Angled Finder

[robindurant]

Recently bought a Equatorial Mount and with my bad back find it difficult to use the Polar Finder. Does anyone know of aa Angled Polar Finder or any easier way of lining up the mount on NCP.

Robin

[MartinB]

If you have a goto mount then get close using a compass and set for you latitude. Do a good alignment - an illuminated reticle EP is a massive help for this excercise. No ask the mount to slew to polaris. Use the mounts alt and az adjustment to centre polaris in the reticle. Now repeat the alignment. you can keep repeating this to improve accuracy. It will get you close pretty quickly.

[robindurant]

Hi Martin

Would this set up be OK for imaging which is the main reason for me accurately setting up.

Robin

[centroid]

Robin, can you not do as Roger used to do, pre dome days, and that is to leave your mount in it's polar aligned position on it's tripod, and have three points marked on the ground in the garden, where the tripod feet go.

This way, if the mount isn't moved with respect to the tripod, and the RA and DEC adjusters are locked, you should be pretty close to where want to be.

It would certainly save a lot of back bending each time you set up.

Dave

[MikeP]

Robin,

I have back trouble too. I find if I sit on the floor it is easier - you may need a bit of wood or some bricks to sit on to get you to a comfortable height.

If you are going to image, you could try WCS http://wcs.ruthner.at/index-en.php to help you drift align. A few people on here use it.

Mike

[MartinB]

Hi Martin

Would this set up be OK for imaging which is the main reason for me accurately setting up.

Robin

Would be ok for relatively short focal lengths unguided with short subs. Would probably be as accurate as a lot of polar scopes.

[robindurant]

Thanks Guys

I never knew that Astronomy was an active hobby until now. I set up the mount last night and marked the feet marks on my paving with chalk. Today I drilled with a masony drill, 3 small 1/2 " holes on the chalk marks for the feet to slot into.

Thanks for the tip Dave.

Robin

[cygnusx1]

Ok I'm a bit confused here :scratch: but why would you want to centre Polaris.

Surely the idea is centre RA axis on NCP!

[scotastro]

Here's an alternative idea

A friend fitted a green laser pointer in place of the polar scope. I think he wrapped duct tape around it to make the tube thicker.

An on/off switch can be fitted in the screw top end allowing the beam to be kept on while aligning.

I took a bit of time to centre the pointer but is now much easier than crawling round the floor.

Scotastro

[robindurant]

Kevin

My original post does say that I want to line up on NCP but to do this you must first find Polaris thought the Polar Finder. To do this you need to get down very low ( Oh my aching back) and look up through the finder. This is my problem, centering on Polaris in the first place. I has a similar problem with the general view finder until I purchased an Angle one which is so much easier, I dont know why people use straight thoughs at all.

Robin

[Eclipse]

I too use a laser pointer while aligning my 4SE. Much easier than the horrible red dot fiddler - I hold it on with a clothes peg, slightly modified.

And it looks SOOOOO cool.......

[cygnusx1]

Kevin

My original post does say that I want to line up on NCP but to do this you must first find Polaris thought the Polar Finder. To do this you need to get down very low ( Oh my aching back) and look up through the finder. This is my problem, centering on Polaris in the first place. I has a similar problem with the general view finder until I purchased an Angle one which is so much easier, I dont know why people use straight thoughs at all.

Robin

Robin, I was referring to Martins reply,

[MartinB]

The idea of the goto method isn't to align the mount with polaris, it's to accurately align the goto on polaris. If the mount is badly polar aligned this will show up by the goto not accurately positioning itself on polaris following a normal goto alignment. Polaris is sufficiently close to the NCP for mount adjustemnts made to correct goto inaccuracies on polaris to also correct inaccuracies of mount alignment with the NCP. Done itereratively this is quite an accurate method of alignment.

Hope that makes sense