HEQ5 Pro - Polar Alignment

[Visionoz (Bill)]

Originally Posted by callingrohit

....
Also, the link that you have provided is showing a complicated system for me at this stage. I have bookmarked it, once I get used to the routine and get my setup right, I will then move on to optimize it.

Mate - that is how you can achieve repeatability in obtaining as close as accurate can be to being polar aligned (without having to drift align) so that you will NOT experience so quick a drift (you mentioned the 1 minute only you got on M42) and therefore can enjoy your time lookin' thru the eyepiece more

Anyways you're on the way now! - so good luck with your enterprise

Cheers
Bill

[naskies (Dave)]

Originally Posted by Visionoz

Yep that's true BUT only if you did not turn the power off - the previous "star alignment" will still hold true when parked - and then you can continue another session without going through the "star alignment" process providing the mount too hasn't been moved - I'm sure that my EQ6 Pro loses the "star alignment" when the power is turned off though!!

You might well be right - I've never kept star alignment because I've been packing up my scope/mount after every session. However, this passage is straight from my SynScan manual:

The result for the star alignments and PAE is stored in the hand control even after the power has been shut off. You will only need to perform the star alignment once as long as these two criteria are met: 1 The telescope is moved to its home position (Park the telescope) before turning off the power. 2. The telescope setup. including the mount, has not been moved.

I think I remember reading about other members' experiences with pier-mounted EQ6s where they don't have to re-align the mount every session. Perhaps callingrohit could try it and let us know?

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

When i set up my telescope and leave it set up for periods of time eg 2-3 day astro trips, I do the same thing in EQMod, i save the alignments. So i park the scope upon completion of the night then the following evening all I do is click go to which generally slips the star on the sensor first time.

I then clear the previous nights alignment if i have taken the scope off for the day time if not i just make sure its on the sensor and then follow my way to my target. Rarely will i take a map of the whole sky if my polar alignment is good as it isn't needed. I star hop to my target and that makes the alignment really accurate, if im attacking a object that needs a 2-3 min exposure just to see it, I will triangulate the object then go to it this gives a highly accurate localised spot and ive never had issues doing it this way.

Brendan

[callingrohit (Vivek)]

Thank you everyone for the encouragement and the amazing help.

Hi Dave, I don't leave my setup in the backyard so I wont be able to test it. If I ever do happen to leave it, I've made a note for myself to test it out and will report back.

I will triangulate the object then go to it this gives a highly accurate localised spot and ive never had issues doing it this way.

Hi brendan, how do you achieve triangulation ?

[Visionoz (Bill)]

Originally Posted by naskies

You might well be right - I've never kept star alignment because I've been packing up my scope/mount after every session. However, this passage is straight from my SynScan manual:

The result for the star alignments and PAE is stored in the hand control even after the power has been shut off. You will only need to perform the star alignment once as long as these two criteria are met: 1 The telescope is moved to its home position (Park the telescope) before turning off the power. 2. The telescope setup. including the mount, has not been moved.

I think I remember reading about other members' experiences with pier-mounted EQ6s where they don't have to re-align the mount every session. Perhaps callingrohit could try it and let us know?

Yep that's correct!! +1 - I might have given the wrong impression previously re: loss of alignment stars after powering off
This is my take on the matter:- If you've aligned and PAE'ed (ie fine-tuned your sync and stored it in the handcontroller; it stays there and doesn't get wiped off even when you power off your mount!) - pier-mounted EQ6s mean that they "The telescope setup. including the mount, has not been moved." - and obviously if you've got it pier-mounted - it would also be "moved to its home position (Park the telescope) before turning off the power" - hence you have no need to do your alignment again

For those of us who do take the rig apart after each session it means that the "alignment stars" and PAE data (if done) would be defeated anyway because we've moved the mount

HTH
Cheers
Bill

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

triangulate as it seems. i pick 3 stars around where the object should be and sync on those stars then I slew to the object take a 3 minute guided photo once its come though stretch the buggery out of it to see whats there .

To give you an idea of what happens when your polar alignment is actually spot on. I went out for a deep sky trip over the weekend, Friday night i set up my scope, alls well without any syncs i was able to put stars on the CCD sensor from north to south east to west. with 2 syncs i would drop it within 5 minutes of the center of the ccd. Saturday I pulled the scope off the mount because i wanted to do some modifications, I put the scope back on the mount. and same thing as friday night. 1 sync and i was getting pretty much perfect pointing.

When doing my guiding calibration it would land back directly on the same pixel which means no drift at all. Aim for this level of accuracy and your images will take a massive step up in the world!

Brendan