Start by roughly aligning your telescope mount in the direction of the North Celestial Pole. It’s not absolutely necessary, but at least you’ll know that the star is completely centered, rather than “close enough”. You’ll want to use an illuminated reticle eyepiece with a crosshair to center the star in your field of view.
This method is handy if you own a Celestron mount, and Polaris is not in view. Rather than using a polar scope, it uses a system of alignment stars. A polar scope makes aligning the polar axis of this mount with the North celestial pole much easier.Ĭelestron telescope mounts are equipped with a feature called All-Star Polar Alignment. All of the telescope mounts on the list above include a polar alignment scope (depending on the version you order), with the exception of the Celestron CGEM. The Sky-Watcher HEQ5 in this example features a built-in polar scope with an illuminated reticle. It is very similar to the following models: This is a very popular telescope mount for beginner to intermediate astrophotography enthusiasts. The equipment used in this example a Sky-Watcher HEQ5 German equatorial mount. The Drift align method can be used in either hemisphere by using free software called PHD2 guiding.
Polar alignment software for mac how to#
For instructions on polar alignment using Drift Align in the Southern Hemisphere, visit How to Polar Align Easily in PHD2 Drift Align. This tutorial is for users in the Northern Hemisphere, who are able to view the “North Star”, Polaris. This process should be well understood before diving into astrophotography. Simply put, you need to make sure that your telescope mount is rotating on the exact same angle the sky turns on. The polar axis does not move when you move the telescope. Polar alignment is the process of accurately aligning the polar axis of your mount with the north (or south) celestial pole. Once you’ve got the basics down, the entire polar alignment process can be done in less than 10 minutes. Accurate polar alignment is essential for all types of long exposure astrophotography from wide-angle nightscapes, to high magnification deep-space imaging.
Polar alignment software for mac portable#
The same process applies to a portable star tracker and is completed via the built-in polar finder scope. It’s a rather simple process for German equatorial mount (GEM) owners.
Why is it so important? By aligning the axis of your telescope mount with the motion of the sky, you can accurately track objects in space. Polar alignment is an essential first step towards a night of visual observation or astrophotography. Polar Alignment for Beginners – Step by Step
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