How to Polar Align your Telescope Mount like a Pro!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2019
- In this video, I show five step-by-step instructions on how to polar align an equatorial mount. By following these easy-to-understand tips, you will improve your tracking and multi-minute imaging capabilities! I also discuss how to use Sharpcap to polar align your telescope mount like a pro! For this demonstration, i polar align my celestron AVX mount.
Thanks for watching and clear skies!
link to free smart compass/location APP (android):
play.google.com/store/apps/de...
link to free polaris view APP:
play.google.com/store/apps/de...
I'm using this Celestron AVX mount: amzn.to/2lKXBOG
This is my polar finder:amzn.to/2lM9Fz1
link to my zwo asi 1600mm pro camera:
amzn.to/2ubpFyW
You can also read my blog on polar alignment where I share more Pro tips!:
www.astroforum.space/post/fiv...
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Your English speaking is not bad at all. I'm very happy to watch your video. Thanks Wido for all the information and how-to you're sharing with us, the astro photographers.
Great info & tips about using the Polar Axis Finderscope and where Polaris should be relative to the North Celestial Pole on any given time / date - thanks.
Excellent Presentation and valuable information given in the entire video without unnecessary stuff. Simply straight & short form of extraordinary information for beginners.
Cool, thanks for the nice words!
One evening it took me so long to align, by the time I was done Polaris had moved! LOL!
Yes, even Polaris moves around the NCP, lol
Give nina a try. I plonk my gti on a crap tripod down pointing vaguely at polaris. 10 minutes later via nina im sub 1 minute and never took caps off polar scope
5% battery life left!! Afronden!! 😦 😋 Thanks for this video, very helpful. Enjoy these super clear nights while you can!
Haha, yes, that was a close call. Thanks for watching and clear skies to you too.
Thank you for the great explanation
Thanks for your positive feedback Khaled!
Thanks for your videos. I'm using the QHY Polemaster camera and software. It could benefit from doing plate solving - especially here in the Southern Hemisphere - but once you get used to recognising the Octans asterism, it's really quick to use and gets excellent accuracy.
Thanks Damien. I've ben using sequence generator pro for platesolving lately, works like a charm. Clear southern skies!
Damien Finlayson same here from the northern hemisphere.
Now I get it. Thankyou
Glad I could help
I polar align and control my AVX with AsiAir, great little box of tricks..... Great tip on the android polar finder though, thanks.
Hi Gary I see you bought the ASIAIR, nice! I was wondering, does it download images on your tablet which you transfer to your PC after the imaging session? Have fun.
Very good video. I use sharpcap (£10/ year) for using its polar align feature - its brilliant and so simple to use. Polar alignment is done in less than 5 minutes.
Thanks! Yes, I still use sharpcap, also with my Edge HD at 1500mm focal length, it works like a sharm.
That was a great tutorial! Thanks! Could you please make a video on how to polar align when the polaris is blocked?
Thanks! You could try to engage in drift align procedures.
I have been using a set of 3 vibration pads which go under the 3 feet of the telescope mount. Celestron sell a very expensive set called 'Celestron Vibration suppression pads' however I got a knock set for about £20. It spreads the load of all the equipment from 3 leg spikes to 9 smaller feet spikes, in doing so over time in the night the mount doesn't start to sink in the grass, it also helps dampen vibrations of people walking around as the centre of the pads are a ring of rubber keeping the mount from being vibrated so much. :) Thanks for the video mate!
Thanks!
Thank you for the video. I suppose that you can make the polar alignment through sharpcap using or the main camera in the main telescope or the guiding camera in the finder scope, isn't it?
I'm using my main imaging camera in my telescope. Clear skies Iris!
Thank you very much for all of the videos you have made, and thank you for this video in particular. I'm sorry to find out that Sharpcap does not support DSLRs. Clear Skies!
Hi there, thanks! You could try backyard eos if you have a canon or nikon dslr.
excelent! One question please: I just bought a new skywatcher120/1000 rig with equatorial neq5 and I'm still learning the equatorial (before it had a 70mm with altaz mount. Once I managed to put it in parking position (orient the tripod to the north with a quality compass, level the tripod , level right ascension and level declination and adjust latitude of Madrid), can I consider that I am aligned with the polar? even if it is fake alignment? because sometimes you want to see the moon during the day or because there is something that does not allow you to see the polar. And Would you know how many degrees you have to deviate to true north in the location of Madrid, since the compass will indicate magnetic north?
I have a ZWO 120 mini on my finder scope, and use Sharpcap, always get the polar alignment to within 10 arc seconds, even with less than ideal conditions.
Nice Brian! Thanks for sharing.
I am setting up my new rig. I will use PS Align Pro to get in the ballpark. If I can get within 5 degrees, I will use Sharpcap from there.
Getting my laptop connected to the mount (EQ6-R) via EQMOD was a minor moon shot for an amateur, and required the assistance of videos and suggestions online.
Thanks for the reply Paul and good luck with the new rig. Clear skies!
moved up to Polemaster with my AVX and liked it but its camera is limited by my Bortle sky to working well only when seeing is exceptional. The Sharpcap seems a better choice for me since it apparently adjusts to higher magnification of the star field around Polaris. Thanks!
Yes it does William. I've used polar align in sharpcap at 480mm, 1440mm and 2030mm. It always worked. Clear skies
Thanks for the tips! I live on 25.7617° N and in my case Polaris is always obstructed in my backyard, tips please!
That's unfortunate. You could try to put the mount roughly into the north position and then engage in a drift align procedure...
Leuk video dank je wel! Super newbie question, having just unboxed my first Newtonian telescope last night: if you do the polar alignment, doesn’t that limit your vertical range? How would I see a planet directly above me, for example, if the latitude of my city (and thus, my tripod) is only 32 degrees?
uuuhmmm...the EQ mount moves in Alt and AZ after you polar align it to the north and your latitude, so you can point straight up. And it follows the curved path of the stars/DSO's. Good luck!
My AVX gets polar alignment by using Sharpcap. Just like you did. I use phd2 and a guide scope to do guiding.
Ah, good to hear that someone is using sharpcap besides me :-). Thanks for sharing Michael! Clear skies.
Hi, thanks for the splendid video. I'm actually located a little to the north of you a,t 52° 22′ 34.24″ N in Amsterdam. I'm just getting back into astronomy after a 20 year sabbatical. I've just purchased a, Sky-Watcher MAC102, with an EQ2 mount and tripod. The compact size and portability is really important. You know how small Amsterdam flats can be. They're not like the football fields sized flats, found in Utrecht and Nieuwengeim. An 8" Dobsonian, or Newtonian, might just push the wife over the edge. The Mak, will do me very well for the Moon, planets and some of the brighter DSOs. It'll also get the wife, acclimatized to how cool astronomy really is. Could you let me know of any astronomy clubs in the Noord-Holland, Utrecht area? Your help is much appreciated.
HI Andy, that's actually a good question. I do most of my interactions online (e.g. cloudynights, stargazerlounge etc.) but it would be nice to join a group or a Dutch starparty...I'll check it out. If you find a group, let me know :-)
@@AstroForumSpace I've joined CloudyNights. I've have a poke around here to see if there are any clubs. There has to be at least one or two, I'll let you know. Westerpark would make a splendid, "in the city" viewing spot 🔭.
Thanks for the video. After aligning with Sharpcap, what should I use to automatically target a planet please?
Depends on your mount...
@@AstroForumSpace eq6 r pro sry.
Hi Astroforum,
I am new and want to perform my first polar alignment (if the weather will allow me).
Thanks for the great tips and the tip to acquire SharpCap (pro?).
How do you let SharpCap look through the telescoop? Through your guiding camera or your Astrophotography camera? Is there a best option? I have not bought any cameras yet so my first camera will be a guiding camera (I am looking at the ZWO Asi290 mini)
Thanks in advance for your answer!
Eugène, The Netherlands
Hoi Eugene, je kunt je camera in je telescoop gebruiken voor de uitlijning op de Poolster, niet de guidecam. Succes, groetjes!
@@AstroForumSpace Dank voor je antwoord. Dat wordt dus eerst even wachten tot ik ook een astrophotografie camera heb gespaard! En ook een laptop want na aankoop van de licentie van SharpCap Pro kwam ik erachter dat ie niet op de MacBook Pro te downloaden is maar enkel op Windows laptops
Great videos. I am having trouble with aligning my EQ 6 R mount. I do visual only no astrophoto. So when I align my mount to 'north' I use my cell phone compass set to 'true celestial north' mode. When I go through the 1 star alignment it is 10-12 full moons off of the guide star (arcturus in this example). What am I doing wrong? Thanks and clear skies
The first slew can be off, but 12 moons is a bit much😉. Did you use your polar scope to align the mount with the celestial pole?
EKOS, it's perfect
Wow, it uses multiple images. Thanks! Im going to check this one out :-)
Thank you very much , I have been searching for this video for a very long time!
Glad I could help!
I use the Astro locator app, which gives me long and lat as well as being a compass. I think it was $4.99US. Also QHY Polemaster on my AVX.
Thanks for sharing!
The IPhone (and probably androids) has as part of the compass feature a bubble level. When in compass, you can swipe right and get to the bubble level. Also, be sure your IPhone compass is set for 'geographic north' vs. 'magnetic north.' In compass it also gives your latitude. :-)
Thank you for this. One question though, how do you know your guide scope is parallel with the telescope and if it is not how do you adjust it? With this software it uses the telescope itself to align and not the guide scope correct? Thank you.
Hi Ron, the main challenge is to polar align your mount correctly. When your polar alignment is good, you don't need to align your guidescope with your telescope view to guide.
I think I understand your question. The drift polar alignment procedure is not affected by the guide scope alignment to the main scope or the mount axis. Remember that after you are polar aligned you can point the scope anywhere and it tracks correctly. So working backards you can point your guide scope anywhere when doing the drift alignment. The SharpCap procedure is just another form of drift alighment.
Do you have a video that shows how to use the DEC and RA once you have polar aligned to find deep sky object etc.?
Hi David, yes, what mount do you have?
Hi Wido.
Should my telescope in its home position be looking at Polaris the same as the polar alignment finder scope? I am using an Eq6r pro.
Thanks for all your excellent, informative videos on here.
Ian.
The scope is pointed North, towards Polaris.
Thanks Wido. My telescope appears to be pointing higher in the sky above the position of Polaris when the polar scope is aligned. Do you think this might cause alignment problems when I’m doing my 2/3 star alignment?
Hello, what if I cant see polaris? Any easy way to still polar align? I do have ASIAIR but have not tired it.
I have had pretty good results by using the built in feature of my Celestron AVX mount : All star Polar align. combined with the Backyard EOS software. It´s really a quick procedurre !
I would like to here about your method Henrik. I have an AVX mount, BackyardEOS, SharpCap Pro, Celestron StarSense and Celestron SkyPortal WiFi. I don't have a guide scope yet and use a Canon T3i for my imaging. I didn't realize SharpCap Pro only 'supported' guide cameras. I see that some people are hacking their DSLR with ASCOM drivers but it's too sketchy for my comfort level. I'm stuck at 30 second exposures max and was about to go down the drift align road and saw how simple SharpCap Pro looked. But of course there's always a glaring detail I missed (no guide cam... yet).
I'm looking at this mount as a potential advancement from my sky guider pro. Is it absolutely necessary to be connected to a computer for this mount? Feels like a major learning curve from just eyeing through a polar scope.
@@milesvanyperen3539 Sorry. I just noticed your reply right now. First I make a starsense alignment. When it has finished I chose a star and focus it in BackyardEos with the focus function. In the handcontrol I now choose the all star Polar Align feature. The I use the crosshair function to center the star by using the rec/dec screws on the mount (not the handcontrol). This turns out to be much more precise than using an eyepiece. Press enter and do another Starsense alignment and you are ready to go. You now have correct focus and polar alignment. If you wish you can improve the polar alignment by repating the process for the same star.
@@herald9 No. the functions can be found in the hand control. You can use an eyepiece for the polar alignment as well. But you´ll have to use a high power eyepiece with crosshairs for optimal precision !
@@henrikjohnsen3481 thanks Henrik... I purchased a mini guide scope combined with SharpCap polar alignment, PH2 and StarSense. Happy to say this has taken me from 30 second exposure to over 5 min. So satisfying when you finally wrap your head around the basics.
All good and well, but what do you do when Polaris is blocked from view? I'm in Maastricht in an appartement 3 floors up, the balcony is facing south, my viewfield is from the north-east to the south-west. My mount is an iOptron CEM 25p (goto), with a Explore Scientific ED80 telescope.
Uuhm...try aligning using a compass. And then I would perform a drift align procedure on a star...or move your scope outside of your apartment?
I know this video is quite old but, did you bypass the controller when connecting to the computer?(Saw the green cable). If so, how is that done?
The polar do with the polar scope in the mount. It always takes some time to get i right, other problem is my neck. I have the sharpcap software, but I photograph with a DSLR camera en it does'nt connect to that. Groeten, uit Breda :)
Hi, dank voor het kijken en inderdaad. Sharpcap is niet echt gemaakt voor DSLRs. Wat je kunt doen is een drift align.
A have a fully manual mount (no polar scope), so I'm only good up to step 3. Any chance of a tutorial on drift alignment?
Ah good suggestion. I'll put that on my video to-do list Dave, thanks.
I suppose, for manual, you could just look at the stars movement without tracking it, after you polar aligned your mount. The star should move in a straight line, slowly out of the field of view. If it moves diagonally, you could try to slightly adjust your alt-az bolts until it moves in a straight line.
good video again!! i have a clock on my scope on the RA EQM35 Skywatcher..... should i use this clock or just use the polar scope and place Polaris in the position as shown on the APP?
Hi James, If you are doing your polar alignment manually, I would look at the APP and put polaris in that position using your polar scope. I don't know how accurate that clock is on the EQM35? It also depends on your gear. If you are going to image widefield with a DSLR, a rough polar alignment will do.
AstroForum thanks for the reply. Out the box should I calibrate my polar scope in day time on a distant object? Rotating RA axis and making sure the object doesn’t move. Do you have or please could you do a beginners video for calibration. Sorry, new to this! I have the polar scope that has the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia showing with NCP cross hair and a dotted line to placement of Polaris. Do I ignore these and place Polaris in the position regardless what way up the image is ( not adjusting the image via clocks to match app)
@@AstroPixUK first, put your EQ mount roughly in the north position. The polar scope shows cas. and Ursa as a reference. Before your imaging session at night, look at the sky. Calibrate your polar scope roughly to where you see cas and Ursa in the sky. Look through the polar scooe, hopefully, you'll see Polaris. Put Polaris in the small circle of your polar scope. Alternatively, check the app at night. Put Polaris slightly off center as shown in the app. I've a blog if this, perhaps useful: astroforumspace.com/five-tips-to-polar-align-your-telescope-mount-like-a-pro/ clear skies James!
AstroForum thank you so much. Videos are brill.
@@AstroPixUK don't hesitate to ask me anything James!
If possible please make the polar alignment video on CG3 (Manual) Mount for better understanding of beginners.
I haven't got a cg3. It's not so difficult, hope you'll be able to figure it out.
I have AVX and polar align using sharpcap with asi1600, I noticed that polar error is different if rotate clockwise or counter clockwise, so I always end up putting back to park position for final polar error adjustment, do you see the difference in polar error with clock and counterclock? BTW thanks for your videos!
Hi there, thanks and great question. I'm only doing a clockwise polar alignment. Never checked the counterclockwise position since my DEC guiding is doing fine after the clockwise alignment. I also use the clutch on the ra to turn it exactly 90 degrees. I may check the counterclockwise alignment next time.
@@AstroForumSpace can you let me know your outcome? After the 90 polar alignment, the telescope can be freely rotated and polar error should stay the same, I suspect the polar axis on my mount does not align exactly with the polar axis of my telescope giving the difference in polar error.
@@astroyat ok. I'll do that. Only thing is that the weather in the Netherlands is very bad atm, next week they predict rain every single day, so it might be a while before I'm able to test this.
@@AstroForumSpace no problem, thank you very much.
Hi, it took a while but yesterday i tested sharpcap and had a few arcminutes of difference between clock and counterclock alignment. Interesting.
Does tracking need to be turned on when aligning? If not how long after you align do you need to turn on tracking? Do you have several minutes to throw on camera and lens and frame shot before alignment goes bad?
Hi Blake, if you are polar aligned properly, you can wait for several hours and your tracking should still be fine. Most of the time I start tracking after I've aligned the mount, but there have been days when I used the alignment of the previous night to turn on tracking and it still worked fine. Clear skies!
I have just tried to use PA with a sharp cap i can not get past the first step the error says the most recent frame did not solve. Have you got a tip for me thanks in advance? Once i go to PA it brings the error up. CAn not move further
How many stars were picked up? What's the focal length of your telescope? Could be weather related also.
The app to help you pin point the North Star can you give me the name of it please I struggle to find this when I want to move my scope to different locations thank u so much
Polar alignment is a simple but effective tool. Or you could of course buy a genuine compass.
Can't you do a 2or3 star alignment after polar aligning and skip Sharpcap?
Yes, but I've been getting better guiding results by nailing the polar alignment in sharpcap and skipping the star alignment procedure. Clear skies!
I do my imaging from a 6th floor balcony. Unfortunately, my building has 15 floors, and it blocks my view of the entire northern sky and of Polaris. I do have the same AVX mount as you do here. Do you have any suggestions for how to most accurately align in this circumstance. Many thanks for any tips you can offer.
"Hi Dough, I hope you're doing well. I suggest getting a good stand-alone compass and making sure the mount is as accurate as possible in the north position. It can be tricky to get the altitude adjustment precise, but if you go through the all star alignment procedure as mentioned in the AVX manual you should be able to target and track objects with good accuracy. Here's a link to an old video that might help you through the process: th-cam.com/video/uCE6sKwVtiw/w-d-xo.html. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you have a great experience setting up your mount."
Thank you very much for the quick and helpful response. I’ll give the All Star Alognment process a try-when we’re lucky enough to get clear skies in the Netherlands in December! I’ve been using a compass for initial setup and then solar system align. The initial slews are not so accurate but I can correct them well enough for planetary tracking. Eventually I’ll want to try deep sky and much better alignment will be necessary for that. So I’ll try the all-star, Anyway, many thanks agsin! Take care!
Thanks for your video. I am using CPWI for polar alignment for my AVX.
It’s quite helpful as I don’t have free line of view to polaris
Hi Sebastian, thanks for sharing. You've made me curious, how does CPWI work? Is it similar to a star alignment process?
@@AstroForumSpace Its basicly the same but the Software helps you to select the right stars. This is helpfull if you don't have sight to polaris. Also CPWI offers an ASCOM interface.
@@sebastianherbig5826 thanks!
I really struggle with the alt-az adjustment knobs. Adjusting altitude doesn’t just move the scope up and down, it moves along a curve. Making it difficult to place it in the middle.
Hi there, yes, it take some practice and it's true that the azimuth coordinates change somewhat when you adjust the altitude screws and vice versa. I had to practice it for a couple of times before I got the hang of it. As I said, try to make very minor adjustments and see how it changes your periodic align error. Good luck!
Great video! However, the link to the free smart compass/location app does not work (anymore?). Could you give me the right link? TIA
perhaps this one? play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.astrotools.polarclock&gl
One question: why don't you use the polar alignment from the handbox? It tells you nearly the same to do. Isn't it as accurate?
It's my experience that sharpcap with realtime platesolving is a bit more accurate. But hey, whatever works for you is fine of ofcourse! Clear skies.
Do these compass maps give you true north or magnetic north. I'm always wondering.
Dave, I'd always prefer a regular compass over a smartphone app. Cheers.
What do you recommend if you do not have a clear view on Polaris? For instance if an object is blocking your view to the north.
Position the mount as best as you can and perform drift alignment.
Op de polar finder scope staan ook allemaal cijfers die je kunt draaien, waarop moet je die zetten?
De juiste richting :-). Kijk even naar de App die ik in het filmpje laat zien, dan weet je hoe je je polarscope moet draaien. Groetjes.
Dankje, ik kan alleen niet de app vinden, het linkje in de bio doet het ook niet.
Ik zie alleen dat je iets met de datum moet doen als ik naar de cijfers kijk, daarboven staat weer een ring met allemaal cijfers tot 23
Datum + tijdstip in uren dus. Als je hem op het goede tijdstip zet dan geeft de poolzoeker de juiste positie van Polaris. Vervolgens kun je je montering instellen.
je spreekt heel goed engels dakje voor de video
Dankjewel Husnain! Doe je ook aan astrografie?
@@AstroForumSpace nee ik ben maar 12 jaar oud ik heb wel een klein telescoop ik heb daarmee Saturnus gezien dat was heel cool en mooi
Jupiter en de maan kun je ook goed zien met een kleine telescoop. Veel plezier :-)
@@AstroForumSpace ik heb de maan ook al een paar keer gezien maar het is 3 dagen al bewolkt in het nacht en bij Jupiter is het al onder de horizon als het nacht word :( is Jupiter door jouw telescoop goed te zien ik denk van wel.
@@Just-a-Orion-on-the-internet. ja klopt. Het is slecht weer en de planeten zijn op dit moment niet goed te zien. In het voorjaar komt mars weer tevoorschijn, maar dat is een hele kleine planeet. Jupiter gaat goed want dat is de grootste planeet van ond zonnestelsel. Groetjes
I am still trying to get a handle on my polar alignment for my Star Adventurer 2i. It is usually about 30 minutes of cussing and trying to find the polar star in my reticle and trying to light up the reticle so I can see the reticle and working out which knobs to turn to move the star into the right position. Good times.
A rough polar alignment is usually sufficient for widefield tracking (up to 50mm focal length and 60 second exposures). May save you some time, just put it north and in the correct latitude. Then turn on tracking and see what happens...
@@AstroForumSpace Thank you for the advice. I am hoping to get 2 minute lights, so I can image the Heart and Soul nebula.
I'm a beginner and I'm not sure what you did with the alt/az screws...did you just loosen one side first and then the mount moved? Or was there a separate clutch that you released first and then each turn on each alt/az screw was a different adjustment?
Hi Andre, you can move the alt/az screws of the mount by Iosening one screw and then tightening the other one. There is no clutch. Good luck!
Living life on the edge w/ 5% battery I see
Haha
+1 drift pun
lol, thanks.
What if u can't see anywhere near Polaris?
Use a compass.
@@AstroForumSpace I tried to use PHD2 to PA, but the mount holding my tracker is manual. Under Drift Align, a screen pops up and because PHD2 is only connected to my camera, and not a mount, it won't let me Drift. I read in the manual u can drift without a connected mount. Is the manual wrong?