Polar Alignment issue
Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2023 12:59 pm
I've successfully used the package's Polar Alignment routine in the past and have achieved 'Good' using my HEQ5 (although I'm a fairly recent convert and don't get my rig out as often as some). I tried to find this issue in the existing PA stream but couldn't so decided to post - my apologies if this has come up before.
I tried to use it recently, but to no avail. It managed to plate-solve the region around Polaris but it failed to plate-solve after I rotated in RA for stage 2 of the process even though the number of stars identified cleared the minimum required.
I tried again the following evening and successfully got to the "Up 40', Left 1°" bit in stage 2. However, at about the Left 20' point I got a message saying "please undo rotation". I followed the instructions and it duly kicked into life again, but as soon as I got somewhere near that 20' point ... you guessed it!
I even restarted the whole process twice and got the same result, rotating in RA by ~70° and by ~90° (East, as I was concerned I might hit the edge of a tree if I rotated West). I spent over an hour trying to work this through before I gave up.
Anyone know what the reason/solution is?
(The folk on my two local Amateur Astro society Facebook groups could only suggest I switch to using a drift method or the routine in NINA, but there's got to be a SharpCap solution to this surely.)
I tried to use it recently, but to no avail. It managed to plate-solve the region around Polaris but it failed to plate-solve after I rotated in RA for stage 2 of the process even though the number of stars identified cleared the minimum required.
I tried again the following evening and successfully got to the "Up 40', Left 1°" bit in stage 2. However, at about the Left 20' point I got a message saying "please undo rotation". I followed the instructions and it duly kicked into life again, but as soon as I got somewhere near that 20' point ... you guessed it!
I even restarted the whole process twice and got the same result, rotating in RA by ~70° and by ~90° (East, as I was concerned I might hit the edge of a tree if I rotated West). I spent over an hour trying to work this through before I gave up.
Anyone know what the reason/solution is?
(The folk on my two local Amateur Astro society Facebook groups could only suggest I switch to using a drift method or the routine in NINA, but there's got to be a SharpCap solution to this surely.)