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"For several months now I have had the pleasure of testing
the new Aim Controls' EQ4 mount and the Coordinate III control
system. This was in a effort to replace my out of date Compustar
11. Last November I took a night to attempt some spectra of
M42... All systems are remote controlled from the control
room some 20 feet from the dome. After setting the scope to
M42 just to the left of the FOV so the spectra would be at
the right of the image, I proceeded to start around 11:30
Pm and continued tracking to about 3:30 AM the next morning.
What was very noticeable at shut down, I had not required
one change in the scopes location. The tracking was dead on
the whole time span, with M42 always in the exact location
from the time I started. This, of coarse, was from the East
to the South West when done. No other scope and GOTO
computer I have ever used could match this. I might add that
several have been tried on the same pier and optical tube
assembly. I credit the Coordinate III computer. It has
such an outstanding ability to be programed to do many things
and correct for any error I may have in alignment, plus the
ability to drive the stepper motors so accurately, nothing
can touch it. I have included some samples of the spectra
from that night. I took around 40 shots to try for the best
one using the Meade 416 CCD camera, and my home made spectrometer.
This combination of the GOTO computer and the EQ4 base are
the best thing to happen to amateur astronomy."
Mike McNeil, Comanche North Observatory (cno@caltel.com)
Note: above values are stated in angstroms
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The following three spectrograph images/charts are of the
cloud in M42showing well defined hydrogen lines and some presence
of methane. These spectra were taken with an EQ-4 mount and
Coordinate III controller.
Note: above values are stated in angstroms
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