Star alignment when using software like stellarium, kstars, cartes du ciel

[AstroRookie]

Hello,

Since a couple of months I'm a EQ6-R Pro user. So far I've been using the synscan handcontroller to do the star alignment.  I would like the use software like stellarium, kstars or cartes du ciel thru the direct connection with mount, so no longer using the synscan handcontroller. I've tried but when I search an object and make the software slew to it,  it's way off. I'm quite confident with my polar alignment as I'm using the QHYCCD PolarScope (and furthermore I've read on this forum that polar alignment and star alignment are not the same).

Can somebody please explain how to do star alignment with software like stellarium, kstars or cartes du ciel - I suppose there's is some general procedure that applies to software like the three I mention?

Many thanks,

AstroRookie

[MarkAR]

I use Kstars/Ekos, Polar alignment is the first step. I can get to less than 10 seconds or error.

Then when you goto a target, use the align module to slew and sync. It plate solves what the camera sees and then adjusts to the target.

Polar Alignment gets your mount pointing to the right place, star alignment/ plate solving gets your telescope pointed to the right place.

[Aramcheck]

I believe in Stellarium you can use "Ctrl + 3" to sync the software, once you have found the target star in your finderscope & eyepiece.

i.e. after polar alignment, you'd use Stellarium to go to a bright star, then use the EQMOD controls to reposition the target star in the fincerscope & then eyepiece, and then issue the "Ctrl + 3" command in Stellarium to sync position with the mount.

I mostly use APT & platesolving as our scope has so far mainly been used for taking pictures... but in that too, after polar alignment I go to a bright star to set focus & sync the mount.

Cheers
Ivor

[Starwatcher2001]

Make sure your location, date/time and Daylight Saving Time are entered correctly. Sorry if it's obvious. I got caught out last week as my new Celestron expects the date in US format MM/DD/YY.

[Ouroboros]

I concur with everything above. I’ve used EQMOD running in windows and KStars on Mac. Both allow you to slew to a star and sync to it after lining it up centrally in the eyepiece. 

Quite often the first star is way out initially. Sometimes not even in the eyepiece of the finder scope.  I have to eye along the tube to get the scope pointing in something like the right direction prior to aligning in the eyepiece.

On occasions the scope starts out pointing in a completely wacky direction. A complete reset of computer and scope to the home position usually sorts it out. 
 

 

[Mick H]

I have done it this way.

Auto align using Starsense or two star alignment without.

Once aligned I plug in the usb cable into HC, then into mac laptop.

Fire up Stellarium point to target and away goes my 8se,  and always dead in the middle of eyepiece.

Stellarium already has my scope and location selected.

[TerryMcK]

Another for Kstars/EKOS here. Like Mark says select a target and it finds it itself and is centred every-time within tens of seconds.

I am assuming you are using a camera with your scope and not doing it visually. If the latter well the software will not help and you will still have to star align manually. Once you have star aligned though the software (whichever you choose to use) will be pretty accurate.

Edited July 19, 2020 by TerryMcK

[AstroRookie]

On 18/07/2020 at 16:08, Ouroboros said:

I concur with everything above. I’ve used EQMOD running in windows and KStars on Mac. Both allow you to slew to a star and sync to it after lining it up centrally in the eyepiece. 

Quite often the first star is way out initially. Sometimes not even in the eyepiece of the finder scope.  I have to eye along the tube to get the scope pointing in something like the right direction prior to aligning in the eyepiece.

On occasions the scope starts out pointing in a completely wacky direction. A complete reset of computer and scope to the home position usually sorts it out. 
 

 

That is exactly what I have been experiencing; the first star is way out. Last night, I messed up completely and I don't know how; when I could not find and center Arcturus, I parked the scope and even that was way out. Such a lovely night, where I could even see the Milky way in my Bortle class 5 location. So I started all over, and centered Arcturus only to find out that my collimation was ruined. Not being able to collimate in time before the dew set in (as I had taken off the dewshield to reach Bob's knobs). If I would have not been able to enjoy Neowise with binoculars, I think I would have dumped every thing in the ditch at the back of our garden!

[AstroRookie]

On 18/07/2020 at 15:26, Starwatcher2001 said:

Make sure your location, date/time and Daylight Saving Time are entered correctly. Sorry if it's obvious. I got caught out last week as my new Celestron expects the date in US format MM/DD/YY.

Been there, done that ... the first night I used the EQ6-R I entered 2020-07-04 , and it was the 7th of april 2020. I don't think there isn't any stupidity in this hobby I have not done, hence my user name 😉

[Ouroboros]

8 hours ago, AstroRookie said:

That is exactly what I have been experiencing; the first star is way out. Last night, I messed up completely and I don't know how; when I could not find and center Arcturus, I parked the scope and even that was way out. Such a lovely night, where I could even see the Milky way in my Bortle class 5 location. So I started all over, and centered Arcturus only to find out that my collimation was ruined. Not being able to collimate in time before the dew set in (as I had taken off the dewshield to reach Bob's knobs). If I would have not been able to enjoy Neowise with binoculars, I think I would have dumped every thing in the ditch at the back of our garden!

I don’t think it’s that surprising when you first start aligning after setting up from scratch on an evening. It helps if you set up consistently each time. Marking on the ground where to put the tripod legs for example and making sure your initial parked position is the same each time. 

Collimation is easier during the day - and doesn’t waste observing time. 

[AstroRookie]

36 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

I don’t think it’s that surprising when you first start aligning after setting up from scratch on an evening. It helps if you set up consistently each time. Marking on the ground where to put the tripod legs for example and making sure your initial parked position is the same each time. 

Collimation is easier during the day - and doesn’t waste observing time. 

That's indeed what happened; I normally put the tripod on a marked position in our garden, but as I couldn't see Neowise from that spot, I moved to  a stretch of land next to our garden. Thanks for clarifying that. All the rest however was the same, park position, polar alignment.

As for colIimation, I tried this Kitchen table collimation, which has worked fine on previous occasions, but just would not work out today, fatigue ???

[Ohgodwherediditgo]

Do you have your co-ordinates entered in to EQMOD ?

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by Ohgodwherediditgo