The NJP is displaying some RA drift. It’s easy enough to guide out, but it’s definitely strange.
I need to gather more data. But I think that what I’m seeing is that the worm moves along its normal path but then at one point in its circuit, it jumps a large amount, then goes back to its regular path, then jumps again next cycle…
I am not sure what is causing the jump. I am also not sure whether it is a general RA speed problem, or whether it is a periodic error.
The jump makes it impossible to do unguided imaging. Since guided imaging is easy enough, I might not worry too much about it. But it is a pain for stuff like the moon…
EDIT: I have gathered some good tracking data displaying the error. It seems like the RA drift is pretty linear, with a period of 360sec. Here is the data:
NJP Tracking Log showing RA drift
Get a Losmandy G-11! This problem goes away.
Jimbo,
The observatory is not worth saving. Put all your equipment up on astromart, please.
Thank you,
A