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Graham, the mapping function of the Skysense is the key to its overall accuracy and the key to improving the accuracy and time taken to complete an All-Star-Alignment with the CGEM.
Once having completed a scope-Starsence camera alignment (done once) the steps in achieving solid alignment run as follows
1) Switch the mount on
2) Run Starsense, get things nicely aligned. Find a convenient star, say, Crucis maintain the pointing of the mount upon Crucis.
3) Run the All-Star-Polar-Alignment, employing the known of Crucis
4) Run the Starsense procedures again, thereby achieving stunning pointing accuracy whilst maintaining Polar Alignment achieved with the All-Star procedure.
Graham, as you correctly described this is all achieved with a mapping function. The Starsense unit "discovers" where it is on the surface of the planet, then references that position to the "pointing" of the mount. The map solution references hundreds of more individual stars within a camera frame. Strangely, this all makes great sense once you get your head around it and is an ideal solution to those two vexing issues of accurate Polar Alignment & Pointing Accuracy.
This business of running the Starsense procedure twice sounds time intensive, it isn't, as Starsense is a fully automated process. The scope will simply "do its thing", requiring zero input from you whilst Starsense runs. The only step that demands some user attention is the All-Star-Alignment procedure.
I hope I have clarified how Starsense maps the sky, superimposing its view against the thousands of maps contained within the memory of the unit. If I have left anything out in describing the function of Starsense please excuse as I am still a newbie with the unit.
Casstony provides a much more succinct summary of the procedure than my rambling. The Starsense unit makes those two crucial steps, Polar Alignment and Pointing and makes them easy and manageable process, requiring little time and little effort from the user.
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