Polar Alignment with Guidescope

[CanisMajorTom]

I'm just thinking out aloud here. If I have a guidescope which is held in place with guiderings on top of the main imaging scope and as I am polar aligning (through the guidescope) I adjust the screws in the guiderings which in turn slighty changes the angle of the guidescope from the mount, does that change the polar alignment accuracy? I'm thinking it must. So I'm thinking that polar alignment should be done through the main imaging scope and not the guidescope. Does this sound right?

[Tony Leece]

Not that confident about polar alignment myself (even less so down here (i'm from the uk)), also until i came here i was alt-az only:noob:
But i would have though the alignment was a joint effort between the mounts polar axis and the primary scope, not the guide scope (which can used totally independent of the main scope via guide rings, for astrophotography etc.
Hope i haven't totally misunderstood your post, or aren't telling you something you already know.:Chessy_Smile:
Tony.........

[Tenacious Del]

I'm not sure about this either. P.alignment is one of those things that I am totally confused by. :crazy:

[scorpius]

!. Your scope must be accurately aligned on the mount initially to the best possible position. The finderscope must be carefully aligned with the main scope. This is often best done in daylight on an object around 500 metres away. Also ensure the legs of the scope will not sink into the ground. Found this out to my cost on a field trip with the rotten pointy feet on the EQ6. I am going to make a wooden triangular base.

2. The mount on its tripod or base must be aligned to "True South". It must be level. The angle of elevation should be set on the local "degrees south" ie 32.0 for Perth. The scope should be be aligned South/North in the "Park position. (scope pointing up in the southern direction)

3. When ever possible do a 3 star alignment adjusting each object to the centre before accepting, by using the up/down/left/right buttons. (Change the scan speed from default to 8 or 9)

4. Select object to GoTo and it should be in view if you have done all the above correctly

5. I am talking about the EQ6 here, but the same principle applies to all. The mount can be aligned with a compass to magnetic South and the magnetic deviation adjusted by the lock knobs where it fits the tripod. Other minor adjustments can be done by using alt/Az locking clamps, the calibration rings should be set on zero.

6. Final comment if you have a laptop running Sky Charts wait for a bright star/planet to be exactly due south on the chart (180 degrees) and check the object in the scope, which should be exactly pointing south.

7. Trust this helps, using the guidescope in the southern hemisphere can be tricky due to the objects having a low light level and low in the sky for viewers above 30 degs S as opposed to North who have Polaris... All the parameters have to be reversed for the Southern
hemisphere.
Glue the lid on the guidescope and forget it....

8 Enjoy I think I have got it right:Chessy_Smile:

When all else fails read the manual ....I you can interpret it :duh:

[Draig]

Glue the lid on the guidescope and forget it....

Hi Scorpius,

Don't you mean the Polar Scope?



What's a Manual?

Cheers Colin

[Radar]

What's a Manual?


A man from Barcelona that's waits on tables in English Hotels. :duh:

Manual!

[omaroo]

Fundamentally - it's along the longitudinal axis of the RA shaft in your mount that needs to point to the SCP. That's why some GEM's come with a polar alignment scope that fits inside this shaft housing - so that you take a direct line along the axis and it should point to the SCP near S. Octans. Given that your primary scope AND guidescope can move independently of this axis - they are useless to align with other than to affect a drift alignment once you think that your RA axis is already pointing directly at the SCP.