24
Spent 4 hours trying to get a clear shot of the Orion Nebula last night
My issue was polar alignment. I thought I had it close enough with my mount's built in polar scope, but every 5 minute sub was showing star trails. I kept tweaking it, checking the bubble level, and redoing the alignment routine. It took me from 9 PM until 1 AM to finally get it dialed in perfectly. Some people online say rough alignment is fine for wide field, but for deep sky with a long lens, it seems you need it spot on. How much time do you all usually spend on polar alignment before you call it good?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
evahenderson1mo ago
From 9 PM until 1 AM" just to get aligned? Sounds like the nebula was the least of your deep sky objects, you were hunting for Polaris itself.
8
marydavis1mo ago
Oh man, I've been there, just use a compass next time.
7
owens.anthony1mo ago
Yeah, that polar alignment struggle is real. I've spent whole nights just getting the mount sorted. A good polar scope app on your phone can cut that time in half.
7