Polar alignment HEQ5 Pro day time

[HunterGeo (David)]

Hi all,

Just received my solar filter from Andrews in the mail a few days ago and this has prompted a question.

How can I perform a polar alignment during the day time when I can't see the stars for alignment?

I could set it all up at dawn, but my backyard isn't secure enough for me to be willing to leave everything set up throughout the day in time for me to do some solar observing in the late afternoon... (and would it be wise leaving the telescope out in the full sun for hours on end anyway?).

Thanks in advance for any tips.

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

For solar observing, I leave the scope outside most of the day covered in a white sheet...
Alignment is either by premarked points for the legs or just use the noon day sun to align north/ south.
Use the solar tracking rate and you'll be near enough to enjoy the solar viewing.

[HunterGeo (David)]

Ah, I get you. That sounds easy enough.

Thanks, Ken!

[Poita (Peter)]

Use the solar noon method and you will get a very accurate alignment.
Search for solar noon on these forums and you will find lots of posts on it.
But basically, find out when solar noon occurs at your location, hang a string on a plumb-bob and the shadow cast on the ground by the string at precisely solar noon will be precisely north-south.
You align your mount to that line and you are away. Mark the line on your concrete or lawn and you can always setup quickly.

Solar noon is at 1:31PM today in Melbourne, and at 1:30PM tomorrow. Anything that is truly vertical at that time will be casting a true North-South shadow on the ground.