Polar Aligning

[pringlepowell]

Hi

Anyone know where I can find the best guide for the first use of an HEQ5 mount, polar aligning etc? I've tried YouTube and manuals but unless I'm stupid I'm still having difficulty understanding it!

[Arushin]

Hi

Anyone know where I can find the best guide for the first use of an HEQ5 mount, polar aligning etc? I've tried YouTube and manuals but unless I'm stupid I'm still having difficulty understanding it!

hi,

does the HEQ5 have a built in polar scope?

I have one on my NEQ6 which makes polar alignment a doddle. Much simpler to do than you would think. The instructions in the manual and some of them on the web can be a little confusing.

You need to start by getting a pretty accurate alignment to North. I use a piece of cord and a couple of nails in the lawn to get a North/South line with a compass. I then get one of the tripod legs on the line (rear) and the other two equal distance either side ((front end with counterweight bar). Luckily my polar scope has constellation markings for Ursa Major and Cassiopeia, so I just unlock and turn the RA axis so the view through the polar scope matches the sky. I then get Polaris within the indicated mark using the Alt adjustment. You can then return the RA axis manually back to the home position (weights straight down) and you're done. To be honest I never touch the setting circles.

Hope this makes sense and helps!

[RogerTheDodger]

Astro-Baby's website has a good intro http://www.astro-baby.com/HEQ5/HEQ5-1.htm

[Freddie]

Try astronomyshed, unless you already found that on youtube

[Steve Ward]

http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1893

[pringlepowell]

Thanks for that last link. Astronomyshed - brilliant tutorials!

[Jiggy 67]

There's a good guide to polar alighning in last months Sky At Night mag if you can get hold of a copy, found it really easy to understand

[Jiggy 67]

Just thought, if you have trouble getting a copy of S@N, PM me your e-mail and I can scan and send you a copy

[astrostu]

Just having a look at this post and it gives me more confidence to set my eq3 pro up for the first time tonight! Thanks

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk

[Dunkster]

I read the manual and pointed the mount south

Then watched astronomyshed a few times over - was great, don't get me wrong. I could balance the scope and twiddle with the rings, but still scratched my head with the polar scope.

But it wasn't until I digested what arushin wrote (the same, but in an earlier thread) that it finally clicked for me

[Andy P]

Hi

Do I need to bother with the polar time rings if I have done the following...

1. Face the tripod north.

2. Balanced the tripod HEQ5.

3. Put the correct position and time into handset.

3. Aligned Polaris in the polar alignment scope.

4. Done a two or three star alignment with the goto handset.

Will I still need to do the polar alignment time rings if i do all of the above.?

Will this help me when trying to take images or have no affect at all.?

This polar time ring settings is the only thing I haven't done yet and was wondering if I really needed too.?

Hope someone can help me...

Andrew

[dmahon]

You need to start by getting a pretty accurate alignment to North. I use a piece of cord and a couple of nails in the lawn to get a North/South line with a compass. I then get one of the tripod legs on the line (rear) and the other two equal distance either side ((front end with counterweight bar).

You want to change that.

If you take your scope off, the mount might topple over. Take the mount head off the tripod and unscrew the little prong that's visible, then screw it into the other hole 180 degrees away. Now when you reassemble it, one leg will point North (this is how the HEQ5 comes, but the NEQ6 diesn't and needs altering as described for UK latitudes). This stops it toppling (because of the counterweights) when you take the scope off.

[Arushin]

You want to change that.

If you take your scope off, the mount might topple over. Take the mount head off the tripod and unscrew the little prong that's visible, then screw it into the other hole 180 degrees away. Now when you reassemble it, one leg will point North (this is how the HEQ5 comes, but the NEQ6 diesn't and needs altering as described for UK latitudes). This stops it toppling (because of the counterweights) when you take the scope off.

Good tip!

I'll do that tonight, thank you.

[pilkinn]

Hi Andrew. Yes you will need to polar align the mount everytime you set it up (I assume you haven't got a permanent observatory). Do this before doing the 2 or 3 star alignment.

Polar aligning is crucial when long-exposure imaging. Even with visual observing it makes everything so must easier. The HEQ5 mount is extremely good (I used to have one) at GOTOs once properly polar aligned. It also tracks very well, so when visual observing you won't have to keep making adjustments to keep the object in the field of view. For long exposure imaging though, you'll soon find that although the HEQ5 is good at tracking, guiding is essential.

[Andy P]

Hi thanks...

I do, do polar alignment through the mount but was wondering if setting the date/time circles was essential.?

[pilkinn]

Ah, sorry I think I misunderstood. If you mean calibrating the polar scope, then no. Once done that should be that.

[Andy P]

Hi thanks again.!

I'm thought that I was doing all right from the start but do get some drifting going on, I'm guessing when I get my first guide camera this will sort that out.?

Well I'm hoping it will...