This is to announce an update to a list originally issued in March 2008 to support Ealing targeting of Messier and Caldwell objects: Messier Caldwell Bright Reference Star Slews for Skywizard and Ealing http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/plan/mansetcir/html/MessierS... Because of its long 5080mm focal length, low TFOV with a 30mm lens (1/3 deg), mirror flop and focuser flop, the Ealing is a difficult scope to accurately target. A 1/3 deg TFOV has only 1/9 of the search area of the Mak finder's 1 deg TFOV and 1/14 of the usual 1 1/4 deg eyepiece TFOV. With a 50mm eyepiece, the Ealing has a 1/2 deg TFOV which has 1/4 the search area of a 1 deg TFOV search area. Higher accuracy targeting of the Ealing can be achieved with the technique of intermediate bright star slewing - a finding technique built into many planetarium programs. The bright star slew reference table listed above aids in this technique. The list includes two tables: First, all Messier and Caldwell objects are listed by ascending catalogue number. The nearest Skywizard bright reference star associated with that DSO target is listed along with the bright reference star's magnitude, Bayer name and Skywizard id number. The second table is sorted by bright reference star number. This table can be used to locate Messier and Caldwell objects associated with a particular bright reference star. So, for example, assume that at a star party, Denebola or Deneb is located within 30 degrees of transit, typically to the east. Using the second table, the Ealing and Skywizard can be centered and resynchronized to a reference star and then a collection of DSOs that correspond to that reference star can be targeted. With intermediate bright star slewing: 1) the nearest reference star to the target DSO is located; 2) the Ealing is slewed to the reference star; 3) the reference star is centered in the eyepiece; 4) the reference star is centered in the Mak finder;* 5) the Skywizard is resynched on the reference star; 6) the target DSO is found in the Skywizard catalogue; 7) using the Skywizard's "Find" function, the Ealing is slewed to the target; 8) when the target reads within 1 deg on the Skywizard's "Find" display, the Mak finder is used to best position the target within the eyepiece's narrow TFOV; and; 9) a "shark" spiral search pattern is used to bring the target within the eyepiece TFOV. This process is repeated whenever a meridian swap is executed with the Ealing or where the telescope's FOV is moved more than 40 degrees on the same side of the meridian. * DSO or bright star targets easily cannot be centered in the Mak due to its mounting. At best, you can put a bright star within a 1/4 degree of the apparent TFOV center. Memorize the position of the reference star _relative to the Mak's telescope body_. Think of the back of the Mak as a clock face, _relative to the Ealing tube frame_ and not to the local horizon system (E,W,N,S, Zenith). After slewing to the target DSO, try to place the DSO in the relatively same position as the bright reference star. This will result the greatest probability that the DSO target will be in or near the edge of the narrow TFOV of the eyepiece. There is good probability that a standard shark spiral standard will locate the DSO in the narrow eyepiece TFOV. My use notes on the Skywizard (MS Powerpoint) http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/Ealing/Skywizard_use_notes_v... Orion Manual on the Skywizard 3 (similar in operation to the Ealing Skywizard 1). (A hardcopy of the Skywizard 1 Manual is in the Ealing binder at SPOC). http://content.telescope.com/rsc/img/catalog/product/instructions/inst_07803... Lens Table for the Ealing (MS Excel) http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/Ealing/Ealing%20Lens%20TFOV%... Skywizard Stellar Database List http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/Ealing/skywizst.pdf Skywizard DSO Database List http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/Ealing/skywiznst.pdf Skywizard Alignment Star List (Excel; Text) http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/Ealing/Alignstar.xls http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/Ealing/Alignstar.txt Clear Skies - Kurt