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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Initiating polar alignment without polar finder

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I have an AVX mount without polar finder that I prepare to go on the field.
I tested the polar alignment in Ekos with it.
First I aligned the tripod the best I can to the north pole. Nextt I align roughly the mount too.
After that I do an astrometry to know where points the telescope. And I begin an iterative process consisting in (1) moving azimuth and altitude (2) doing astrometry. This process might lead me close to the CNP.
Unfortunately it seems not work because if the astrometry tell me that I am close enough to the CNP the Ekos alignment process shows that I am not so close from the CNP.
I don't know why this process fail. Maybe I am wrong and this can't work.

But if it could work, it would be nice to have some facilities to do it. I think about a loop on the captures followed by astrometry so we can represent at each iterate the direction(arrow) and distance(number) of the CNP. And by the way guide the manual tuning of azimuth and altitude.

Something that could be better is to have an indication of where is the RA axis during the Ekos alignement process and a warning when it is out of the field.

So is my reasoning wrong :unsure: and would I have to buy a polar finder :( ?
Last edit: 5 years 11 months ago by Patrick.
5 years 11 months ago #24715

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Hum, no real echoes to my suggestion.
May I conclude that this is a silly suggestion.
5 years 11 months ago #24783

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I thought the first capture already warns you if you are too far off?
5 years 11 months ago #24784

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I guess it warn me if the CNP is not in the field of view but not if the RA axis is not in the field.
5 years 11 months ago #24785

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My mount does have a polar finder but I never use it. Instead I do the same as you. I point it roughly at the north celestial pole. Then I make sure that Polaris is in the images of my DSLR. That's easy enough since it has a 3 x 2 degree view. Once that is done I start the polar alignment and always manage to get closer than 1 arc minute from the pole.
5 years 11 months ago #24786

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