What is a latitude and longitude platform?
Simply put, it is a stand that makes the astronomical telescope move up and down and horizontally with respect to the horizon. (See below).
The main structure of the latitude and longitude platform
It is more troublesome to describe in words, as long as you remember to make the astronomical telescope move up and down and horizontally with respect to the horizon. For the specific structure, please refer to the figure below. Despite their various appearances, they all belong to the category of latitude and longitude.
The operation method of astronomical telescope +latitude and longitude platform
We know that the latitude and longitude Observatory is a stand that makes the astronomical telescope move up and down/left and right. The change in the direction of the telescope is easy to understand, and because of its lightweight, it is the first choice for beginners. However, because most of the stars in the sky are moving daily and weekly, their trajectory in the sky is an arc, so when you use high magnification to watch the stars, you will feel very busy, so you must pay attention to whether it is a latitude and longitude platform when you buy a latitude and longitude platform. It has up and down and horizontal left and right fine-tuning mechanisms and the feel of these fine-tuning handles to see if it is smooth and smooth (this is one of the key factors that distinguish junk goods from genuine products).
1>According to the constellation disk, etc., determine the celestial body you want to watch, and then confirm its direction and position. Finally, set the specific location of the latitude and longitude platform and the angle of the telescope.
2>In order to find the celestial body you want to watch conveniently, you must first choose the eyepiece with the lowest magnification (generally, the eyepiece with low magnification has a large field of view and is easier to search for the target).
3> Hold the lens body of the telescope firmly by the hand, loosen the locking mechanism of the warp and weft table, and slowly point the lens barrel in the direction (approximate direction) of the target you want to watch.
4> Adjust the fine-tuning handwheel on the stand, and slowly move the celestial body you want to watch to the center of the finder mirror (of course, you have to adjust the viewing angle of the finder mirror and the astronomical telescope before this).
5> Then watch through the eyepieces. At this time, the celestial body you want to see should appear in the field of view of the telescope. First adjust the focus until the target is clearly seen, and then slowly adjust the target to the center of the telescope’s field of view through the fine-tuning handwheel on the stand.
6> Gently remove the eyepiece, replace it with a higher magnification eyepiece, and try the feeling of high magnification viewing. If you feel that the image is clear and bright, you can continue to increase the viewing magnification until you find a suitable magnification.
7> Finally, one thing must be paid attention to, that is, during the viewing process, you must not hold the astronomical telescope body with your hands, and try not to touch the body of the telescope after you adjust the focus to a suitable position. Because the shaking of the hand will seriously affect the viewing of details
The precautions for purchasing the latitude and longitude platform
The role of the latitude and longitude platform is to carry the astronomical telescope and enable us to easily find and track the celestial bodies we want to watch. So sturdiness and smooth movement (especially fine-tuning parts) are the two most important basic qualities that a latitude and longitude table should possess.
In order to meet the requirements of sturdiness, the weight of a latitude and longitude platform (together with a tripod) is recommended not to be less than 5 kg, otherwise, the astronomical telescope will be very unstable, shake, and cannot be used under high magnification.
Regarding the smoothness of the moving parts, generally speaking, I suggest that you try to adjust the up and down and left and right movements of the warp and weft table as slowly as possible before purchasing, and carefully feel the state of the moving parts to see if there is any Gada’s unsmoothness, and is there any time to return? If you don’t have the opportunity to go to the store to confirm in person, you must also buy from a trusted manufacturer. It is best to confirm with the manufacturer if defective products are found after receiving the goods, can they be returned?