Polar alignment Grrrrrr

[sydney_vt]

Hi Everyone,

Is there a trick to polar alignment? I have recently purchased a HEQ5 Pro mount and a Skywatcher ED80 scope and am having a **** of a time trying to align it. I have gone through all the steps leading up to Star Alignment with the synscan hand control but my alignment fails every time. Am i just doing it wrong? is there a trick to it? or is it just something that takes time and practice? Is there another was other then having to find the Astrism in Octans????? 4 little stars I dont like very much.

Thanks for any help guys.

David

[Zuts]

Hi David

I went through the same problems as you and was tearing my hair out trying to get good polar alignment but now find i can align OK, enough to look in about 10 minutes and enough to take a photo in about 1 hour.

I have a Meade ED 80 and a HEQ6 mount.

Basically I drift align but if its only for visual its not too difficult as it doesnt have to be that accurate. I dont bother with the polar scope and sigma octans because in Glebe it is far to bright to see such dim stars.

The only equipment you need for visual use polar alignmnt is a reticle eyepiece and a compass. Then as long as you are using the hand controller properly, set to correct lat/long, date, time, timezone, eq south, a two star alignment should be no problem.

There are plenty of drift alignment articles on this site and on the web but if you get stuck pm me and i can give you a phone number. Eventually like me you will sort it out and on looking back wonder what the problem was.

I must say though I also have a Nexstar C11 and for visual use setting up a alt-az goto mount is a piece of cake compared to an EQ mount.

Paul

[Terry B]

The 4 little stars in Octans is the way I do it. They are not too hard to find. I have attached 2 finder charts. You should be able to identify the general area of the south pole with the larger finder chart using just your unaided eye. Find delta octans visually and aim the finder scope at it. From there use the more magnified chart and move the mount until you can see the 4 star asterism in the finder. I then turn the illuminator on and align the stars with the little asterism pic in the finder. Once you have found the asterism once it is much easier to find the next time. I usually observe from the same place and there are now 3 little divots in the grass where the tripod sits. If I put the tripod in the same divots then the asterism is almost correctly aimed before I start. It only needs a little adjustment. Hope this helps.

[dugnsuz]

Hi David,
Sounds like your initial rough alignment is off.
Get a basic compass and follow the steps for your location in this guide...
http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/polar-align-basic.pdf
Then the polar axis of the mount should be roughly pointing to the guide stars in octans - you should be able to see the 4 stars of the "chinese hat" through the polar scope hopefully.
All the best
Doug:thumbsup:

[Tamtarn]

Hi David

Have you allowed for your magnetic declination ? This must be done before you polar align.

There is info on the forum so just type into search - Magnetic Deviation or Magnetic Declination

The Magnetic Declination ( Deviation )for Sydney is around 12deg East of Magnetic South.

You can get your precise Magnetic Declination of your location on this link http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/declination.shtml

You then click on Compute your declination .... Then highlight S & E in the circles ..... Enter your Latitude and Longitude

Once you have your Magnetic Declination you point your tripod and mount to magnetic south then deviate it to the degrees calculated east of magnetic south.

Hope this makes sense

Barb

[vash]

The way I found it for my mounts was to get a pair of binoculars and search around till I found the astrism once I found that, I lowered the binoculars down to the ground, then I found a good reference point (a small gap in the top of a tree I aligned my polar scope with this the adjusted the mounts hight until I came across the stars I needed.

It still took a while but I know where it is and marked the ground, put the scope there every night and I know is very close to it each time.

[xelasnave]

If you have a camera take a time exposure thru your scope and move the mount so the circle of star trails becomes centred in your field of view... sounds slack but at times frustration would drive me to this method.
alex

[Geoff45]

Sounds like a great idea Alex.

[JimmyH155]

When pointing to the south, you must take into account the magnetic VARIATION (NOT deviation - thats to do with metal objects nearby) Find out from googling up "magnetic variation" and you will come up with a map of Australia with lines of magnetic variation. Where I live in Brissie, it is 12 degrees East. Then you use the old nautical adage "Variation East, steer least, variation West, steer best - ie if EAST, point compass LEAST, 180 degrees MINUS 12, so you point the compass at exactly 168 degrees magnetic, and it will be pointing slap bang towards due south. If you have Variation West, then point compass to read 180 + whatever. Easy :D:thumbsup:

[gary]

Hi Terry,

I think you have been too spoilt living in Armidale :)
Down here in many areas of Sydney, one can almost be hard pressed to find
Acrux naked eye at times. ;)

Best regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[xelasnave]

Well it works for me as they say;)...
Geoff I just noticed you are next door when I am in Sydney..I am at Cheltenham...how do you see with all the trees???

alex:):):)

[xelasnave]

Hi Gary ... never did get up to see you sorry..

I tell you its dam hard when there is a house excluding up to 45 degrees above the Southern Horizon...

The only place I have a chance in Sydney is on the front patio and I feel as everyone who goes by is looking at me poking around it the dark... so I am wishing a couple of trees to death out the back;)

alex:):):)

[bloodhound31]

try this champ.

http://www.asignobservatory.com/driftalignment.aspx

Baz:D

[Louwai]

I just use my hand held GPS with compass display & set to True headings rather than Mag headings.
No dramas...........:thumbsup::whistle :