Polar Alignment Help

[austen4]

Hello all

I was out trying to get some images as it was very good conditions a couple of nights ago. However I was getting oval stars and I realised my latitiude was wrong but I had to have it how it was to get polaris in the polar scope. Surely if I moved the north leg on the tripod it would be the same effect? or not? Or is this just a poor polar alignment?

Thanks in advance guys

[Tinker1947]

Pollaris is not the point you need for Polar alignment its about 1 degree off and Pollaris goes round this point in a 24 hour cycle.

Precision Polar Alignment

[Parus major]

Are you meaning your latitude arrow on the mount wasn't pointing at your known latitude? Equatorial mounts really don't need levelling.

If there's trailing of the image then it's likely to do with your polar alignment being slightly off. If it's odd shaped stars then it's likely optic based.

Ignore what the lat scale says, if polaris is there then that's what you want.

[austen4]

thanks guys for the answers will have to work on my polar allignment. Tinker 1947 my scope has a circle around the middle point with a little marking to put pollaris depending on the time of use.

[Tinker1947]

thanks guys for the answers will have to work on my polar allignment. Tinker 1947 my scope has a circle around the middle point with a little marking to put pollaris depending on the time of use.

This is how i did mine, make sure there is a Tripod leg pointing North, if yours isn't take the mount off the Tripod and move the peg to the other hole, so once its set up like this you get the 2 legs at the back to sit in between, point the Polar scope at Pollaris and adjust the Long and Latitude to get Pollaris showing in the Polar scope, when i done mine i could see Pollaris in the Polar scope with the mount switched on so it glowed orange (i think) anyways the idea now is to move the Polar Scope so the 2 Constellations line up with the view through the Polar Scope once this is one adjust the Long/Latitude adjusters so Pollaris is in the little circle on the bigger circle, that's it job done, all you really need now is a means to place the tripod back in the same position every time, i chose a drill with a masonry bit to drill indents that the tripod feet drop into once you have sorted a means to get it in the same place every time just check to make sure nothing has moved...

[austen4]

This is how i did mine, make sure there is a Tripod leg pointing North, if yours isn't take the mount off the Tripod and move the peg to the other hole, so once its set up like this you get the 2 legs at the back to sit in between, point the Polar scope at Pollaris and adjust the Long and Latitude to get Pollaris showing in the Polar scope, when i done mine i could see Pollaris in the Polar scope with the mount switched on so it glowed orange (i think) anyways the idea now is to move the Polar Scope so the 2 Constellations line up with the view through the Polar Scope once this is one adjust the Long/Latitude adjusters so Pollaris is in the little circle on the bigger circle, that's it job done, all you really need now is a means to place the tripod back in the same position every time, i chose a drill with a masonry bit to drill indents that the tripod feet drop into once you have sorted a means to get it in the same place every time just check to make sure nothing has moved...

Thanks Tinker1947, think Im going to put indents in the places.

[malc-c]

Austen, if you have an HEQ5 and access to a laptop it's worth using EQmod to do the alignment for you (you have to do some work though )

[austen4]

Austen, if you have an HEQ5 and access to a laptop it's worth using EQmod to do the alignment for you (you have to do some work though )

that looks really useful but do you have to have a HEQ5 PRO?

Thanks

[malc-c]

I'm 99% sure it will work with either the pro goto and the syntrek. I beleive the syntrek version of the HEQ5 has the same control board as the pro, but simply lacks the computerized handset

If you have the older black standard HEQ5 then I don't think that would work, although there is a modification to the 4 button handset that can be done...

[Parus major]

I'm 99% sure it will work with either the pro goto and the syntrek. I beleive the syntrek version of the HEQ5 has the same control board as the pro, but simply lacks the computerized handset

If you have the older black standard HEQ5 then I don't think that would work, although there is a modification to the 4 button handset that can be done...

He could use the RA markings to indicate the polaris circle at the 12 o'clock position after setting it in the cross dead centre and turning the RA the correct degrees round. Near as dammit at this level.