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For what it's worth, our servers check their time against an atomic clock at NASA four times a day, so they are usually accurate to within one second. The time on our web server when you loaded this page was: <% var server_date; server_date = new Date(); Response.Write(String(server_date)); %> (reload the page to get an up-to-date time).

A slick little program to update your Windows PC clock with atomic time is available here. Similar programs exist for other operating systems.

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Relatively dim at magnitude 10.1, it's not too exciting in most amateur-sized telescopes. However, this 3½ hour exposure by the HST reveals the extremely dusty nature of this galaxy. The rich clouds of interstellar dust, seen as dark patches and streaks silhouetted against the starlight, makes this one of the most photogenic galaxies in the northern hemisphere.

Variable star measurements made by the HST place NGC4414 about 62,000,000 light years away (that's about 364,434,864,854,400,000,000 miles or 586,971,360,000,000,000,000 kilometers!)

is based on the following calculations:

1. We calculate the location of each of the five naked-eye planets in the sky - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
2. For each, we figure the difference between the Earth's heliocentric longitude and the planet's. If this is less than 180° we initially label it "morning", more than 180°, "evening".
3. We check to see if the planet is within 10° of the Sun. If so, we do not list it at all.
4. For Mercury and Venus, we're done. Venus never gets more than about 47° from the Sun, so we make 50° our cutoff for "night" -- that way, Venus and Mercury are always morning or evening objects, never night.
5. For Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, we check if they are more than 50° from the Sun. If so, we replace the "morning" or "evening" label with "night."

1. Using the orbital parameters, calculate the position of the Moon at midnight.
2. Find the rise time for that position, for your location.
3. Re-calculate the position of the Moon at the rise time from step 2.
4. Re-calculate the rise time of the new position from step 3, for your location.
5. Find the set time for the position from step 1, for your location.
6. Re-calculate the position of the Moon at the set time from step 5.
7. Re-calculate the set time of the new position from step 6, for your location.

In addition, the HTML for the clocks require entering a specific clock name like this:

        <img src="http://cleardarksky.com/csk/getcsk.php?id=Boston">
      

We don't necessarily have that kind of data available -- all of our users are located by their lat/long.

So until this becomes a worldwide available feature, callable by lat/long, it's probably not something we can use.

Alternatively, you could create a seperate subscription with a different location and email address.

Just click on the "logout" link in the upper right corner of the home page in order to get back to the registration page. From there you can create another user with the new location and a different email.

Hit the logout link and enter the other email address in the "remember me" box any time you want to switch between them.

When comparing the data from various sources, you should consider plus or minus 10 minutes or so to be accurate. If you check several different websites and several different astronomy programs, you will get many different times. Here is example for a random summer day:

	by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer About the best all-around introductory book. Includes sections on telescopes, binoculars, eyepieces & other equipment, the moon, sun and planets, deep sky and astrophotography.
	by Philip S. Harrington This book is subtitled: The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories and that pretty much covers it! If you are considering any equipment purchase definitely make this book your first investment.
	by Wil Tirion Each two-page spread in the atlas section includes a star chart and a text listing of all the interesting objects to be found on the chart. The level of detail on the atlas pages strikes a good balance between clarity and complexity.

The IAU frequently receives requests from individuals who want to buy star names or name stars after other persons. Some commercial enterprises purport to offer such services for a fee. However, such "names" have no formal or official validity whatever: A few bright stars have ancient, traditional Arabic names, but otherwise stars have just catalogue numbers and positions on the sky. Similar rules on "buying" names apply to star clusters and galaxies as well. For bodies in the Solar System, special procedures for assigning official names apply, but in no case are commercial transactions involved.

As an international scientific organization, the IAU dissociates itself entirely from the commercial practice of "selling" fictitious star names or "real estate" on other planets or moons in the Solar System. Accordingly, the IAU maintains no list of the (several competing) enterprises in this business in individual countries of the world. Readers wanting to contact such enterprises despite the explanations given below should search commercial directories in their country of origin.

In the past, certain such enterprises have suggested to customers that the IAU is somehow associated with, recognizes, approves, or even actively collaborates in their business. The IAU wishes to make it totally clear that any such claim is patently false and unfounded. The IAU will appreciate being informed, with appropriate documentation, of all cases of illegal abuse of its name, and will pursue all documented cases by all available means.

Thus, like true love and many other of the best things in human life, the beauty of the night sky is not for sale, but is free for all to enjoy. True, the 'gift' of a star may open someone's eyes to the beauty of the night sky. This is indeed a worthy goal, but it does not justify deceiving people into believing that real star names can be bought like any other commodity.

Most of these firms claim the star name you have paid for is 1) unique, 2) preserved forever, and 3) registered with the national library or copyright and trademark office. Unfortunately, 1) nothing prevents your or any other dealer from selling "your" star to anyone else, 2) the name you paid for can be ignored, forgotten, or sold again, and 3) anyone can (and in most cases must) send a copy of any published book to the national library and any work (including fiction) can be copyrighted or trademarked. Giving the book a library number doesn't mean that the library approves the contents or checks that no companies "sell" the same star to different people.

If you love the stars and a very special person and want to do something for him/her, there are plenty of things you can do that do not involve the purchase of fictitious goods:

• Go to your nearest planetarium or local amateur or professional observatory. They are staffed with people who feel just the same. They often have stores with books with wonderful astronomy pictures from the ground or from space, or fine astronomy magazines that all make great gifts.
• Look up the local astronomy club or society where enthusiasts will be happy to show you and your friend the real stars through their own telescopes. Maybe you'll get infected and end up buying a telescope yourself.
• Purchase one of the many computer star atlases or planetarium programs so you can explore the entire sky in the comfort of your own home. These programs contain millions of stars and often cost less than the name of a single star -- don't pay a markup by buying your stars one at a time!

To find complete Sun and Moon data for a specific date check this page at the U.S. Naval Observatory. They also have tables that cover an entire year available here.

For more detailed data the most accurate and extensive source is the HORIZONS Online Solar System Data and Ephemeris Computation Service provided by the Solar System Dynamics Group of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Full instructions for using this free service are available here.

There are several ways to get a more accurate location. If you live in the U.S., the easiet one is to visit the Census Bureau Gazetteer. Enter your ZIP code and leave the place name fields blank. The lat/long you get back should have an accuracy better than 5 miles.

To get within a couple hundred feet, go to the TopoZone website and enter your city and state. When the map comes up, check the "D/M/S" option under "coordinates" at the bottom of the map. Then just place the cursor over your house and read the coordinates in your browser's status bar.

The only way to get more accurate than that is to invest in a GPS receiver. Even the most inexpensive ones, like those below, will give you a position accurate to about 18 inches. Expect to spend about $100.

In practical terms, you only need to be accurate to about 20 miles when setting up a "go-to" telescope, so the first method is more than good enough.

The three most common maladies are:

1. Shaky Tripod and Mount
   You might not think that the mounting has much to do with getting a quality image, but if it jiggles so much that you can't focus properly or you can't find and center objects because the scope swings back an inch or two when you let go of it, then your viewing ability will definitely be affected. The first step is to go through and check that all the nuts and bolts are properly tightened and re-grease the moving spots that need it. Unfortunately, this usually isn't enough. You can buy a new mounting, but the more inexpensive ones are usually the same as what you have and the better ones aren't really worth the investment for a scope this size.

   One possible solution is to build a new mount - Richard Berry's Build Your Own Telescope has two good, easy to build, wooden refractor mounts and tripods. Another route is to keep the mounting, but get rid of the tripod - it's usually the biggest source of wobble. Building a new tripod is fairly simple, and almost any effort will be an improvement.

2. Eyepieces
   The eyepieces supplied with these scopes are generally of poor quality and far too high a power. The power, or magnification, you get with any eyepiece can be determined by dividing the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. For example, a 6mm eyepiece in a 900mm telescope gives 150x magnification. Any magnification is possible with the right eyepiece, and these scopes are regularly sold with claims or 500x or more on the box. However, the maximum usable power for any telescope is about 50x per inch of aperture. For a 60mm refractor, this is about 120x. Any magnification higher than this gives you a dim, out of focus, useless mess.

   In addition, the eyepiece designs most commonly supplied with these scopes (the Huygenian, Ramsden, and Kellner) are chosen for their economy, not their quality. Replacing the supplied eyepieces with better Plossl or Orthoscopic designs will give you a noticeable improvement. Most eyepieces for larger scopes are made in 2" and 1-1/4" barrel sizes, but these 60mm refractors use 0.965" barrels. Be aware, the selection of quality eyepieces in this size is extremely limited.

3. Lens Cell
   The last problem common to these telescopes is also the easiest to fix. Often a former owner (or even the factory!) will have noticed that the objective lens rattles in its cell and tried to "fix" it by tightening the cell. The objective is supposed to be somewhat loose. When the cell is tightened down, it puts strain on the objective lens, causing distorted images.

If the latter, get a copy of Build Your Own Telescope by Richard Berry. It covers all the mechanical aspects of building several good "first scopes". And don't worry, you won't be shunned by other telescope makers because you didn't grind your own mirror!

If you want to jump in with both feet, get How to Make a Telescope by Jean Texereau. It's pretty much the modern bible for mirror grinding.

The next step is to shop for ideas:

• If possible go to a star party or one of the ATM conventions like Stellafane or Riverside.
• Look at the telescope making articles in older issues of Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines.
• Look around this and other ATM web pages, especially the photo gallery section.

Your objective should be to look at a lot of amateur-built scopes. You'll get a good idea for what is currently popular, what works and what doesn't, and you'll get some ideas for what you might want to build yourself.

Another test you can try is to take the mirror outside in the bright sun and angle it so that the sunlight barely grazes off the surface near the edge of the mirror. Any area that is not completely polished will appear slightly hazy.

All that being said, a few minor pits left over will not be a major disaster - the mirror will have more dust than pits on it after just a few evenings use. In most cases, pits left after 8 hours or more polishing are left over from fine grinding. Most amateurs don't spend enough time working with 12 micron and smaller abrasives. Many, many hours of polishing can be saved with just a little extra time in fine grinding.