Paramount User Guide
159
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P a g e
For a given optical system, if the telescope is pointed to the correct star and
TheSkyX Professional Edition’s
location, date, time, time zone match the observing location, the resulting hour angle and declination of
the home position should remain fairly consistent (but not necessarily identical) for each synchronization.
Since star synchronization is critical to the Paramount’s normal operation, if the relative hour angle or the
relative declination of the home sensor position is appreciably different between successive
synchronizations, most likely the wrong star was used for the synchronization (and the Paramount can no
longer point accurately). If necessary, restore an earlier synchronization, or synchronize the Paramount
again to correct this situation.
Note that the Synchronization History Report is updated only
after
reconnecting to the mount from a
previous session. The report will not be updated in “real time” when a new synchronization occurs.
Revert
Highlight a line in the
Synchronization Report
and then click this button to replace the existing
synchronization with this one.
Remove All
Click this button to permanently remove all of the entries in the
Synchronization History
list.
Software Slew Limits
The typical or normal orientation of a GEM is when the optical tube assembly end of the declination axis
is on one side of the pier when the observed object is on the opposite side of meridian. In this orientation,
the counterweight shaft is “below horizontal” and the mount’s payload cannot collide with the side of the
pier, so there is little risk of damaging your equipment.
Operating a GEM in an “atypical” orientation (see Figure 88), that is, when the optical tube assembly end
of the declination axis and the observed object are on the same side of the meridian offers several
advantages:
An observed object can be tracked “through the meridian” without having to flip sides during the
exposure. This maintains the orientation of the field of view. Switching sides rotates the image
plane by 180 degrees.
Guide stars do not have to be reacquired. Flipping sides requires reacquisition of the guide star
when the mount slews to the “the other side of the pier”.
However, the significant disadvantage of operating a GEM in an atypical orientation is that the mount’s
payload can collide with the side of the pier. While the Paramount’s control system is current limited so
that running into a fixed object will automatically stop slewing, and tracking, it is always best to keep your
expensive optical equipment from running into
anything
.
The
Software Slew Limits
options allow the Bisque TCS software limits to be configured such that the
payload of a GEM cannot encounter the side of the pier.
