The Technique
Star hopping uses bright stars as a guide to finding fainter objects. A knowledge of the relative positions of bright stars and target objects is essential. After planning the star hop with the aid of a star chart, the observer first locates one or more bright stars in a finderscope, reflex sight, or, at a low magnification, with the instrument to be used for observation. The instrument is then moved by one or more increments, possibly using a reticle to identify specific angular distances, to follow identified patterns of stars in the sky, until the target object is reached.
Using a telescope equipped with a properly aligned equatorial mount, the observer may also follow the equatorial coordinate system on a star map to "hop" or "slide" along the lines of right ascension or declination from a well known object to find a target. This can be assisted using setting circles.
Once an instrument is centered on the target object, higher magnifications may be used for observation.
Read more about this topic: Star Hopping
Famous quotes containing the word technique:
“The audience is the most revered member of the theater. Without an audience there is no theater. Every technique learned by the actor, every curtain, every flat on the stage, every careful analysis by the director, every coordinated scene, is for the enjoyment of the audience. They are our guests, our evaluators, and the last spoke in the wheel which can then begin to roll. They make the performance meaningful.”
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