The Home Made Tracking Device For Wide Field Astrophotography
Hi Guys, the tracking device is finished and I thought I would show it off and where it will live when doing it's work.
As it happens, and this is a pure coincidence the wall it will be mounted on is actually pointing nearly 100% due Magnetic South, so that is very helpful, just a small tweak with the variation and we are set ready to fire it up.
Anyway the following photos will tell the story.
As promised shortly I will write a few words on how it was built and the Formula used to get it to this point.
Except you don't want it to point magnetic south, you want it to point TRUE south, otherwise you are going to get some wicked elongation/star trailing.
Looks great but take a long exposure to find CSP..I think you will need to be able to adjust it to get South but with luck the wall may be already lined up...keep us posted and again very clever indeed...well done.
Alex
Except you don't want it to point magnetic south, you want it to point TRUE south, otherwise you are going to get some wicked elongation/star trailing.
11 degrees east... might need a jack hammer for the wall.
Hey Guys I don't think you are all reading this first post right.
I know I have to adjust for true South.
Also the device can turn in a 360 degrees on the Mounting Assembly making it easy to move it a few degrees to SCP. it is not stuck to the wall "so to speak"
I was just making a point in the first post that it was actually nearly True South by pure chance, making it easy to move it a few degrees for True South.
Also the device can turn in a 360 degrees on the Mounting Assembly making it easy to move it a few degrees to SCP. it is not stuck to the wall "so to speak"
Leon
My method works best, it only takes a year... rotate one degree a day until trailing stops
Fantastic looking mount Leon, a work of art !!!
Guys, Leon's done this before, he'll find True South, he just needed the offset for this location.