Polar Alignment and Goto Setup

Abstract

One of the most important parts of setting up a telescope for a night’s observing is polar alignment. All equatorial mounts with tracking abilities must have the RA shaft aligned with the celestial pole in order to accurately track the stars in the night sky. The greater the precision of the polar alignment, the more accurate is the tracking. Polar alignment is also a necessity for accurate Goto of celestial objects and to reduce rotation of field effects. Given the significance of polar aligning and setting up the Goto facility I have dedicated a whole chapter to it. You may find that methods for polar aligning a telescope described in this chapter may seem daunting to you at first and alignment may not be successful the first time round. However, with a little persistence and patience you will master the methods in no time.