Polar alignment, stupid question but...

[Fordos Moon]

...having just got an HEQ5 mount I am now following instructions to polar align using a dot in the wall.

I've figured how the 3 adjustment screws work fine but various instructions refer to bringing Polaris back "under the cross".

Now the silly bit! Does that mean under the X itself" ( arrow A) or "underneath it" (arrow ?! Just checking as mine is currently aligned kind of between the two distance wise, at about 8 o'clock. It does stay there when I rotate the mount 180 degrees so does it even matter?

Thanks all.

[Fordos Moon]

Urm the smiley face was supposed to be a capital B, not sure how that happened!

[VigdisVZ]

Only touch the alignment screws if the polar scope is off center. Otherwise you might destroy the calibration of the polascope in the axis of the mount (and have to redo it takes a bit). The X in the middle should stay still on target when you rotate the mount head and polar scope.

You should use the altitude and azimuth bolts to do the polar alignment itself.

This video series is really good and helped me get to terms with it.

[Jessun]

Yeah, be careful with those little grub screws. On some designs they can shatter the glass if turned just a bit to much, but I can't remember if the SW is a design prone to that.

Are you off by much?

/Jesper

[Fordos Moon]

I don't think it's off by much at all. I'm worried I've done the wrong thing now by playing with those screws! I figured it was something that had to be done first before everything else?!

[VigdisVZ]

Sometimes the polarscope comes unaligned, you can easily check that by targeting something and rotate it.

However, all those problems are adressed in the video series I linked above, so just watch that and come back here if you're having problems still.

[Fordos Moon]

Thanks Carl, I will watch it when i get home from work!

[JamesF]

The Polaris marker should be in position B if the RA axis is rotated so the time and date rings are set to midnight on 1st November. On that date Polaris is "highest" above the NCP, and as the polar scope inverts the image it should therefore be right at the bottom of the circle. If it isn't then you need to rotate the polar scope to move the marker to that position (keeping the time and date set correctly).

James

[Fordos Moon]

Thanks James, I'm moving on to the time and date rings tonight so that date will come in very handy as I was aware I needed to look it up.

[JamesF]

Some people use an application that shows where Polaris ought to be now and set the orientation from there, but I reckon it's far easier and probably more accurate to line it up at the bottom because you can just point the polar scope at something vertical and line the cross and Polaris marker up against it.

James

[Fordos Moon]

It's all a bit daunting, but very exciting, a bit like "Hostel" the movie. (hopefully with a happier ending!)

[StuW]

Problem with the HEQ5 is the date rings are pretty much useless. I use the Ascom polar align utility and i'm planning on trying the AstroTortilla utility.

[jgs001]

I went through this tutorial when I got my HEQ5. It worked very well for me. I use the date rings to polar align, which seems to work nicely for me.

[JamesF]

I went through this tutorial when I got my HEQ5. It worked very well for me. I use the date rings to polar align, which seems to work nicely for me.

Works for my EQ3-2, too. I set the mount up outside having set it all up this way a while back (I leave the mount on the tripod outside under a cover most of the time) and when I went back to it at the start of December and set the time and date Polaris was bang in the middle of the ring. I was quite pleased.

James

[Fordos Moon]

They are the instructions I am using too, I just think I have overthought everything and am making it complicated for myself! Thanks again guys!