[g__day (Matthew)]

I'm still trying to master this basic, but essential skill and I'm hoping someone can explain things before I go crazier.

To start with my permanent pier set-up seems to be within say a few arc minutes of the SCP according to MaxPoint with a 50 star model - so here's my puzzle:

Good news - after finally correctly pointing due North at the meridan - I adjust the equatorial mount so I see no drift of the star moving off the central dot of a Canon view finder attached to my C9.25 in about an hour - excellent!

Slewing due East about 25 - 30 degrees above the horizon I seem to see slight DEC drift (say 1 arc minute in 15 minutes) but I am also seeing maybe 1-3 arc minutes in RA drift (the always scope being ahead of the star).

How can this possibly happen - if there is no RA or DEC drift in an hour when the scope is vertical how can I see such significant RA drift but minimal DEC drift when adjusting my latitude elevation precisely?

I know advice says ignore all RA drift when adjusting for DEC - but I am finding it very hard to ignore that level of RA versus DEC drift!

Sanity restoring advice would be very welocme right now!

PS

As an example focused on Alphard at 11pm tonight when it was say elevated at 40 degrees above the horizon. After 45 minutes there was I estimate 5 arc second DEC drift North and the scope was ahead of the star in RA (West) by 45 arc seconds - how does that happen?