Quadrant
Helpless in space. Orientation in the sky is of great value for nighttime observations. There are many stars that all look the same from our perspective - small and round. So how do I find the North Star or Betelgeuse?
Finding the North Star is not difficult. First, look for the constellation “Big Dipper” and extend its “rear axis” five times. Polaris is used to adjust the mount of telescopes. Unlike the other stars, it stays in one place. It is almost on the celestial pole.
Things get more difficult with Betelgeuse. With a star map (or star software) and a quadrant, this is no problem either. You can use it to determine the coordinates of any star. We build a kind of telescope without lenses or mirrors so that we can “show” the position and find it. The tube is a piece of cable duct. For the rest, wood was cut to size with a jigsaw. All of this is on a simple photo tripod. The scales are laid out with AutoCAD to the exact degree, plotted with a computer printer and then laminated. Not pretty, but practical!
The two scales show the celestial coordinates azimuth and declination. This is a polar coordinate system.
