Join StellarMate to your home WiFi network. I have a Samsung Galaxy S8. For Polar alignment you don't really need an app, however, there's an app for Android called 'Calibration' which will clibrte your phone's accelerometer then give you a compass so you can see where 'north' is. GPS update was made shorted for quicker refresh. The method how we achieve it is called polar alignment and it starts with a rough alignment of the RA axis. Ill attach my newly acquired Canon EOS 60Da to the RedCat, with a dual-bandpass narrowband filter inside (2 Optolong L-eNhance). Second point: you are using the William Optic Base mount instead of the one provided by Ioptron with the Sky Guider Pro. I take it that you think its a worthwhile upgrade? I have used the iOptron SkyGuider Pro with the RedCat 51 extensively. The Drift align method can be used in either hemisphere by using free software called PHD2 guiding. For Polar alignment you don't really need an app, however, there's an app for Android called 'Calibration' which will clibrte your phone's accelerometer then give you a compass so you can see where 'north' is. When Polaris rides consistently along that line, you know the polar-scope is set for subsequent alignment. It can also help a Sky-watcher equatorial mount An app for Astronomy and Astrophotography enthusiasts that use a German Equatorial Mount for your telescope. To that end I am using a smallrig very small and very stable tripod. Hi I use polar alignment pro app it does everything right from setting the mount it also does day time alignment I found it to really good I checked it again last night I polar align using the polar scope then checked with the app and was spot on. Not all camera lenses are created equal, and imaging a night sky full of pinpoint stars has a way of bringing out the worst (or best) of your lens, Continue Reading The Best Lens for Astrophotography (That You Probably Already Own)Continue, The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer is an extremely popular portable star tracker designed for astrophotography. Community Forum Software by IP.BoardLicensed to: Cloudy Nights, This is not recommended for shared computers, Morpheus Eyepieces on sale at EyepiecesEtc.com, Dual-band 7 nm instead of uv/ir cut for quark, OTA to suit CGX with view to Astrophotography, The NEAF Report from nPAE Precision Astro Engineering. Its a rather simple process for German equatorial mount (GEM)owners. Alignment. I would like a setup that can function without a counter weight if possible. The lack of dithering was evident in the data, and would have helped to reduce noise in the final integration. Polar Scope Align Pro - Scope alignment & astro tools $2.99 App Genre: Utilities Latest Version: 6.2 Released: 04/03/15 Updated 31/10/21 Ratings: 4.96 Downloads: 108 Polar Scope Align Pro is a utility app developed by Dimitrios Kechagias and available on the iOS App Store and Android Play Store. At focal lengths of 200mm+, capturing an image of 3-minutes or more requires a precise polar alignment of the mount. This app is targeted for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers that use a telescope with a German Equatorial. Uses in your polar finder scope. All of these incredible moments took place using only the built-in, illuminated reticle polarscope that comes with the SkyGuider Pro. Also, when entering longitude manually, regardless of whether you set it to display degrees, minutes, and seconds, or decimals, you have to enter the longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds. Ever wondered what objects are up in the sky? Next, youll want to find the latitude and longitude coordinates for your location. Remember, all features & updates are free forever, the only in-app purchases are donations (tip jar). Use this app to control the AZ GTi mount or other Sky-Watcher or Orion telescope mounts fitted with a SynScan Wi-Fi adapter. Scope Friend nutzt die GPS-Funktion und Bluetooth um sowohl die genaue Zeit, als auch die Position zum Teleskop Handcontroller zu PolarDrift calculator is a simple polar alignment assistant tool helping astrophotographers to solve the question of optimum polar alignment sufficient to minimize the effects of field rotation. Turn the knobs a few times while looking through the polar scope. - Where is the polar viewfinder of my EQ6? Happy you like the app. For instructions on polar alignment using Drift Align in the Southern Hemisphere, visit How to Polar Align Easily in PHD2 Drift Align. You may have one of following choices: iPhone App for iOptron polar scope available here: By aligning the axis of your telescope mount with the motion of the sky, you can accurately track objects in space. Trevor, Great video again !!! Quality tutorial/review. It can handle up to 14 lbs of gear, which means that small refractor telescopes like the William Optics RedCat 51 are no problem for the SkyGuider Pro. 2022 IoAstro.com - Astronomy Automation. For what it's worth. The app uses the best algorithm to calculate the position of Pole Star: The algorithm calculates 3D space motion of the Pole Star itself, precession, temperature and barometric pressure corrected atmospheric refraction, nutation, parallax, aberration, and etc.). The polar axis does not move when you move the telescope. However, if I did the alignment without the lens, the alignment could be shifted when I put the lens back. This app helps you to align your equatorial telescope mount toward the celestial pole at daytime.But you know it does not guarantee high-precision adjustment.When the white circle is the center of target, the surface of your device is toward the Vor dem Alignement des Teleskops mssen zunchst Uhrzeit und Position genau eingestellt werden. So I have to remove the sheets, adjust and put it back. This can be accomplished by physically moving your tripod and mount at dusk, and aiming the polar axis in a general North direction. The iPolar installation process was interesting. It displays Polaris' hour angle, local, sidereal and UTC time and GPS coordinates. I was looking at the William Optics base. Copyright 2021 Stargazers Lounge It is very similar to the following models: The Sky-Watcher HEQ5 in this example features a built-in polar scope with an illuminated reticle. Best regards A health warning here, this software is Windows only it seems (sorry Mac users) I would love a linux version for my raspberry Pi as well please! Faulty USB cable yep I have had that, replaced it with a better quality one. While Im intrigued by the iPolar, Im even more interested in that red aluminum-looking alt-azi base under your SkyGuider. maybe not the answer you were expecting, but I renewed my interest in astronomy after some 15 years, and upgraded my gear. Contact | What if I cant see Polaris from my location? Am I correct in that assumption? We'd love to hear from you! I find adjusting the polar alignment with it to border on insanity-inducing. (did you catch that in the video?). Thanks for the additional information. So many utilities you never knew you needed. Shown in Figure 14 is a screen shot of an iPhone Figure 14. GOTOSTAR Support. Check on YouTube William Optics Vixen Style Base Mount Latitude Versions info from Orion2400. This is the coordinate we will use to adjust the position of the telescope mount to align with the North celestial pole. I have sometimes shone a green laser through the polar alignment scope to see if it hits Polaris. The free version simply called "Polar Scope Align" includes: Wizard to calculate your reticle centering offset and correct or compensate for it. Old Review for Historical Purposes: Useless on a Pixel 3 with Android 9. Has anyone ever done this or is there an accessory tht would accomplish this? That's a key advantage of mount modeling like TPoint or 10Micron. You just need to make sure that the mount does NOT move (eg. thanks a lot! The sensor control will also enable you to identify a SkEye is an advanced Planetarium that can also be used as a PUSHTO guide for telescopes. So goodbye laptop when that day comes (hopefully soon). To get closer to your objects, fit a longer, heavier lens. If you have ideas for features, I am more than happy to discuss them. An electronic polar scope uses a camera to plate solve an image of the area of sky around the celestial poles and provide useful feedback to guide your adjustments to the Altitude and Azimuth controls. Hey Mark! If so then use the star adventurer mini console. The imaging camera in PoleMaster has a resolution of 30 arc second, so the best polar alignment that can be achieved by PoleMaster is also in the order of 30 arc seconds. Powered by Invision Community. All of my images will be landscapes using a DSLR and wide angle lens. And the stunning images! That seems counterintuitive unless they were suggesting that maybe just the North Star was obscured but the other stars around it were visible. ExploreStars connects you and your Explore Scientific PMC-Eight equipped telescope to the universe with any Android Tablet. At this point, Polaris should be very close tothe exact position for a near-perfect Polar Alignment for the night. Features include one touch night vision - touch the heading of any page to toggle night vision on and off. All users should download a new copy from the link below. Install a VNC client app into your smartphone I rather not have to pay for an app but if the iOptron app is more precise, $2 isn't going to kill me. I have used the daytime alignment feature to align my mount. I'll be looking up some of those apps mentioned myself now. - what is the Polar Clock is a lightweight, easy-to-use app, designed to help with the setup of an equatorial mount. I am hoping to set up mine for the Eta Aquarids this weekend if the weather permits. Control StellarMate functions and access the Web Manager and Web based VNC Viewer. It's easy! Otherwise, youll have to rotate the tripod and possibly re-level. Plate solve failure this can be because you are too far from rough polar alignment move your tripod a bit, look down your scope to get it approximately correct and you will see it recalibrate or change the gain if you cannot see 4 stars minimum. Why is it so important? You may also consider that you may not even need a polar alignment camera at all. I see you have what appears to be the William Optics wedge, rather than the OEM wedge from iOptron. How to Polar Align Easily in PHD2 Drift Align. Until the iPolar, SkyGuider Pro users were left to improvise and create a custom adapter to mount a QHY PoleMaster. - Where is north? I dont know if I just need to spend more time fiddling with that or upgrade to what you just shared, so I can enjoy more DSO AP with that simple setup. Trevor, Nice review . The iPolar electronic polarscope uses a small camera to understand the mounts positioning, and tell me exactly where it needs to be so that it is perfectly aligned with the north celestial pole. The overall weight of the telescope attached will determine how hard it will be to turn the bolts. 8401 Hand Controller Star Catalogs Reloading. Since 2017, Ive captured several deep sky images with the SkyGuider Pro, with a DSLR camera attached to a camera or small telescope. It is really a great app. Alternatively in theory you could do this: This will be magnetic north though so only an approximation. Its not absolutely necessary, but at least youll know that the star is completely centered, rather than close enough. It is mandatory when you want to track with 400mm focal lenth for 4 min. The iOptron SkyGuider pro includes a built-in polar scope, and you should be able to achieve an accurate polar alignment by eyeballing it. You will then simply mimic this location by adjusting in your telescope mount. Developers can show information here about how their app collects and uses your data. With the polar alignment dialed-in thanks to the iPolar, I was able to shoot 4-minute exposures at ISO 1600 on the North American Nebula and surrounding area. I use a Astrotech 72 ED II and Sony A6500 . After using iPolar and a Windows PC/laptop to do the polar alignment successfully, do we simply unplug the usb cable and not need the laptop anymore? - Does my mount level? Edited by Ishtim, 02 May 2019 - 10:39 AM. Using the iPolar also requires you to replace . This method is handy if you own a Celestron mount, and Polaris is not in view. There are various methods for aligning the orientation of a telescope mount with the pole, but one of the most popular A beginners guide to using a Polar Scope for Polar alignment. Make sure to view the current position of Polaris in your mobile app, and make any adjustments necessary to your mount. is iPolar software available only on Windows? My biggest problem with my SkyGuider Pro is the alt-azi mount it came with. Hi! Aligning using its electronic polar finderscope and iOptron Polar Scope app is simple, and like most of its rivals, it also tracks the sun, moon and allows 1/2-speed motion time lapses at night. This application allows you to carry out a precise stationing of the mount also excellent for astrophotographers and works in both celestial poles. I am trying to keep everything as small and light as possible. Hello, Which cable do you use to connect the canon camera to the ipolar? After the polar alignment process is complete, you can unplug the cable and put it away. Does the i-Polar only connect & work with a PC/Laptop? I was impressed, Continue Reading Celestron NexStar 8SE Telescope ReviewContinue, Ive just returned from a vacation to Costa Rica with the goal of capturing some astrophotography images from the resort. In a very short time, Telescope Zoom Camera improves your Zoom Level and expand your View. One of the reasons I made Polar Scope Align was because the iOptron app was way off back then - it took them a few years of mucking about to even match their hand controller, it was quite bizarre (maybe they had outsourced the app?). As for the ipolar, I saw a mention in one advertisement that bipolar could be used when one cannot see the pole star. Also it will work with Parallels Desktop for Mac & Windows 7, 8.2 or 10. Get the Polar Scope Align App. Android users can download PolarFinder, and iPhone users have Polar Scope Align Pro. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality. Looking at the android play store there seems to be a myriad to choose from, which do members recommend & why? EQ5 Pro - Polar alignment & Scope aligment out. The beauty of a permanent setup in an observatory is, that the polar alignment process only needs to be done once. The next time it is clear I will see how well it did. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. I have a question that I found no answer from the manual and the web. The application tracks and draws the position of the Polaris (or Octant) in real-time and. A beginners guide to using IOptrons IPolar mount add-on for Polar alignment. But.. My pictures really seem to get blown out at that time with pollution. I guess I will stick with the stock mount. Late June may have the shortest nights of the year, but it sure beats spending extended periods of time outside in the cold winter months. !Affiliate links for First Light Optics below. If you've used an older version of SkySafari, here's what's new: The iPolar Electronic Polarscope in the RA axis of the SkyGuider Pro. iOptron app is available for iPhone or iPad for locating Polarisit does cost extra though. Use it to identify stars, planets, nebulae and more. For those with ASIair lets hope ZWO hurries up with their polar alignment. I dont want to buy from amazon as the shipping cost and customs regilations here makes it even more difficult and time consuming. Please Note: The database has recently been updated. Depending on the telescope mount, the view through the polar scope may be obstructed when the telescope is in the rest position. If you Show Package Contents and double click on the app in the MacOS folder it will connect, but there is constant screen flashing making polar alignment difficult, at best. Restore the portability of the SGP. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. However, would it not be possible to somehow side mount a polar scope for manual polar alignment? The app is free, no contributions or ads and I have several upgrades already in the queue. You simply download the iPolar software and calibrate the camera on the RA axis of the mount. The arm holding the polar scope can swing out to a position that is comfortable to the user, and this simple and ingenious design is one of my favorite features of the mount. Polar alignment is critical to the tracking accuracy. For a closer look at the rest of the gear I use for astrophotography in my backyard, please visit the astrophotography equipment page. There are a number of tools you can use to help polar align your equatorial mount, such as: PolarFinder Mobile App SharpCap Software Polar Alignment Feature iOptron PoleMaster Electronic Polar Finder The Importance of Balance Speaking of balance, the actual balancing of the weight on top of the mount (the payload) is extremely important. Polar alignment is the process of accurately aligning the polar axis of your mount with the north (or south) celestial pole. Thanks. Overall good software, works as intended. I hope that you now have a better understanding of how to polar align your telescope for a successful night of astronomy. Your email address will not be published. With the preview function (which is automatically visible A simple and easy to use application for determining the location of Polaris relative to the north celestial pole. Nightshift helps you find perfect nights for stargazing, assists you in observing your favourite planets, meteor showers and deep-sky a simple portable mount for travel purposes like iOptron SkyTracker, AstroTrac or StarAdventurer. The issue is that it sits to low to the ground to see through the polar scope. The overall accuracy of the algorithm has reached sub 0.1 arc-seconds now.The app now using a 10 minute marker reticle, the same reticle used in the polar scope of iOptron(R) telescope mount since 2014.A must have for iOptron(R) SkyGuider Pro, iOptron(R) SkyTracker Pro, SkyGuider and SkyTracker users!Also very helpful for any iOptron(R) telescope mount owners. This is a concern to me. Thanks for the great video and text review from AB. Compared to the ease of polar alignment with the SkyTracker, Ive been a bit intimidated about the alignment due to the way the polar scope rotates in the shaft, thus potentially off-setting the alignment. While the SkyGuider's polar scope does work well, for precise alignment iOptron offers a version of the SkyGuider Pro equipped with their iPolar camera, for $600. AZ-GTiStar DiscoverySynScan AZ80)to perform multiple photographic tasks, including panorama, time-lapse or multiple-points scan. Couple that with the fact that these astrophotography filters can be expensive, and youve got some, Continue Reading Light Pollution Filters for AstrophotographyContinue, In my opinion, the best astrophotography lens is one that can capture a variety of images of the night sky in a reliable and consistent way. These knobs work in the same way that the altitude adjustment bolts did. Remember, all features & updates are free forever, the only in-app purchases are donations (tip jar). However, I consider this a pricey investment at $268 when I already own a QHY PoleMaster electronic polar scope for aligning my larger telescope mounts. This App controls most functions through Bluetooth from your Android cell phone or tablet. The app supports almost every polar scope used in the field including ones from iOptron, Astro-Physics, Takahashi, Orion, Celestron, Meade, Vixen, AstroTrac, Losmandy, Kenko, Avalon, even early 80's designs like the Tuthill . In fact they are the same: you just need to change the position of one piece. The altitude adjustment bolts can be a little difficult to get the hang of. NigelM So, if the SkyGuider Pro is your main deep-sky imaging rig, the iPolar is a no-brainer, especially if youve had trouble with polar alignment in the past. You will be amazed. Home | We use cookies on our website, in accordance with our. Would whole heartedly agree with this. I like the Polar Scope Align app as it has other reticles if I ever get something else (unlikely). As long as you are not near the equator you can set the expected temperature / atmospheric pressure by clicking the Default Atmospheric settings button. With this solution you can still use your polar scope when you are traveling. It Nightshift is the ideal free night sky app for the experienced amateur astronomer as well as the casual stargazer. If you want the ad-free version, please visit Planetica is the perfect app to see at a glance which planets will be visible in the sky for every time and location. Seeing as how this mount was designed for portability and simplicity, its an upgrade that may not make sense for you. The PF-L Assist app helps you to align the equatorial mount of your telescope to the north celestial pole or south celestial pole in order to make it turn parallel to earths rotational axes. As you may already know, the SkyGuiders job is to accurately track the apparent motion of the night sky for long-exposure astrophotography. The LighTrack II is easy to set up and polar align. I think that you have highlighted in your video a good point: by replacing your polar scope with iPolar you are loosing the possibility to use it without a PC. The QHY PoleMaster Electronic Polar Alignment Device. It implements a most direct and simple method of the polar axis, and it can be realized on the mobile phone. Its worth mentioning the PoleMaster device here, although I have not used one myself. Apart from the most reliable app for polar alignment (with or without a polar scope), PS Align pro has become the astronomer's swiss-army knife. Its very easy to do it and also cheap. I have used this with my iOptron Sky Guider Pro and my AVX mounPS t many times. Celestron telescope mounts are equipped with a feature called All-Star Polar Alignment. For those lucky enough to have a permanent home observatory, you can be sure that every measure was taken to ensure that the telescope mount and pier were precisely polar aligned. The North America Nebula in Cygnus is a large, bright, and beautiful target thats located in an area full of hydrogen gas including the impressive Pelican Nebula. Create a smart scope equipped with a smart phone in the air soft gun. I must say, the iPolar experience and software felt very familiar, which isnt a bad thing considering how much I love the PoleMaster. A precise polar alignment can provide you with many benefits when it comes to astrophotography, including better autoguiding accuracy. I think this is the easiest visual way to Polar Align, when you get used to it, it can be done in under 10 mins. Im in Indonesia and a lot or equipment in the US, we dont have it here. Smooth DC servo motor is almost silent in operation. How to use the iOptron's iPolar software for super accurate polar alignment Astro La Vista 7.85K subscribers 30K views 2 years ago In this video we go through the simple steps involved in. What did you do to locate the target ? Windy night I had a really bad night when the wind was gusting so much it was all over the place and I could not tell when I was aligned, the cross kept on moving off the dot why I thought I could even image and guide that night was beyond me, doh. I recently used it to polar align my iOptron Sky Tracker Pro. Cube-II/CubePro with 8408 Hand Controller, 8401 Hand Controller Star Catalogs Reloading, 8408 Hand Controller CEM25 Catalog Data Upgrade, iPolar Electronic Polarscope Software (Windows). But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Features: Focus on Stars using various dimming hats. As I want to tackle astrophotography I bought a new mount and a QHYCCD PoleMaster; I haven't even removed the cap of the polarscope of my new mount. Although, as mentioned you will need to hook up a computer to the Polemaster this little camera is worth its weight in gold. It provides in one screen all the information needed to do this task.It also provides a polar angle with two different reticles. This lithium-ion battery-powered camera mount was designed for portable astrophotography with a camera lens or small telescope riding on top. The best aid for this is to use a polar finder scope with a reticle. For those that set up and tear down their equipment each night like me, youll quickly become a master in polar alignment through experience. iPano AllView Pro Camera Mount. 6. I used all 62 x 240-second exposures in my final image. With camera & ball-head my equipment tops out at 5lbs. - What are the GPS coordinates? Can I use PS align pro to point at an object an ask the app to identify the object? Its available free on Google play with paid versions with more capabilities. Would you recommend it? Map Android | The app needs to be purchased separately at an extra cost, but alignment is a breeze once installed. Great point Robin!! iEQ75 with 8406 Hand Controller. The iOptron SkyGuider Pro is sure to be a popular mount to add the iPolar upgrade too, but this is not the only telescope mount compatible with this electronic polarscope. When you were using a heavy lens, did you remove the lens from the mount when fine-tuning the polar alignment, and then put it back? Was doing 2min subs at 85mm with zero trailing and clearly it is capable of much more. Privacy Policy | PolarScope is a polar-scope alignment app that runs on your Windows Desktop, Tablet and Phone. Edit: I saw the comment that you have to go to Settings > Apps > Permissions and give it Location permissions and now the GPS Longitude works. How do these compare? Since then Im looking into sturdier trackers (skyguider pro ipolar in particular). Thanks for your reviews. 3. When the red dot fully covers the red cross, you are all done. Let StarTracker guide you to explore the universe. Yes exactly. This application allows you to carry out a precise stationing of the mount also excellent for astrophotographers and works in both celestial poles. I want to buy one and be done rather than wish Id upgraded later. Start by roughly aligning your telescope mount in the direction of the North Celestial Pole. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Polar scope chart on an iPhone Figure 13. I am so grateful for your videos. APT Darkness Clock (APT DC) is a free app without ads, that calculates the suitable time for deep sky astrophotography or observing in selected night and location. This base mount is incredible and clearly a game changer for the stability of your gears. Accurate Polaris / Oct position calculation, including atmospheric refraction, stellar aberration, nutation. A Mac OS version is in development & I was told would be released soon. The goal is to collect as much signal on a specific wavelength of light as possible. My phone has an amoled display. You'll need to enter in the lat-long coordinates of your location, which you can easily find online or using the GPS on your phone. The phone holder is a 3D printed device that is on ThingAVerse. If you use stellarium or a star chart to locate Polaris you will see that it can be found by drawing an imaginary line through the two stars that form the end of the big dipper (the bowl end).