another polar scope question.

[theghettostylus]

Sorry for all the polar scope related questions but I want to learn about this hobby properly.

So I now have a eq3-2 with the never polar scope, mine has a clock around the ncp reticle. Not just a circle with a little circle to fit polaris into, my question is as I have a clock face with the times on, should the clock be level with my setting circles on my mount, say 12 o'clock on the polar scope in line with the 0 on my setting circle? It kind of fell out and I didn't put it back in thinking if it was in right. Or does it not matter as you have to rotate RA anyway to get the proper polar alignment.

Also can I polar align in the day if say polaris culminates at say 8pm or do I have to wait till I can actually see polaris?

Thanks in advance for anyone with greater knowledge of these things than I

[jambouk]

I suspect the little rotating disc with the clock on, if i'm thinking of the same thing, won't be missed, as it rotates freely and does what it wants when it wants. So i'd not worry about it.

You can't polar align without seeing polaris using the polar scope as you have to put polaris bang in the little circle after you've put the little circle in the correct position, else you'd just be guessing and you wouldn't be polar aligned.

James

[jambouk]

You could have set the little circle bang in the correct position, but the whole scope could be accidentally pointing due south. You need to be able to see polaris to make the fine adjustments to get it into that circle. If you don't alter the azimuth and elevation knobs between sessions, and can mark the ground where the tripod feet sit, you can often see polaris through the polar scope long before it is visible naked eye in the evening sky.

James

[theghettostylus]

I read somewhere you can do the time and date set up during the day then do the fine adjustment during the night. Is this correct?

[jambouk]

Yes

[cotterless45]

The Kochab clock method works find for me. Ensure that after loading the balanced ota , that polar alignment has nog shifted. It might just need a tweak,

http://www.weasner.com/etx/ref_guides/polar_align.html

Nick.

[jambouk]

Ypu can set the date and time as long as you leave the handset powered up; as soon as the handset is shut down the time is lost and has to be input again.

James

[glowjet]

If you are looking for a Polaris Transit time, to set your date and time circles during the day, December 15th 9.0pm is a constant. If you want to check, use Jason Dales free Polar Finder  program and put in the same date and time over the span of a few years and you will see it stays constant

[theghettostylus]

On my reticle it has 3,6,9,0 like the clock no big dipper but has dates from 2016 to 2028 or something like that, looks more complex than the others I've seen, also I can't get my reticle bang on central with the mount axis as when I get to the 180 turn my mount moves very slightly... This polar scope stuff is a pain in the eye aha

[jambouk]

Print out this, then just roughly line up the big dipper with what you see in the sky and work out roughly where you should put the little Polaris circle. That will give you a reasonable polar alignment.

Again, if the cross hairs are out by the diameter of the Polaris circle or so, I wouldn't worry about it. If you are doing unguided subs of long guided subs then you'd need it much better, but for visual that will be fine.

James

[theghettostylus]

It will be for ungided sub's, say around 1 min Max, anything will be better than my 10 second Max I was getting on the eq2 even on 10 seconds there was slight trail. Even if I can get 30 seconds I will be happy. Its isn't out by much only a fraction.

[jambouk]

What handset have you got, a syntrek or a synscan?

If you want 30-60seconds unguided, then you need the PA to be as good as possible, even if not for individual subs, but you don't want the image to slowly drift too much throughout the course of an hour or two.

Is it possible to leave the mount set up between imaging sessions (as in during the day time)? Security and weather proofing are the two main concerns.

James

[theghettostylus]

I've just got the RA and Dec motor I managed to get a 1 min tonight no trails, focus was a bit iffy but mainly a test anything above 1 min then trailing set in but that was with a "I dont know how to polar align" job...

Rushed the polar alignment, but so far so good. I have attached a PIC of what my reticle looks like in regards to the clock kind of dial.

I leave it in the shed as the garden looks out onto another street and its very open to prying eyes.

[jambouk]

There's no big dipper as it's for the southern he isphere - no biggie.

Ignore all the numbers and markings on the circle in the middle. When you know where Polaris is meant to sit, simply put Polaris between the two outer rings of the circle at that position; so if your hour angle is 6 o'clock, put polaris due south in the six o'clock position. Equally if 12, put polaris at the end side of the circle. Numbers like 7:26 get tricky, but you just have to work out where that is roughly.

James

[theghettostylus]

Thanks James, I will give that a go next clear night. I've emailed the company as it seems very silly selling a southern hemisphere polar scope from a UK based site. Plus they should have the option to chose what part you live in.

Thanks again for all the advice.