Help - I'm confused!

[oldannie]

Have I totally misunderstood something? I intend to use my new HEQ5 Pro Synscan to start imaging with my DSLR and lenses so have been trying to follow Steve Richards tutorial on 'careful alignment'and Astro Baby's 'Polar Aligning the HEQ5 for Idiots' (I'm obviously either not idiot enough or too much of an idiot!)and in the process downloaded Jason Dale's 'Polar Finder'.

Have centred the reticule and am now trying to adjust the setting circles and have got to the part where I need to set the date and time for a known transit of Polaris for my location. My first question is: I've assumed that on Jason Dale's Polar Finder polaris is in transit when it's in the 12 o'clock position - is this right? If this is right my transit time and date is therefore 12 October, 14.16 UST.

Secondly both tutorials seem to take the easy path and use a date and time that is really easy to align! The transit times for my location are not that easy to align on the scales - they're round the back of the scales making it difficult to achieve any real degree of accuracy.

Have I misunderstood something - I'm not sure it should be so difficult.

Would really appreciate some assistance before I reach for the whisky!

Annie

[Knight of Clear Skies]

You're not alone, I find the setting circles terribly confusing. I suspect it's the kind of thing that's easy once you do it a few times. I've given up for the meantime, I use Polar Finder to check where Polaris is relative to the NCP and plonk it down in roughly the right place. This is fine for 2 minute subs at 135mm and probably longer - I've since discovered my polar scope is a bit misaligned and Polaris has drifted off the circle by the end of a session. What length lenses were you thinking of using please?

Hope that is some help. Another option is to turn on the equatorial grid in Stellarium to check where Polaris is, but you have to remember that everything is reversed in polar scope (Polar Finder flips everything for you).

[Tinker1947]

Your HEQ5 does Polar Alignment on ant star taken from a displayed list, you do a 2 star alignment, when completed you get a further option to Polar align, pick a star from the list that's in a good position for you and follow the handset instructions, you can practice this in daylight in the warm, just to get used to the system used, when your in the dark it will be easier and once completed do a second run on different stars the 2nd run through should make the polar alignment very close to perfect.....

[Thalestris24]

Hi Annie

Did you get the Syntrek version? Are you hooked up to a laptop - it's much easier if you are as you can use software and ignore the polarscope. If you have the Synscan then I think you can just use the hand controller as mentioned above

Louise

[oldannie]

Hi Louise - no - I got the Synscan Goto and at this stage won't be hooking up to a computer. I decided to try and do a 'careful alignment' involving the setting scales and just got stuck trying to align two of the scales as the times/dates I needed to use were right at the back so couldn't get a clear view of them to align. As usual I think in trying to do this I probably over complicated matters so am just going to go ahead and polar align on the first clear night.

Am just going to mount my DSLR and lens on the HEQ5 so assume I won't be using the GoTo function until I get a scope. I just need to work out how I use the handset for tracking and then have a go at M31 as I can readily find that and have some notion of what kind of subs I need to take.

Cheers

Annie

[Thalestris24]

Hi Annie

I think you can safely ignore the setting circles - I've never used mine! I don't have the Synscan hand controller but I think it has routines for polar alignment as well as star alignment. Once you've mastered those you have goto capability via the hand controller.  Then you can choose a target, goto, and shoot! With good PA you should be able to get exposures of several minutes with your dslr. Exactly how long you'll get will also depend on the focal length of the lens.

Good luck

Louise

[Alien 13]

Hi Annie

I am not familiar with the HEQ5 setting circles however if you can unlock the larger of the two that has the 24hr clock on it (its fixed on the EQ3 with a thumbscrew) so its free to turn with the mount RA axis then you can simlpy turn it so 12 oclock lines up with the position of polaris through the polarscope, there should be enough friction between the setting circle and the RA axis to hold the set position as the axis is rotated.

All you have to do now is lookup the polaris hour angle in stellarium and turn the RA axis so that the setting circle 24 hr clock matches it against the zero position marker on the mount perfect alignment within a few tens of seconds

Alan

[Hobbes]

Have a watch of the mount setup videos on Astronomy Sheds You Tube Channel

This is part 1:

There are loads of other really useful videos on there as well.

[Thalestris24]

Hi Annie

Honestly, ignore the setting circles, they are more trouble than they're worth. Use the alignment routines in the hand controller - it's what it's for!

Of course, I'm assuming you have the mount powered?? BTW, of course you still want to use the goto facility with just your camera - make life easy for yourself!

Louise

[Tinker1947]

You will need to use the GoTo for aligning to take images, you won't see any DSO's through the camera viewfinder, if you have a laptop EQMod is a very nice piece of software to run the mount. Forget the circles ect there a real mystery.....

[lensman57]

Have I totally misunderstood something? I intend to use my new HEQ5 Pro Synscan to start imaging with my DSLR and lenses so have been trying to follow Steve Richards tutorial on 'careful alignment'and Astro Baby's 'Polar Aligning the HEQ5 for Idiots' (I'm obviously either not idiot enough or too much of an idiot!)and in the process downloaded Jason Dale's 'Polar Finder'.

Have centred the reticule and am now trying to adjust the setting circles and have got to the part where I need to set the date and time for a known transit of Polaris for my location. My first question is: I've assumed that on Jason Dale's Polar Finder polaris is in transit when it's in the 12 o'clock position - is this right? If this is right my transit time and date is therefore 12 October, 14.16 UST.

Secondly both tutorials seem to take the easy path and use a date and time that is really easy to align! The transit times for my location are not that easy to align on the scales - they're round the back of the scales making it difficult to achieve any real degree of accuracy.

Have I misunderstood something - I'm not sure it should be so difficult.

Would really appreciate some assistance before I reach for the whisky!

Annie

Setting circles were good for a time that hobby mounts were not computerised. If you wanted to find an object in the sky using it's celestial coordinates then your circles had to be accurately set with regards to the time of the year and the position of the polaris. You have a goto mount so assuming that your polar scope is aligned properly all you have to do is to make sure that mount is  as level as possible, place polaris anywhere on the outer circle of the polar scope and then  bring your mount to the home position, weight down-scope up towards polaris. Turn mount on and do a 2 or 3 star align. The sky is now mapped to the handset and you can find objects very easily for observing by first using a wide FOV EP and then a narrower one to home in.  For imaging you need to have the position of the polaris spot on so after a 2 or 3 star align the hand set will give you a set of error values, press enter to accept and scroll down to POLAR ALIGN routine and very carefully follow the instructions on the hand set, as this is an iterative process you need to get the error to less than 30 seconds of arc, I have done 1800s subs with guiding using this simple method. Hope this helps.

A.G

[Thalestris24]

Setting circles were good for a time that hobby mounts were not computerised. If you wanted to find an object in the sky using it's celestial coordinates then your circles had to be accurately set with regards to the time of the year and the position of the polaris. You have a goto mount so assuming that your polar scope is aligned properly all you have to do is to make sure that mount is  as level as possible, place polaris anywhere on the outer circle of the polar scope and then  bring your mount to the home position, weight down-scope up towards polaris. Turn mount on and do a 2 or 3 star align. The sky is now mapped to the handset and you can find objects very easily for observing by first using a wide FOV EP and then a narrower one to home in.  For imaging you need to have the position of the polaris spot on so after a 2 or 3 star align the hand set will give you a set of error values, press enter to accept and scroll down to POLAR ALIGN routine and very carefully follow the instructions on the hand set, as this is an iterative process you need to get the error to less than 30 seconds of arc, I have done 1800s subs with guiding using this simple method. Hope this helps.

A.G

Hiya

Annie's only using her camera and lens on her Heq5 Pro at the moment so she won't need her PA to be within 30". Just thought I'd mention

Louise

[oldannie]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. In trying to do an alignment involving setting circles I was simply trying to follow the manual and Astro Baby's 'Polar Alignment of HEQ5 Pro Synscan for Idiots so it's interesting to read Brown Dwarf's response which makes good sense. I have to say though that the more I've read the more confused I've become as everything seems to assume a basic level of understanding that I just don't possess. Anyway I'm delighted to say that a minor miracle has occurred - I've discovered someone who lives nearby who has an HEQ6 Pro! He's a long time amateur astronomer and astrophotographer who says he will be delighted to help - eureka!!

I am however immensely grateful to everyone who has bothered to respond - I hope the next time I post it will be after I've had a go at imaging M31!

Annie

[Tinker1947]

have a goodly supply of tea bags then..glad your sorted.....

[Thalestris24]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. In trying to do an alignment involving setting circles I was simply trying to follow the manual and Astro Baby's 'Polar Alignment of HEQ5 Pro Synscan for Idiots so it's interesting to read Brown Dwarf's response which makes good sense. I have to say though that the more I've read the more confused I've become as everything seems to assume a basic level of understanding that I just don't possess. Anyway I'm delighted to say that a minor miracle has occurred - I've discovered someone who lives nearby who has an HEQ6 Pro! He's a long time amateur astronomer and astrophotographer who says he will be delighted to help - eureka!!

I am however immensely grateful to everyone who has bothered to respond - I hope the next time I post it will be after I've had a go at imaging M31!

Annie

Hi Annie

That's great! It always helps if you can get someone to show you something! I'm afraid the various manuals and guides for using setting circles are a throwback. You should, however, have a Synscan hand controller manual? And a suitable power supply? Do read up on some basic principles when you get the opportunity. Don't worry, it all takes time - I was confused when I first started 10 months ago too.

Good luck

Louise

[oldannie]

Thanks Louise, I do have a synscan manual which is not brilliantly clear and I have a decent power supply sorted and Tinker - it's not just tea I've been drinking more of since I took up this new hobby!

Cheers

Annie

[Thalestris24]

Thanks Louise, I do have a synscan manual which is not brilliantly clear and I have a decent power supply sorted and Tinker - it's not just tea I've been drinking more of since I took up this new hobby!

Cheers

Annie

Relax, Annie - take your time!