Polar Alignment Techniques for When Polaris is out of Sight

When Polaris is out of sight, don't worry! This comprehensive guide will teach you alternative methods for achieving precise polar alignment.

The polar alignment scope is used to achieve perfect polar alignment when Polaris is visible. This tool lets you see the Polaris and the North Celestial Pole and assists you in aligning your telescope or camera mount. It lets you see the night sky clearly with an overlay of the constellations, allowing you to orient your equipment by lining them up with the stars. Follow the directions included with your mount and set your equipment properly to use a polar alignment scope. This method may take a little longer and require more effort than a polar alignment programme, but it can still be an efficient way to accomplish accurate polar alignment when Polaris is not visible.

Using a polar alignment app is one of the simplest and most convenient ways to get an exact polar alignment when Polaris is hidden. These apps use your smartphone's GPS and compass to identify your precise location and orientation. They will then show you the necessary adjustments to your telescope or camera mount to align it with the celestial pole. Download polar alignment software and follow the on-screen directions to obtain accurate polar alignment without Polaris. Polar Clock, Polar Scope Align, PolarFinder, and PolarAlign Pro are some prominent polar alignment programs.

When Polaris is hidden, the drift alignment approach can achieve exact polar alignment. This method involves making small adjustments to your telescope or camera mount while watching the movement of stars over time. By carefully monitoring star drift, you can tell if your equipment is properly aligned with the celestial pole. This technique involves patience and attention to detail, but it can provide an accurate way of achieving correct polar alignment even when Polaris is not visible.

When Polaris is hidden, the plate solution software is another excellent way to get perfect polar alignment. This software analyses a night sky image using powerful algorithms to calculate the precise position of your telescope or camera mount. It can compute the necessary changes to achieve accurate alignment by taking a snapshot of the stars and uploading it to the software. Astrophotographers frequently use plate solution software, which can be a valuable tool for establishing exact polar alignment in difficult situations. There are various options for plate solution software, so do your homework and select one that is appropriate to your equipment and demands.

I'm going to cover this in more detail because I find this most accurate and easiest to perform. The basic principle is to set up the mount pointing roughly north, level it and tell the handset to perform a two or three-star alignment. It will ask you to select the first star, and then it'll slew in the direction it thinks it is in. Using the controller, slew the telescope until the star is centred, then move on to the next star, the final star. The controller can then work out the alignments and track stars for you.

First, place the mount in a location where you have good views of the sky and your targets. Using a compass, point the tripod leg with the marker towards the north as accurately as possible. I built a tool to help with this; the wooden arm moves the compass away from the metal tripod and reduces interference from the metal.

Next, you want to ensure that the surface of the tripod is level. This is done by using a spirit level and checking twice, the second 90° from the first. If the tripod is not level, adjust the height of the legs until it is level in both directions.

Carefully attach the mount to the tripod, and set your latitude on the latitude marker. Attach your telescope and other equipment, but don't turn on the mount yet. Set the mount to the "home position", which points the telescope directly at the north pole.

Now turn on the handset, set the date, time and location and click to start the star alignment process. The handset will present a list of stars to choose from, so go ahead and select one. The mount will then slew to the area in the sky. If it is way off, check the date, time, and location entered and ensure the scope is in the correct home position. If it is roughly in the right place, manually slew using the controller buttons to get the star centred in the eyepiece (min 20mm or a cross-hair reticule).

Repeat this process for the other two stars, and by the end, it should read "Alignment successful." You can now use the handset to select your targets; the tracking should be perfect.