Polar alignment using a polar scope.

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Gordon United States of America
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Polar alignment using a polar scope.

#1

Post by Gordon »


Back in the beginning of my astronomy adventure. I had a Skywatcher EQ5 mount. This required using a polar scope to do a polar alignment. These days there are many other options, especially if you are using a camera. But I thought I would go ahead and post this here as the question of how to do a polar alignment with a polar scope comes up from time to time.

I hope this helps!

I would give credit to the author if I could remember where I got it from.
Using a Polar finder.pdf
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Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
ZWO mini guider.
Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
Eyepieces: a few.
Primary software: Cartes du Ciel, N.I.N.A, StarTools V1.4.

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Re: Polar alignment using a polar scope.

#2

Post by KathyNS »


Gordon's link and instructions are good for the older circle-on-a-circle style reticle. With the newer style reticle that shows a clock dial, the technique is different. Instead of rotating the RA axis to a different position every night to accommodate the movement of Polaris, you always rotate it to the position that puts the clock dial vertical.
polar reticle.jpg


In the example above, Polaris was initially placed at the dead-centre of the dial. Then it was moved up or down (it doesn't matter which) onto the dial ring, and the RA axis was rotated to make the 0 or 6 o'clock marking align with the star. That is the reticle orientation that you will always use.

Once you have the reticle oriented correctly, look up the current clock position for Polaris. Note that this is not the same as "hour angle". Your handset might tell you the current clock position, or there are polar alignment apps that will tell you. Using the dial like a clock dial (0 or 12 at the top, 3 at the right, 6 at the bottom, and 9 at the left), adjust the mount to place Polaris on the dial at the correct clock position.

Clock dial reticles allow for correction for the movement of Polaris due to precession. Which circle you use depends on the year, as shown in the inset. This level of precision is probably more than most people require.
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DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Polar alignment using a polar scope.

#3

Post by Sky Tinker »


I have both polar-scopes, one with the old, the other with the new, and either one for my Meade LX70, an EQ5-class mount...

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"Look, son! Up there!" His son shouted back, "I see it! What is it?" The father regaled, "The galaxy! Andromeda! Our origin, our destiny!" And so the boy was hooked, and for the rest of his natural life.

"Desserts tend to corrupt, and absolutely delicious desserts corrupt absolutely." - Chef Acton

Alan :Astronomer1:

Apochromat: Takahashi FS-102 4" f/8 - Achromats: Meade S102 102mm f/5.9, Antares 805 80mm f/6(flocked & blackened), Meade "Polaris" 70mm f/12.9, Sears(Towa) #4-6340 50mm f/12(flocked & blackened) - Newtonians: Orion 6" f/5(flocked & blackened) - Catadioptrics: Explore Scientific 127mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain, Celestron "PowerSeeker" 127mm f/8 "Bird Jones" reflector(modified, flocked, blackened, and collimated!) - Mounts: Meade LX70(EQ-5), Astro-Tech Voyager I alt-azimuth
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