rough polar alignment and lunar tracking

[northcanadian]

Hello:

I would like to allo of you SGL members for your generous and helpful guidance in my new and exciting hobby.

I started last summer...purchased a Celestron 114EQ and a Pentax K20DSLR. I quickly became so entranced and enamoured by our mysterious moon and imaging, caught aperture fever and purchased a Celestron 9.25 SCT GOTO, focal reducer, eyepiece set, etc. (love that scope). This is like Zen meditation!

I do know that I had gleaned the following info from this site. Please keep in mind that I am a newbie to this hobby, but somewhat of an oldie (chronologically speaking).

I found that using the hand control for constantly centering the moon on my camera's lcd a bit onerous, so I began to try the features for tracking in the manual. It was a bit overwhelming for me until that Eureka moment when I discovered somewhere on this site a simplified polar alignment method and have been using since.

I usually set up before dark. Set up scope for Polaris (55 degrees at my site). I then set my scope facing north (13 degrees declination at my site). Set the two indicator markings on scope to line up. Set longitude, latitude, EQ north, time zone, time, solar system align, lunar and lunar tracking, and it seems to work like a duck.

I have centered the moon on the camera's lcd. gone for coffee, turned the camera back on, and it is still there...in the centre of the lcd...one small step for man...one giant leap for me:)

[Catanonia]

nice one mate. If you have a laptop then there is a nice little link to a program called polarfinder on there that will help with even closer polar alignment via a polar scope.

Enjoy, that is what it is all about