Drift Alignment vs Alignmaster

[Craigyboy3542]

It appears I need to get a better polar alignment for astrophotography and having looked around and been given so advise on others posts I have made it appears I have 2 options Drift Alignment and Alignmaster, does anyone have experience with both of these and can advise which is best?

Drift Alignment looks very complicated and I am still struggling to get my head around it, however Alignmaster looks very easy but I believe the data/codes used for it are from 2000 so basically 14 years out of date….

Which one to use!!!....

[PhotoGav]

Well, I haven't gone down the drift alignment route as I thought that I would try Alignmaster first... I've never looked back! It works fantastically well. I do occasionally have trouble with choosing the two alignment stars as, from my location, there can be trees or my house in the way, but it is very rare. I am guiding, so that obviously helps, but the better the PA the better the guiding and I seem to be acquiring 1200s subs with no problems at all, even with a Celestron 8".

So, Alignmaster gets my recommendation with no hesitation. Followed by getting guiding going - that will make the biggest difference to your imaging!

Good luck.

[r3i]

Drift alignment using PHD is straightforward enough, there are postings on this site explaining how to do it.  It does take a bit of time to do though.

I've recently switched over to using Alignmaster.  I've found it quick and simple to use.  As with Gav I've sometimes had to choose less optimal star pairs due to local obstructions but these still give a good result.

[ollypenrice]

Software is fine if it bahaves. The drift method cannot misbehave...

Olly

[JamesF]

I use the drift alignment method in APT with my 450D.  Works very nicely.

James

[Earl]

Alignmaster was great at my old house as i had a good northen horizon, but here in our current house its pretty useless...

I wish it had an option for you to choose the stars you wish to use rather than present you with pairs, regardless of quality.

[Brent]

Alignmaster was great at my old house as i had a good northen horizon, but here in our current house its pretty useless...

I wish it had an option for you to choose the stars you wish to use rather than present you with pairs, regardless of quality.

You can add your own stars to the steme.txt file. My views SSW to NNE are none existant, so it really helped me.

My horizons are all really bad as well, so even though I got my head around drift alignment it has always been a no-go for me. Alignmaster is a godsend in that situation.

[teleskopjo]

This is the contents of my sterne.txt

RA: 01h 37m 43.0s  Dek: -57 14 12  Achernar

RA: 12h 26m 36.0s  Dek: -63 05 54  Acrux

RA: 06h 58m 38.0s  Dek: -28 58 18  Adhara

RA: 04h 35m 55.0s  Dek: +16 30 30  Aldebaran

RA: 03h 08m 10.0s  Dek: +40 57 18  Algol

RA: 06h 37m 43.0s  Dek: +16 23 54  Alhena

RA: 12h 54m 02.0s  Dek: +55 57 30  Alioth

RA: 13h 47m 32.0s  Dek: +49 18 42  Alkaid

RA: 02h 03m 54.0s  Dek: +42 19 42  Almach

RA: 22h 08m 14.0s  Dek: -46 57 36  Alnair

RA: 05h 36m 13.0s  Dek: -01 12 06  Alnilam

RA: 05h 40m 46.0s  Dek: -01 56 30  Alnitak

RA: 09h 27m 35.0s  Dek: -08 39 30  Alphard

RA: 15h 34m 41.0s  Dek: +26 42 48  Alphecca

RA: 00h 08m 23.0s  Dek: +29 05 24  Alpheratz

RA: 19h 50m 47.0s  Dek: +08 52 00  Altair

RA: 16h 29m 24.0s  Dek: -26 25 54  Antares

RA: 14h 15m 40.0s  Dek: +19 10 54  Arcturus

RA: 08h 22m 31.0s  Dek: -59 30 30  Avior

RA: 05h 25m 08.0s  Dek: +06 20 54  Bellatrix

RA: 05h 55m 10.0s  Dek: +07 24 24  Betelgeuse

RA: 06h 23m 57.0s  Dek: -52 41 42  Canopus

RA: 05h 16m 41.0s  Dek: +46 59 48  Capella

RA: 00h 09m 11.0s  Dek: +59 08 54  Caph

RA: 20h 41m 26.0s  Dek: +45 16 48  Deneb

RA: 11h 49m 04.0s  Dek: +14 34 18  Denebola

RA: 00h 43m 35.0s  Dek: -17 59 06  Diphda

RA: 16h 00m 20.0s  Dek: -22 37 12  Dschubba

RA: 11h 03m 44.0s  Dek: +61 45 00  Dubhe

RA: 05h 26m 17.0s  Dek: +28 36 24  Elnath

RA: 17h 56m 36.0s  Dek: +51 29 18  Eltanin

RA: 22h 57m 39.0s  Dek: -29 37 18  Fomalhaut

RA: 12h 31m 10.0s  Dek: -57 06 48  Gacrux

RA: 17h 37m 19.0s  Dek: -43 59 48  Girtab

RA: 14h 03m 49.0s  Dek: -60 22 18  Hadar

RA: 02h 07m 10.0s  Dek: +23 27 42  Hamal

RA: 18h 24m 10.0s  Dek: -34 23 00  Kaus Australis

RA: 14h 50m 42.0s  Dek: +74 09 18  Kochab

RA: 08h 44m 42.0s  Dek: -54 42 24  Koo She

RA: 05h 59m 32.0s  Dek: +44 56 48  Menkalinam

RA: 14h 06m 41.0s  Dek: -36 22 06  Menkent

RA: 09h 13m 12.0s  Dek: -69 43 00  Miaplacidus

RA: 12h 47m 43.0s  Dek: -59 41 18  Mimosa

RA: 05h 32m 00.0s  Dek: -00 17 54  Mintaka

RA: 01h 09m 44.0s  Dek: +35 37 12  Mirach

RA: 03h 24m 19.0s  Dek: +49 51 36  Mirfak

RA: 06h 22m 42.0s  Dek: -17 57 18  Mirzam

RA: 13h 23m 56.0s  Dek: +54 55 30  Mizar

RA: 12h 41m 31.0s  Dek: -48 57 30  Mulifain

RA: 08h 03m 35.0s  Dek: -40 00 12  Naos

RA: 18h 55m 16.0s  Dek: -26 17 48  Nunki

RA: 20h 25m 39.0s  Dek: -56 44 06  Peacock

RA: 02h 31m 49.0s  Dek: +89 15 48  Polaris

RA: 07h 45m 19.0s  Dek: +28 01 30  Pollux

RA: 07h 39m 18.0s  Dek: +05 13 30  Procyon

RA: 17h 34m 56.0s  Dek: +12 33 36  Rasalhague

RA: 16h 48m 40.0s  Dek: -69 01 36  RasAlMuthallath

RA: 08h 09m 32.0s  Dek: -47 20 06  Regor

RA: 10h 08m 22.0s  Dek: +11 58 00  Regulus

RA: 05h 14m 32.0s  Dek: -08 12 06  Rigel

RA: 14h 39m 36.0s  Dek: -60 50 06  Rigil Kentaurus

RA: 20h 22m 14.0s  Dek: +40 15 24  Sadr

RA: 05h 47m 45.0s  Dek: -09 40 06  Saiph

RA: 17h 33m 36.0s  Dek: -37 06 12  Shaula

RA: 00h 40m 30.0s  Dek: +56 32 12  Shedar

RA: 06h 45m 09.0s  Dek: -16 42 54  Sirius

RA: 13h 25m 12.0s  Dek: -11 09 36  Spica

RA: 09h 08m 00.0s  Dek: -43 25 54  Suhail

RA: 09h 17m 05.0s  Dek: -59 16 30  Tureis

RA: 18h 36m 56.0s  Dek: +38 47 00  Vega

RA: 16h 50m 10.0s  Dek: -34 17 36  Wei

RA: 07h 08m 24.0s  Dek: -26 23 36  Wezen

[teleskopjo]

feel free to add any others

[Astrosurf]

This is an interesting thread, as I intend to use AM. Thanks for the list, teleskopjo.

Alexxx

[Mav359]

Would those of you have used both say that AM (if it works)  is as accurate as a good drift alignment? And would you agree that its good enough that guiding can pick up the rest?