Argo Navis User Manual

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Argo Navis User Manual TM Argo Navis User Manual Edition 11, Dec 2014, for Argo NavisTM Model 102 & 102B, Firmware version 3.0.0 ™ Argo Navis Argo Navis™ User Manual Edition 11, Dec 2014, for Argo Navis™ Model 102/102B, Firmware Vers.3.0.0 1 Congratulations You have purchased one of the most catalogs can be accessed quickly and sophisticated devices for rapidly and easily by name. You can select a confidently locating celestial objects. The particular object and then Argo NavisTM Argo NavisTM Digital Telescope can provide you with “guiding” information Computer (DTC) brings not only accurate that will allow you to zero-in on it by positioning information to your telescope simply manually turning the scope. but also provides an enormous detailed Alternatively, objects of interest can be database of tens of thousands of objects. reported to you on the display in real-time Stars, galaxies, galaxy clusters, as you move your scope. Argo NavisTM globular clusters, open clusters, planetary has a powerful 32-bit CPU at its heart that nebulae, nebulae, planets, asteroids, will easily allow you to continuously track comets, earth-orbiting satellites and more. satellites. The sophisticated software Magnitudes, surface brightness, object even accounts for precession, nutation sizes, common names, stellar and atmospheric refraction. A battery classifications, stellar luminosity classes, backed real-time clock provides local double star separations, variable star time, UTC time, Julian date and sidereal periods, Hubble galaxy morphologies, time. constellation, detailed parameters of The versatile and powerful tour mode planets, comets, asteroids, satellites, allows you to tailor your searches of the Moon phases and a wealth of other sky so that you may seek to find the types information are available at your fingertips of objects that interest you the most, be with a simple spin of the dial. they easy or highly challenging. A large range of mounts can Though designed for standalone use, accommodate the Argo NavisTM Argo NavisTM can also be interfaced to including Dobsonians, Forks, German your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone Equatorials and Equatorial Tables. which brings about a wealth of additional Handheld and powered by AA features. It can operate with many of the batteries, or an optional external DC popular sky charting packages to provide you with a tracking cursor display. Using source, Argo NavisTM operates the supplied ArgonautTM utility, it even completely standalone. lets you store into its FLASH memory over After fitting a pair of optical encoders to a thousand of your own user-defined TM your mount, using the Argo Navis is objects including magnitudes and simple. Perform a quick star alignment descriptions. You can erase them and and off you go. There is no need to level store new ones as often as you like. or accurately polar align your mount. It's This User Manual shows how the fast and easy. Argo NavisTM Digital Telescope Using the innovative, Intelligent Editing TM Computer can make your observing System , objects from the in-built sessions more enjoyable and rewarding. ™ Argo Navis Argo Navis™ User Manual Edition 11, Dec 2014, for Argo Navis™ Model 102/102B, Firmware Vers.3.0.0 2 Contents This manual ......................................................................................................................... 6 The Argo Navis interfaces ............................................................................................... 8 The user interface ........................................................................................................ 8 The encoder interface .................................................................................................. 9 The serial interface..................................................................................................... 10 Initial setup of the Argo Navis ........................................................................................ 12 Power sources ........................................................................................................... 12 Setting the initial mount type ...................................................................................... 14 Setting encoder steps (resolution).............................................................................. 14 Setting altitude steps.................................................................................................. 15 Setting azimuth steps................................................................................................. 15 Testing encoder communication................................................................................. 16 Determining encoder direction senses ....................................................................... 17 Setting the final mount type........................................................................................ 18 Setting the local time zone, date and time.................................................................. 20 Setting the location..................................................................................................... 22 Setting refraction modelling........................................................................................ 24 Alignment procedures........................................................................................................ 25 Purpose of alignment ................................................................................................. 25 Fork Exact Align and German Equatorial Exact Align Mounts .................................... 25 Alt/Az Dobsonian Mounts including on Equatorial Tables........................................... 26 Fork Rough Align Mounts........................................................................................... 28 GEM Rough Align ...................................................................................................... 29 An introductory run ............................................................................................................ 32 Operating modes ............................................................................................................... 37 MODE ALIGN ................................................................................................................ 38 MODE ALIGN STAR...................................................................................................... 40 MODE AZ ALT............................................................................................................... 44 MODE CATALOG.......................................................................................................... 45 MODE ENCODER ......................................................................................................... 52 MODE EQ TABLE.......................................................................................................... 56 MODE FIX ALT REF...................................................................................................... 59 MODE IDENTIFY........................................................................................................... 63 MODE RA DEC.............................................................................................................. 69 MODE SETUP ............................................................................................................... 71 MODE SIDEREAL ......................................................................................................... 73 MODE STATUS............................................................................................................. 74 MODE TIME .................................................................................................................. 75 MODE TIMER................................................................................................................ 76 MODE TOUR................................................................................................................. 77 SETUP ALIGN PICK...................................................................................................... 84 ™ Argo Navis Argo Navis™ User Manual Edition 11, Dec 2014, for Argo Navis™ Model 102/102B, Firmware Vers.3.0.0 3 SETUP ALT REF ........................................................................................................... 86 SETUP ALT STEPS....................................................................................................... 88 SETUP ARCHIVE.......................................................................................................... 89 SETUP ATLAS .............................................................................................................. 94 SETUP AZ STEPS......................................................................................................... 96 SETUP BRIGHTNESS................................................................................................... 97 SETUP CONTRAST ...................................................................................................... 98 SETUP DATE/TIME....................................................................................................... 99 SETUP DEBUG ........................................................................................................... 102 SETUP DEFAULTS ..................................................................................................... 103 SETUP ENC TIMING..................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Wildcard Innovations Argo Navis: So Just How Does It Stack up to the Sky Commander? Tom Trusock – 11/2004
    Copyright © 2004 CloudyNights Telescope Reviews WildCard Innovations Argo Navis: So just how does it stack up to the Sky Commander? Tom Trusock – 11/2004 Reviewed: Argo Navis Ok – so I’m lazy. Features: • Digital Telescope Well – maybe that’s not quite true. There are Computer some nights I just don’t believe in excess work. • 2 serial interfaces I’m basically a visual observer, and while I do • Dual CPU’s enjoy the challenge of the hunt – I often just • 2 Meg Ram want to get to the target. Years ago, I settled on • Multitude of Catalogs DSC’s as my one of my preferred methods of finding DSO’s – especially faint fuzzies. If you are new to DSC (Digital Setting Circles) you might want to start off by reading “A Digital Setting Circles Primer”. I’ve owned at least a half dozen different units, among them units from JMI, Celestron, Sky Commander and now the newest kid on the block; the Argo Navis. Coming out of Australia, the Argo makes use of modern technology and components, utilizing not one, but two Motorola 5206e ColdFire 40mhz 32bit CPU’s (the same family of CPU’s used in the popular Palm series of Personal Digital Assistants) 2mb of re-programmable flash memory, 512kb of static Ram, WildCard Innovations Argo Navis and 8kb of non-volatile Ram. It’s powered from 4 AA batteries or an 8 to 16V external source. When used with external power, the Argo offers an LCD heater function to assist in keeping the display functional and dew off.
    [Show full text]
  • Naming the Extrasolar Planets
    Naming the extrasolar planets W. Lyra Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, K¨onigstuhl 17, 69177, Heidelberg, Germany [email protected] Abstract and OGLE-TR-182 b, which does not help educators convey the message that these planets are quite similar to Jupiter. Extrasolar planets are not named and are referred to only In stark contrast, the sentence“planet Apollo is a gas giant by their assigned scientific designation. The reason given like Jupiter” is heavily - yet invisibly - coated with Coper- by the IAU to not name the planets is that it is consid- nicanism. ered impractical as planets are expected to be common. I One reason given by the IAU for not considering naming advance some reasons as to why this logic is flawed, and sug- the extrasolar planets is that it is a task deemed impractical. gest names for the 403 extrasolar planet candidates known One source is quoted as having said “if planets are found to as of Oct 2009. The names follow a scheme of association occur very frequently in the Universe, a system of individual with the constellation that the host star pertains to, and names for planets might well rapidly be found equally im- therefore are mostly drawn from Roman-Greek mythology. practicable as it is for stars, as planet discoveries progress.” Other mythologies may also be used given that a suitable 1. This leads to a second argument. It is indeed impractical association is established. to name all stars. But some stars are named nonetheless. In fact, all other classes of astronomical bodies are named.
    [Show full text]
  • (12.–11. Pr. Kr.) Posljednja Faza Osvajanja Ju@Ne Panonije
    Color profile: Disabled Composite 150 lpi at 45 degrees A. DOMI] KUNI]: Posljednja faza osvajanja Ju`ne Panonije, VAMZ, 3.s., XXXIX 59–164 (2006) 59 ALKA DOMI] KUNI] Odsjek za arheologiju HAZU Ante Kova~i}a 5 HR – 10000 Zagreb E-mail: [email protected] BELLUM PANNONICUM (12.–11. PR. KR.) POSLJEDNJA FAZA OSVAJANJA JU@NE PANONIJE UDK 931/939 (36) Izvorni znanstveni rad Osim {to se bavi panonskim ratom, ovaj je rad zami{ljen i kao prilog poznavanju etni~ke slike ju`ne Panonije i pregled povijesti osvajanja Panonije. Tako }e se bolje sagledati dometi Tibe- rijeva rata, zavr{ne faze rimskog osvajanja prostora koji }e uskoro (od Klaudijeva doba) pos- tati ju`na polovica provincije Panonije. Tiberijev rat ne datira se tradicionalno (12.–9. pr. Kr.) nego u 12.–11. pr. Kr., i to na temelju pomnog ~itanja dostupnih literarnih izvora. UMJESTO UVODA Za razliku od svog prethodnika, Oktavijanova iliri~kog pohoda, Tiberijev je rat vrlo slabo zastupljen u znanstvenoj literaturi. Mo`emo se samo domi{ljati koji su razlozi »omalova`avanju« toga klju~nog doga|aja za daljnju povijest Panonije, ali i Carstva op}enito – mo`da su to prili~no oskudne vijesti iz antike, ili pak neatraktivnost u odnosu na glamurozan i razvikan pohod Okta- vijana Augusta u Ilirik dvadesetak godina prije toga. O Oktavijanovu iliri~kom ratu pisali su mnogi povjesni~ari staroga vijeka, a za njima su se poveli i brojni stru~njaci na{ega doba, primjerice, G. Zippel (Die römische Herrschaft in Illyrien bis auf Augustus, Leipzig, 1877.), G. Veith (Die Feldzuge des C.
    [Show full text]
  • Argovis: a Web Application for Fast Delivery, Visualization, and Analysis of Argo Data
    MARCH 2020 T U C K E R E T A L . 401 Argovis: A Web Application for Fast Delivery, Visualization, and Analysis of Argo Data TYLER TUCKER Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, and Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California DONATA GIGLIO Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado MEGAN SCANDERBEG Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California SAMUEL S. P. SHEN Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, California (Manuscript received 18 March 2019, in final form 3 January 2020) ABSTRACT Since the mid-2000s, the Argo oceanographic observational network has provided near-real-time four- dimensional data for the global ocean for the first time in history. Internet (i.e., the ‘‘web’’) applications that handle the more than two million Argo profiles of ocean temperature, salinity, and pressure are an active area of development. This paper introduces a new and efficient interactive Argo data visualization and delivery web application named Argovis that is built on a classic three-tier design consisting of a front end, back end, and database. Together these components allow users to navigate 4D data on a world map of Argo floats, with the option to select a custom region, depth range, and time period. Argovis’s back end sends data to users in a simple format, and the front end quickly renders web-quality figures.
    [Show full text]
  • Freeway Management and Operations Handbook September 2003 (See Revision History Page for Chapter Updates) 6
    FREEWAY MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS HANDBOOK FINAL REPORT September 2003 (Updated June 2006) Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade and manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of the document. 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. FHWA-OP-04-003 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Freeway Management and Operations Handbook September 2003 (see Revision History page for chapter updates) 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Louis G. Neudorff, P.E, Jeffrey E. Randall, P.E., Robert Reiss, P..E, Robert Report Gordon, P.E. 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Siemens ITS Suite 1900 11. Contract or Grant No. 2 Penn Plaza New York, NY 10121 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Office of Transportation Management Research Federal Highway Administration Room 3404 HOTM 400 Seventh Street, S.W. 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Washington D.C., 20590 15. Supplementary Notes Jon Obenberger, FHWA Office of Transportation Management, Contracting Officers Technical Representative (COTR) 16. Abstract This document is the third such handbook for freeway management and operations. It is intended to be an introductory manual – a resource document that provides an overview of the various institutional and technical issues associated with the planning, design, implementation, operation, and management of a freeway network.
    [Show full text]
  • THE CONSTELLATION MUSCA, the FLY Musca Australis (Latin: Southern Fly) Is a Small Constellation in the Deep Southern Sky
    THE CONSTELLATION MUSCA, THE FLY Musca Australis (Latin: Southern Fly) is a small constellation in the deep southern sky. It was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first appeared on a 35-cm diameter celestial globe published in 1597 in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius. The first depiction of this constellation in a celestial atlas was in Johann Bayer's Uranometria of 1603. It was also known as Apis (Latin: bee) for two hundred years. Musca remains below the horizon for most Northern Hemisphere observers. Also known as the Southern or Indian Fly, the French Mouche Australe ou Indienne, the German Südliche Fliege, and the Italian Mosca Australe, it lies partly in the Milky Way, south of Crux and east of the Chamaeleon. De Houtman included it in his southern star catalogue in 1598 under the Dutch name De Vlieghe, ‘The Fly’ This title generally is supposed to have been substituted by La Caille, about 1752, for Bayer's Apis, the Bee; but Halley, in 1679, had called it Musca Apis; and even previous to him, Riccioli catalogued it as Apis seu Musca. Even in our day the idea of a Bee prevails, for Stieler's Planisphere of 1872 has Biene, and an alternative title in France is Abeille. When the Northern Fly was merged with Aries by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1929, Musca Australis was given its modern shortened name Musca. It is the only official constellation depicting an insect. Julius Schiller, who redrew and named all the 88 constellations united Musca with the Bird of Paradise and the Chamaeleon as mother Eve.
    [Show full text]
  • Valorizzazione E Promozione Del Volontariato”, Art
    REGIONE PIEMONTE BU44 31/10/2012 Comunicato della Direzione Politiche sociali e politiche per la famiglia della Regione Piemonte L.R. n. 38/1994 “Valorizzazione e promozione del volontariato”, art. 4, c. 5, - Pubblicazione del registro del volontariato”. La presente pubblicazione si articola per Province. L’elenco, per comodità di consultazione, è ordinato per settore di intervento, la sezione regionale degli organismi di coordinamento e collegamento è collocata dopo le sezioni provinciali. La pubblicazione contiene i dati forniti dagli uffici provinciali, che ne assicurano la validità, ed è aggiornata e fa fede alla data del 31 luglio 2012. Allegato PROVINCIA DI ALESSANDRIA ATTIVITA' DATA SEZIONE DENOMINAZIONE/INDIRIZZO LEGALE RECAPITO SPEDIZIONE TELEFONO FAX E-MAIL/SITO INTERNET PREVALENTE ISCRIZIONE A.V. AIUTIAMOCI A VIVERE ONLUS C/O C.D.R. SRL ASSISTENZA 1 - SOCIO- VIA MONTEVERDE, 22 VIA A. GALEAZZO, 7 RICOVERATI IN ASSISTENZIALE ACQUI TERME 15011 15011 ACQUI TERME (AL) 0144-324996 0144-356596 www.aiutiamociavivere.it OSPEDALE 25/06/2003 ALESSANDRIA MISSIONARIA 1 - SOCIO- VIA VESCOVADO, 3 VIA VESCOVADO, 3 ASSISTENZIALE ALESSANDRIA 15121 15121 ALESSANDRIA (AL) 0131-512222 0131-444897 [email protected] SOSTEGNO FAMILIARE 27/09/2002 ALLEANZE PER L'AUTISMO VIA PAOLO SACCO, 16 1 - SOCIO- VIA PAOLO SACCO, 16 C/O GRIMALDI ASSISTENZIALE ALESSANDRIA 15121 15121 ALESSANDRIA (AL) 0131-347683 - SOSTEGNO FAMILIARE 13/09/2005 ALT 76 - ASSOCIAZIONE LOTTA ALLE TOSSICODIPENDENZE 1 - SOCIO- VIA DEL CARMINE, 8 VIA DEL CARMINE, 8 ASCOLTO ASSISTENZIALE CASALE MONFERRATO 15033 15033 CASALE MONFERRATO (AL) 0142-461519 0142-435751 [email protected] TELEFONICO 24/09/2002 C/O ISTITUTO SUORE AMICI MADRE BELTRAMI IMMACOLATINE 1 - SOCIO- VIA TORTONA, 27 VIA TORTONA, 27 ACCOGLIENZA ASSISTENZIALE ALESSANDRIA 15100 15100 ALESSANDRIA (AL) - - RESIDENZIALE 04/08/2000 AQUERO 1 - SOCIO- VIA PLANA, 49 VIA PLANA, 49 SOSTEGNO PERSONE ASSISTENZIALE ALESSANDRIA 15121 15121 ALESSANDRIA (AL) 0131-441080 - [email protected] IN DIFFICOLTA' 12/11/2004 ASSOC.
    [Show full text]
  • The Argo Navis Constellation
    THE ARGO NAVIS CONSTELLATION At the last meeting we talked about the constellation around the South Pole, and how in the olden days there used to be a large ship there that has since been subdivided into the current constellations. I could not then recall the names of the constellations, but remembered that we talked about this subject at one of the early meetings, and now found it in September 2011. In line with my often stated definition of Astronomy, and how it seems to include virtually all the other Philosophy subjects: History, Science, Physics, Biology, Language, Cosmology and Mythology, lets go to mythology and re- tell the story behind the Argo Constellation. Argo Navis (or simply Argo) used to be a very large constellation in the southern sky. It represented the ship The Argo Navis ship with the Argonauts on board used by the Argonauts in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis (modern day Georgia) in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. The ship was named after its builder, Argus. Argo is the only one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy that is no longer officially recognised as a constellation. In 1752, the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille subdivided it into Carina (the keel, or the hull, of the ship), Puppis (the poop deck), and Vela (the sails). The constellation Pyxis (the mariner's compass) occupies an area which in antiquity was considered part of Argo's mast (called Malus). The story goes that, when Jason was 20 years old, an oracle ordered him to head to the Iolcan court (modern city of Volos) where king Pelias was presiding over a sacrifice to Poseidon with several neighbouring kings in attendance.
    [Show full text]
  • What's up in Space?
    What’s up in Space? January 2017 Sailing the southern skies The chart is orientated for December 1 at 1am December 15 at midnight January 1 at 11pm January 15 at 10pm The constellation of Orion the hunter still dominates our Canopus is the brightest star in the constellation of Carina, eastern skies after dark. Following the line of three stars that the keel, which along with Vela, the sails, and Puppis, the mark his belt to the right you come to Sirius, or Takurua, the poop deck, once formed part of the southern constellation brightest star in our night-time sky, in the constellation of of Argo Navis, the great ship. Canis Major, Orion’s large hunting dog. There are many interesting nebulae and star clusters in Just above and to the right of Sirius, at distance of around this part of the sky, but perhaps the most famous is the 4 degrees, is M41, an open cluster of stars covering an area Eta Carinae nebula, a huge cloud of glowing gas around 7500 around the size of the full moon. It is just visible as a blurry light years away. It is one of the largest nebulae of its type smudge to the naked eye from a clear, dark location. Through in our skies (4 times the size of the Orion nebula), and the binoculars or a small telescope you will see a number of in- brightest central parts can be picked out with the naked eye. dividual stars, some showing hints of red and orange. With binoculars you should be able to see a golden star in the nebula; this is Eta Carinae, a massive, unstable star on A little further south, and set apart from the Milky Way is the the verge of blowing itself apart.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Websites Can Change Without Warning
    Why Websites Can Change Without Warning WHY WOULD MY WEBSITE LOOK DIFFERENT WITHOUT NOTICE? HISTORY: Your website is a series of files & databases. Websites used to be “static” because ​ there were only a few ways to view them. Now we have a complex system, and telling your webmaster what device, operating system and browser is crucial, here’s why: TERMINOLOGY: You have a desktop or mobile “device”. Desktop computers and mobile ​ ​ ​ devices have “operating systems” which are software. To see your website, you’ll pull up a ​ ​ ​ ​ “browser” which is also software, to surf the Internet. Your website is a series of files that ​ ​ needs to be 100% compatible with all devices, operating systems and browsers. Your website is built on WordPress and gets a weekly check up (sometimes more often) to ​ ​ ​ see if any changes have occured. Your site could also be attacked with bad files, links, spam, comments and other annoying internet pests! Or other components will suddenly need updating which is nothing out of the ordinary. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IF SOMETHING HAS CHANGED? Any update to the following can make your website look differently: There are 85 operating ​ systems (OS) that can update (without warning). And any of the most popular roughly 7 ​ ​ ​ browsers also update regularly which can affect your site visually and other ways. (Lists below) ​ Now, with an OS or browser update, your site’s 18 website components likely will need ​ ​ updating too. Once website updates are implemented, there are currently about 21 mobile ​ devices, and 141 desktop devices that need to be viewed for compatibility.
    [Show full text]
  • Hubble's 17Th Anniversary -- Extreme Star Birth in the Carina Nebula 24 April 2007
    Hubble's 17th anniversary -- extreme star birth in the Carina Nebula 24 April 2007 brilliant stars that are estimated to be at least 50 to 100 times the mass of our Sun. The most opulent is the star eta Carinae, seen at far left. Eta Carinae is in the final stages of its brief eruptive lifespan, as shown by two billowing lobes of gas and dust that presage its upcoming explosion as a titanic supernova. The fireworks in the Carina region started three million years ago when the nebula's first generation of newborn stars condensed and ignited in the middle of a huge cloud of cold molecular hydrogen. Hubble's view of the Carina Nebula shows star birth in a Radiation from these stars carved out an expanding new level of detail. The fantasy-like landscape of the bubble of hot gas. The island-like clumps of dark nebula is sculpted by the action of outflowing winds and clouds scattered across the nebula are nodules of scorching ultraviolet radiation from the monster stars that inhabit this inferno. In the process, these stars are dust and gas that have so far resisted being eaten shredding the surrounding material that is the last away by photoionisation. vestige of the giant cloud from which the stars were born. The immense nebula is an estimated 7,500 light- The hurricane-strength blast of stellar winds and years away in the southern constellation Carina the Keel blistering ultraviolet radiation within the cavity is (of the old southern constellation Argo Navis, the ship of now compressing the surrounding walls of cold Jason and the Argonauts, from Greek mythology).
    [Show full text]
  • The Fundamentals of Stargazing Sky Tours South
    The Fundamentals of Stargazing Sky Tours South 01 – The March Sky Copyright © 2014-2016 Mintaka Publishing Inc. www.CosmicPursuits.com -2- The Constellation Orion Let’s begin the tours of the deep-southern sky with the most famous and unmistakable constellation in the heavens, Orion, which will serve as a guide for other bright constellations in the southern late-summer sky. Head outdoors around 8 or 9 p.m. on an evening in early March, and turn towards the north. If you can’t find north, you can ask someone else, or get a small inexpensive compass, or use the GPS in your smartphone or tablet. But you need to face at least generally northward before you can proceed. You will also need a good unobstructed view of the sky in the north, so you may need to get away from structures and trees and so on. The bright stars of the constellation Orion (in this map, south is up and east is to the right) And bring a pair of binoculars if you have them, though they are not necessary for this tour. Fundamentals of Stargazing -3- Now that you’re facing north with a good view of a clear sky, make a 1/8th of a turn to your left. Now you are facing northwest, more or less. Turn your gaze upward about halfway to the point directly overhead. Look for three bright stars in a tidy line. They span a patch of sky about as wide as your three middle fingers held at arm’s length. This is the “belt” of the constellation Orion.
    [Show full text]