On Mon, Jan 8, 2024 at 11:47 AM, Chip Louie wrote:
Hi John,
If you are going to image and going have a computer with you it is hard to beat using a PoleMaster, SharpCap etc. to polar align your mount.?
If you are looking for a computer free way to get polar aligned for visual use the Losmandy polar scope is quite accurate and no more difficult to use than lower accuracy polar scopes. The Losmandy polar scope is not designed to be easy to use so much as accurate and requires some effort to setup.
The Losmandy polar scope reticle is not your typical plastic commodity reticle with silkscreened or embossed lines. It is a precision etched glass reticle designed to be used in a precision optical instrument. It requires accurate alignment in the polar scope and correct installation in a Losmandy mount. If you do it right you are rewarded with a polar scope that can give you excellent polar alignment.
There is are two reason to the Losmandy polar scope reticle lacks the so called easy to use large circles on it, accuracy and precision. Commodity polar scopes lack the precision to use finer positioning marks so a large circle is the best they can do. I can assure you the Losmandy polar scope is very capable of accurate visual polar alignment if you do your part.?
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware
? ?Astrospheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
The EQ6-R Pro polar scope is very accurate after it is calibrated and has a precision etched graduated 12-hour circle. The polar scope is accessible from the App and allows you to adjust the brightness and access the current polar time. I find it does a much better job than the Losmandy polar scope. I have used them side by side. The optional light module for the Losmandy polar scope is difficult to use, both turning it on/off and adjusting brightness. There are pros and cons to all of this equipment and in this regard the EQ6-R "Pro" is just that.
