3 methods of Polar aligning for Astrophotography

[@lampyman101]

Just tried that 2nd method with sharpcap and blimey it works spectacularly well. I just increased from a best alignment that was only just good enough at 4 mins to a full 10 mins with only a slight star trailing (I had to really zoom in). Thanks, that's really helped me out of a frustrating hole, you're a star (non-trailing).

[@Astrobloke]

You are welcome and really pleased it has helped and worked out for you. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment, clear skies

[@abellio8559]

This video has really helped me. Thank you Glenn

[@Astrobloke]

Great, thank you for watching

[@gazza9839]

Another excellent video Glenn, maybe hide your GPS co-ords on the app though, we'll all be coming round for an in person demo 😃

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Glenn, Excellent tutorial. I agree with you ... NINA's 3-point polar alignment plug-in is my favorite too. Oh, and thanks for the shout-out. I was wondering why my video about it got a big bump in views recently. (Patrick of Savannah)

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Pat. It's a nice easy way to polar align and as I use NINA for everything else its great thats there too.

[@clairehunter7911]

I am going to try the NINA plugin next clearsky....Thanks Glenn

[@Astrobloke]

No worries. Any issues let me know. but I think you will like it

[@AZ4Runner]

Wow, nicely presented and well put. clear skies..

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Jason

[@astrophotonics9470]

I been looking to try out Nina, this convinced me, good info.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you. Its a great program

[@markbayfield6381]

Super video Glenn. I want to try the NINA one out

[@Astrobloke]

Its great Mark you will love it

[@LogansAstro]

Great video rundown of the different methods. I've always used Sharpcap but being able to do it all in NINA without switching programs and not having to see a clear line of sight to the Sth celestial pole makes the NINA option a winner.

[@Astrobloke]

You will have to let me know how well it does in the south, I am assuming it will work the same for you

[@taurus7228]

Hello. Glad to know you are able to use NINA in the South. How do You compare NINA with sharpcap in the south? I still have the sharpcap Pro license on for now. I have been using it but for PA. Please advise. Ashvn

[@craiglowery4427]

Wonderful video Glenn

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@Wolfie6020]

Thanks for another great video. I use Sharcap when I can see the South Celestial Pole. At home I can't but have spent a bit of time drift aligning the mounts and have marks on the ground to position them each time I set up. Not perfect but close enough for most of what I do.

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks. It does depend on your focal length how fussy you want to be. Sharpcap is great and I have been using that for a couple of years now but I will now use the NINA plug in

[@DSOImager]

Nice video Glenn, very interesting to see how the plugin for NINA works. NINA makes a compelling case for itself.... I have not switched yet myself.

[@Astrobloke]

I have always like NINA ever since switching from APT. The plug ins just make it even better. The filter offset one is excellent

[@agri_mitch178]

Great vid Glenn. Also lovely setup mate👍

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Mitch.

[@geoffnash3098]

You always have interesting videos to watch and I have learned a lot by wAtching your videos especially on polar alignment I sometimes have a struggle polar aligning practicing practice practice has helped me. I love my heq5 pro and my zenithstar 81 keep mAking these great videos.

[@Astrobloke]

Your support is really appreciated and I am glad my videos are helping. Z81 on Heq5 pro is a very nice combo. Clear skies

[@dereksmythe9042]

Great video as always. I am a sharp cap user but that NINA plugin looks great

[@Astrobloke]

Thank Derek, its excellent

[@JoesAstrophoto]

Great video Glenn! I've only really used Polemaster, but I'll be trying the NINA plugin if I get my second rig. Thanks for sharing!

[@Astrobloke]

Especially after you telling me you cannot see polaris from your deck

[@andysPARK]

Thanks for the azi screws advice. Mine seem to be seized and in guessing they've been a bit bent.

[@Astrobloke]

So easy to bend them as they are not that strong

[@SimonsAstro]

Nicely explained Glenn, that plug-in for NINA looks pretty good! I actually use ioptrons ipolar on my EQ6R pro (even though I use the ASIAIR pro)!! Yes I know I have to use a laptop! but for me that’s not a problem as I’ve always got my laptop out with me while the ASIAIR is doing it’s thing, there’s not much for me to do, so I’m always looking around on Stallarium for my next target! I find it accurate and I can polar align in about 90 secs😀 Clear skies

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Simon. Ipolar and polemaster are both great tools Although come at a price. You certainly have the PA bases covered

[@groundhoppingwlkp3622]

13:10 - I have a question. You're using 120 MM mini to plate solve with Nina as a main camera? And after polar alignment you use it as a guide? Currently I have Canon R7 and SA GTI - Nina doesn't see R7 so I can't use it to PA. If I buy ZWO 120 MM with 30F4 scope it will be possible to do PA even without polaris by using NINA and that couple?

[@Astrobloke]

Hi there. I am pretty sure that NINA natively supports Canon cameras so not sure why it is not being picked up. You could PA using what you mention, have you considered the ioptron ipolar. That is what I use now and it makes PA an absolute breeze.

[@paulmckeown5672]

Good video thanks. I generally can't see Polaris so this is a good primer on using Nina

[@Astrobloke]

Glad to help, thank you for commenting

[@bengterlandsson7921]

Great video. How much does NINA move the scope during the polar alignment routine? I got limited views. Can only see the sky from S through W to N, rest of the sky is obstructed. Thanks

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Bengt. Not much at all. Hopefully it will help you with a good alignment

[@bengterlandsson7921]

@@Astrobloke Thanks. Been using the Drift align function in PHD. But NINA am align feature seems bit faster 🤞

[@ninjageezer6802]

where did you get the aftermarket adjuster bolts ??

[@Astrobloke]

Found them on ebay

[@jonrobinson1026]

Is it possible to plate solve with a guide camera. My ZWO camera will take several weeks to arrive. Many thanks

[@Astrobloke]

Its not something I have done but if you put in the correct focal length etc I don’t see why not. As long as it gets enough stars it should work

[@jonrobinson1026]

@@Astrobloke Thanks. Will give it a go.

[@abellio8559]

Very helpful

[@Astrobloke]

Glad it helped

[@PeterClarke55]

As you have a permanent pier setup. do you just use sharpcap each time to verify that nothing has changed since the last imaging? Seems the quicker way with your setup or am I in the wrong ball park?

[@Astrobloke]

I do rarely have to make any adjustments but after mounting the new scope etc it had moved. I also use an Heq5 pro on a tripod in the garden so its mainly for that I use any PA tools

[@andysPARK]

That's great, thanks!

[@Astrobloke]

You are welcome, thank you for watching

[@basfinnis]

Very interesting. Good information. Thanks

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you

[@rimantasri4578]

Nice explanation! One question: since I turn the RA axis by hand (i.e. inaccurately), how do I make sure the 0 (or 12 hour) in the reticle of the polarscope is perfectly facing up?

[@Astrobloke]

The polar scope can be rotated so that the O is at the 12 o'clock position. It is normally set so that if the scope is in the home position (weights down) it is already correctly placed

[@rimantasri4578]

@@Astrobloke Well, my mount (EQM 35 Pro) isn't designed like that. 0 isn't facing upward when in home position. Is it common on this mount or is it just my copy?

[@Astrobloke]

@@rimantasri4578 i am not 100% sure. Can you unscrew the scope? If it is tight wrap a cloth around the end to protect and then use a clamp or grips to loosen. You may then be able to rotate it. If not contact sky watcher or a dealer to see what options you have

[@CGastro]

Hi Glenn. I see you are using PHD2 for guiding. What do you think about its polar alignment tools (3 options) ?

[@Astrobloke]

I have used PHD2 to confirm the PA is good by running drift align. Also guide assistant has reported back very accurate PA when used

[@geoffnash3098]

If you want to leArn about scopes and gear watch this channel astronomer is the best.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Geoff that's very kind of you to say so.

[@michaelbibby8636]

Can you do the polar alignment procedure in SharpCap and NINA at the native focal length of your telescope (in my case 1000mm) using your main imaging camera? Or do both require a wider field of view (i.e., from guide scope)?

[@Astrobloke]

Both will use what camera you set for it and you just have to make sure your focal length settings are correct. I sometimes use NINA on my CT10 at 1200mm and can use either the OAG or main camera.

[@lepetitbaigneur9073]

What do you think about the drift polar alignment? I would like to find a vid on youtube about it, maybe i could polar align my Dual Axis motorized eq5

[@Astrobloke]

Drift align is not something I have actually used but others report it is an accurate was to Polar align. Its only drawback is that it can be quite slow so suitable for an observatory or permanent set up but a bit of a pain if doing it everytime you need to set up. I have recently moved to using the iOpton ipolar which is so fast and simple.

[@lepetitbaigneur9073]

@@Astrobloke mm, yeah, probably it's a pain for a "portable" rig. Thanks a lot, I'll take a look at iOptron iPolar. Useful videos, btw. Subscribed and liked :) keep it up!

[@Astrobloke]

@@lepetitbaigneur9073 Thank you.

[@jonrobinson1026]

Watched your video on polar aligning with Nina and had success. Three point polar aligned and then plate solved for the first time. But then asked it to slew to a Target and it pointed at the floor. The target was way above the horizon. Any ideas. Many thanks

[@Astrobloke]

Hi and thanks. Double check that you have the location of longitude and latitude set correctly in Nina and Eqmod (or whichever ascom platform you are using). Thats definitely behaviour that would be caused by that

[@jonrobinson1026]

@@Astrobloke Thanks for your reply. Will check it. What an education it's been. Haven't managed a photo yet🙄. Lucky there are people like you to learn from.

[@jonrobinson1026]

You were correct. Another prob solved. My elevation here in Spain is 208 m but Nina always says that it can't set that elevation. Many thanks for your tips.

[@deeber35]

After very accurate PA with EQ mount (connected via EQMOD) in NINA, when I slew to an object, the scope is way off (40+ degrees). Why by so much? Coordinates will be off from then on when slewing to other targets, as Slew and Center does not re-set coordinates to be accurate. Will NINA, when i center and slew, track with the object centered, or track based on the faulty Alt/Az?

[@Astrobloke]

Are you doing a 2 or 3 star alignment or using platesolve? These will improve the accuracy of your target slewing however if you have the target in view then the mount will track it through the night, What mount are you using by the way

[@deeber35]

@@Astrobloke Got it resolved; an encoder issue

[@Astrobloke]

@@deeber35 ah good. Glad its sorted for you

[@SimonT65]

I’ve been playing with PA too and finding that if I run multiple instances of NINA’s PA alignment straight after each other I’m off on each instance of PA run by at least a couple of arc minutes and that was after more or less perfect PA score as you had.

[@Astrospacegeek]

That could be some form of cone error

[@SimonT65]

@@Astrospacegeek Maybe, but interested to hear if someone else has run multiple PA's and come across the same issue? Same issue running two different scopes btw ones an Espirit 120 the other a C9.25 EdgeHD both with an ASI 2600MM

[@Astrospacegeek]

@@SimonT65 might be worth running shaprcap cone error

[@Astrospacegeek]

@@SimonT65 I have and not had the same issue...sorry forgot to respond in my last answer

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Simon. I do get this even with sharpcap when setting PA on a tripod. I think as sturdy as it looks there is always some micro movements or flexure. My main rig is on a permanent pier and this definitely helps. The NINA plug in is very accurate and confirmed with PHD2 doing a star drift.

[@tomwall8403]

Does it matter if you use your guidescope, instead of your imaging scope? I switch my imaging scopes around a bit and the alignment between the two scopes isn't always perfect. Will this misalignment effect my accuracy? Perhaps this misalignment would be like a very bad cone error.

[@Astrobloke]

Depends how well mounted your guide camera is and whether you have any flexure. To be fair PHD2 suggests being slightly off PA as that can help with guiding especially if you have any backlash

[@taurus7228]

Thank you. Nice video. Ashvn

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for watching and commenting, clear skies

[@woldsweather]

Whats LX mode you ticked?

[@Astrobloke]

Is that in sharpcap? Thats Long exposure so you are adjusting in seconds and not milliseconds

[@elvisvelez6609]

I’ve been struggling with polar alignment with my new heq5, I could really use a chat if anyone is interested in giving me a hand let me know on here. Thanks guys and girls..

[@Astrobloke]

What method are you using?

[@elvisvelez6609]

@@Astrobloke Thanks for answering man I appreciate it, I just got an HEQ5 pro about 2 months ago and was trying to follow the instruction manual but it's super confusing. I'm simply using the hand controller. I have learned some more after watching and asking questions but I would like to ask some questions. 1st I level and get my home position pointed north of course, then I will ensure that the reticule inside the polar scope is 12 and 6 o clock up and down, then I open polar scope app and position Polaris in the polar scope at it's proper time. After that do I proceed with a 2 or 3 star alignment or do I not have to align with the polar scope if I'm using the star alignment? My scope does point in the general direction when I choose an object but it's off. I'm assuming that my alignment is simply not good enough and I just have to practice. Thanks again for your help.