Re: [guide-user] Re: Scope control, coordinate systems
Bill J Gray Oct 16 4:05 PM
Hi Ben,
Sounds as if you're getting the results I described:
When you click on Vega and get those coordinates, they are
shown in whatever coordinate system is selected in Settings...
RA/Dec format. Therefore,
"...GO TO | VEGA gives center of screen 18:36:56.331 / N38:47:1.178
and Vega is located at 18:36:56.390 /38:47:2.35"
...both of these are in J2000, differing only by the very
small amount by which Vega has moved since 1 January 2000 (and
even that small difference will vanish with the next update.)
But when Guide has to communicate with the scope, it doesn't
use the epoch _you_ want (and selected in the RA/Dec Format box);
it uses the epoch the _scope_ wants (and it wants the epoch of
date), so:
"...Center on Vega and command 'Slew telescope' sends 18:37:05
/ 38:47:14 to the telescope."
If, in the RA/Dec Format box, you had selected the "epoch
of date" option, then all the RA/Decs would resemble the one
sent to the scope. But epoch of date and J2000 disagree now
by a couple of arcminutes, as you found.
-- Bill