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Old 02-06-2008, 04:12 PM
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Geoff45 (Geoff)
PI rules

Geoff45 is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,631
The best method of drift alignment I've ever seen is here on Cloudy Nights.
OK, I know its a US site, but the author is from Oz, so I guess it's OK to quote it. You have to think a bit to see what he is getting at, but once you do, you'll never use anything else.

For southern hemisphere if you have an odd number of reflections in your optical train the method for azimuth is this:
Hold your right hand flat with palm towards your face and with your thumb in the direction of drift. Adjust the azimuth so that the star moves in the direction your fingers are pointing. Repeat until there is no drift.

For an even number of reflections use your left hand.

For altitude (for all scopes, both hemispheres), if the star is in the east, adjust to make the star move in the opposite direction to the drift. If the star is in the west, adjust to make the star move in the same direction as the drift.
Geoff
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