groan...alignment again.

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

1. If I have the scope pointing north and the alignment is out, which way will the star move in the eyepiece and which way to I move the wedge to correct?

2. If I have the scope pointing east and the alignment is out, which way will the star move in the eyepiece and which way do I move the wedge to correct?

Simple question...simple answer?

Baz.

[Radar]

Because everyones optical systems are different, what works for me, may not work for you, but here goes.

If my scope is pointing North, and the star drifts down, I point my scope further east. An up drift and move the scope West.

As far as pointing your scope East, when I see drift in dec either up or down, I simply make a latitude adjustment so that the star moves in the opposite direction in the eyepiece.

Make sure the mount is level and use a barlow with the reticle, this speeds up alignment.

Time your drifts with a timer to. Note how much it drifts in say five minutes, and you'll get a good idea of how far off you are. If you keep timing you'll know every quickly if this system is working or needs to be reveresed.

Keep us posted Baz :thumbsupmate:

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

Ray, is your G11 on a fork with a wedge and are you using a star diagonal during this?

Baz.

[Radar]

G'day Baz,

Because my G11 is a German Equatorial Mount design it never needs a wedge. So no forks or wedges are ever found on a GEM.

I polar align using a refractor that has a diagonal with an illuminated reticle plugged into it.

If you find that my methods are not working for you, use a timer, make an adjustment and see if the adjustment has helped or exaberated the problem. This is how I ended up learning Polar Alignment. The online tutorials always confused me.

Remember that polar alignment is weird in the way that it is done. Everything is done at right angles. So if the star is drifting north or south, this requires a east or west adjustment :duh:

Polar Alignment was something that I had issues with for a long time. I had to teach myself at the time and it really bugged me.

These days when I am in the bush, I can have a decent polar alignment within one hour. "Decent" meaning no drift for at least 15 minutes. The longer the night goes, the better my alignment becomes, but because I shoot film, I had to become quite effective at aligning my scope well (no rotating or aligning software in the world of film :ahh!: ).

Keep us posted on your progress Baz.

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

So, let me get this straight. One at a time.

See the picture I have drawn up.

If I point my telescope west and see one of the stars of orion close to the celestial equator, am I doing the right thing?

Correct me if I am wrong, but should I align the crosshairs by rotating them to lign up with the equator (blue lines), or keep them level with the horizon (Red lines)? I would imagine blue is correct?

Now, if the alignment is correct, the star should follow the line down to the horizon. If it is incorrect, it will drift off the line, In which case I should wind the wedge up or down to correct?

[Radar]

G'day Baz,

As far as how to orientate the reticule, the horizon has nothing to do with it.

What you need to do is place a star at the centre of the reticule, then with the hand controller, press the right ascension buttons (left and right) and watch the star move. Rotate the reticule until the star just cruises along the centre line (from side to side / left and right).

Once the star can move across the line from one side of the eyepiece to the other, you are ready to start calibrating your alignment.

Put the star back in the centre of the eyepiece (it will drift slightly from the left and right) but we want to watch for drift in an up or down direction. This up and down drift will tell us what is out.

These guidelines above apply to North, East, West.

Also do you have an Eastern Horizon where you are? I try and stay away from West unless you really need it.

Cheers

Ray

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

I just had a crack at it. Getting the hang of it now. I don't have an illuminated reticule, so I pulled the pathetic little finder of the 60mm refractor, as it has a cross hair, wrapped heaps of tape around it to make it the right size to slip in the visual back, then placed a little torch inside the rim of the OTA to light it up a bit.

It is quite effective as now I can see the cross hairs and still see bright stars.

I started using a star on the equator, but had to switch to using Jupiter's moons as I lost sky due to clouds.

I was just starting to get the hang of it when the sky closed in....ah well, frustrating, but another night....

[hpcoolahan]

:Chessy_Smile: hope this helps you out Bloodhound31 and anyone else with this issue.
Follow the link to download a pdf , step by step on how to do it . read the last bit about reversing n and s in thier instructions for the southern hemisphere.. clear skies and good luck

http://www.backyardastronomy.com/appendix/polaralignment.pdf

Patrick Coolahan
Yamba nsw
:pipethinker:

[Radar]

G'day Baz, once you get the hang of it, everything else from there is smooth sailing. It's just learning which way to move the scope in relation to the drift. Once that's down, you'll be flying mate.

If you can get yourself a reticule sometime you'll be much better off. Though the one you made sounds cool. :thumbsupmate:

Cheers

Ray