Got to GoTo?

So if I yelled "Tastes Great!...Less Filling!" - what comes to mind? If you grew up in the 80's (and maybe even if you didn't) you'll recognize that as the catch phrase for Miller Light beer, ranked as one of the most successful marketing campaigns of that era. It epitomizes the situation of two camps staking out and digging in around their assessment of a product. 

Amateur astronomy has certainly seen its share of hotly debated issues. For many years as digital photography came to the marketplace we sparred over whether it would (or even could) replace film for capturing quality images of deep sky targets. That one seems to be settled. Then there is the occasional discussion of whether digital media is better than a hard copy. I'll confess that I still like a book/magazine/newspaper in its printed format over the digital. There is something thoroughly enjoyable about thumbing through a volume of Burnham's Celestial Handbook, perusing a constellation that will be available for viewing that night. But as the digital revolution has unfolded we also enjoy the portability and accessibility of online content.

One enduring topic of debate is most certainly the merits of using a computerized mount with "GoTo" capability when you are out under the stars. For the better part of 50 years I've been a star hopping guy, planning my trip to that evening's targets with a little research and printed maps to outline the approach to be used. Sometimes half the fun was that research and planning to capture the target, and then successfully bagging that faint fuzzy provided a sense of achievement and affirmation of my skills. Undoubtedly it gave me a foundation of the heavens and the ability to bring a variety of celestial showpieces into the eyepiece on any given evening without any aids.

As I've noted in prior postings, last August I invested in a Celestron CGX-L mount. My main motivation was the hope of better tracking for some photography and the ability for it to bear a larger OTA than my old Orion Atlas mount could handle. One of the features of the mount is, of course, "GoTo" functionality. I will confess that it's very seductive. 

My current project has been revisiting the AL Urban List objects using my 80mm Vixen refractor. The open clusters in Monoceros are particularly challenging since there are very few stellar guideposts available amid Bortle 8 skies to serve as a foothold when setting out on the star hop. So when taking the scope out this past week on a cold and clear winter evening my prep was primarily generating a list of objects along with a very brief description. Once aligned the mount did a fantastic job of centering the targets, leaving me time to inspect and sketch each of them. Where I might have bagged one, possibly two, of these clusters by star hopping I was instead treated to a very pleasant and productive session before my toes became too numb.

I would submit that there are strong parallels between "GoTo" functionality and our reliance on satellite navigation when driving to an unknown destination. It's said that many under the age of 25 simply have no skills for picking up a map and using it to see where they are and how to get where they need to go. While I do make use of apps like Wase from my phone, especially in heavy traffic or when driving solo to someplace I've not been to before, I often will not bother if the route is one I'm reasonably familiar with. As a teenager delivering prescriptions for my dad's pharmacy in Baltimore I acquired a pretty good sense of the main arteries and thoroughfares around here, so it seems natural to eschew the voice giving me commands and go my own way. It may be that getting your terrestrial bearings and navigating from a map is going to be relegated to a sort of black art practiced by old codgers like myself. I am still amazed sometimes how the person behind the counter is totally reliant on the cash register to determine the change due from a $7.23 meal when I hand them a $10 bill. Thanks dad, having me work at the pharmacy taught me that one as well.

But back to our task of celestial navigation. There is another value to star hopping beyond getting a grasp of the sky. As noted by Bob Prokop in a recent thread on the HAL group, you have no idea what little gems you are gliding past when in autopilot mode. I specifically recall stumbling across the beautiful double star WZ Cassiopeia one night on my way to NGC 7790. I likely spent more time looking at that then the intended target.

Perhaps the appropriate balance for a new telescope owner with the technology is to challenge themselves to star hop to the brighter Messier and Herschel 400 objects. It is not that hard and gives you the satisfaction of bagging the target based on your skills, not your equipment's. Take your time when sweeping the area for your quarry and soak in the neighborhood, letting your eye search for colors and your brain form interesting patterns among the field of stars. Simply because it does not get called out on an atlas doesn't mean it's unworthy of a few moments of admiration. But then when the need arises to find (or confirm) the end point of a challenging star hop, you'll find that computer assistance to be a real boon. Yes, computerized mounts can be highly efficient, but is that really where the enjoyment lies in amateur astronomy for you?