Quote:
Originally Posted by newbies_husband
I'm still a bit confused about polar alignment. The purpose is to align so that you can track the stars, but what happens once you "backflip" the tube after setting the polar alignment, does that mean that you aren't polar aligned anymore?
|
It's important to understand what polar alignment is. You are not polar aligning the telescope itself, you are polar aligning the
RA axis of your equatorial mount. That is, you are aligning the
RA axis of your mount with the
axis of the Earth, so that the
RA axis is pointing at the south celestial pole.
Once that is accomplished the telescope tube can be moved to point in any direction by loosening the
RA and
DEC clamps and the "
RA axis" will remain pointing at the south celestial pole.
Now that your polar aligned your drive motor on the
RA axis will turn the
RA axis in the opposite direction of the Earths rotation keeping your target in the field of view.
What a mouthful. I hope I'm correct and clearer than mud.
cheers
Mark