NOTE: If you are located in southern hemisphere, Sigma Octantis will be chosen for Polar Alignment. For example, on May 20, 2010, 20:00:00 in Sydney, Australia (Lat S33º51’36” and Long E151º12’40”), 600 min ahead of UT, the Sigma Octantis Position is 1hr21.8m and 64.4m.
BrightStar Polar Alignment
For those who do not have a polar scope, take off the Polar Axis Cover and Polar Scope Cover. Look through the polar scope opening to locate the Polaris. Slightly turn tripod Center Rod Knob to loosen the mount head. Adjust the Azimuth Adjustment Knobs to do a fine adjustment of the mount to center the pole star in the azimuth direction. Tighten the Center Rod Knob to secure the mount. Slightly loosen two Latitude Locking
If the mount is not equipped with a polar scope or the pole star cannot be seen, you can use this BrightStar Polar Alignment procedure.
(1)Level the ZEQ25 mount and set it at Zero Position. Make sure the telescope is parallel to the pole axis (R.A. axis) of the mount. If a finder scope is used, adjust it to be parallel to the telescope optical axis. Turn the mount power on. Set correct R.A. and DEC backlash numbers. An eyepiece with cross hairs is recommended.
(2)Pressing the MENU button, then select “Align” and “Polar Align”. The HC will display the azimuth and altitude position of several bright stars near meridian. Select one that is visible with high altitude as Alignment Star A. Follow the HC instruction to move the Star A to the center of the eyepiece with the combination of Latitude Adjustment Knob and “◄” or “►” button. Press ENTER to confirm. Next, select a bright star that is close to the horizon as the Alignment Star B. Center it using the Azimuth Adjustment Knob and “◄” or “►” button (The “▲” and “▼” buttons are not used here). Press ENTER to confirm.
(3)The telescope will now slew back to Star A to repeat above steps. The iteration can be stopped when it is determined that the alignment error is at the minimum. Press BACK button to exit alignment procedure.
NOTE: It is highly recommended to use an eyepiece with
NOTE: The movement of the alignment star in your eyepiece may not be perpendicular but crossed, depends on its location in the sky.
STEP 11. Return Mount to Zero Position
After polar alignment and balancing OTA, return the mount to Zero Position, as shown in Figure 20. The Zero Position is the position with the CW shaft pointing toward the ground, OTA at the highest position with its axis parallel to the polar axis and the OTA pointing to the CP. Loosen the DEC and R.A. Gear Switches to adjust the mount to the Zero Position. Engage the clutches after each adjustment. Remember, the hand controller needs to be at the Zero Position as well! The simplest way is turn the mount power OFF and ON again to reset the hand controller.
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