Why can’t I find the moon and planets with my SkyProdigy?

If your SkyProdigy can locate deep-sky objects but can’t find the moon and planets, check your mount’s real-time clock (RTC). The RTC keeps Universal Time (UT), widely used by astronomers. It is very close to Greenwich Mean Time, the time used in certain European countries.

To check your RTC, first go here to get the present UT and UT date: http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?UTC/s/0

Now power up your mount. Once it displays “SkyProdigy Ready”, press the MENU button. Use the scroll buttons to find “Time and Location” and press ENTER. Scroll again until you see View/Mod Time” and press ENTER. The top display line “Time” should now show the UT while the second line should show the UT date. The third line should say “UTC +0” and the fourth line DST should say “No.”

If these values aren’t displayed as they should be, then press ENTER to modify them. Use the numeric keys as needed for the time and date. Continue pressing ENTER until the “Time and Location” menu selection reappears on the top line of the LCD, and “View/Mod Time” reappears on the second line.

Changes will be saved when the mount is turned off.

Updated 12/18/13