Learning the Fine Art of PEMPro

Hi All...

Well after two sessions in the POD trying to fine tune the polar alignment of the telescope's mount, I think I'm finally learning how to speak PEMPro :-)  PEMPro is a piece of software that enables an amateur astronomer to improve the performance of the mount with some assistance from the computer.  For those that haven't shopped for a telescope and mount recently, telescopes can be had for some very reasonable prices with very good performance. Mounts? Forget it!  They're extremely expensive to get one that has good enough accuracy to use for serious astrophotography.  So what to do if you can't drop the price of a Kia (automobile) on a telescope mount?  You by a less expensive one, tweak it to eliminate any gross errors and then use software like PEMPro to measure and correct for the remaining tracking errors.  I must admit, it was quite aggravating to sit under clear dark skies in my POD last week and not be able to LOOK at anything besides the little zigzag track of a solo star on the screen as I learned my way thru the software. Last night I had to do the same thing, but alas - now my mount is accurately polar aligned. Next session I'll be able to get a good characterization of the residual mount errors and null them out.  Then I will finally be able to start some serious astrophotography - Yea!

After all that time in the POD without any actual viewing time, I had to pull out my little 60mm Zeiss Telementor II vintage refractor and point it at a couple double stars and Jupiter.  This little scope so amazes me!  It is an example of German engineering at its finest!  The views thru it (with original Zeiss eyepieces) are incredibly sharp and very contrasty.  I always see as much thru that little scope as thru most 80 to 100 mm scopes.  That's why Zeiss scopes have consistently appreciated in value.  Good idea for us too -- whatever we do, do it without compromise and absolute best we can and in return, we will appreciate in value to others...