Although all of these methods work with varying results, i am not really happy with most of them for one reason or another. In the interest of providing a reference for anybody who looks up this thread in the future. Jan 01, 2018 this video shows two ways that you can adjust the top and bottom areas of pempro v3s polar alignment wizard. Pempro automatically reacquires another star when that happens. Polar alignment is done with the ccd camera or web cam in realtime allowing. This video shows two ways that you can adjust the top and bottom areas of pempro v3s polar alignment wizard. Then i downloaded a trial version of pempro and my pa was not good at all. Mounts shipped in prior years must purchase the rightangle polar alignment scope adapter for mach1gto rapm1, shown below, separately. The great list of astrophotography software reddit. Internal routing of motor cables to remove the possibility of snagging. For instance when you manually adjust the polar alignment of the mount the star usually shoots off the ccd.
Pempro v3 resizing the polar alignment wizard youtube. The astrophysics 1100gto includes all of the features in the 1600gto mount, but is smaller to accomodate for certain needs. One of my drivers for purchasing this software is that my mount. Astrotortilla is a wrapper around common astrophotography tools intended to automate basic tasks such as polar alignment and goto correction. For instructions on polar alignment using drift align in the southern hemisphere, visit how to polar align easily in phd2 drift align. Although you can use this wizard if you do not have a goto mount, if you have a goto mount pempro can make polar alignment less painlful. I have used several methods of polar alignment over the years. The pempro docs say to adjust the dec backlash setting until the triangular waveform looks good, with no flat spots or overshoot. Backlash exerciser checks the backlash of your mount. I know there were some views in the past that it wasnt the highest priority however many of the issues that were being prioritised at the time seem now to be resolved. The polar alignment function operates on a similar basis to eq align. The great list of astrophotography software software howdy folksrecently ive thought itd be a good idea to compile a giant list of ap related software all contained in one place so it would be easy to find, ive started with the programs below along with short descriptions, but need help from you all.
Parot is a program for ultra fast and precise polar alignment of equatorial mounts. Jan 24, 2011 polarfinder calculate, just in time, the sideral local medium time and the position of the polaris. Pempro v2 polar alignment routine is about as accurate as you can get. Aug, 2016 for the love of physics walter lewin may 16, 2011 duration. My gemini controller has a polar alignment feature that is probably faster and easier for me to use but that may only be because of the particular nature of my set up. Essentially, its a computerized version of drift alignment that works as follows. Pempros polar alignment function operates on the drift alignment method, so the jnow offset is not an issue.
Periodic error polar alignment backlash video starfinder. Its been zero all along, but after tweaking polar alignment in pempro, im getting faint star trails on the dec axis. You can easily achieve alignment accuracy better than 1 arcmin in 5 minutes of time. Ive been googling all evening and lost for a possible solution for tweeking the polar alignment for an observatory based heq5 mount. Pempro is worth a download and a try, is really easy to use, especially if you use eqmod and maxim. How to polar align accurately for astrophotography on equatorial mounts using. After successfully loading a pe curve into my ap1200 using pempro, and tweaking the polar alignment, im ready to test the dec backlash. For the love of physics walter lewin may 16, 2011 duration. Using goto for polar alignment without software feature. Apr 28, 2014 page 1 of 2 polar alignment with pempro posted in mounts. Rightangle polar alignment scope with led illuminator rapas. One of my drivers for purchasing this software is that my mount required improvement in all 3 aspects. Eqalign is a project that assists to align a german equatorial mount gem exactly to the earth polar axis. The time and latitude for calculating sideral local time are read directly from the system and the gps present in the mobile device.
Easy polar alignment for astrophotography step by step. During the session on 20170117 s599 a critical software problem was encountered involving the use of tpoint, which prevented a plans to make a tpoint mapping run at the end of the session. The fastest way to align a paramount me is to skip the alignment step. With pempro version 3 you can now correct your mounts periodic error, polar alignment and backlash using your ccd camera or webcam to dramatically improve tracking and guiding. Using a planetarium program, create a chart of the area around the pole north or south. Added pempro log zipper utility to wizards menu for easier access. Polar alignment wizard quickly, accurately, and easily helps you dial in polar alignment. Pempro polar align wizard and sgp issue main sequence software. Jul 01, 2012 i used eqalign too luke and thought that i therefore had a good polar alignment. The new feature which will be of use to most is a new polar alignment wizard which measures the drift of a star to give you an accurate. Paul boltwood has pioneered a very simple and effective technique for polar alignment. Something that doesnt rely on a view of the celestial. My environment in florida is nightly equipment moves to the end of the driveway from the garage.
Programs your mounts periodic error correction firmware. Polar drift alignment pda and static polar alignment spa they can be viewed here. This is an important aspect of deep sky astrophotography because it allows you to focus on capturing successful long exposure images and get the most out of your telescope mount. Mach1gto all mounts shipped beginning in 2014 serial number m10670 and later will have the adapter for the rightangle polar alignment scope built in. Set up and align the goto system in whatever way the mount requires. Can control canon, nikon and ccds, it has a timeunlimited version that includes the biggest part of the features. The drift align method can be used in either hemisphere by using a free software called phd2 guiding. The difference being that pempro displays the polar alignment error and correction information in real time, rather calculating it over an extended period. Our optional rightangle polar alignment scope will allow you to quickly zero in on the pole or the polar alignment routine in.
Alignmaster discussions software stargazers lounge. Support for new cameras and camera control programs including. In the case of the ioptron ieq45, the mount cannot be programmed direct, but should be able to be programmed via the ascom driver. I now have it working by expanding the detection range from 0 to 110,000 and by turning on auto darks and taking 10 second exposures. Next, do a rough polar alignment, and then take a 60second ccd image of the pole. Youll need to enter in your latlong coordinates of your location, which you can easily find online or using the gps on your phone. The final feature of the new pempro is a backlash adjustment feature. Astrophysics 1100gto german equatorial mount with absolute. I have posted this question in the ccdware forum so i am sure ray will be looking into it, but i wanted to see what others might propose i do.
Polar alignment free polar alignment software download. Polar alignment is an essential first step towards a night of visual observation or astrophotography. Celestron advanced vx mount with celestron polar axis finder. The equipment used in this example a skywatcher heq5 german equatorial mount. Seems like once you have plate solving it wouldnt be too difficult to add that capability. This method, although very accurate, has a reputation of being difficult. The software will be included with all new 3600gto mounts. By aligning the axis of your telescope mount with the motion of the sky, you can accurately track objects in space. The list includes polealignmax, align master, eq align, wcs, pempro, polar finder. Survey of polar alignment methods celestial wonders. The following is a description of my pempro experience.
Astrophysics 3600gto equatorial mount with precision. The red reticule pattern describe the polaris position like a polar scope. You can test your polar alignment accuracy without a sharpcap pro license to learn how the feature works, but you will need to buy a sharpcap pro license to use the polar alignment adjustment stage that guides you in to correct alignment. The eqmod project eqascom polarscope alignment tool note. Has there been any more thought given to adding a polar alignment module. One thing that pempros version of drift alignment does is subtract refraction so you get a truer answer. Our optional rightangle polar alignment scope will allow you to quickly zero in on the pole or the polar alignment routine in pempro included will guide you through the process. Page 2 of 2 polar alignment with pempro posted in mounts.
Here is a link to the astro imaging channel that has an extensive discussion of pempro with the author. Astromate x64 is a project for automating repeating astrophotography tasks, such as equatorial mount polar alignment and target centering, by integrating existing tools and especially plate solving to the ascom telescope control interface. All astrophysics mounts are supported by a dedicated staff who will assist with any issues that. For me, the ideal polar alignment procedure should be. Polar alignment is done with the ccd camera or web cam in realtime allowing you adjust your mount to arcsecond accuracy. Pempro uses the polar drift alignment method to help you achieve good polar alignment. Phd2 is telescope guiding software that simplifies the process of tracking a guide star, letting you concentrate on other aspects of deepsky imaging or spectroscopy. Polarfinder calculate, just in time, the sideral local medium time and the position of the polaris. If you find the polar reticule appears too bright, on later mounts check your sw handcontroller settings it is possible to dim the illumination by down loading and running.
Astrophysics 1100gto german equatorial mount with absolute encoders extended temperature range please note. When acquiring data and loading a previous log file the ra samples field now also shows the number of bad. I captured north america nebula using the pempro playback. Polar alignment sharpcap lunar, planetary, solar and deep. That is, i must move equipment, resetup and realign every night. With pempro version 3 you can now correct your mounts periodic error, polar alignment and backlash using your ccd camera or webcam to dramatically improve tracking. You also need to set the rotation center of the mount, which can be calibrated after clicking the clear rotation center button onscreen. For this method, pempro is set to playback the pe curve and acts like a virtual autoguider. Apr 02, 2018 download parot polar aligner for free. Im still running a sequence right now, but ill post the logs tomorrow. Astrophysics 3600gto computerized equatorial telescope.
I used eqalign too luke and thought that i therefore had a good polar alignment. The mount is set to record and receives the pe corrections via the autoguider port. Free download and information on pempro with pempro version you can now correct your mounts periodic error, polar alignment and backlash using your ccd camera or webcam to dramatically improve tracking and guiding. The great list of astrophotography software software howdy folksrecently ive thought itd be a good idea to compile a giant list of ap related software all contained in one place so it would be easy to find, ive started with the programs below along with short descriptions, but need help from you all to see if ive missed any. Im happy to report that the new pempro and sgp releases work fine for the polar align wizard in pempro. Make sure that the proper pole location is labeled on the chart. Simple if the procedure is too complex it will be prone to error. I have been trying to polar align with pempro but it constantly keeps on searching for a star and fails to find one. Polar alignment tool video tutorials ken has put together some video tutorials on the new phd2 polar alignment tools. Oct 12, 2016 im happy to report that the new pempro and sgp releases work fine for the polar align wizard in pempro. Phd2 is a telescope autoguiding software that automates the process of tracking a guide star.
The gemini and pempro give similar results in the end, they only disagreed by 23 arc minutes. In order to obtain extreme precision, it is possible to perform a precise polar alignment using a traditional drift alignment visually or with ccd camera, or by using ray gralaks pempro polar align wizard. For me though, pempros greatest strength is in the polar align wizard that is another of its functions. Pempro polar align wizard and sgp issue main sequence. Give it a try, phd2 is free and it has many nice features over phd1. Jan 14, 2018 has there been any more thought given to adding a polar alignment module. The following is a list of all the polar alignment software that i am aware of. Backyard eos for dslr camera control, a good value but does have all the bells and whistles of some others. Astrophotography how to use pempro stepbystep instructions to. Macroberts article outlines the drift method for polar alignment as it is universally quoted, where the drifts of stars in two equatorial fields are used to determine the direction towards which to move the polar axis to better align the it with the celestial pole. If you have any thoughts on improving any part of pempros polar alignment wizard then please let me know.
Star finder helpful if you have a small ccd field of view to locate a star or other object when your mounts alignment is not perfect. Obviously there could be others that i am not aware of. Polar alignment of your equatorial mount the blog formerly. Video interface provides a low cost way to use pempro using. The method used is that of julius scheiner 185819 german mathematic, physic, astronomer and pioneer in astrophotography. Polar alignment with pempro page 2 mounts cloudy nights. Rightangle polar alignment scope optional can be used without the need for an additional adapter unobstructed dec. Infact polarfinder using the gps location calculate the sideral local time.
1418 163 1103 160 1205 557 659 386 719 416 566 356 659 355 296 1240 291 1324 607 1156 1420 335 1360 749 1425 839 1231 310 858 141 539 1035 753 1187 940 519 796 731 641 1242 1497 1184 793