Searching for Visyar Bright Star Catalogue: Help Needed!

[Soilwork]

I'm wanting to look at a bright star catalogue and I've been told to use something pronounced as visy-ar. I've typed 'visear', 'visiar' and some other spellings in google and can't find the site. Does anyone know the link at all and how the name of this database is actually spelled?

 

[nazzard]

Hello Soilwork,

this might be the one http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/

Regards and clear skies!

nazzard

 

[Soilwork]

Thank You!

That is indeed it. Now I can just hope that this 'star-hopping' method using nearby bright stars will help me in identifying fainter stars using star maps.

Really appreciate your help

 

[neutrino]

Hi Soilwork,
I wouldn't recommend a site like vizier for learning star-hopping. It's aimed more towards the professionals. For your purpose, a star-charting program should do fine. I can say only good things about http://www.stargazing.net/astropc" .

 

[Soilwork]

Thanks for suggesting that. I will give it a go and see if it works.

As of now though I'm having huge trouble finding ~10 V. magnitude stars using the star maps and because the telescope isn't reliable in pointing absolutely accurately, the stars never appear in the FOV of the camera. Another problem is the re-focusing when switching between eyepiece and camera, which seems to knock the stars out of the FOV of the camera.

It's getting quite frustrating and I'd appreciate if anyone had any tips.
I was told that a flip mirror could be used, but at the same time I was told that it isn't that great. I mean the people I know aren't particularly experts, but they are getting me involved in observing and so all my information comes from conversations with them. So if any of you could verify the flip mirror suggestion I'd be greatful too.