Polar Alignment made simple!

[Grommie]

HI...Found this really interesting especially the "confused with all this mucking about with the the setting circles" as that is where I am! Anyway, as a newcomer I've been taking it very slowly setting the polar scope (colimation?) so the cross-hair now points at exactly the same point (a red light on top of an aerial mast about 3 miles away) as I rotate the RA through 180 degrees. So now for the mucking about bit (I've been using the Astro-Baby instructions). The link for polaris transit software seems to be broken. Can someone point me (get it) to a link....You mention AP software which I can't find. Just like Tom Jones' syndrome....It's not unusual! I'm using an EQ3-2 by the way but I think the principal is the same for all GEMs. Thanks

[Astrosurf]

Hi there. Collimation means accurately aligning the optical components of the telescope so you get a focused and clear image.

Here's a link to the PolarFinder Website: http://www.polarfinder.com/

Here's a link to Deep sky Stacker for stacking deep sky objects images: http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html

And here's a link to Registax to stack images taken with a webcam: http://www.astronomie.be/registax/

Alexxx

[Grommie]

Many thanks to Astrosurf for the links. At first I wasn't sure why the second two were there but I now realise AP refers to....AstroPhotography. At my very basic level it's amazing what I don't get!! Anyway....A quick look and I think the first link gives me what I was after....Transits of Polaris so thank you once again for your patience.

[Astrosurf]

It's a pleasure. We're nothing but patient here, as we've all been through this, and I'll always go through it! Good luck.

[66mikeg]

I tried the method in the HEQ5 manual and retired wounded, Astrobaby's explanation is spot on but I eventually found an Android app for Polar Finder and found it dead easy, it is far more intuitive (ie easier for this numbskull to understand) and shows exactly where Polaris has to be on the reticule circle.

[JamesF]

I've posted this a few times recently, but another won't hurt

You don't need to know where Polaris should be now to align the polar scope rotationally. You just need to know where it will be at a given time and date because you can then set the time and date rings to the right values and rotate the polar scope to get the Polaris indicator were it should be.

As it happens, at midnight on 1st November, Polaris is as high above the Northern Celestial Pole as it gets. Because the polar scope inverts the image, that means that if you get the time and date rings to midnight on the 1st November the Polaris indicator should be right at the bottom. It's easier to set it there (by aligning it and the centre marker with a distant vertical) than to some random position based on the current date and time.

James

[Leo.A]

[sarcasm] So where exactly over eastern Australia will I find Polaris??[/sarcasm]

It must be great having a star to align to, I have a polar alignment scope in my EQ3 Pro (synscan) but I fear it's wasted.

Does anyone have any links for alignment in Southern skies??

Thanks!

[Pete Presland]

I'm thinking of upgrading my mount to enable guiding. Do you know if the intermediate polar alignment plus guiding is sufficient for astrophotography? Or is drift alignment still essential?

i have found drift alignment easier than polar alignment to be honest

[cotterless45]

Sorry, but for visual I align with Polaris, then without the ota let the counterweighted mount go and

where it stops swinging is level enough ! This works well enough on the Super Polaris and the SW.

Just haven't got the time to faff around with the few windows of clear sky in Middle Earth.

Nick.

[66mikeg]

I guess the answer is to use what works for you, I'd lost myself trying to follow SW instructions and just found any easy alternative, if I'd found Astrobaby's in the first instance I'd have been able to identify the components and possibly make it work. I'm no expert but I don't have trouble alligning Polaris on the rare occasions that it peers out of the murk other than that point it North and trust to luck.

[RogerTheDodger]

One thing to check is how accurate the altitude scale is on the side of the HEQ5 - mine is about 4 degrees out... made PA a bit difficult until I realised.

[earth titan]

I have to say I've been using alignmaster recently and getting really good results.

[Daniel-K]

I have to say I've been using alignmaster recently and getting really good results.

im having trouble with alignmaster prefer ascom

[Ouroboros]

I've posted this a few times recently, but another won't hurt

You don't need to know where Polaris should be now to align the polar scope rotationally. You just need to know where it will be at a given time and date because you can then set the time and date rings to the right values and rotate the polar scope to get the Polaris indicator were it should be.

As it happens, at midnight on 1st November, Polaris is as high above the Northern Celestial Pole as it gets. Because the polar scope inverts the image, that means that if you get the time and date rings to midnight on the 1st November the Polaris indicator should be right at the bottom. It's easier to set it there (by aligning it and the centre marker with a distant vertical) than to some random position based on the current date and time.

James

I set up that way from time to time. I haven't noticed it being any more accurate for imaging than simply looking where Ursa Major and Cassiopeia are now, rotating the mount until it looks right through the polar scope, and then aligning to Polaris using the mount's altitude and azimuth adjustments. Using this method I can get up to about 60 seconds exposures with my Eq5 mount before star trailing becomes too obvious. Frankly I'd be surprised if I got better than that with this mount even if I was perfectly aligned.

I also find it a good idea to do a quick polar align before each imaging session even if I've polar aligned at the start of the evening. I quite often find it's drifted off.

[Skuber]

I have to say I've been using alignmaster recently and getting really good results.

+1 for Alignmaster - I'm getting the most accurate alignment I've ever had with it.

It connects to ASCOM and 'just' works, like PHD.

Only thing I found is that it uses the GOTO and you need to set the correct home position for the accurate GOTO.

[earth titan]

Cone error also plays havoc with alignmaster.

Typed by me, using fumms...