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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:09 pm
by klutz
Tachyon wrote:
alex76 wrote:cos I still not too sure how to find orientation on the sky...
You can use a compass. Do you still have one left over from NS or Scout days?
[font=Comic Sans MS] [/font] I've just read the FAQ on "North Pole Shifting". They mentioned that the compass is used to detect the magnetic North, not the geographic North wo.... And since now the North Pole is shifting, the North on the Compass wouldn't be accurate anymore, rite?

Is there any other way to identify the geographic direction in order to view/find the stars? Dun tell me to use the stars as identification of the direction... I'll be more lost than ever.... Thanks.

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 7:59 pm
by ykchia
Hi:

May I suggest you start with the basics - you do know where the sun rises and sets in your own house do you? I have come across people that dont know sun rises in the east and sets in the west. So when some one says a bright object in the west pm - you know where to look....from your block..

So when you face the north and have east on your right hand side, west is on the left and south behind you..

Then you will discover stars/planets rise in the east and set towards west...


rgds
ykchia

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:08 pm
by klutz
Goodness... I know where the sun rises and where the sun set. But this has never cross my mind before. So silly of me... Anyway, I've just shifted to Tampines and I still haven't got a chance to find out where the sun sets and rises from my flat... never had the chance to. :) Will try to figure that part out. Thanks, dude.

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:57 pm
by Jin Peng
hm..... i am wondering how to find pluto using a 8"newtonian... pin point star-like object, shoul be the case. Anyone know any direction to find it?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:56 am
by Canopus Lim
The magnetic north is not the true north. The true north is taken as the north of the earth's axis of rotation. The magnetic north reading is different at different parts of earth. In Singapore, I think it is quite accurate, more accurate than in USA. More accurate meaning the north of the compass is pointing more towards the true north. When finding the direction, it is always necessary to offset the magnetic north with the true north, that is if the map tells how much to offset. In the northern hemisphere, the north star (polaris) points towards the true north; and this star never rise nor set as it is stationary there throughout the night. It can't be seen in Singapore as it is like 1 degree above the horizon.

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 9:49 am
by Tachyon
However, if the Celestron Skyscout can locate the true north, then it could be very useful.

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:23 pm
by starfinder
Jin Peng wrote:hm..... i am wondering how to find pluto using a 8"newtonian... pin point star-like object, shoul be the case. Anyone know any direction to find it?

At magnitude 14, I'm certain Pluto will not be visible from Singapore. However, perhaps it could be photographed from here, though I doubt it.


I've tried to see it thru an 8" SCT at Mersing, but could not confirm if what I was seeing was Pluto or a background star. Whatever it was, it was very faint. I didn't prepare for it or would have had the proper charts.


These days, Pluto is in the constellation Serpens Caput, which is next to Saggitarius. At 6am tomorrow, for example, it will be 21 degrees above the horizon in the ESE.

Here is a finder chart for Pluto in 2005:
http://www.rasnz.org.nz/SolarSys/Pluto.htm