How to Slew to Lunar Features in
TheSky6
This page describes how to use TheSky6 to slew your
telescope to a specific lunar feature in conjunction with TheSky6's
Tools | Clementine Moon Viewer command. This example uses the upcoming event
where spacecraft
Smart-1
the first European Space
Agency (ESA) lunar orbiting satellite is intentionally going to be crashed on the
moon, the predicted impact site (currently) is near the lunar feature Excellentiae - "The Lake of
Excellence".
Read about the
upcoming event on Sept 2 2006 here!
Since we know the approximate
location of the impact, TheSky6's access to the Clementine lunar data can be used to position your
telescope on the approximate location of the lunar feature. Here is how.
First access the Tools | Moon Viewer
in TheSky6. Next, type in the name of the lunar feature to search, such as "Excellentiae"
(there are about 8,000 cataloged features). When the lunar feature
is found mark the High Res option. See below.
Search the lunar feature by
name here
The feature is identified for you
Note the name of the lake on
the upper right of the photographic plate. Due to the structure of the
original plate data, highly accurate centering of the lunar feature may or may not be
possible.
When the High Res option is
marked, if you now center on the Moon in TheSky6's main display the location
of this feature is now highlighted for you indicating the approximate
position on the moon.
Moon TheSky6's Virtual Sky
Lunar feature location highlighted
Date and Time set for correct phase
Note the label Excellentiae on
the moon display here was added by me, do not expect it to show only the
blue highlighted area. Now click on the highlighted area where the feature is located, then
select the entry Cursor Position in the Object Information dialog, followed by a Slew
to the Cursor Position. See below.
DO NOT slew
to the first entry the "Moon" which is the center of the moon off
the target area. The Cursor position is the second entry in
the list and is shown below as the bulls eye in the target area.
Use entry number 2 Cursor Position as shown
Use highlighted Down Arrow
to go down the list of objects to "Cursor position"
You may have to refine the position
further. The Clementine data in TheSky6 can be used as
a reference or use other moon maps to aid you. Here
live video is a great
tool! <-Click for details on using live video cameras for
telescope imaging.
Hires finder chart for
impact site(s)
Once you have acquired the target area if your
telescope has the ability to track on the moon (for example,
Paramount ME users), use
the option Set Tracking Rates on the Telescope tab.
Large Image Scale
Still enough coverage!
TheSky CCD mask showing an
11 inch telescope at f/10 using an SBIG ST-9E CCD
Should cover all possible impact sites!
Wait how can TheSky do this?
You can have your field of vied indicator Mask
the background outside of the field as shown above.
Telescope Mask
Great for at the scope imaging
The amount of masking - the
transparency is controlled here,
Amount of mask transparency
Pick Opacity percentage here
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