![]() ![]() If a Drift Alignment is to be done visually, an Illuminated Reticle Eyepiece (9mm focal length or less) is well suited in this application. You can also create a cross hair on a clear plastic overlay on your monitor for this purpose. Some image capture software can place a crosshair graphic over the “live view” of the star. This gives a good chance to finish the final polar alignment adjustment before full darkness sets in.ĭrift Alignment requires the use of a crosshair eyepiece or a digital camera taking brief exposures where the display can mark the target star’s position and the star can be seen to update in near real time. You can start Drift Method Polar Alignment during the evening twilight, and see target stars through your telescope before it gets truly dark.This method works on all types of equatorial mounts.This method can be performed in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.A precise polar alignment can be achieved even if the telescope has “cone error” with relationship to the mount.A precise polar alignment can be achieved even if the celestial pole is hidden from view.It can be performed through visual means or with a digital camera (CCD or CMOS Science Cameras or DSLR will work).The advantages of this type of polar alignment method are: The procedure below results in very accurate polar alignment, and minimizes the need for tracking corrections during astrophotography. In this document, we will cover the method called “Drift Alignment”. For astrophotographers and those collecting scientific data with a telescope equipped with an equatorial mount, a precise polar alignment is very important in order to get the best results.
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