Attempting to Polar Align for first time!

[tehmac]

Hi all,

I have an HEQ5 PRO 200PDS that I am trying to figure out how to polar align. I will be following the below youtube video as it seems quite simple.

However, I am also trying to figure out which time and date to use for polaris transiting etc. I am on a Mac, so I can't download the Windows Polar Finder. I do, however, have an iPhone app which apparently does it all, but I am on information overload and very confused. I have attached a picture of what my screen shows currently. Can you tell me what date and time I should be using based on what the app is telling me?

Many thanks for the help.

 

 

[glowjet]

There are many constants you can use to set your EQ5 dials for a Polar transit, the one I remember is December 15th at 9.00 pm. This will be the same for many years past and to come. Have a read of the article published online by Dr Clay Sherrod, "Kochabs Clock" all should make sense to you then

[tehmac]

Kochab's Clock still seems to be a little outside of my wheelhouse for now. Any input on what time I should be using from my iPhone app would be greatly appreciated.

[Owmuchonomy]

To help you properly it will be useful to know which version of the HEQ5 Pro you have particularly with regard to what you can see through your polarscope.  For example, is it the same printed view as shown in the video you posted showing Uma and Cass or does it look different to that i.e., is there just a circle in the centre and no constellations printed?  How old is your mount?

[tehmac]

It's Cass and Uma. Same as the image. 

[tehmac]

Okay, so I went out in the freezing temperature for my first foray into observing. Boy was it cold! Also took my first shot at polar alignment.

In the end, I decided to try just 'roughing it in' as one online guide had called it, to get me going and learning.

1). pointed the leg with the N on it to North as best as I could.

2). located Polaris by eye and took note of position of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major.

3). swivelled the mount so the polar scope hole wasn't blocked.

4). made sure the mount was at the right latitude setting for my location.

5). swivelled the mount until Cass and Ursa Major were in the relatively same positions through the polar scope as they were in the sky.

6). used the alt and az bolts to align Polaris into the small outer circle in the polar scope.

7). feeling chuffed with myself, I fired up the GOTO handset and selected for a 2 star align.

8). I choose Kochab as I know where that is in the sky and will be able to tell if the slewing is working properly.

9). the scope slews in the completely wrong direction and points at something random.

10). I sigh and look perplexed.

11). I try several more times but eventually give up as I have no idea where I'm going wrong even with this basic 'roughing it in' technique.

Any tips?

[glowjet]

On ‎23‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 16:40, tehmac said:

Kochab's Clock still seems to be a little outside of my wheelhouse for now. Any input on what time I should be using from my iPhone app would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry if there has been some confusion. I assumed you were after a Polar transit time to enable you to fix your setting circles of the HEQ5 for a polar alignment procedure as described in the manual, or even better using Astro baby`s Heq5 polar alignment guide. The time given is a constant to fix the polar transit time, then using the rest of the procedure to find the position of Polaris relative to the NCP for the time of observing

[Vox45]

On 24/11/2016 at 09:50, tehmac said:

9). the scope slews in the completely wrong direction and points at something random.

Maybe this can help:

Synchronizing Encoders

If the mount lost the correct position of any of its two axes; for example, the axis is manually moved, the pointing accuracy will be poor when the SynScan hand control tries to locate an object.
Providing the base of the mount is not moved, users can recover the pointing accuracy with the “Synchronize Encoder” operation:

1.Access the menu “Setup \ Sync. Encoder” and press the ENTER key.

2.Use the scroll keys to select an alignment star and press the ENTER key. The mount will point the telescope towards the alignment star.

3.After the mount has stopped, use the direction keys to center the alignment star in the eyepiece, then press the ENTER key to confirm.

4.The SynScan hand control will display “Sync Encoder Completed”. Press any key to exit.

Make sure that the time and coordinates in your handset are correct for your location and be careful with setting the time for winter or summer time  

Also, are you doing visual or astrophotography ? for visual, I only center polaris in the crosshair of the polar scope and I don't bother with setting circles.. You only need to have perfect PA for long exposure photography to prevent field rotation. For pointing accuracy, it is the alignement procedure that counts.

[tehmac]

Many thanks Vox. I will try that option in the hand controller. I want to get my feet wet with Visual but ultimate goal is astrophotography soon after, so I really need to get all of this down pat.

I also just fired up Sky Safari on my phone and clicked on Polaris. It actually has a bit that says "Transits: 10:49 PM"

So I would select 25th November and 10:49 PM as the time on my setting circles, right?

Can anyone confirm with their own Polar Finder apps that 10:49 PM is indeed the next transit time for Polaris today?

[Vox45]

1 hour ago, tehmac said:

Many thanks Vox. I will try that option in the hand controller. I want to get my feet wet with Visual but ultimate goal is astrophotography soon after, so I really need to get all of this down pat.

 

If so I would suggest you learn drift alignement to get the most accurate PA possible

www.andysshotglass.com/DriftAlignment.html

That being said, in astrophotography there are several methods to get a perfect PA using a camera

www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/articles/darv-drift-alignment-by-robert-vice-r2760

and now, there are methods using guiding softwares (like PHD) or plate solving (like in Sharpcap) or specialized software and cam (Polemaster)

Don't sweat it if you only do visual as when you'll be moving to astrophoto you will not use you setting circles anyways. I never have.

Now, if you are doing this for your own pleasure and knowledge that is fine, but don't get too crazy about it and lose valuable clear sky observing time

[Donkeiller]

On ‎24‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 08:50, tehmac said:

Okay, so I went out in the freezing temperature for my first foray into observing. Boy was it cold! Also took my first shot at polar alignment.

In the end, I decided to try just 'roughing it in' as one online guide had called it, to get me going and learning.

1). pointed the leg with the N on it to North as best as I could.

2). located Polaris by eye and took note of position of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major.

3). swivelled the mount so the polar scope hole wasn't blocked.

4). made sure the mount was at the right latitude setting for my location.

5). swivelled the mount until Cass and Ursa Major were in the relatively same positions through the polar scope as they were in the sky.

6). used the alt and az bolts to align Polaris into the small outer circle in the polar scope.

7). feeling chuffed with myself, I fired up the GOTO handset and selected for a 2 star align.

8). I choose Kochab as I know where that is in the sky and will be able to tell if the slewing is working properly.

9). the scope slews in the completely wrong direction and points at something random.

10). I sigh and look perplexed.

11). I try several more times but eventually give up as I have no idea where I'm going wrong even with this basic 'roughing it in' technique.

Any tips?

I feel your pain.

I have tried and failed many times to get properly polar-aligned. At least my efforts get the scope to point at the correct object.

However the damn thing drifts and any photo I take with more than 5 seconds exposure shows movement.

I really do loath and detest EQ mounts- mine has now been sitting idle for 6 months.

 

[edarter]

I'm no expert, but is it possible you got your date format wrong on the handset? Apparently that's quite common... 

[Tim]

14 hours ago, edarter said:

I'm no expert, but is it possible you got your date format wrong on the handset? Apparently that's quite common... 

This is exactly my thought, we see it ALL the time! 

[StarryEyed]

For polar alignment adjust the mount so polaris appears in the same location on the circle as the app you wont need to use the times if you use the app.

I do this with my telescope and a low power ep I don't even have a polar scope but you should use the polar scope as you have one.

As for GOTO you realise you can play with this during the day just to work through the process. obviously during the day you wont see any thing but watching the mount do what you are expecting it to do. 

[wookie1965]

If using a android phone download syscaninit at the bottom click on show polar scope view this shows you exactly where to position polaris in the polar scope press back and input the information on the phone into the handset. 

[jm_rim]

The other day I follow Astro-Baby's polar alignment guide (http://www.astro-baby.com/HEQ5/HEQ5-1.htm) along with video above on my eq5, no GOTO. Polar transit I found using http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/mrst.php and SkySafari. It took a little time to figure it all out in the beginning, thought I must say it paid off. In the evening it was simple to align the mount, and was able to take 2 min exposures consistently.

[Casus belli]

On 24/11/2016 at 08:50, tehmac said:

Okay, so I went out in the freezing temperature for my first foray into observing. Boy was it cold! Also took my first shot at polar alignment.

In the end, I decided to try just 'roughing it in' as one online guide had called it, to get me going and learning.

1). pointed the leg with the N on it to North as best as I could.

2). located Polaris by eye and took note of position of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major.

3). swivelled the mount so the polar scope hole wasn't blocked.

4). made sure the mount was at the right latitude setting for my location.

5). swivelled the mount until Cass and Ursa Major were in the relatively same positions through the polar scope as they were in the sky.

6). used the alt and az bolts to align Polaris into the small outer circle in the polar scope.

7). feeling chuffed with myself, I fired up the GOTO handset and selected for a 2 star align.

8). I choose Kochab as I know where that is in the sky and will be able to tell if the slewing is working properly.

9). the scope slews in the completely wrong direction and points at something random.

10). I sigh and look perplexed.

11). I try several more times but eventually give up as I have no idea where I'm going wrong even with this basic 'roughing it in' technique.

Any tips?

On your list did you have "6b swiveled the scope 90 degrees so it's now pointing at polaris"  I have failed to do this on more occasions than I care to admit to.

 

[Thalestris24]

On 11/23/2016 at 10:54, tehmac said:

Hi all,

I have an HEQ5 PRO 200PDS that I am trying to figure out how to polar align. I will be following the below youtube video as it seems quite simple.

However, I am also trying to figure out which time and date to use for polaris transiting etc. I am on a Mac, so I can't download the Windows Polar Finder. I do, however, have an iPhone app which apparently does it all, but I am on information overload and very confused. I have attached a picture of what my screen shows currently. Can you tell me what date and time I should be using based on what the app is telling me?

Many thanks for the help.

 

 

Looks like your not too far from me! A bit further south and west?

ps why not use the handset pa routine?