Amazing video, as always. Thanks a lot Cuiv for sharing all this knowledge with us!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure Javier, thanks for the feedback!

Thank you and totally agree on the course threads on the EQ6R Alt/Az knobs.

Hey Cuiv: I’ve watched this particular video a couple times now and it’s been informative. I appreciate your passion for Astro photography and Share in it with you. I have enjoyed watching your other videos and have been a subscriber for quite a while now. I look forward to your future videos, thanks again.

@scottbcole

3 жыл бұрын

I used SharpCap for the first time the other night to polar align my CGX-L which supports my 14 inch edge HD. I got a near perfect alignment on the first try thanks to this wonderful program. Thanks again for your tips and advice, and I look forward to seeing future videos and sharing content that I acquire with you. 😁

Excellent tutorial, thanks.

New great video, new great tip to try at home! Thanks Cuiv for all this good stuff!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Watch out, once you've tried Sharpcap Pro, you'll never be able to get away ;)

As always, your videoes are exellent. Thumbs up! I have the Polemaster, and now I have to consider the sharpcap :)

Fantastic video, thanks mate. I found it so helpful.

Great video Cuiv. I will definitely use this method as soon as this hurricane passes by.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

It works very well, and is well worth the cost!

Hi Cuiv, great work as always, I moved my scope yesterday to give me a clear view of Polaris. This was a great follow up to the excellent alignment I got last night, made me realise that on a main camera Starwave 80ED 550mm I hadn’t centred my view on the 553 which was why I couldn’t see the little arrow. My AVX looks a lot easier on the adjustment side.

Just a general comment - I've really enjoyed and found useful all of your videos so far. I've just started my journey into this hobby and your guides and walkthrough's with N.I.N.A etc. were a great assistance in me getting started with very little frustration. My first attempt two nights ago went quite smoothly as a result. Of course, the next 7 days look terrible here in New Zealand! haha. Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into your videos :)

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Wow, thank you so much for your feedback Alex! I'm really happy this helped you get running smoothly with NINA and others! New Zealand sounds like such a great place for astrophotography! Hoping you (and I!) will get clear skies soon! :)

Thank you, I found this video very helpful indeed. Cheers

Very helpul! Thanks a lot!

TY for this video. Will try this feature for sure next time than I am imaging.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

You won't be disappointed! It is an excellent feature!

I'm also really not a fan of recurring licenses so digging around I found they did leave us a free option. Sharpcap 2.9 (you will need to get creative and copy some .dll files to get it to recognize newer cameras). I just copied ASICamera.dll from the free version of Sharpcap 3.2 and voila, 2.9 works with the new camera and polar alignment is included and everything is awesome! :)

Still saving people tons of time with this video

Thx a lot ! Greeting from Mexico ! Clear Skys !

This was a great video. I have a Celestron 6se with a wedge and SharpCap Pro. I have been aligning by hand. I will definitely be trying this polar alignment very soon. Keep up the great videos.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Oh my, aligning by hand sounds like torture on such a setup! Sharpcap will make a HUGE difference. Good luck & clear skies!

Robin killed the PoleMaster. I used to do a drift alignment 13 years ago, what a pain in the rear. I'm happy to sent $15 USD/year to Robin for his great software. Nice video as usual Cuiv! I leave my mount PARKED when I do PA. With my Guide scope (60mm) and ASI290mm, I'll use 1 to 2 sec exp and a gain around 120.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

I'm glad I was always too lazy to do drift alignments, relying on the polar scopes and autoguiding... Robin's software really killed the PoleMaster, at least to some extent, since I imagine they still sell some! Yes, this is something I should have mentioned more clearly in the video: no goto was given to the mount, so the whole time the mount was in a "Not Tracking" state (so no difference from Parked, really). Thanks for the tip & Clear Skies!

Another great vid Cuiv. Sharpcap is brilliant, and well worth the subscription. Robin Glover has developed it into a quite sophisticated and feature rich program...I love it!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Definitely! Thank you Neil, and clear skies!

Hi Cuiv, Another great moment and a great lesson in mastery. I'm using polemaster, now I'm going to try it too. thank you so much

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Let us know how it goes! It would be very interesting to see whether Polemaster and Sharpcap agree with the results! :) Clear Skies!

@NeilW210

4 жыл бұрын

I haven't tried it, but I believe you can use the Polemaster to do the polar alignment routine in SharpCap rather than your guide camera. Connect the Polemaster, then select it as the camera in SharpCap. Easier to use than the Polemaster software.

Thanks for you video.

super i like sharpcap !! congrats for this video

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Sharpcap is indeed amazing!

Excellent video!!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

👍👍😁🇦🇺🔭 I use Sharp Cap Pro. I answered a question posed on Sharp Cap FB page and won a 5-year subscription for the Pro version, no complaints from me. Great video as ever.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Wow! Nice! What was the question on the Sharpcap FB Page?? Thank you & Clear Skies!

@ShevillMathers

4 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek This was at least a year ago and I cannot what my comment was, whatever, I was rewarded, which was great. Also, I can use it on any of my computers, and I have a few in use doing astronomy stuff and climate research data collection with my all sky cameras systems.

Thank you!

SharpCap is an awesome bit of kit, Being in the southern hemisphere, good luck trying to use the polar scope!!, The only way to align i think is with a program like sharpcap its worth every cent.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah, the SCP sounds difficult to target with a polar scope... I think the Vixen PFL-II polar scope is one with a wide FOV that can actually be used fairly well for the SCP, but I've never tried it! Sharpcap saves us all :)

Cuiv one can use SharpCap, with all of its features, for thirty years for the cost of one Polemaster. Good video BTW.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Hahaha, yes indeed! Seen like that, it is a huge bargain! Thank you :)

@neilmartin7904

3 жыл бұрын

I have a PoleMaster and I have Sharpcap Pro. The Sharpcap solution is way more elegant and you have all of the other features of the app.

@leehunt9930

3 жыл бұрын

@@neilmartin7904 I do too, - I used the PoleMaster as the camera in Sharpcap to run the polar align. Works really well:)

thanks for the trick

I think the finikyness of the fine alt/az adjustments on the EQ6-R Pro could be improved quite a bit by throwing the knob shafts in a lathe and turning the ends to a precision point. ADM supposedly has a knob upgrade set for the mount coming .. hopefully Anthony addressed the issue.

Helpful video thank you! I have a question, in my view there is a tree branch in my field of view, will that affect the polar alignment feature in sharpcap?

Neat. I'll try it.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 ай бұрын

There's also a similar plugin in NINA called three point polar align!

YES! YES! YES! Use SharpCap for polar alignment!

Great tutorial ! I'm practically 1 degreed North of the equator so Polaris is always located at the horizon which I definitely don't have access to. Does SharpCap need to see Polaris in order to work ? Thanks.

Cuiv, excelent video. Although I rather want the scope to be turned off, to prevent sideareal tracking while polar aligning. Does this make sence? I think SharpCap Pro gets a bit confused by the movement, since the movement moves the stars uncommenly bacause the pa is not done yet. There will in other words be drift. Or am I wrong?

I watched 3 videos on this before I came to your one. I could not tell how they were moving the scope 90' in RA. Using the clutch or the motor? Your view of the scope and the laptop made everything clear. Perfect explanation and instructional video.

@TylerMillhouse

3 жыл бұрын

I move using the clutch, but I also PA before turning on the mount. I start in home, run the PA routine rotating 90 clockwise, then run the PA routine again rotating 90 counter clockwise. Now I am back to home and do my star align.

Hi Cuív, Great video thanks. Suggest you use smaller and lighter telescopes to lighten the payload while doing PA. I ruined a Neq6 Pro using a heavy sct 11ins whose weight badly impacted bolts used by the mount to shift the latitude setting of the mount. Under the increased weight the bolts dug into the metal alloy in contact with the bolts. Fortunately I was able to purchase a wedge to replace the ruined alloy dug out by the bolts fixing the mount.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

2 жыл бұрын

Oh wow, thanks for letting me know!

Hello Cuiv!! great video, I've trying to find out if it is normal when you have excellent PA but when I park the scope I can see it going to good/fair. I usually ignore and just go to APT and start imaging. Once I played around when park to try to get it to excellent but it got worse so I don't try it anymore. thanks for any input! Clear skies!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback Edwin, this is very interesting - I wonder why it then goes to good/fair. I need to test this some more! I would assume in the end it doesn't matter much, but we bunch tend to be perfectionists!

Cuiv, great video!! Are the images coming in from your CCD camera or the guide camera? And when you say “solve” does that mean SC knows what star configuration it’s looking at? Thx much!!! Richard in Detroit, Mi.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Richard! The images are coming from the guide camera, although the polar alignment routine has been enhanced so that it can work with the main imaging camera and scope in many cases (as long as it's not too long of a focal length). And you are right solving (or platesolving) a star field is knowing what star configuration it's looking at, as well as the field of view and the per pixel resolution!

Thanks for the review. I love Sharpcap, it's worth the money. Could you please make a Video about how to do a PEC and how to deal with the results? Thanks and again and CS!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

PEC is on the list - but clouds are on the list too :( I am really waiting to get decent weather. It is being very rare in this season. I'll get to it as soon as I get better weather!

@ranjitgovindaraj

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tutorial Cuiv. I’m about to give Sharpcap a try. Meanwhile I just downloaded PEMPRO for its drift alignment and PEC training feature. Have you tried PEMPRO?

@jcinaz

3 жыл бұрын

I might be wrong, but PEC is not a major issue unless you are doing really long exposures. I have never done a PEC adjustment or a drift align, and I don't see any issues with a 10 minute exposure. Even if there is a slight elongation of stars caused by periodic error or drift, PixInsight or Affinity Photo can pull your stars back into round.

Great vid! I just started up a CEM70G and was using the iPolar software which is OK - but - this looks like a much more "step by step" process which makes it easier for a rookie! One question - what software package are you using at 10:55 which is showing the night sky? Does it provide telescope/go-to control? I had some issues getting going with Stellarium and looking for alternatives. Thanks Cuiv!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

2 жыл бұрын

That's Cartes du Ciel, aka SkyCharts - yes it does provide telescope control! Also, do note that NINA now has a three point polar align plugin that is just as good as Sharpcap, but is free!

Love, did the polar alignment work on the north star itself?

Hoiw did you set up the guidescope and camera?

Good Job Cuiv. Can't wait to see polar alignment in NINA. No Videos in KZread about polar alignment in NINA!!!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

It's on my list as well! I'm just as curious as you, as I haven't used NINA PA yet :) Now if only it would stop raining....!

@tzevatresat2268

4 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek If you can do a video on SharpCap Sensor Analysis that will be great. thank you

Cuiv, I've tried the Polar Alignment in Nina (which I use for everything), and it gives me quite variable alignment errors, even if I don't move the 'scope. It might be because I'm low down in the sky, but I thought I would try SharpCap. However, my guide camera is a Lodestar with OAG, and my main OTA is a Celestron 9.25 Edge HD, so my field of view is small. Do you think I could get this to work with SharpCap? (Even if I had another external guide camera, that would still have to be aligned, so that would just move the problem to another piece of equipment...)

Great stuff Cuiv. One thing...polar align works fine for me with my main tube. no need to do it on guide cam. Using Sky watcher 200PDS (1000mm focal length) - ASI 294 MCPRO no problems at all. Just make sure you point v-close to Polaris before you start the polar align routine, this is where some people get trouble. if its more than 5-10 degrees out it wont work on a longer focal length scope. Sharp cap is a great piece of software and well worth the 10 pounds a year subscription in my opinion. Hope you got the quick plate solving working on Sharpcap as well. Looking forward to your next vid. Cheers Dave

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks for the tip Dave! I hadn't even thought about trying it through the main scope...! It used to not work, but I guess Robin has enhanced the plate-solving quite a lot! I'll try that next time :) I haven't been able to try anything recently because of all those clouds... It's been cloudy and rainy in Tokyo, and likely to remain so for weeks.

@astronomynotebook

4 жыл бұрын

So I can actually do polar alignment using just my main imaging telescope and camera ....is that correct?

@FrootyRecords

4 жыл бұрын

@@astronomynotebook Yes sir, I do it all the time. Like I said, just make sure your tube is pointed close to the pole before you start. My scope is 1000mm focal length , I cannot confirm it works for a focal length longer than this.

@FrootyRecords

4 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek No probs Cuiv, I am sure you will get it to work. :)

Great video thanks. Question, I’ve read that the mount should be off when doing the SC PA routine. Is this correct?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

The mount should not be tracking - so if the tracking is off, the mount can be turned on. Of course keeping the mount off is the easiest way to ensure that tracking is off as well!

Thanks for another great video Cuiv. I have been using Sharpcap Pro to polar align for some time now. Recently, I ran the alignment and rotated the scope to the other side of the mount and my values differ quite a bit. I read on the Sharpcap site that it could be caused by flexure. I can move my guide scope cabling around when I am in good alignment and lightly push on the guide scope and the values do not change. So, since I have to use both the East and West sides of the mount during imaging, I have been trying to get the best average between each side of the mount (which usually ends up being around 3 arcmin. What are your thoughts about this? Should I just align on one side of the mount with Sharpcap and leave it there?

@jedidiahwest4619

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, I’ve never thought about that!

Hi I haves a question i purchased an new sbvony 305 and celestron eq 130. Does it really mater in sharpcap to polar alignment if the all the polaris star is not visible! Maybe you can polar alignment manually if your good at it!

I also use Sharpcap, but If you want to double check your polar alignment PHD2 has a great tool called the 'Guiding Assistant'. It turns of guiding and drifts for a few minutes. It reports lots of useful things, but one of them is your polar alignment error.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Theo! Yes, that's one thing I am aware of - there is also the method of the D.A.R.V. slew (which is available in N.I.N.A.) - next time I'll properly get this checked :)

hi sir im from india i have 8 se telescope but i have some doubts about alignment pls help me

can anyone tell me if I can use this program with an ioptron skyguider pro ?

1 more great vid Cuiv, I got the Polemaster first and have not used it yet but then found out about SharpCap Pro and seams like for $15 USD per year well worth it, if your get perfect or near perfect Polar Alignment? I really like that you don't need to attach the Polemaster on the scope as if you are using a guide camera or an imaging camera with SharpCap you are all SET! My plan is how well it will work with a Canon DSLR as I understand that their is a ASCOM driver for the Canon DSLR and would you take a look and try that out? That's would be 1 more GREAT video for us to see.. Also thinking of that ZWO focuser, how do you like it?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Sharpcap Pro is definitely worth the 15 USD a year - the polar alignment is perfect then, and you don't need to connect some equipment to one of your precious USB ports, etc. I have indeed heard that there is an ASCOM driver for Canon DSLRs (www.cloudynights.com/topic/657429-how-to-use-sharpcap-with-a-dslr/), but I don't own a Canon DSLR body to make a video out of it!! Still, if I can find a very cheap, used DSLR body, I'll look into making such a video. Thanks for the suggestion! On the EAF, if you check some of my earlier videos, I believe I called it "a piece of hot garbage". My opinion has mellowed since then - it is a decent focuser, but there is sample variability, and some of them have huge amounts of backlash. Backlash can be dealt with in software however... I like it now. It is usable. Clear Skies!

Great video Cuiv! Only one thing is not clear to me. During this method, the mount should be switched on and running with "star speed"? Or it does not matter if it is switched on or off?

@krisztiangulyas5068

2 жыл бұрын

OK, I found it myself in Sharpcap's own forum. :) Maybe useful for everyone: - Should the RA motor be switched on or off during the polar alignment procedure? - Doesn't matter - you are looking at the stars so near the pole, and typically with short exposures of a few seconds or so that there is no star trailing. The calculations will work either way.

For anyone just tuning in, no, you don't need to buy Sharpcap license if you only want to polar align. Version 2.9 is still available to download (link is more or less difficult to find but it is on the dev website). 2.9 was the last free version with polar alignment included.

Hi Cuiv, nice video. Thanks! Waiting for NINA tutorial PHD2 also has a drift alignment routine. I use it and works just fine. And it is free. Take a look when you can and do some tests. Clear skies

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

I'll get to it - I want to do a NINA PA, followed by a drift check in PHD2, and then a Sharpcap run to see it if agrees!

@waynerichardson1706

3 жыл бұрын

Excellent videos, I've watched almost all of them. Some a few times. Thanks for sharing. I'm really looking forward to your NINA PA review. Here's a great study for you, for when you have nothing to do :) Test PA performance and repeatability for NINA, Sharpcap, Polemaster and ASIAir, using PHD2 drift allignment as the referree. Now that would be interesting study! Better be prepared for a barrage of comments ...

Can i have the link to where u downloaded the the EQM pad thank u

I find my neq6 too coarse for the fine adjustments needed. If I score excellent I only end up losing it when I tighten the bolts further. Mind I knew I was on a loser when the elevation scale pointed at 60.5 deg when I'm at only 57!

Hi , thanks for the video. Which software did you use to control your mount please ? Thank you

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure Iris - I used EQMOD to control the mount, along with an EQDIRECT cable (only works for Skywatcher Mounts)

@ManosZafirakis.ShapeMixStudio

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thank you :)

I’ll thinking PA in SC and then another PA in NINA just to get that whole process going, or is that unnecessary?

Can u use Sharp Cap to PA with just a DSLR and tracker and no view of anything near Polaris?

Hi Cuiv, nice video!! thx!!! i have a cuestion, Can i use my DSLR for it? Greetings from Spain

@CuivTheLazyGeek

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you David! I don't think that Sharpcap supports DSLRs... There is a similar alignment tool in NINA (I have a recent video on that too) and if your DSLR is supported by NINA that would work much better :-)

@MegaDavidmetal

2 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek thx!! I will try with nina!! ;)

Hi Cuiv, my guiding cam must be perfectly aligned with the Newton or it's not necessary? I always have a tiny offset between the center of my guiding cam and my DSLR.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

It is fine if it is not perfectly aligned - the cone error of the guidescope relative to the mount is taken into account by Sharpcap (smart Sharpcap!)

@manuelpiton8417

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Yep thanks for your answer and sorry, it was described here "www.sharpcap.co.uk/sharpcap/features/polar-alignment". Can't wait to try this and see if my guiding will be smoother.

Ah... but what if your guide scope is off in RA and/or DEC by a degree or two? It seems like an advantage of polemaster would be an imager directly on the path of the RA axis? Then once that is aligned, you could align both your main and guide scope to that setting?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

Sharpcap takes that (e.g. cone error) into account - that's the beauty of it. You can be super cavalier and lazy about it, it still gives great results.

Here in Australia, SharpCap Pro with a ZWO 30F4 and ASI 120MM Mini costs just a bit less than a Polemaster whose users think it is the best solution since canned beer (only way to carry beer on a motorcycle just incase it falls off). Just never mention guiding to the Polemaster users. You see so many rigs with both a Polemaster and a guide scope.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed - PoleMaster by all accounts is a good product and achieves great results. But it is as you say redundant if you have a guide scope (or as another commenter was saying, a main imaging train, with which Sharpcap apparently works well for PA these days!). Still, if it works for them, then perfect - no need to buy something else then...! Clear Skies!

@RobB_VK6ES

4 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Have the polemaster but it is now collecting dust. Sharpcap is at least twice as fast through my 900mm scope at the south pole. QHY have not revised their software feature wise for ever and the UI is just painful to use with all the baby steps. It needs an expert mode in order to streamline the process. BTW if you start with the scope low in elevation and leave the down bolt loose you will find creeping up to the correct position easier. Once there lightly tighten the down bolt and tighten both together. works for azimuth as well.

When I put my mount back into home position after getting an "excellent" polar alignment with Sharpcap, Sharpcap usually tells me my alignment is now only "good" or "fair." Do you think it is a good idea to re-adjust after I'm back in the home position to get back into "excellent," or should I just leave it alone?

Quick question when you're polar aligned should you be able to see Polaris through your eyepiece centered

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

Nope, because of cone error (scope and RA axis slight misalignment) and because Polaris is one degree away from the celestial pole!

Is your PA camera on the main scope or the guidescope ?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

You can typically use either

Having to resort to print screening your sharpcap set up to see how mine compares.

I find Sharpcap works very smoothly and reliably, especially compared to NINA which has a tendency to lock up. I struggled for days to get NINA's polar alignment to work. Sharpcap just works. And you get so much more for the nominal annual fee. I am not a fan of annual fees either, but you do get a lot for a little with Sharpcap.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

Жыл бұрын

Interesting, NINA hasn't locked up on me since like 2 years ago, I wonder what the issue is...

@SKYST0RY

Жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I find it mostly happens when it gets lost in some process like plate solving. If it gets stuck in that and I stop the process, it freezes forcing me to reboot the system. I am using a Beelink U59 mini PC, 16 GB and a 500 GB SSD, so lots of memory. Hopefully a patch will sort it out. Or maybe it doesn't work too well yet with Windows 11.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

Жыл бұрын

@@SKYST0RY Windows 11 shouldn't be the issue. Maybe you can try the NINA 3 Nighties that have become quite stable... I've never seen NINA forcing the computer to have to reboot. I suspect an issue with the platesolver (is it ASTAP?)

@SKYST0RY

Жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek It is ASTAP. I'll give it a shot. Eventually it'll get worked out.

@SKYST0RY

Жыл бұрын

I figured this bug out last Monday. It was being caused by a hardware conflict on my mini PC, not NINA. If I plugged in both cameras on the same same side of the mini PC, the system would confuse them. Plugging the cameras into USB ports on opposite sides of the mini PC stopped the problem.

to solve the image you need to have internet connection? or can i do in when i m on a top of a mountain with no connection?

@gary5051

3 жыл бұрын

No, an internet connection is not necessary when you follow the Sharpcap procedure

What app were you using for scope control (red display)?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

Probably EQMOD if I recall properly!

@vyperpilot

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks! Here’s my AP with a Dob. kzread.info/dash/bejne/lpiirdeEqZvXc6Q.html

Good tutorial. Do you loosen the bolt underneath the mount before azimuth adjustment? Should the bolts be greased? Do you come from underneath for altitude and ensure there is give/take in the two bolts?

👍

Do you know if it is possible to polar align through the telescope 750mm F5 with a dslr (if it crops like normal photos it is a 1200mm)

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

I haven't tested, but I suspect it would work.

@syberand

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I can confirm that it is. DSLR, SW 150PDS, APT and SC. Works like a charm and my body doesn't hurt today. It is easier to get APT to take pictures and just having SC monitoring a folder.

Is this easier than using a qhy polemaster?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

I haven't used a PoleMaster so I don't know, but it's one less piece of equipment needed...

if you can check the polar alignment result in phd2 guiding performance ,that must be more convincing.because most videos have the sharpcap polar alignment tutorial but they haven't check them.or you can also compare different polar alignment in guiding.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Basically confirming with drift alignment. Good idea! I've added that to the list. Thank you & Clear skies!

@yangyunbo1

4 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek yea also could use phd2 guiding assistant to check the sharpcap polar alignment ‘s result is correct or not.because i use the qhy polar master and it shows ok but when i check it in phd2 guiding it shows i have about 10 min/arch polar alignment error that's not so good.

I'm on full gain and 15s exposure and it's only finding 5 stars, can't get any further.

What if you absolutely have no view of the celestial pole due to a large Tree , I've tried Sharpcap Pro and I also have a iOptron iPolar but neither seem to work to set polar alignment , is there a way without seeing the pole ? I am in the Southern Hemisphere here in Sydney Australia

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

If your view of the Celestial pole is obstructed, you have to use other methods like Drift Align, or NINA's polar alignment routine (which would require West or East visibility (near horizon), and North visibility (higher up)

@vk2np

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Nothing visible to the west and nothing low down either I have been finding out about drift aligning maybe possible.Big challenge .

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

@@vk2np Good luck!!

How do you know that your starting position of your RA and DC are correct?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

It doesn't really matter! Sharpcap will deduce any original misalignment as part of the process!

@rugglovr

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek thanks

Hello, you still got in your knees, so that not the lazy way, still love your videos kudos

Not only in the Pro version has a polar alignment, a long time I used 2.9 for this purpose only. Now I have a pro version and to be honest, I did not see any difference in the accuracy of the polar alignment. So, if only this feature is needed, polar alignment in Sharp Cap is free.

How many times do you repeat this process? I usually do it twice on both sides

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

Typically I do the PA procedure only once - I'll only do it again if I see that my DEC guiding corrections are all in one direction for instance.

@ebrahemmh

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I noticed when I do it and get (excellent) and repeat the process I don't get consistent results... I get (fair) or (good) the second time.. Try it next time may be the problem with my mount (AVX)

What do you recommend I do if I can’t see Polaris?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

PHD2 or NINA polar align. ASPA on Celestron mounts reportedly works well as well.

@TheHelicapt

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Great. Thank you.

is Mount need to active tracking mode between alignment? Maybe someone think about this.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

No, mount tracking needs to be OFF (and tracking is off throughout the video)

@leftoff3rd

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I see! Thank you!

I tried to polar align today and failed miserably but will get this program.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

2 жыл бұрын

Sharpcap works great, but also be aware that the free astro-capture software NINA can now do the same for free with the 3PPA plugin, see my video here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/fH1l1tyocsvReJs.html

@MarvelousLXVII

2 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks for the info--I will check it out.

@MarvelousLXVII

2 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I am without a doubt going to check it out. I have a ton of trees in the area and I need to put my scope in a "not so good spot" to view Polaris so this might be the ticket for me. Just subscribed.

je recommande de faire deux fois la séquence pour compenser la dérive temporelle du au temps pris pour la premiere tentative car Sharpcap ne compense son astrometrie initiale en fonction du temps pris pour faire l'alignement polaire. par iterations on arrive à une valeur calculée convergente sur la vraie valeur d'alignement .

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

Bonne idee - je pense egalement faire l'alignement dans Sharpcap puis tester vs un drift align. Tu es sur que Sharpcap ne prend pas en compte la derive temporelle de l'astrometrie? Ca me semble bizarre. A un degre de separation du NCP, 4 minutes ecoulees feraient un changement de un arc-minute. pas la fin du monde, mais tout de meme. Je vais tester, merci beaucoup!

@mehdiabed6942

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Je ne sais pas si il compense pas du tout où si il compense mal, mais une choses est certaine : j'ai constaté que lorsque j'arrive au bout de 4-5 minute à 12" d'erreur . Si je relance une procedure immediatement derriere avec une astrometrie "fraiche" je suis plus à 30-50" d'erreur voir 1minutes. Par contre comme je passe peu de temps à revenir à une valeur excellente , par iterations successives on arrive à un truc chouette.

Clear and concise, great! But please please please... Turn off the autofocus on your camera when recording your video.!

@CuivTheLazyGeek

2 жыл бұрын

My latest videos are fixed focus (and sometimes out of focus...)

The only pain is to move the screws on my HEQ.

coucou ! juste pour te dire que Sharpcap 2.9 qui est gratuit (il est devenu payant à la version 3) possède cette superbe feature ! Ainsi, pas d'abonnement ! Merci pour tes vidéos !

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Ah oui? Je ne savais pas, merci! Il me semble cependant que le plate-solving area a ete etendue en version 3.0... Mais je vais telecharger la version 2.9 juste au cas ou (si j'oublie de renouveler la license et que je me retrouve hors reseau!). Merci beaucoup!

Great vid. I'm happy to not buy a hardware based solution for polar alignment.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

Жыл бұрын

And more recently both NINA and ASIAIR have good PA tools so many choices!

You should not have your scope running while polar aligning ... your EQ6 is still tracking and SC is struggling to plate solve. my 2 c :-) ( 2 sec of expo) for best accuracy..

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this Mitch! I should indeed have mentioned that in the video - my EQ6R is NOT tracking throughout it all (you can see that on the EQMOD window), since I've only unparked it and slewed it manually (e.g. no goto). Sharpcap was struggling to plate solve because of the balcony lights and clouds (and lightning!) in the North... Still, something I should have mentioned, so thanks for pointing it out!

@BrokenPik

4 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek oh yes ooops , that is a good idea , next time out i will stop tracking and slew by HC and see if that is better then manual rotation.. cheers.

Perfect alignment? With my AsiAir I readily got better then 25 arc-seconds doing PAs; the hassle was the types of screws and knobs on the iOptron. Tighten this, the PA changes; fix the PA, tighten that .. the PA would change again; over and over. I would stop at 25 arc-seconds hoping that mount stayed tight. On my Losmandy I got 6 arc-seconds the other night with almost no effort using the AsiAir. But the key is the Alt-Az locks are just so smooth on this mount. I snug them down and the PA doesn’t move. I stopped at 6 arc-seconds cuz I had other stuff to get up on. Buying gadgets doesn’t necessarily guaranty the whole system will deliver what you expect and a person can throw a lot of money at problems here and there. The software’s not magic anymore nowadays.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! In the end how good a PA you get depends on your tolerance, your patience, and your mount! I could really get something amazing with the Vixen AXJ I had before, it was butter smooth for PA adjustment. Software sure is not magic, but it does help correct for a lot of mechanical issues... :)

You can buy a lifetime license aswell. Furthermore, you should have turned off your telescope after rotating it 90 degres. It tracks the sky, while you are trying to get an alignment. Its way much easier to do with the telescope turned off, and not tracking the sky.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

You can buy a lifetime license as well?? I can't find that anywhere on the Sharpcap website, do you have a link? I should have mentioned it in the video directly, but since I never slewed to a target, my scope was not tracking the whole time - so it was as if it was off (you can see it on the EQMOD window - Not Tracking.) Thanks for the feedback and clear skies!

@skatter3112

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek , You are right about the lifetime license. I cant find it anymore, guess they have changed policy about that. When I talked about tracking, I ment sideareal, if your mount is on, it will, I guess do its sideareal tracking. That would mess up the polaralignment a bit. Clear Skies to you.

If the intial cost of a Polemaster is not a problem for people, then polemaster is the way to go, IMHO. I use one and I can have a very accurate polar alignment in under 3 minutes - and no plate solving needed.

@CuivTheLazyGeek

2 жыл бұрын

To each their own I guess. I have the iOpron iPolar, which is very similar to PoleMaster, but I use NINA to polar align anyway. With autoguiding, we're far too stuck up on perfect PA though. On most mounts with DEC backlash, it's often better to be off from perfect PA.

@HollomanUFOLanding

2 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Have you used Polemaster? Before getting Polemaster, many people were saying to me "use SharpCap" - when they had never even used Polemaster. I can't understand how someone (not you) would say that a process that involves platesolving (SharpCap) is easier than using something as simple as Polemaster. I use platesolving extensively (APT) but not in polar alignment. Like many aspects of astronomy, people will recommend one process over another - without ever having had tried the alternatives. Honestly, I think guiding is something pushed on imagers by manufactuers. Even people with RASAs - myself - feel pressurised into using guiding when they are totally un-necessary, especially on something like an F2 telescope. Most decent mounts these days will give good subs in the 2 minute region, unguided, with a good polar alignment. My CGXL does this, no hyper tune, just good polar alignment. That's how I do mine and then stack from there, although I do really enjoy the simplicity and wonder of 1 shots. "Less is more".

@HollomanUFOLanding

2 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Also, you mention that the Ioptron IPolar is very similar to Polemaster - when in fact it isn't. Ioptron IPolar relies on plate solving - Polemaster doesn't - it gives a live view of Polaris and you simply adjust your mount until you're lined up with it. If someone didn't have a view of Polaris at their observing site then Polemaster would not be any use to them, but for those that do, I have not honestly come across an easier or quicker way to polar align. Clear Skies!!

I dislike Nina and sgp, it is all easy and fully automated in asiar

How is Sharpcap controlling your mount, please help. Thank you

Thanks for the nice explanation. Do you know how important the alignment of the finder scope and the main scope is in case the finder is "connected" to sharpcap?

@CuivTheLazyGeek

3 жыл бұрын

The error between the main scope and finder scope (cone error) actually doesn't matter! The cone error between scope used for polar alignment and axis of the mount is the only thing that matter - and Sharpcap will detect that.

@mircosmusicchannel4177

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks

@AgniesMTDronesandPixels

Жыл бұрын

@@CuivTheLazyGeek So Sharpcap will correct for that, right? If I have cone errir between the axix and the scope used for alignment, the routine will still work? I use Sharp Cap and sometimes I get very good good polar alignment in SharpCap, but PHD still reports that it could be improved, so I thought that the cone or pointing error had something to do with it.