the sky makes a lot of difference. Even if I can't see the stars (such as the stars in Lyra that frame the Ring Nebula), I know where they are in relation to Vega. I started with a go-to setup but love my dob except for those tough to find objects!
Great tip! Too bad there isn't an app that would give you altitude and azimuth with night mode.
Hi Rick, Some of the apps do have a red "night mode", but you have to get there through the phones regular interface (bright white). I've heard of people wrapping their phone in red cellophane to combat the problem.
@@reflactor I hit enter too early on that comment, I was thinking your phone would sit on the scope and actively give you azimuth and elevation so no setting circle needed. You'd have to align it to the scope but that wouldn't be any more difficult than aligning the setting circle. Could even dedicate an old phone to task. I have apps that give direction and elevation, but no apps that do both on the same screen, and none of them have night mode.
@@RickMcQuay That's a great idea. For example, if you point the telescope at the North Star and push an "Initialize" button on the app, it could basically use the phone, as it sits attached to the eyepiece, to display where it's pointing in the sky. I'm sure the phone accelerometers are good enough to measure the attitude angles, but I don't know if the compass in my cheap phone could be accurate enough. Probably close enough though.
Can we like put the setting circle in our accessory tray for refractor users?
Good question. If you can figure out a way for a pointer to rotate with changes in azimuth angle, that would be a great solution.
Thanks!
I like this idea. However when I took the thumb drive it came out at 14 inches in diameter. I need almost 20 inches. I tried it twice with the same result. Don’t know what I did wrong.
Good question. When you selected the paper size at the end, did you go with one that was at least 22 inches or larger? One Staples Store that I took it took kept getting the print scale wrong, but finally figured it out. We measured each of their test prints to check. Good luck and clear skies!
@@reflactor thank you
Hello, maybe a silly question, but if I am in the southern hemisphere and mount the setting circle onto the top of the base just as you have done, do I still keep the degree numbers like yours (higher counter clockwise)?
Good question. Since west is still west and east is still east, I think you should have them go the same direction as if you were up north.
Floors me why dobs don’t come with setting circles.
I sure wish they did. It's a very cheap option to add.
What is the app at the start please ?
The app that I use most of the time (and the one in the video) is StarSeek 5.
What are those straps for handles, where did you get them?
Those are Strap-A-Handles, available on Amazon. Very helpful for moving the telescope.
Is that Tom Cruise talking?
Uhhhh no. That's just me. I've been told I sound like Kermit the Frog sometimes. I do narrate educational videos as part of my real job.
@@reflactor well I don't see Kermit here but at some parts it's almost indistinguishable from Tom Cruise, you also have the same accent.