Telescope Coordinates?

Question

Does anyone know a site that tells you the coordinates time and date that outer space objects will be visible for my TeleStar Telescope by Meade?

Answer 1

Try these links:

Answer 2

Fixed stars, nebulae, and galaxies always have the same coordinates. If you have a sky map, you can find it there. Google Earth now has a map of the sky too. You have to download the Google Earth software -- it's free -- then in the "View" menu, choose "Switch to sky". If you can't see the coordinate grid, hit Ctlr+L to switch it on and off.

Planets are trickier, because they change their position all the time. You need an ephemeris that gives you the positions every day (or sometimes even more often).

Here's a good online ephemeris from the Jet Propulsion Lab:

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi

Answer 3

You don't need coordinates UNLESS your scope has setting circles-- which it does NOT.

All you need is a star chart-

http://www.skymaps.com    free monthly star chart

or buy a book like "Objects in the Heaven" by Peter Birren, available on amazon.com.

and you "star hop" to the object you want to see.

http://education.gsu.edu/spehar/FOCUS/As...

You have a computer goto scope... it should find the object once it has been aligned properly.

Answer 4

Try this site:

http://www.astronomy.com/asy/stardome/de...

It has this neat utility that shows objects computed thousands of years into the future!  Or next week if that's what you need!