Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is TPoint required to slew my telescope if I own TheSky6? A. No. TheSky6 has built-in telescope control for virtually all commercial telescopes. TPoint can analyze and improve the telescope's ability to accurately point to objects, but is optional in terms of telescope control.
 

Q. Will TPoint improve the pointing accuracy of my encoder-based ("push to") telescope? A. No. Software Bisque does not recommend using TPoint for Windows with an encoder-based, non-robotic telescope. Limitations in the encoder resolution of these telescopes reduce TPoint's ability to make pointing corrections.
 

Q. Will TPoint work with an altitude/azimuth mounted telescope? A. No. TPoint for Windows currently supports equatorially mounted telescopes only.
 

Q. Can TPoint improve my telescope's tracking capabilities? A. TPoint for Windows can improve the tracking accuracy (using ProTrack technology) of the Paramount ME and Paramount GT-1100S model telescope mounts, or any telescope that uses the Bisque Telescope Control System (TCS). All other commercial mounts are incapable of improved tracking accuracy with TPoint and ProTrack.
 

Q. Can TPoint for Windows improve the pointing of an LX200 (or compatible) telescope mount? A. Yes. Hundreds of LX200 owners use TPoint to improve their telescope's pointing. 
 

What does the term "RMS pointing" mean? A. RMS is an acronym for root-mean square, a statistical measurement that can be derived from a population of data. In the case of telescope pointing, RMS is used to quantify the accuracy of the telescope's pointing, based on telescope mapping data. A 30 arcsecond RMS means that the telescope would point to within 30 arcseconds 60 percent of the time. 

TPoint uses this measurement to quantify the "all sky" pointing for a particular imaging system.