Align equatorial mount when unable to see pole star (north or south)

[@Seafox0011]

One of the original KZbinrs offering astronomy advice. Much appreciated and learned so much from your videos, many thanks!

[@Eyesonthesky]

So very kind of you to say. Thank you very much.

[@MountainFisher]

I just bought a 102mm refractor on an EQ mount and this was very helpful. I'm fortunate as my apt. building is on a north south alignment so I can use it off my back porch when I don't need a full sky which means taking apart and packing it up. First thing is take that 10 lb. counter-weight off, makes moving the tripod a lot easier.

[@dr.mayurpatel8709]

Many of my friends from Astronomy groups suggested me to buy a Alt Az Mount telescope but this channel encouraged me to buy a telescope with equatorial mount and now I am really enjoying the sky gazing... Thank you...

[@taraskravchuk9139]

Thank you, David, for your amazing job you've been doing all these years! I remember you 10 years ago. Your videos inspired me to buy muy first telescope in 2013, which I am still using! For me as a beginner at that time you were a true guide into a fascinating world of stargazing. And I'm so happy that you are still on track! You know, 10 years have passed and symbolically the difference between our locations is almost 10 degrees! Regards from latitude 50,8! Regards from Ukraine!

[@joeimbesi99]

One of the best alignment tutorials anywhere..BRAVO

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you! Please feel free to share it with others too.

[@wrangler0829]

I picked up a few extra tips here. Thank you Video quality is just fine, by the way.

[@DeuteriumTech]

I really love the very informative no-BS style of these videos!

[@Redpaperrose]

you called Pluto a planet... that alone warrants a like. Great video - very useful - thanks

[@VincentGroenewold]

Your first video from 10 years ago actually made me sane again after starting with my first one in 2015. Thanks man! :) For photographers it's a bit more frustrating, not having that star in view. Luckily software these days helps a lot.

[@Eyesonthesky]

This is definitely not for most astrophotographers, as it wouldn't be sufficiently precise. It's okay for very wide field photos, but not much else. Fine for visual, of course. And yes, the software available today is amazing! Glad my original video helped you. :)

[@walrusrobot5483]

It's amazing that a hobby so based on optics and clarity can produce such a blurry ass video.

[@Eyesonthesky]

*goes to check WalrusRobot's high quality, super-duper focus video content* Zero videos. I mean, ok bro. You sure got me there.

[@walrusrobot5483]

@@Eyesonthesky someone doesn't need to be a chef to tell they are hungry. To see that this video was produced in 2020 is hysterical.

[@Eyesonthesky]

@@walrusrobot5483 I will be sure to tell my wife that her efforts to learn the camera and assist me were mocked by you. So good job with that here in 2022.

[@wrangler0829]

You are welcome to donate to his channel so he can get a better camera rather than insulting the man.

[@theastro-philosophersappre2786]

Great video, the information was very easy to follow. Too many guys go over the topics so fast... there’s so much to learn. Thanks💫

[@Eyesonthesky]

Glad it was helpful!

[@julianparks8485]

Excellent David! Still good! I have been using my GP and GPDX2 mounts for years. Another thing I do is mark in the ground or in my case on the roof of my building where the tripod legs go so I do not have to redo the rough alignment.

[@MrPINKFLOYDUK]

My view to the north is totally blocked by trees, so I lost interest turning both controls at the same time to then lose the image. Although I did get a good view of Saturn early on. This has inspired me to get the scope out again and follow your guidance. Thanks for this.

[@Eyesonthesky]

I hope you have great success! It is so much simpler to observe an object when all that's required is the RA drive (or slow motion control) is set to account for Earth's rotation.

[@Jgawalters72]

Thanks for that David. I have my 8" Newtonian on a homemade mobile "observatory". It is terrible, but beats carrying out 100 pounds every time I want to observe. This helps since I like to get out there and set up to allow the scope to acclimatize, before or as night falls. I'm hoping I can get the great conjunction tonight... I know I can with my 70 mm refractor, but want to see that much better with the 8". And YAY for PLUTO!!

[@zenom9333]

Im very happy youtube recommended this for me, very helpful! Great video sir

[@jongroubert4203]

Congratulations on TEN YEARS!!!

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you sir! I guess that means I'm old now?? Lol.

[@woldsweather]

Thanks for that after a year at this I finally see what a meridional flip is!

[@jons2447]

Hello, Mr. Fuller; Thank you for all you do. Great video, enjoyed it. Have a GREAT day, day Neighbor!

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thanks, you too!

[@ireneuszmarcinkowski9316]

Thank you for this film. Helped me a lot.

[@MrGp3po]

Fun to watch early videos. Your production quality is vastly improved!

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you!

[@oceandojo]

Excellent vid, love the ending

[@entropytango5348]

Great simple video without all the hype, nicely done and thanks

[@ken-ec9wv]

thank you so much for helping us get the most out of this crazy thing called astronomy 🪐

[@Eyesonthesky]

You're welcome! When I get the Telescopes On The Sky series done, I am going to try to get some budget astrophotography basics videos started.

[@Eyesonthesky]

@@paca_bill4863 hey... now you're giving me cheesy Dad-joke video ideas for the future... !

[@pierauspitz]

Nice vid, thanks! Fun fact: when Polaris is not available is the only time you MUST have a perfectly level mount to do a proper polar align, as you rely on the latitude graduations and bearing shooting to have as accurate an alignment as you can. But when a visual acquisition of Polaris is possible, mount leveling does not matter as much, as aligning a line (RA axis) to a point (Polaris) can be achieved regardless. (of course you do need sufficient level to not topple the rig)

[@fsellersf]

I liked your first video but this is even better, esp since I have that same mount!! good job and nice to see your helper.

[@kimberlyfuller995]

Great to be seen, Frank! Hope you guys are doing well! 😊

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you Frank! I know a lot of people have the CG-4, and it's decent quality at a budget price. Plus the black knobs on the white background showed up better for a video. And Kimberly is incredibly helpful! Ken P. says I should have her in more videos. :-)

[@fsellersf]

@@kimberlyfuller995 Looking forward to the end of 2020and getting back to normal. Hope to see you again! Going to spend our first winter in warm weather and dark skies.

[@JoshuaDircks]

Thank you for this! Just got our first 'real' telescope with EQ mount. We live back up against a hill and houses and trees block the pole star.

[@Eyesonthesky]

You're welcome - glad it helped!

[@tispecs4812]

Awesome as Always👍

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you!

[@marvingarden4587]

Thank you for simplifying this process!! cheers

[@DavidRamirez-ck2ph]

Wow, another great video. The compass thing just blew my mind. Thanks

[@poplof2050]

Ow waw.. I'm feeling nostalgic when i see this video🤣, i was wondering it's that the same mount that you use 10 years ago? I hope you stay healthy david so you can make more videos like this in the future😁

[@Eyesonthesky]

Nope, it is not the same mount, but they are the same tripod legs I made for that other mount in the first video (which I sold a long time ago). And thank you! Please stay safe and healthy also.

[@willrothfuss8470]

David, I get a lot out of your videos and have built your table top tripod. Question: Why not use the compass app on your phone, which can be set to true north? Do you feel this is not as accurate? Also I have aligned using this method. It's close, but never close enough to track with just the RA control. Need occasional Dec adjustments. Can you cover the drift alignment technique ( if I have that right) that uses a star near the celestial equator to tweak alignment?

[@Eyesonthesky]

I've had sometimes excellent and sometimes very poor results with compass apps on phones. I did not want people to assume that their phone would work as well as mine, so I suggested an inexpensive compass. If I can ever find a spare moment, I may be able to make a new video someday. Drift alignment is not very high up on that list, however.

[@benc7102]

Great ending ! Gold Cheers from oz

[@finite934]

dumb question (I know this vid i 3yrs old), but does the gradient marker on the RA have to be set to zero when you've got the scope all set to true north and the correct latitude? The marker ring on my Celestron AstroMaster has a gradient ring that moves freely. I do not know if it's supposed to be this way? My DEC ring is fixed in position. Should this be fixed at 90 degrees when adjusting the RA? or does it not matter what they are both set to when aligning the scope?

[@Eyesonthesky]

@@finite934 don't worry about the RA ring. It is meant to move so it can be adjusted for the time and then find objects via RA & Dec. BUT...the rings need to be AT LEAST 4 inches / 100mm diameter to have enough precision to do that, AND you need perfect polar alignment. Long story short: You're fine. Don't worry about the RA ring.

[@FosterFarmsOk]

Another great Video. Always enjoy them. The gas chainsaw sound really goes nice with the electric chainsaw LOL.

[@Eyesonthesky]

Meant to be 100% cheesy and totally "Dad joke". :)

[@FosterFarmsOk]

@@Eyesonthesky I enjoyed it.

[@GHP15300]

@@Eyesonthesky it's really funny and relatable to my situation

[@ShevillMathers]

Mobile phones have your location including height above sea level. Another app to make life easier is an angle indicator, the settings on the mount are usually a mile off. Your phone also has a compass and level indicator. Note that true north and celestial north/south have a declination variation east or west from the magnetic pole, which is slowly changing over the years. Greetings from Tasmania Australia-Southern Cross Observatories-42 South 147 East.

[@bobwilkinson6828]

As you're also in Australia can you confirm that in using this method of polar alignment that your initial setup is simply align to magnetic south rather than north as the video shows. I'm an absolute newbie so still trying to get comfortable with stargazing.😊

[@ShevillMathers]

@@bobwilkinson6828 Find your declination variation from South (southern hemisphere) mine in southern Tasmania is almost 15 degrees east, so using the compass on my phone I look south, turn my phone until it points 15 degrees east and that is where I point my scope mount. This will get you in the ball park. Look at a few more 'How to Polar Align in the southern hemisphere if still unsure, there are many good video's out there. I also level my mount first so that any adjustment in azimuth does not change my declination angle. Hope this helps.

[@bobwilkinson6828]

@@ShevillMathers Thank you so much. I'll search for my locations declination and set up over the weekend. 👍👍👍

[@brprajwal]

Latitude setting also depends on the landscape u r currently are. The angle is very much relative. The view angle of pole star at ground level is different from view angle from 80 storey building.

[@Eyesonthesky]

No. At 400 light years distant, the angle is the same to Polaris whether ground level or at an 80 story height.

[@rayknister1472]

Wondering which side of magnetic north you move 4 degrees, the left or right ?

[@paulcizdziel3769]

Hi David. Being new to astrophotography, I appreciate the video and will check out more from you. Had a detailed thought to share. Another alternative to using a compass to find true north is to use SkySafari Plus or similar apps. WIth these apps, one can "see through" objects to the projected stars on the celestial sphere, and thus know the exact location of Polaris even if you cannot really see it. This might be a good double-check for the compass method you propose. Also, one could take the tripod/mount combo to another location temporarily to align the altitude to Polaris there (where it is visible) and lock it down. Once transported back to the viewing location with the angle still intact, all one needs to do is level the tripod to have the right altitude at that point. Then the only worry is Azimuth alignment toward north as we just discussed (compass and/or SkySafari). Finally, having done all that (or some combination) it is possible to fine tune the overall alignment even more. I recently discover a seldom used technique called "drift alignment" using a double-lined reticule eyepiece. After rough alignment, by watching a star drift away from the cross-hairs, it become possible to fine-tune adjustments to Alt or Az to precision. Definitely a slow process I suspect, but very effective. So I guess, depending on how precise you want to be, there are multiple options to get rough alignment or very fine alignment without seeing Polaris. I am going to try all of this soon since my backyard (here in Japan) is very limited to the vertical and certainly has no view of Polaris. But depending on the time of year, there are lots of things worth photographing that are high in the sky!

[@Eyesonthesky]

All valid! I just was making a more basic video for the purposes of showing a simpler version of how to get it accomplished.

[@paulcizdziel3769]

Understood. I intend to try it all at the next available opportunity once rainy season ends here in Tokyo. What I suggest may not be obvious to many, unless they really dedicate some thought to it. Maybe I should videotape my efforts?

[@yobaby14]

David, thank you. I'm glad I found your channel a few years back. I swore up and down I wouldn't get a GEM, but use alt-az mounts exclusively. I've had an Orion SkyView Pro on back order for almost a month now. My ES 152 Mak, at 17 pounds factory, but closer to 19-20 pounds with a RACI and 2" EP, was already marginal on the Twilight I that it came packaged with a few years ago. From the reviews of the SVP it sounds like it should work quite well with the 152 Mak, and probably also with the AR152 achro (23 pounds) that appeared out of nowhere in the back room. (Geeee...I wonder how that got there!?) It wasn't until I watched your original video on setting up GEM's, and then this one, that I realized the GEM may actually make it easier to find targets using the RA and Dec on the mount, rather than doing finder scope sweeps with the alt-az mount or trying to get the alt-az settings to jive with one of the phone apps.

[@Eyesonthesky]

You would need very precise polar alignment to do celestial coordinates (I just cover general alignment), but using a GEM is sooooo much easier when tracking things across the sky, especially at higher magnification.

[@forresterickson6225]

It would be helpful to show the two extremes of latitude at north pole and at equator. This will help the beginner understand what the RA axis is doing when set at the intermediate actual latitude.

[@JeremiahDsilva]

Amazing information. Could you please help on how to I set the RA setting circle.. I have an EQ 1 and the RA setting circle is free dial that moves when turned.. Is there a way to set it right.. Thx in advance

[@Eyesonthesky]

To be honest, the setting circle.on an EQ1 is too small to be useful. It is more decorative than anything.

[@romeovelasco4151]

Very nice explanation...

[@lalunaraggio31]

Please I’m 3 degrees longitude and 6 degrees latitude and my we mount isn’t positioning right because the weight keeps hitting the mount . What do I do ?

[@chadr2604]

I always pointed at Mizar then just moved over. The electronic mounts you can point it at Betelgeuse, Sirius, etc.

[@iganin3]

Excellent video, will help me allot with the eq3 mount.

[@kevinjoffe6500]

Do you still aim north in Southern hemisphere and do you use your South latitude? Thanks

[@Eyesonthesky]

Aim the mount south to the southern celestial pole. There are some tutorials on how to estimate where it is using the Southern Cross if you cannot see 5th magnitude Sigma Octans.

[@dannygnaniah7552]

Vest info so far those of us living near the equator or the southern hemisphere with no view of polaris…Thank You

[@render66]

May be I'm wrong but ... it would not be easier to level and balance the telescope before to try to aim the celestial north?

[@Eyesonthesky]

Well, sure. Except the video is about how to aim at the celestial north pole when the pole star is blocked or not visible. How do you aim the mount north when you cannot see the pole star? What are you going to use to aim at? And how do you know you're level if you don't know if you're aimed at the pole star while trying to aim north? That's why I said at the beginning it requires doing two things in tandem.

[@someoneelse1904]

Fantastic video. Thanks for the valuable info.

[@kimberlyfuller995]

Nicely done!!

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thanks! Nice acting skills and ASL there at the end. :)

[@theastro-philosophersappre2786]

Great acting indeed💫

[@duststar1265]

Nice video David, I have a question, which is the mount's name?

[@Eyesonthesky]

It's a Celestron CG-4 equatorial mount.

[@psionicjake]

I had a tree in the way after setting up my telescope in the front yard. Same "noooooooo!" hahaha!

[@Astronurd]

There's no real need to level an EQ mount although it's still good practice to do so.

[@carlitosscova7451]

What is the name of the mount you are using? Looks like a good and reliable mount.

[@Eyesonthesky]

Celestron CG-4. One of the better small/inexpensive EQ mounts.

[@kevinsmith7068]

Great video!

[@bruceyoung9791]

I recently moved into a house where the biggest oak tree blocked view of Polaris. Very frustrating trying to guesstimate setup for motor driven scope. I commented to my wife that " I wish that tree wasn't there". Unbeknownst to me the owner must have called a tree crew. By the end of the day that tree was gone. It opened up that whole north area of the sky and made it so easy to polar align on Polaris. I t

[@Eyesonthesky]

That there is known as serendipity... excellent news! And if you set up somewhere else where Polaris is blocked, you still know how now. :)

[@bruceyoung9791]

Sometimes I admit Polaris lil difficult to see as not so bright. Poss light pollution where I live.

[@JamieS1992]

im trying to learn this so i know if its worth investing in a star tracker but i am a little fearful because i am south so i need to see the 4 sigma stars but some of them cant be seen by the naked eye

[@Eyesonthesky]

You can use this method of alignment even in the southern hemisphere for any visual observing.

[@lornaz1975]

Is there any reason you are using wooden legs on your tripod? Reason I ask is I have heard that they are more sturdy than metal legs. I don't know if that is true and really would not know why it would be true.

[@Eyesonthesky]

For this particular tripod, it had more to do with the fact that I bought the mount new (no legs) and had the existing legs that I'd made. But to your point: Yes, wooden legs help dampen vibrations faster than metal ones do. The metal "rings" longer, whereas solid wood has better damping ability. Though wood is used in instruments for tone/sound, think about the difference of how long a metal xylophone "rings" versus a wooden one does. The wood one has a shorter length tone. The metal one rings longer. That's due to the vibrations.

[@lornaz1975]

@@Eyesonthesky Thanks. That makes sense. I have heard that wooden legs were preferred but never knew why.

[@Navigatorbythestars]

Hello David, If you had the choice between a Tele Vue Nagler 7mm or a Tele Vue Nagler 9mm which one would you pick and why?

[@Eyesonthesky]

It would depend entirely on what telescope it was being used in.

[@Navigatorbythestars]

@@Eyesonthesky I have an 8” dob.1200mm . I thought I’d get you opinion, I keep going back and forth on the pros and cons of both. You seem to be very knowledgeable on the subject. I was hoping you could help on this decision. Thanks so much!

[@dr.mayurpatel8709]

This KZbin channel makes me intermediate Astronomer from amateur. Thank you Sir. As usual I have again one silly question. What should be the RA position of telescope during perfect polar alignment? I'm asking for RA position not RA reading. Thank you...

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you for the kind words. For RA in polar alignment, do not use the RA of Polaris or even aim towards it to set RA. Once you are polar aligned, aim the telescope at a star well away from the pole, 45 to 90 degrees away, and then set the RA setting circle to match the RA of that star. Then lock the RA setting circle (if you are using a motorized drive). I hope that is helpful! Clear and dark skies.

[@dr.mayurpatel8709]

Thank you sir for your reply and guidance. I hope you will always guide all of us in such lucid manner.

[@DeuteriumTech]

I've been doing this method. Is there a way to aim the EQ to Polaris more accurately? The longest exposure I was able to pull off with a 560mm scope on a RA motor is 4 seconds before the effects of drift show up. I'm also curious if the Dec motors that can be attached to these mounts can run slow enough to account for the drift when take long exposures.

[@charlessands6933]

How are you going to know if you have a compass that will allow you to make that adjustment?

[@Eyesonthesky]

Look for one that has a declination adjustment.

[@gravijta936]

I have to wonder if the compass on a phone could be accurate enough. I know they need to be calibrated regularly, but the app I have takes care of magnetic declination and displays my latitude too, which is handy. I think I'll give it a try in the next few weeks.

[@gravijta936]

Oh, and I also have a level on my phone, which again, I'm not sure if it would be accurate enough, but worth a try.

[@Eyesonthesky]

Both can be used in a pinch. But if you do this regularly, a good compass and level would be worth the investment.

[@calebbautista7243]

Hey David, I have the same mount as you and I was wondering what polar finder did you buy? The one made for the mount has a lot of bad reviews so I’m looking for another one that will fit. Thanks!

[@Eyesonthesky]

I bought my mount used and the polar scope came with it.

[@DK-df2hi]

Could you use the iPhone compass?

[@randallpatrickc]

Hi tried something like this the other day and I assume that the true north versus compass north is called variation or something like that? In addition I think that you can use your smart phone level to set your latitude degrees directly on the mount? That seems to be much more accurate than using the scale on the telescope mount.

[@dr.mayurpatel8709]

I do have one silly question. What should be the RA and Dec reading when we have perfect polar alignment?

[@Eyesonthesky]

It depends on where your telescope is pointed. If it is directly at the celestial pole in the home position, it will be at 90 degrees declination and the RA can be set to anything. But when you go to an object, the RA will need to be adjusted to match the RA of that object. But most small equatorial mounts do not have accurate enough setting circles or precise enough motions to make the setting circles useful.

[@dr.mayurpatel8709]

@@Eyesonthesky thank you sir... That means first I should point my telescope to true NCP as per your suggestion with DEC @ 90° and later point it to any known star and adjust RA... Is it?

[@Eyesonthesky]

@@dr.mayurpatel8709 yes, correct.

[@lornaz1975]

How about a vid on drift alignment?

[@rudolfbermuehler6674]

I think about how accurate this settings are, concern my exposure time? Like for a 200 mm lens, in direction to the milkyway?!

[@cosmictywlite]

Congrates on ten years of great info about the Stars & Planets David, Great video about the true poles, when I am Looking for Sigma Octans from 27 degree S I have to move my Compass 11 degree to the east & that gets me nearly there . ie do you think electric pole Finders are any good ,Cheers David

[@pim1234]

But like this you are not aimed at the Pole star, so this is unusable for tracking and goto mounts ?

[@Eyesonthesky]

This is perfectly adequate for visual observing and short exposure astrophotography down with wide angle lended. It will also allow owners of GoTo mounts to set up with sufficient precision to get good two or three star alignments.

[@pim1234]

@@Eyesonthesky ok, tnx

[@warrenpayne5669]

Nice, thanks! What's the drive you have attached to this mount?

[@Eyesonthesky]

It is the standard Celestron motor drive package for this particular mount.

[@warrenpayne5669]

@@Eyesonthesky ah ok - thanks!

[@jeffreysmith6910]

David, what scope is on your Omni mount?

[@Eyesonthesky]

It is an Astrotech AT72EDII. Nice little telescope for astrophotography. I just need to work on my focusing skills.

[@robaston8106]

Superb.!

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jimzeleny7213]

Use I phone compass on the front face of the RA axis.

[@yousmehratube]

Good vids. In fact I watch your 10 years old video just last week.

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thanks!

[@avt_astro206]

Awesome as Always👍 Still Remember as Chessy😉 You were 10 years Ago😄😄.!!!

[@Eyesonthesky]

Never was good at good jokes, so might as well keep the cheesy ones. :-)

[@spk9044]

Thank you

[@NatarajanGanesan]

You need to do another one on Drift alignment too

[@batwithglasses]

Thanks so much David for all that you put into this channel, it has helped me greatly over the years. Funny, my wife stopped me the other day from using a chainsaw to prune the shrubs😁👍

[@Eyesonthesky]

Hedge trimmers!!! 😂😁

[@batwithglasses]

@@Eyesonthesky 🤣

[@winstonsmith-ministryoftru1609]

Hey, look, he's got a full body! :P

[@Eyesonthesky]

Well shoot - now I've gone and destroyed the myth that I am a disembodied, floating head within Stellarium...

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Legit tysm 🙌🏻

[@DaveFer]

Hey, great video. Thanks for doing this. I was referred to your video by a helpful astronomer to help me answer a very specific question about the Equatorial grid and eq. mounts. I understand it all for the most part. But there is one crucial puzzle piece I'm missing and social media folks always seem to sidestep my question by referring me to the AltAz system of location. Here's my question: If I have Eq coordinates for a celestial object and my Eq mount is perfectly aligned to true N and level ... how can I locate the object using only the Eq coords. Don't I need to do some calculation to account for the time in my location? In Stellarium, it's easily demonstrable that the Eq grid rotates in the sky (rather the earth rotates within the Eq grid). So ... an object with fixed Eq coords will appear in a different place in the sky depending on the time. So ... there has to be some time-correction on top of the Eq coordinates in order for me to locate the object. Am I wrong in this? No one seems to understand or acknowledge this question. So I would appreciate your input. THANKS!

[@Eyesonthesky]

I think I understand what you are asking. You would need to aim at an object of known coordinated (let's say the star Sirius). The declination number should be correct. But you would need to rotate the Right Ascension axis to the RA of Sirius. Then you can locate other objects by using the celestial coordinates. Does that answer your question? I hope it does. If not please let me know. (Incidentally, the objects on the sky don't move, they only appear to as Earth rotates.)

[@DaveFer]

​@@Eyesonthesky Wow, thanks for quick response! Right ... yes, of course earth is moving. But as I suspected, a typical user of Eq coords would first spot an obvious object of known Eq coords and then adjust to different coordinates. So they are essentially sync'ing their mount against a known object ... using it like a waypoint or mile marker. But ... if the sky were blank. Or if I'm looking at something of known Eq coords and talking to a remote observer in a different time zone and directing them to Eq coords hh:mm:ss (let's set aside declination for now). There needs to be some adjustment for time in the discussion. No? I mean an object at Eq coords X appears to move thru the sky with time ... the relative position changes, but the Eq coords do not change, right? So ... something is missing from the discussion and I believe it's TIME (local hour). Maybe I'm confused (that's a distinct possibility). But I'm looking at Stellarium which allows me to slew thru time quickly and I am seeing the Eq grid appear to move across the sky and objects in the sky are fixed to the Eq grid. So if I want to use only Eq coords to find an object, I need to account for local time when sighting the object. Correct?

[@DaveFer]

Better, simple examples: If you and I are tasked with writing a computer program that would point a telescope precisely to specific Eq coordinates, blindly, without the user siting anything ... let's assume the Eq mount is perfectly oriented and level and corrected for local latitude: Doesn't our programming need to know the precise time? In order to correctly point to the Eq coordinates? (After all, the relative position in the sky of those coords changes with time, no?)

[@Eyesonthesky]

@@DaveFer I see what you're saying. But think of it this way. If both you and a friend in a different time zones are both aligned/aimed at Sirius and both have your equatorial mounts set to it, his is already pointing in a different direction from yours - even thought you're both aimed at Sirius. And the relative distance to any other known object is the same. So if you slew to a different object 23 degrees away, so will he - and he will have the same object in view. Yes, they appear in different parts of the sky. But they are the same distance from the same known object (Sirius). So it always works. That's why the coordinates are set to the stars (that are fixed), and not Earth (which rotates).

[@DaveFer]

@@Eyesonthesky Exactly ... users typically use a known, easily-sighted object as a reference point. Great. But where is the origin for the ascension coordinate? The 00:00:00 ascension origin. I can see it in Stellarium and I can use Stellarium to show me when it will be be directly overhead ... but no one is giving me the answer as to how to estimate where to look for Eq coordinates at any given hour (a priori, without a waypoint or Stellarium). Thank you for acknowledging the question and your quick responses. :) Best wishes. - DaveFer

[@denodan]

With a goto celestron mount its much easier. They have a polar alighment feature and takes no time at all. Get celestron goto eq mount its a breeze. A good video though

[@Eyesonthesky]

So, you're offering to buy one for everyone, right?

[@astrobenn_]

I have been searching everywhere for a Video like this! Thank you! I have a tree that is right in my way of Polaris! I have just used the calculator and it says 0° 8' E difference - Excuse my rookie ignorance but what way would I need to adjust the position? Thank you in advance :) Liked and Subbed!

[@Eyesonthesky]

For that small difference (just over 1/8 of one degree) for visual observing, just aim it magnetic north and you will be fine.

[@astrobenn_]

@@Eyesonthesky Thank you! I'm guessing with AP I need to try and find a way to get it accurate without having to be able to see Polaris?

[@Eyesonthesky]

@@astrobenn_ you would probably want to drift align or use another precise polar alignment method for AP, yes.

[@Handles-R-Lame]

I remember my first meridian flip, it was quite the challenge lol then once i did it i was like wow.. that was too easy..

[@Eyesonthesky]

Easier with a refractor. Those reflectors can be tricky until you realize you have to spin the tube!

[@Handles-R-Lame]

@@Eyesonthesky no kidding! My 8 inch Meade makes my Cassegrain and Maks look easy..🔭

[@paganphil100]

You don't need to be 100% accurate for visual astronomy (approx. North will be good enough).....but you do need to be accurate for astro-photography.

[@tubedude54]

I've gotten lucky... this yr the tree that has blocked my view of polaris died!! So looking forward to having it removed next yr! (no... I didn't kill it lol)

[@jodyschultz5870]

Use NINA to do a 3 point PA.

[@Eyesonthesky]

Not very useful for people just doing visual observing though (which is who this video is for).

[@PafMedic]

I Have No Clue What Of Anything You Just Done…Im Just Going To Send Everything Back

[@gloubiboulgazeblob]

When you turn your main axis, strictly speaking, you're not moving in RA but you're changing the Hour Angle. This is a very common and very bad mistake spread among ALL amateur astronomers on the net, it confuses ALL beginners... In fact, Hour angle and RA are part of the same equation : HA (Hour Angle) = LST (Local Sideral Time) - RA (Right Ascension). This a formula ANY astronomer should know, this is the basic of celestial mechanic.Know it, use it and it will save you lot of time and confusion. Your main circle graduation are hour angles, not right ascensions. Think about it a second : since the circle can be fixed on most equatorial mounts, what really happens if you fix it and you consider these are RA graduations ? It's quite simple : you've stopped the Earth's rotation ! When the elescope is in its park position : hour angle is 6H. When your telescope points a star due south, hour angle is OH (telescope East of your mount) or 12H (telescope west of your mount) YOUR local sideral time equals the right ascension of a star that is due south : HA = LST - RA 0 = LST - RA LST = RA If you want to find any celestial object, you need its hour angle by using the formula if you know YOUR LST or use an application like Stellarium for instance which gives you the hour angle of all objects at any time. Use it to point your telescope at the object (if you don't have a Goto system). The smartest ones will understand that a polar scope is theorically not needed if you know the polaris hour angle... Clear skies !

[@DannyOvox3]

Shout out to Pluto :(

[@Eyesonthesky]

Pluto is still a planet!!

[@charlesfick729]

Very good tutorial…..yes, hedge trimmers don’t work well to cut a tree down, you silly person….🤪🤪😃😃

[@salutcmanek9609]

Pluto is not a planet

[@andrefreitas3907]

"Pluto is still a planet"... just dumb. Ruined the entire class at once ahaha 👎

[@5729ariel]

Great video!

[@Eyesonthesky]

Thank you!