I like that you are learning and passing on the successes and the problems you struck and figured out along the way. In the southern hemisphere we use octans (which is in your reticule) but its very faint in light polluted skies. This video and your previous one is very useful, thanks!
Excellent tutorial One question The only concern I have is zero on polar scope is NOT on 12 clock position when mount is in home position DO THAT REALLY MATTER?
Thank you so much for such an easy to understand PA guide. I liked the way you did it during daytime, and using a distant Pole and Bolt as a prop for Polaris. That really helped me understand what I am actually trying to do with Polaris itself. Thanks! Wes, Liverpool England. ( Bortle 7 )
Nice tutorial, I use the same method to get the mount roughly polar aligned. For even better polar alignment the mount actually has a built in polar alignment routine which you can use after doing a 3-star alignmemnt. It let's you center a chosen star in the eyepiece or camera and after that it shifts the mount according to the misalignment it registerd in the star alignement. Then it lets you center the star again by adjusting the altitude and azimuth. To center it in the reticle I actually use the liveview an crosshairs in astrophotograpytool (APT) This get's me very well polar aligned avery time. Without guiding that let's me take images of about 90 seconds at 700mm focal length. with autoguiding I have no trouble going tot 5 or 6 minutes.
I like the sound of this method... Do you have any tutorials or anything like that that you would suggest for a beginner like me? I'm planning on very log exposutre times once I get the hang of this
@@chadwalker9031 after star alignment Just scroll further down in the handset menu and you Will find 'polar alignment'. The handset Will guide you through the steps you have to take. I usually do that routine on a second or third different star to check if the first time it was right and to fine tune further. If you don't have apt or a crosshair eyepiece to get the stars dead center in the field of view, you can defocus the star into a big disk. That way it is easier to judge if the star is centered or not. Though using the camera live view is beneficial because after alle this you don't have to change An eyepiece for a camera with the chance of ruining polar alignment when you change it. Also you can balance the scope with the camera on ahead of time and never touch it again that night
Just got the HEQ5 and a 6” Imaging newt for Christmas, this video has been INSANELY helpful in learning to polar align! Love all of your videos man, they’re all so helpful and fun to watch!
Honest mistake! It does make you wonder sometimes if the polar scopes could be designed a little differently to make them more beginner friendly? Good luck and clear skies!
That really helped me understand everything Is my polar scope wasn’t showing zero up when I had to to home position now I understand all I had to do move the mount until zero is up than polar aligned Thanks so much
Thank you for this video. I watched several others and yours was the first one I could actually understand and follow! I am waiting for clear skies so that I can perform a polar alignment with my very first equatorial mount (Celestron Advanced VX). Thanks again for taking the time to put this tutorial together.
Excelent! One question please: I just bought a new skywatcher120/1000 rig with manual 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 alignment is good enough to visual moon and planet by using the A.R. manualy slow motion to track it ? Even if it is fake alignment? because sometimes you want to see the moon during the day or because there is something building, that does not allow you to see the polar. And if i lose the objet, can i correct the declination too? thank you again
Hey there, You appear to name the DEC and RA axis the wring way round, might be a bit confusing to some people. Easy done when you're filming, done it myself.
Nice video. Thanks for posting. Just a couple of things at 3:39 you mean declination, not right ascension. At 4:33 you mean right ascension, not declination
Great video, I know you're doing this as an example but since i want to take pictures or the sun and obviously there are no stars, how do I PA during the day!!
This is a cool process, especially since you can get it pretty dead-on BEFORE you lose the light and are stuck fiddling with it in the dark. However, how did you know where Polaris was to be able to align your reticule position?
I’ve set up so many times in my backyard I pretty well know right where Polaris will be heh 😅. But as for figuring out exactly where it needs to be in the reticule, I use the app PS Align! It makes that part of PA a breeze.
@@AmateurAstronomyStormchasing I appreciate your reply. I am the same way-knowing where Polaris is from any point in my yard-but I haven't done as much polar aligning as you. I need more practice. By the way, I have some other questions and comments for you, but I wasn't sure if you had a Facebook profile or e-mail address where you prefer to chat more than here.
Thanks for this! I thought my reticle was broken because 12:00 wasn't at the top of the reticle when in the home position. I've been rotating it about 22° like you do in your video but didn't know if that was the right way to do it. Good to know mine's not broken 👍
Out of interest: do you have the new polar alignment scope or one of the older ones? You'll know yours is newer if it has the constallation Octans instead of the big dipper and doesn't have the circle for Polaris. Edit: silly question, sorry. You show your scope in the video 🤪
Hi, thanks for the video it now makes sense why i could not see through my polar scope. I wonder if you could help me with a question i have, do we need to tighten the clutch when we use electronic alignment on this type of mount? or do the clutches need to be loosen? My HEQ6 mount is making a squeaking noise when i use the electronic autoguide.
A far best tutorial for polar alignment on HEQ5 Pro on YT. Just want to confirm, are you still moving RA axis to have polar clock on polar scope in natural position before align? (0 on top, 3 on right etc)? Asking as I never heard about it and maybe since you have recorded this video you have found different way? So far I have always set mount in home position (so clock in polar scope was inverted) and then align polar star position on it as per Polar Clock app (I simply turn phone up side down to have better perspective). Do you think this way give same result as your or it is inaccurate? Thank you.
Thank you! And yes I still set the RA to that position. If you had a good eye, you could probably get away by not doing that... especially if you were shooting wide field since it’s a bit more forgiving. At this point I’ve just made it a habit 😛. Good luck and clear skies!
The method to put the clock in the right position at 22 seems not good for my heq-5 pro. In my case the 6h mark in the polarscope points downwards when the 0 is set on 18, or the white tip on the mount points exactly between 9 and 10. (i remember in my star adventurer is between 10 and 11 and was written on the manual, but i cannot find the same method in the heq-5 manual).
Hmmm that's something I'm curious about as well. The dials seem to be finicky from mount to mount. I'll check my Star Adventurer as well and see what it reads. Thanks for the heads up!
Does it really matter if the ZERO is at the top in the polar scope? I've been told by others that it doesn't. As long as Polaris is put in the right clock position. For example, I know what 4 o clock position is so I just need to place Polaris in that position on the circle, right? Having Zero at the top is just for visual sake?
Yeah you don't have to have it in that position while aligning. It just makes it easier when aligning since the PA app I use is oriented like that. I believe it does help getting a more precise alignment when using this method, but it's not mandatory.
@@AmateurAstronomyStormchasing Thanks. What I thought. It would be nice if they placed the reticule in it's proper position during manufacturing to avoid confusion, but it's simple to figure out Polaris position anyway on the time circle anyway.
No need to rotate the RA axis. Just place Polaris on the ring at the position shown on the app. Rotating the RA won't change this position only the numbers.
The only thing I'm disappointed with, is the lack of link tot he music in the description 😂 Thanks so much for the link also to the reticule / polar scope alignment guide - really handy!
wait how did you level the floor of the pod? are there leveling screws or is it hit and miss moving the legs just right (which is cheap as heck) If you are going to teach us.. do not skip steps.. WEll at least we have an idea what is needed..
Nope, just adjust the legs on this setup. It’s not the most accurate thing out there by any means. Apparently the bubble level on these are off from the factory anyways. It seems to get the job done though!
Miles better off using sharpcap, ipolar, or polemaster, far superior way of polar alighment more accurate, quicker and more precise. With ipolar can polar aligh in less than a minute if I am roughly aligned before hand. Stuff getting on your knees breaking your neck
Which is great - if you have the ability to have a computer/laptop hooked up to your mount. Which not everybody does. Hence the need for a manual method.
Sorry dude that WAS very confusing. I could not understand what you are doing and I know how to PA but then I do it the easy way. I use Sharpcap and an ASI 120mm on a 50mm uni-guide.
ну вообще-то зеленая шкала крутится. и на нее полагаться нельзя. очевидно, что должен быть другой правильный способ выставить шкалу искателя верно. но твое видео хотя бы что ибо я до сих пор не нашел ничего лучше!)
SkyWatcher doesn’t bother to align the polar scope with the home position, they just randomly insert the reticle at any old angle, and every mount is different. His just happens to be 22deg off axis, mine is 157deg off axis. Sloppy QA by SkyWatcher, but it doesn’t matter to the alignment, just rotate the RA to get it to line up.
@@scottcruzen4022 Hi, just found your comment. I have just recieved my first eq mount and have that same issue about the polar scope not being aligned properly. How do you make sure that it is pointing straight vertical and finding out what degree it is off from home position? Thanks!
Finally a REAL tutorial! Thanks! This made me understand how to polar align!
No problem, glad to help!
Just bought an EQ mount and your video was the only thing that made it clear to me. Thank you so much!!
I like that you are learning and passing on the successes and the problems you struck and figured out along the way. In the southern hemisphere we use octans (which is in your reticule) but its very faint in light polluted skies. This video and your previous one is very useful, thanks!
Thanks. Just got my mount and this part is usually not explained well in other videos. Very helpful!
Excellent tutorial
One question
The only concern I have is zero on polar scope is NOT on 12 clock position when mount is in home position
DO THAT REALLY MATTER?
Thank you so much for such an easy to understand PA guide. I liked the way you did it during daytime, and using a distant Pole and Bolt as a prop for Polaris. That really helped me understand what I am actually trying to do with Polaris itself. Thanks!
Wes, Liverpool England. ( Bortle 7 )
Nice tutorial, I use the same method to get the mount roughly polar aligned.
For even better polar alignment the mount actually has a built in polar alignment routine which you can use after doing a 3-star alignmemnt. It let's you center a chosen star in the eyepiece or camera and after that it shifts the mount according to the misalignment it registerd in the star alignement. Then it lets you center the star again by adjusting the altitude and azimuth. To center it in the reticle I actually use the liveview an crosshairs in astrophotograpytool (APT)
This get's me very well polar aligned avery time. Without guiding that let's me take images of about 90 seconds at 700mm focal length. with autoguiding I have no trouble going tot 5 or 6 minutes.
I like the sound of this method... Do you have any tutorials or anything like that that you would suggest for a beginner like me? I'm planning on very log exposutre times once I get the hang of this
@@chadwalker9031 after star alignment Just scroll further down in the handset menu and you Will find 'polar alignment'. The handset Will guide you through the steps you have to take. I usually do that routine on a second or third different star to check if the first time it was right and to fine tune further.
If you don't have apt or a crosshair eyepiece to get the stars dead center in the field of view, you can defocus the star into a big disk. That way it is easier to judge if the star is centered or not.
Though using the camera live view is beneficial because after alle this you don't have to change An eyepiece for a camera with the chance of ruining polar alignment when you change it. Also you can balance the scope with the camera on ahead of time and never touch it again that night
Remco Kemperman this advice was very helpful! Thanks a lot!!
Just got the HEQ5 and a 6” Imaging newt for Christmas, this video has been INSANELY helpful in learning to polar align!
Love all of your videos man, they’re all so helpful and fun to watch!
You've cleared A LOT up for me. This is a GREAT tutorial! I really needed this. Thank you so much.
Glad to help! Good luck and clear skies!
Well done explaining
Simple and easy .
Thanks so much
Thanks for this video. I've been doing the alignment wrong, I was putting Polaris at the centre of the reticule 😖
Honest mistake! It does make you wonder sometimes if the polar scopes could be designed a little differently to make them more beginner friendly?
Good luck and clear skies!
Excellent tutorial
Simpel and effective
Thanks so much
That really helped me understand everything
Is my polar scope wasn’t showing zero up when I had to to home position now I understand all I had to do move the mount until zero is up than polar aligned
Thanks so much
Thank you for this video. I watched several others and yours was the first one I could actually understand and follow! I am waiting for clear skies so that I can perform a polar alignment with my very first equatorial mount (Celestron Advanced VX). Thanks again for taking the time to put this tutorial together.
This is fantastic and super helpful! Thank you so much
Excelent! One question please: I just bought a new skywatcher120/1000 rig with manual 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 alignment is good enough to visual moon and planet by using the A.R. manualy slow motion to track it ?
Even if it is fake alignment? because sometimes you want to see the moon during the day or because there is something building, that does not allow you to see the polar. And if i lose the objet, can i correct the declination too?
thank you again
Thanks dude! This video really helped me get polar alignment!
Hey there, You appear to name the DEC and RA axis the wring way round, might be a bit confusing to some people. Easy done when you're filming, done it myself.
Nice video. Thanks for posting. Just a couple of things at 3:39 you mean declination, not right ascension. At 4:33 you mean right ascension, not declination
Thanks for this video! Im getting the same mount soon so your whole channel is really helpful haha
Glad to help! Heh good luck with the new setup, and clear skies!
Great video, I know you're doing this as an example but since i want to take pictures or the sun and obviously there are no stars, how do I PA during the day!!
Excellent video.
This is a cool process, especially since you can get it pretty dead-on BEFORE you lose the light and are stuck fiddling with it in the dark. However, how did you know where Polaris was to be able to align your reticule position?
I’ve set up so many times in my backyard I pretty well know right where Polaris will be heh 😅. But as for figuring out exactly where it needs to be in the reticule, I use the app PS Align! It makes that part of PA a breeze.
@@AmateurAstronomyStormchasing I appreciate your reply. I am the same way-knowing where Polaris is from any point in my yard-but I haven't done as much polar aligning as you. I need more practice. By the way, I have some other questions and comments for you, but I wasn't sure if you had a Facebook profile or e-mail address where you prefer to chat more than here.
Thanks for this! I thought my reticle was broken because 12:00 wasn't at the top of the reticle when in the home position. I've been rotating it about 22° like you do in your video but didn't know if that was the right way to do it. Good to know mine's not broken 👍
Just found your video. Where are you in middle Tennessee? I just ordered an hEQ5 can’t wait to get started.
Thanks for the video are you using the focusing ring on your polar scope here might be clearer. Cheers.
Does it has some illuminator for the polarscope?
Out of interest: do you have the new polar alignment scope or one of the older ones? You'll know yours is newer if it has the constallation Octans instead of the big dipper and doesn't have the circle for Polaris.
Edit: silly question, sorry. You show your scope in the video 🤪
Heh honestly I didn't know there was an older style polar scope that came in these! Thanks for the info!
To my question clearly when you point to 4 clock examples do keep mount in home position
Thanks very much-that was really helpful.
This is a good video
when I am in the Home position my polar scope is on like 7 should the 0 be on top am i that far off brand new out of the box?
Hi, thanks for the video it now makes sense why i could not see through my polar scope. I wonder if you could help me with a question i have, do we need to tighten the clutch when we use electronic alignment on this type of mount? or do the clutches need to be loosen? My HEQ6 mount is making a squeaking noise when i use the electronic autoguide.
Yes the clutches need to be tight anytime the mount is in use. As for the squeaking, I’m not 100% sure. Could use a little grease!
Thank you
A far best tutorial for polar alignment on HEQ5 Pro on YT. Just want to confirm, are you still moving RA axis to have polar clock on polar scope in natural position before align? (0 on top, 3 on right etc)? Asking as I never heard about it and maybe since you have recorded this video you have found different way? So far I have always set mount in home position (so clock in polar scope was inverted) and then align polar star position on it as per Polar Clock app (I simply turn phone up side down to have better perspective). Do you think this way give same result as your or it is inaccurate? Thank you.
Thank you! And yes I still set the RA to that position. If you had a good eye, you could probably get away by not doing that... especially if you were shooting wide field since it’s a bit more forgiving.
At this point I’ve just made it a habit 😛.
Good luck and clear skies!
@@AmateurAstronomyStormchasing thank you, clear skies :)
The method to put the clock in the right position at 22 seems not good for my heq-5 pro. In my case the 6h mark in the polarscope points downwards when the 0 is set on 18, or the white tip on the mount points exactly between 9 and 10. (i remember in my star adventurer is between 10 and 11 and was written on the manual, but i cannot find the same method in the heq-5 manual).
Hmmm that's something I'm curious about as well. The dials seem to be finicky from mount to mount. I'll check my Star Adventurer as well and see what it reads. Thanks for the heads up!
Thank you, very helpful. Do you still have your Dobsonian? (from earlier videos)
Good video. Thanks!
Thank you for watching!
Does it really matter if the ZERO is at the top in the polar scope? I've been told by others that it doesn't. As long as Polaris is put in the right clock position. For example, I know what 4 o clock position is so I just need to place Polaris in that position on the circle, right? Having Zero at the top is just for visual sake?
Yeah you don't have to have it in that position while aligning. It just makes it easier when aligning since the PA app I use is oriented like that.
I believe it does help getting a more precise alignment when using this method, but it's not mandatory.
@@AmateurAstronomyStormchasing Thanks. What I thought. It would be nice if they placed the reticule in it's proper position during manufacturing to avoid confusion, but it's simple to figure out Polaris position anyway on the time circle anyway.
How do you calibrate the Ra and Dec clocks?
Please make a video again
No need to rotate the RA axis. Just place Polaris on the ring at the position shown on the app. Rotating the RA won't change this position only the numbers.
The only thing I'm disappointed with, is the lack of link tot he music in the description 😂 Thanks so much for the link also to the reticule / polar scope alignment guide - really handy!
wait how did you level the floor of the pod? are there leveling screws or is it hit and miss moving the legs just right (which is cheap as heck) If you are going to teach us.. do not skip steps.. WEll at least we have an idea what is needed..
Nope, just adjust the legs on this setup. It’s not the most accurate thing out there by any means. Apparently the bubble level on these are off from the factory anyways.
It seems to get the job done though!
So this $1100 mount's accuracy boils down to getting a $6 bubble level set right?
@@mikeries8549 lol ;-)
what was the name of the phone app eh?
Polar Scope Align, free on both iOS and Android!
@@AmateurAstronomyStormchasing thanks!
Miles better off using sharpcap, ipolar, or polemaster, far superior way of polar alighment more accurate, quicker and more precise. With ipolar can polar aligh in less than a minute if I am roughly aligned before hand. Stuff getting on your knees breaking your neck
Which is great - if you have the ability to have a computer/laptop hooked up to your mount. Which not everybody does. Hence the need for a manual method.
Sorry dude that WAS very confusing. I could not understand what you are doing and I know how to PA but then I do it the easy way. I use Sharpcap and an ASI 120mm on a 50mm uni-guide.
В век цифровых технологий это атавизм, я забыл когда последний раз им пользовался
That accent, where are you from?
I have to say them bubbles in the mount are almost 99.9% wrong
I’d say you’re probably not wrong ha. I should use an actual level when setting up to get a bit better receipts.
ну вообще-то зеленая шкала крутится. и на нее полагаться нельзя. очевидно, что должен быть другой правильный способ выставить шкалу искателя верно. но твое видео хотя бы что ибо я до сих пор не нашел ничего лучше!)
but why 22???
SkyWatcher doesn’t bother to align the polar scope with the home position, they just randomly insert the reticle at any old angle, and every mount is different. His just happens to be 22deg off axis, mine is 157deg off axis. Sloppy QA by SkyWatcher, but it doesn’t matter to the alignment, just rotate the RA to get it to line up.
@@scottcruzen4022 Hi, just found your comment. I have just recieved my first eq mount and have that same issue about the polar scope not being aligned properly. How do you make sure that it is pointing straight vertical and finding out what degree it is off from home position? Thanks!
Thank you.