In Defense of GoTo mounts
Although GoTo doesn't fit into my current observing program, many uses have suggested themselves during reflection, including: Patrol work. I believe the Center for Backyard Astrophysics uses Meade GoTo mounts for their Supernova & GRB searches. Working from a script, a GoTo would allow hundreds of target fields to be imaged in a single night. Also asteroid & comet discovery patrols. Variable-star work. Again, many fields can be imaged in one night. Remote operation. Any imaging program can be done with the operator not even present. Another idea I had recently was a time-lapse movie of a complete lunation- watching the terminator march across the moon's face, from as close to new as you can get until the waning moon gets too close to the sun to continue. GoTo mounts would facilitate groups of participants working together around the world to put the file together...as one team's observing location rotates out of sight of the moon, another site further west takes over. Slight "glitches" caused by parallax changes due to different latitudes of the teams could be minimized with image-manipulation software, likewise teams could be chosen as close to a common latitude as possible. Continuous imaging isn't required, but the frame rate required for a smooth movie remains to be seen. Similarly, a movie could be made by amateurs, of the sun in continuous rotation, something so-far only done by individual teams shooting only one or two frames per day, or by spacecraft not experiencing a day-night cycle. A much "smoother" movie could be made by teams around the world imaging in "shifts", no jumpy gaps due to nighttime. (Has anyone above the arctic or antarctic circles made continuous solar movies?) What other ideas can list members come-up with for GoTo mounts, other than simply finding objects for casual visual study? C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/
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Chuck Hards