You need a GPS to go with your telescope. Absolutely need it. At first, I set time and location myself, but that’s too much of a hassle and it really helps to have the precision of a GPS to get the NexStar aligned well. Perfect alignment is the reason you bought a GOTO telescope. Having had a non motorized telescope as a kid, I can tell you I have seen a hundred time more objects since I got the NexStar than in all the years I had a 60 mm/f=1000 mm/40x refractor as a kid. And this is only because of the NexStar computer. Hunting down faint objects is a lot of work without a GOTO telescope, especially in bad surroundings like the light polluted Netherlands where I live.
So I got the Celestron CN16 GPS. It’s not the kind of GPS you may be used to. Like, my telephone finds GPS satellites in mere seconds, while the CN16 needs to be outside for several minutes before it reports GPS linkage:
I’ve made it a habit to put the telescope outside well before starting observation, so the tube can get used to the cold outside while the GPS is linking to satellites. I can then go inside, get warm and make a plan of what I’m going to look at. I highly recommend developing a similar procedure for yourself, to avoid frustration and waiting time.
