Hi,

I explore using an intermediate scanner and I have a lot of fun doing it. Since you don't get the locations of everything in a system all at once, you have to search around and I have found some tips (on my own and from others) on how to do that more effectively.

Note: this takes considerably longer than simply honking once with an advanced scanner and there's no guarentee you will find everything, in fact, sometimes you won't and sometimes you know you won't. But I think it's a lot funner and internally rewarded.

Planets:

First thing I do when I enter a system is scan the main star and then 'honk' the system from there. You can do both at the same time.

Then I go to the System Map. Some of the keys that work in galaxy Map, also work in System Map (I use a keyboard) -Punch the D key to move your cursor to the right. It will only move as far as the total number of planets (including ones you haven't found yet) So if you are holding it down and it's not moving, there are no planets in that system. If it's just on the far edge of a planet, then you have found all the planets in that system. (congratulations!).

By seeing how far you can go with the D key, you get a rough idea of how many planets there are.

This works best with single star systems, since it goes as far as the farthest planet from any star. One star may have five planets and another only two.

Orbital Plane - All planets are on the same orbital plane. Once you have found one planet, all the other planets will be on roughly that same roughly plate shaped area.

In other words. If a planet is spinning around the sun's 'equator' , then they all are, none of them are travelling around North pole to South Pole. This has to do with how planets forms, but more importantly it cuts down of the amount of space you need to search. It'snot a completely flat plate, it's a range but not too wide of one.

Planets are numbered. If you have found Planet 1 and Planet 3, then you know for certain there is a Planet 2 in an orbit between them. It may not be directly on the path between them because it could be on the other side on the sun. But you do know a range of distance on the other side.

If the range is less than 2000ls (intermediate scanner has a 1000 ls radius, so 1000ls in every direction ). you can fly the orbit yourself. Fly out to the middle of the expected range (if Planet 1 is 1000ls from the sun and Planet 3 is 3000 ls from the sun, then you are looking for Planet 2 between 1000 ls and 3000 ls.), then turn so that the sun on the small compass on the left is directly on your side (either right or left),

It should be filled in, not hollow, start at a slowish speed (depends on the size of the orbit), (10c ? 20c? I would have to go check) and when you see the compass dot turn hollow, turn just enough to make it filled in again and continue doing that, in that way you are orbiting the sun (instead of going in a straight line away from it). You'll know you are doing it right because your distance away from it will never change (or not much).

While doing this, honk every time you can until you see the sun come around back to where it was (you have made a full orbit around the sun)

Distances. How far you want to go out looking for planets is up to you. Keep in mind that Pluto is 19,000 ls from the sun, Target the sun to use it as a space distance meter. You'll know how far out you are . Honk about every 500 ls if you can, there will be some overlap but that's ok since you'll be getting space on the sides. Don't go faster than 85c or so. At about 90c, you will miss space to scan before the scanner has reset. I stick to about 60-70c, I don't mind that my scans are overlapping, as I have caught bodies on the side that I wouldn't have otherwise caught. Keeping an eye on the distance and speed while at the same time looking out for moving objects (see parallax below), takes a lot of attention, if you are tired, it can be easy to forget one of them

On the way back to the star, you can go as fast as you want on the way back.

I will usually go the four main directions (so out, back, out the opposite way, back turn 90 degrees(quarter turn) and do it again), you can do as many as you want. You can use the sun and planets as a sort of compass, so you'll know how far 90 degrees is.

When you get to a planet, honk there, if you find a new planet, go there, if not keep going. if you spent a lot of time checking out moons, make sure you are still in a direction that keeps you in the orbital plane. It can be really easy to get turned around and pointing in an odd direction. Target the Sun or the current planet, to figure out which direction you are pointing and where you need to go (typically directly away from the sun and the current planet, within that same plane as the other planets).

Suns:

Suns are easier in some respects because the System Map will tell you how many there are and what configuration(orbiting each other or not).

To find the non primary stars in a system, start by targeting the primary star, you'll see an orbit line from it. Follow the orbit line. On a binary system, the second star is always along that orbit line. On systems with more than two stars, the stars near it if not on it themselves. When traveling to a star, you'll spend the first half speeding up and the second half slowing down. So you know when you begin to slow down, you have reached the half way point (this is most true when both stars have about the same mass, if the second star is much smaller, you'll slow down closer to the second star).

Parallax:

Searching visually using parallax is a good way of finding planets and stars long before they show up by 'honking' your discovery scanner.

When you are driving in a car, the houses zoom by but the hills in the background move much more slowly. This is called parallax. Things closer to you appear to move faster than things far away. When flying in Elite, the stars that are hundreds of ly away form an unmoving background, any points of light moving against that background are much closer. Only thing to the sides of your canopy window will move like that, not things directly in front of you. So if you see an object that's slightly larger than others and want to see if it's a nearby planet or sun, move so that it's to one of the sides of the window and then watch it intently for a few seconds and compare it to the rest of the stars, if it is moving, it's what you are looking for. The further to the side it is, the faster it will move. Once you have confirmed that, you can steer straight towards it. For suns, I have found I need to be going at least 50c and likely more before I see movement from them. The faster you go, the faster they will appear to move.

I found it hard at first to know what moving planets and stars looked like until I first saw them. so keep an eye out, once you see one, it will be pretty obvious.

When travelling to another suns, keep your eyes out for moving items, sometimes there are planets in an orbit between two suns that you will catch a sight of on the way there.

So those are the tips I can think of right now. if I remember any more , I'll add them and of course people are free to add their own.