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5. Complete Functions of GoToNova
®
Hand Controller
5.1. Slew to an Object
Press the MENU button. From the main menu select “Select and Slew.” Select an object that you
would like to observe and press the ENTER key.
The GoToNova 8406 hand controller has a database of about 580,000 objects. Use the ► or ◄
buttons to move the cursor. Use the number buttons to enter the number, or the ▼ or ▲ buttons to change
the individual number. The “
” indicates the object is above the horizon, and a cross mark “ ” means it is
below the horizon. In some catalogs those stars below the horizon will not display on the hand controller.
5.1.1. Planets, Sun, Moon
There are 10 objects in the Solar system catalog.
5.1.2. Deep sky objects
This menu includes objects outside our Solar system such as galaxies, star clusters, quasars, and
nebulae.
• Named deepsky objects: consists of 60 deep sky objects with their common names. A list of
named deep sky objects is included in Appendix E.
• Messier Catalog: consists of all 110 Messier objects.
• NGC IC Catalog: consists of 7,840 objects in NGC catalog and 5,386 objects in IC catalog. To
select an object from NGC or IC catalog, move the cursor to NGC, using▲ or ▼ button to toggle
between NGC and IC. Then move the cursor to a numerical position and use the number button
to select the object.
• UGC Catalog: consists of 12,939 objects.
• MCG Catalog: consists of 29,004 objects.
• Caldwell Catalog: consists of 109 objects.
• Abell Catalog: consists of 2,712 objects.
• Herschel Catalog: consists of 400 objects.
5.1.3. Comets
This catalog contains 233 comets.
5.1.4. Asteroids
This catalog contains 231,665 asteroids.
5.1.5. Stars:
• Named Stars: consists of 191 stars with their common names. They are listed alphabetically. A
list is included in Appendix E.
• Double Stars: consists of 211 double stars. A list is attached in Appendix E.
• GCVS Variable Stars: consists of 38,624 GCVS variable stars. They are listed numerically.
• SAO Catalog: consists of 258,997 SAO catalog objects. They are listed numerically.