EQ3-2 - how the heck to set this thing up

[bendiddley]

As above ignore the setting circles for the time being use an app like polar finder and get shooting, i do agree with the comment regarding finding polaris best done before it gets too dark or use a torch as suggested (i have a variable led fitted to mine).

With the basic setup 1-2 mins should be easily acheivable with moderate focal lengths which is plenty to get some nice images.

When you get used to it there are methods and tips to get better alignment but will require a few minor mods.

Alan

Thanks Alan. What methods and tips are they then? I"m sure I'll be wanting to know before long.

[jamie56]

Hi alan,

thanks for that

jamie

[Alien 13]

Thanks Alan. What methods and tips are they then? I"m sure I'll be wanting to know before long.

If you realy want to know the main one is using the setting circles in combination with stellarium to get a more accurate setting of the position of polaris.

You will notice that on the EQ3-2 there is a thumbscrew that locks the position of the outer setting circle i removed this on mine so that the two circles rotate together well almost (this is where the minor mod comes into play) i fitted a plastic washer made from a coffee mate lid to force the two circles together so they are very tight but can still be rotated individually with a bit of effort.

The reason for this is so that the position of polaris in the reticule can be accurately aligned with a convienient mark on the small circle say zero by loosening the grub screw that locks it (i used a piece of string with a weight at a distance so that the view through the polarscope gave me a datum line)

Now that the position of polaris is defined by the small circle you can now rotate the large circle so that the 12 oclock position matches it (12 oclock because the polarscope inverts the image)

If this is done correctly the whole RA axis can be swung around and the two circles should remain locked together then to set polaris to the correct position you need only look at the polaris hour angle in stellarium and rotate the RA axis until the large setting circle matches the hour angle with respect to the zero position on the mount ie the triangular marker on your mount near to the thumbscrew you removed.

Hope i have not added to your confusion.

Alan

[Marky1973]

Excuse me jumping in again! Alan, obviously the whole point of the setting circles is to help you figure out where polaris should be in your time zone so you can shove it into the small reticule and then let the rotation of the earth do the rest. I presume that, if you are not using the setting circles (until you can find a coffee mate lid) then you don't really need to do this - if I work out where Polaris should be, I just need to line it up on the larger circle in the polar scope and away we go - if the reticule is properly aligned - although that is another story! (Sorry, just thinking out loud really!)

[Alien 13]

Excuse me jumping in again! Alan, obviously the whole point of the setting circles is to help you figure out where polaris should be in your time zone so you can shove it into the small reticule and then let the rotation of the earth do the rest. I presume that, if you are not using the setting circles (until you can find a coffee mate lid) then you don't really need to do this - if I work out where Polaris should be, I just need to line it up on the larger circle in the polar scope and away we go - if the reticule is properly aligned - although that is another story! (Sorry, just thinking out loud really!)

My take on it was to use the setting circles as markers nothing more the basic "polar finder" software is fine but involves a lot of guesswork.

I use the circles purely to fix the positions of polaris as viewed in the polarscope wrt the hour angle given by stellarium or "polar finder" for that matter although the latter is very limited in its resolution on the scale of time,

Alan

[Marky1973]

Thanks Alan - I was just thinking that, if my reticule is aligned properly, I should be able to get a fairly accurate match just be getting polaris in the right place on the large circle. I have watched a few videos and am faily comfortable with the process and will try the setting circle method at some point, I was just getting myself confused when trying to work out the Polaris Transit time for my location and not figuring out all the data required for the online tools to work that out.... there is always something new to stump you! :-) I'll get there in the end!

[Astrosurf]

I like PolarFinder by Jason Dale, on my laptop:

http://myastroimages.com/Polar_FinderScope_by_Jason_Dale/

I also have PolarAlign by George Varros on my iPhone.

As has been said, just have a look at the app (make sure your co-ords are correct: PolarFinder uses hours and minutes etc, PolarAlign uses decimals) and place Polaris on the large circle - ignore the little circle. The position of Polaris on the circle is called the Hour Angle. I find this is good enough for me, but then I auto-guide.

HTH.

Alexxx

[Browny]

It can seem confusing - especially if you read the Skywatcher manuals.  I found them to be pretty poor.

I have an android app on my phone called PolarFinderPro.  This will tell you where Polaris is relative to the true north celestial pole at any given time of day.  I find this accurate enough for visual, and have even used this with success for a few minutes camera exposures .

I used the Astronomy Shed videos on Youtube which explain polar aligning in simple terms.  They use an EQ5 mount, but the principles are exactly the same.

Hi Jammy.

I have a similar app on my iPhone. I would agree that's its a great tool for finding your way round the sky.