PoleMaster and SharpCap for Polar Alignment Question

[jimw85044]

I currently have my PoleMaster mounted on my mount’s RA axis. The PoleMaster and SharpCap arrangement works well. If I remount the PoleMaster on my Losmandy Dovetail Plate will SharpCap still be able to polar align my mount? PoleMaster will no longer be optically aligned to the mount RA axis.

Jim Waters
Phoenix, AZ USA

[admin]

Hi Jim,

as long as there is 'rough' alignment with the RA axis then you should be fine - ideally within a degree, but within 2 should be OK. The technique SharpCap uses to detect the current RA axis alignment is roughly equivalent to looking at star trails around the pole in a long exposure image, and if you think of that sort of image, the position that they spin around doesn't change depending on the camera being pointed exactly at the pole or off to the side...

cheers,

Robin

[jimw85044]

Thanks Robin

Jim

[kaymann]

I think some specifics are appropriate here. Placing the PoleMaster camera in it's normal location or as stated above on the RA axis and then utilizing the PoleMaster camera in SharpCap's Polar Alignment tool is completely awesome.

• The camera is normally always in focus ready to go

• Polemaster's FOV is perfect for SC to plate solve

• SC remembers gain and exposure appropriate for PA

• You do not have to mess with your main setup just to make PA work

• You can go back to it if you think you bumped it out of alignment

• PoleMaster is found under QHY cameras like any other QHY camera