Just a thought...
Randy's FOV may be good but if it is pointing 10 degrees away from NCP when he attempts PA, then that's no good.
Brian
Cannot get Polar Alignment to Solve on Step 1 Screen
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Re: Cannot get Polar Alignment to Solve on Step 1 Screen
Hi Brian,
agreed, but first goal is to see some proper stars - if you look back at the first post in the thread, the stars being detected by polar alignment were pretty much invisible. A saved snapshot image showing the star field visible from the camera would be the most valuable thing to have at this point.
cheers,
Robin
agreed, but first goal is to see some proper stars - if you look back at the first post in the thread, the stars being detected by polar alignment were pretty much invisible. A saved snapshot image showing the star field visible from the camera would be the most valuable thing to have at this point.
cheers,
Robin
Re: Cannot get Polar Alignment to Solve on Step 1 Screen
Hi Robin,
Agreed. Poor focus is almost always the culprit. Focusing on terrestrial objects gets you in the ballpark but further tuning is necessary. I'd take advantage of the near Full Moon to find focus. Then there is the question of whether the camera is used for a dual purpose: (1) Polar Alignment on the mini guide scope, (2) DSO imaging on the main scope. Ideally Randy has two cameras but something tells me that is not the case. Therefore it is imperative to quickly return to focus after swapping the camera from one scope to the other. One way to achieve that is to choose a fixed point on the scope and then measure the distance from that point to the back plate of the camera, and write it down. I've got a refractor so it's easier to do than if I had a Newt but there has got to be a means, like using a mini t-square. Once Randy finds focus again it won't be perfect, so jack up the gain and use a 5-second exposure. You should see donut-shaped stars. Tweak the focus a bit more.
Brian
Agreed. Poor focus is almost always the culprit. Focusing on terrestrial objects gets you in the ballpark but further tuning is necessary. I'd take advantage of the near Full Moon to find focus. Then there is the question of whether the camera is used for a dual purpose: (1) Polar Alignment on the mini guide scope, (2) DSO imaging on the main scope. Ideally Randy has two cameras but something tells me that is not the case. Therefore it is imperative to quickly return to focus after swapping the camera from one scope to the other. One way to achieve that is to choose a fixed point on the scope and then measure the distance from that point to the back plate of the camera, and write it down. I've got a refractor so it's easier to do than if I had a Newt but there has got to be a means, like using a mini t-square. Once Randy finds focus again it won't be perfect, so jack up the gain and use a 5-second exposure. You should see donut-shaped stars. Tweak the focus a bit more.
Brian