milky way with standard canon 18-55mm lens?

[Marky1973]

Hi Gerhard. Certainly that will get you aligned to a fashion. From what I understand (remember, I'm new to this as well) this is perfectly fine for visual work, but for longer exposure astrophotography you really need to be more accurately aligned to the North Celestial Pole (if in the nothern hemisphere). That is the true "centre of the Universe" which everything (including Polaris) rotates around. The closer you can get to alignment with the NCP, the longer your subs can be (hopefully).

And that is the whole point of the setting circles and the polar scope - they give you the opportunity to more accurately align the mount to the NCP by locating and placing polaris in set positions on the calibrated targeting reticules within the polarscope view. So when you are aligned with polaris using the polarscope, you know that the NCP will be centred in the polar scope and the mount is aligned to the NCP.

If that makes sense?

[Gerhard]

It makes perfect sense!! :-) As said, I only learned of the usefulness (and existence :-D ) of the polarscope yesterday....

So, in a nutshell: the "serious" mount that hypothetically I will buy one day should have a polarscope, or at least the possibility of putting one... $$$

But, I mustn't complain, because I will not be able to say "I wasn't warned about the cost of this hobby"... ehehehe...

[Marky1973]

The EQ3-2 doesn't come with one, and I don't think the EQ5 does either, but perhaps some of the more professional (and expensive) mounts come with them? As we discussed though, you can do a pretty good job sighting through the mount for alignment, so it is not an essential first purchase, although it will definitely help.

Mind you, in astronomical terms, the polar scope isn't THAT expensive..... ;-)

[Gerhard]

in fact, a quick google showed £32... so quite affordable! :-)

it will be included in the order for my first scope, I think... along with the book Making Every Photon Count.

[happy-kat]

Have a read of this link might find it useful, just found it on another post someone made today.

http://www.astronomy.com/~/media/Files/PDF/web%20extras/2011/03/Shoot-the-sky-without-a-telescope.pdf

[Pete Presland]

some great images in this thread, as others have said go out and have a go. make mistakes, have fun and learn from the experience.

[Gerhard]

will do! as soon as good weather and opportunity coincide, I'm out there!! :-)