Position of Polaris in SW reticule incorrect????

[Merlin66]

Hmmmm

Has anyone checked the position of Polaris shown on the SkyWatcher reticule???

It seems to be shown on the opposite side of the NCP!!!!!!!

It should be closer to Cassiopeia than the Plough......

[almcl]

It's slightly counter-intuitive, but the view in the reticule is reversed, and as neither the Plough or Cassiopea are actually visible in the polarscope, their images  are only there to show where  they would be to a visual observer.  

I believe in the southern hemisphere you actually use Octans, which *is* visible in the polar reticule?  We can't use  the Plough and Cassiopea like that in northern skies.  

[ronin]

May not be in the view.

To see Poalris and the reticule together they have to be at the primary focal plane of the polar scope. which means that the image is inverted L-R and U-D but the reticule is not at that time. It may be later flipped by the eyepiece bit of the polar scope, however at that stage both "components" are transformed the same so immaterial.

So from what is said I would half expect Polaris to have been flipped to the "other" side when the image falls on the reticule, but that the reticule shows where the constellations are by eyeball - in effect they are not flipped. I would therefore guess that what is happening is that you are working with a compound image at the eye where the Polaris position is flipped L/R and U/D but the Plough and Cassiopeia is not. In which case the apparent Polaris location would be on the apparent wrong side of the NCP.

The whole problem is that various assumptions are made and also they have to be envisaged in your mind. Fair chance the assumptions are questionable and even more that my mind has just lost it.

What this shows is that when you start to gain knowledge you realise all the little bits that Synta and others do not expect you to know, and specifically question, and are just supposed to accept without question. First time I think I have seen this asked and it happens to be someone in the Southern Hemisphere as well.

[StuartJPP]

The Plough and Cassiopeia are only visible by naked eye, not through the polarscope so what you are saying is technically correct...the image should be reversed in the polar scope for those objects...(or vice versa). You look to see where they are in the sky and then look through the polar scope and align Polaris within the circle with where they were both located in the sky.

You would assume that the right bits are inverted and etched in to the reticule...but then again you never know...the scale is immaterial because it isn't  important.

The reticule can't be in the wrong way around otherwise the writing would be reversed so that isn't a problem.

The polar scope I got with my AstroTrac is similar but you have to place 2 secondary stars within some etched lines...it has to be correct otherwise it wouldn't work at all...

So not really sure with your specific scope, would have to check next time I am at my PC. 

[Sevo]

Yeah, mine new6 looks the same. I need my imagination and allot of stargazing when I search the Polaris.