The big dipper has always been something I've adored. It always appears above my home when I'm walking back in the colder, clearer months. And because of this, even abroad, it gives me a wonderful sense of home just seeing it hovering, as if my house is just over the horizon waiting right underneath.
Thanks alot, Peter! My Star Adventurer 2i got here today and you made me understand more in 10 minutes than an hour plus with their nearly useless literature!
Thanks Peter for a well organized and useful video. Your content explained the beginner level operation and I was able to get my tracker on polar alignment quickly and successfully.
I think this is the best tutorial so far. I've recently got a Sky-Watcher SA Mini and this is very helpful. Can't wait to try it out. Thank you so much! Edit here for other SAM owners: For the actual ring which revolves to track the stars, there might be a small screw holding it in place to avoid rotation when not in use. That needs to be removed before using "Run".
This is a good basic tutorial... it would be incredibly helpful to mention that when looking through the polar-scope, the image seen is inverted. This is something not mentioned in any of the tutorials I watched before going into the field. I know I can always RTFM but many people rely on these types of videos because the tech-speak in manuals often leads to a TL;DR situation.
Considering the viewable image in the polar scope is inverted, wouldn't I need to put Polaris 180 degrees from the position indicated in the SAM app? Also, what's the reasoning for aligning the reticle vertically (0 on top, 6 on bottom) before the alignment? As long as Polaris is on the correct position on the ring relative to the axis it shouldn't matter, correct?
@@AirBourn I've learned that all polar scopes are inverted and the apps used to determine location on the ring take that into consideration. You're right about aligning the reticle, but many apps allow you select which tracker you are using and the reticle on screen will match exactly what's in the scope, so using the 'minutes' really helps getting aligned perfectly. If you're shooting wide angle tracked images, it won't matter much. I was able to shoot a 12 minute exposure with a 14mm and set it up quickly by eye.
@@MattMuirhead Thanks for the reply, Matt. I think you're right about the apps. I'm at about 44.5 north latitude and according to Stellarium the rotational axis is at the three o'clock position relative to Polaris - which means that Polaris is at the the three o'clock position relative to the axis (from an inverted viewpoint). This is exactly where the Polar Clock Utility in the SAM app tells me to put it.
after buying my first small telescope i ran in to so much problems! some things just didn't add up. so i decided to go back to basic/base.. so after some close inspection of my star tracker instruction book i learned that i missed out on so many things !! one of those was the precise polar alignment with the offset and time/date rings. Thank you for sharing this video!
For longer lenses/long sessions I suggest getting a scope illuminator adapter (super cheap 3D printed) so you can keep it attached at all times, and check alignment now and then. A right angle viewfinder to attack to the scope is also super useful, expecially when you are shooting with longer lenses and need a super precise polar alignment.
Great video Peter, there's actually a little hole on the right of the skywatcher - it can be used to line up with Polaris visually. Sadly for the Southern Hemisphere it wont work. A tip for anyone in the Southern Hemisphere: Firstly, get the App for IOS or Andriod Polar Align pro (or free version) this will help you set the orientation of of the polar scope which is very important in order to find the four Octans in the scope. Secondly, focus of the scope is critical, if its not focused, you'll never see Octans as they are VERY faint, but with some practice, you'll find them quite easily, its just very important to have the scope orientated correctly. Polar Align pro is pretty nifty as you can choose for multiple different scopes (Skywatcher, Vixen, ioptron etc) and remember on the Skywriter, the image you see is inverted. EG if polaris is top left in the sky, its actually bottom right in the scope. The App itself is also useful for dialing in your altitude as the EQ wedge is not always precise enough, you'll be surprised what a 1 degree difference makes. Over multiple nights, even under moon light, I've found the 4 stars in the constellation Octans - the main star among the four is Polaris Australis, its basically our version of Polaris in the Southern Hemisphere - I have found that all four stars are of the same brightness, they are very dim but CAN be found. at 50mm I've easily managed 4 minutes and 2 minutes at 200mm. - I havent tested longer than that but I do not believe it is designed for very long focal lengths, then again, I haven't really tested enough. Another thing i've found is to attach the dove tail mount on the tracker also when looking for the stars, often when you put your camera on, it can cause a slight shift in alignment!
To nail Polaris, I cut a piece of wood exactly 39mm wide and about 150mm long. I added a right angle to it and insert it into the wedge when the wedge is adjusted to horizontal. I place a compass on it and taking account of magnetic declination (-1 to -4 degrees West in Scotland), move the tripod to true north. Polaris will also move about +-1 degree east or west depending on time of day so I account for that too. Then I replace the wood with a digital angle finder and adjust to 56 degrees (Edinburgh, Scotland). I then fit the Adventurer unit and tighten it down. This way when I switch on the reticule, Polaris is always within the field of view. Fine adjustments are made to get Polaris in the middle. Whenever I add the camera and the counterweights, it moves slightly so I make another Polar alignment once the balance is sorted. After fine turning, I've been able to get pin sharp stars at 16 minute exposures with my Zeiss Distagon 15mm f2.8 lens at F5.6 and ISO 400. If I fit the Zeiss 135mm F2.8 Apo Sonar, I've been able to achieve pin point stars at 6 minutes at ISO 400 with the lens at f5.6. I'm working on doubling this duration once I've figured out why the unit wanders off center. I did disassemble the wedge and re-grease and adjust the assembly cos there are some factory tolerances which could be better. I'm using a Canon D5Sr for maximum resolution capture and its sensor enjoys lots of light, hence the aim to double these exposures.
Very well explained. Looking forward to using my mount again for Comet Neowise. It's been a while since I last used it and your tutorial was a nice reminder of how to polar align.
Great video Peter. So, are you adjusting the alignment to positioning Polaris to be at the center of the crosshairs or at the roughly 10:30 position on top of the gray dot? Thank you.
Good point! Once you add a declination bracket, counterweight, and camera / lens it will likely move things enough to throw off the polar alignment. For beginners though, it might be overwhelming to have everything attached when doing the initial polar alignment.
On the right side of the start adventure is a small hole that you can look through to get a rough polar alignment once you line up Polaris in that hole then go to your old scope and do fine adjustments
Thanks Peter, great video. Here in the UK the latitude is just over 30 deg, and I found it very difficult to bend down low enough to see though the Polar scope, so I purchased the Amici prism for polar scope. It's right angle so makes viewing easier, now waiting for the right night to try it out.
I have found that at least in the skytracker pro mount there is some miss alingment between polar scope and the rotational axis of the mount. But with some tweaks and tools like EOSbackyard i can get at least 1 minute exposures with 300mm lens
FYI, the azimuth (horizontal) control knobs are mentioned once on page 42 of the instruction manual. In fact, the equatorial wedge has no breakdown of any of its features unlike the main 2i body. If it wasn't for your video and others like it, I'd be lost. Even with the videos, no where does it explain that the set screws directly in front of the azimuth knobs need to be slightly loosed otherwise the knobs will not rotate the platform which is what was happening for me.
you might want to add that the polarscope inverts the location of Polaris relative to the NCP. You mentioned Stellarium and it has option to show the NCP and Polaris is in a different position relative to NCP !! i.e. inverted.
If time permits, find due south during the day. It's when the sun is at it's highest in the sky. "Solar Noon" websites can tell you the exact time when that happens, based on your coordinates... and then just put a stick in the ground for the shadow. The shadow points true north. Get the scope or camera all set up during the daylight, and then wait for dusk to continue with your fine tuning polar alignment.
Hi. I bought this Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer years ago but never used. I want to get into astrophotography now and I'd like to know if it is a good idea to remove this item from the box now. I also bought the counter-weights for it. Congrats on your videos.
First off, one of the best videos I have seen explaining this device. Very well done!! My question though is if this device is rotating with the stars then how do you keep the landscape in the foreground from becoming blurred? How do you keep the foreground sharp and crisp yet capture all the stars in their glory? Would I take one shot without movement as the "base of the image" and then use all the other images taken and composite them together, and then remove the "star background" on the "base image" in Photoshop and use the composite image for the stars background?
That's the trick! If the star tracker is turned on, the foreground will blur out. Therefore, you will need to blend a static foreground and tracked sky together. You could take both images in the exact same spot. One with the tracker turned on, and another with the tracker turned off. However, this can cause some problems. If there are a lot of foreground elements, they will blur out and will make the blending much more difficult. Therefore, I recommend finding a wide open sky, and taking your star tracked images there. This will make the blending a lot easier. I cover this full process in-depth in my star tracker tutorials. www.peterzelinka.com/star-tracker-tutorials
Level tripod should be first, as you’ve just shifted your angle for your latitude by shuffling it around, yes, it may still be rough, but doing the level first will make the rough alignment closer
Hi Peter - your videos are really useful, thank you. I have a brand new star adventurer and am trying to figure it out before heading out for some night sky photography. I am really confused about the dial on the back of the star tracker and you did not cover this in your video. I realise it has something to do with the date and time, but as you did not mention it, is it not important or how should I set it up (I am in the UK by the way, so an example would be great)! Thanks in advance.
Thanks! Yeah, that dial is used for a manual polar alignment, if you didn't have an app to help. To be honest, I don't remember how to even use it. (The problem with technology, we become too reliant on it). Pages 22 and 23 of the manual explain it, although it's a bit confusing: www.skywatcherusa.com/downloads/manuals/StarAdventurer_UsersManual.pdf
Thanks for the clarification Peter - I was hoping that was the case, I am all in favour of tech - life (and clear skies) is way too short! I read the manual and, yes, it was confusing and no mention of the possibility of an app, as far as I could tell.
Thanks for the video. Helped me do my first shot, I went out and shot andromeda, came out awesome! I wanted to ask quick vs precise alignment what focal length would you say is the max you can to a quick alignment and still do a 4 minute or more exposure?
I'd say 35mm - 50mm is pushing it with a rough polar alignment. If I know I'm shooting with my 35mm lens I will spend a little more time making sure the polar alignment is good.
Mine came with a plastic adapter that you plug into the opening of the large fine-tune bracket and push the light assy into the adapter to align with the camera onboard.
Greetings Peter: Thank you for the video! I realize that you know better, but for the others, the "Big Dipper" is not a constellation, but an asterism in the constellation of Ursa Major. In contrast, the seven stars of the "Little Dipper" constitutes the entire constellation of Ursa Minor. Keep up the good work.
Basically, anything over 100mm, you pretty much need auto guiding if you want to do anything longer than 30 seconds and get no star trails. The cheapest adequate Auto Guiding system for this unit (camera and scope) will cost you about $300 CAD, and that is if you already have a Laptop!~ But if you are serious about Astrophotography and want good results, auto guiding is a necessary tool!
Hello Peter, you've got me hooked. I'm a pro landscape photographer in Fife, Scotland with my own gallery/shop. Watched your videos and grabbed my first Milky Way this week setting over the 700 year old Tantallon Castle near Edinburgh. I'm using a Canon 5DSr with battery grip and a Zeiss Distagon T* 15mm F2.8. The lack of coma, distortion and chromatic aberration is remarkable for such a lens but like any glass, limited by aperture. I managed multiple 20 second shots and stacked them using the software you recommended - Sequator. But a tracker means I could shoot much, much longer exposures to reduce the ISO from 3200 to something useful for print enlargements like ISO 100. But that suggests exposures of at least 4 mins and maybe up to 10 mins. So, question is this: will this small rig hold up to the weight of my gear and is it possible to shoot 10 min images with 15 mm lenses and still get sharp images? And is 10 mins at ISO 100 for milky way shots reasonable. Scotland stretches from 54 ° N all the way to 61° N. Does this present any unique challenges? Thank you for all your effort in making these videos.
Hi Graham, I normally use 4 minute exposures, at either f/2.8 or f/4 and I capture plenty of light. You'll be amazed by how much cleaner and more detailed the photos are! Worst case scenario, you might need to take a 5 or 6 minute image to have a completely grain-free image. This is all easily done by the Star Adventurer! I've never personally shot a 10 minute exposures, for a variety of reasons. One problem you'll have is a lot of sensor heat, which may manifest in the form of hot pixels. I normally use Long Exposure Noise Reduction to remove these in-camera. However, this effectively doubles the exposure time. At that latitude, the core of the milky way will be very low on the horizon. However, you'll have a great view of the beautiful "northern milky way", which has some stunning nebula in it. With your star tracker and a 4 minute exposure, you will be able to capture all of the faint details!
@@PeterZelinka Thank you for your reply. I ordered a right angle viewer/eyepiece because we're so far north, it's a neck breaker to find Polaris through the optics. And yes, the Milky Way is very low but will rise in the summer. However, sun sets at between 10:30pm and 11:15pm so there's too much light in the night sky for good core images. Thanks for the exposure tips; might experiment again tonight as the skies look to be clear again. All the best!
@@grahamhgraham That's a good idea, with the right-angle eyepiece! I always have a hard time contorting to look through my polar scope. I didn't realise Scotland was so high up! Almost sounds like Alaska, where the sun never sets in the summer. Good luck and clear skies!
Hi thank you for the excellent video it really simplifies the process. I do have a question please... if you lose alignment while attaching the camera, how can you re-align when the camera would be blocking the polar scope? Aren't just going to have to go back to step 1 to realign? Thanks again!
You don't need to use the adapter as any bit of light will do. Even the light from a headlamp can be bounced down there. I use a small thumb light which is taped to the rail not pointing down the hole at all. Reflected light off the huge nut above is all that is needed. If you really want to use it make sure when balancing to leave enough room in the central gap to fit it.
Peter, thanks for all your videos. I'm wondering if there might be a 3d printed device that would allow me to put my phone on it, while it's attached to the alt-az base, that would allow me to utilize Polar Scope Align Pro to get close to a polar alignment and spend less time to try to bend over to look through the actual scope of my tracker. Are you aware of anything like this?
I just bought my Sky-watcher Star Adventure 2i Pro Pack, and don't think I polar aligned it properly. I tried it out for the first time last night. I just found this video and will be trying again tomorrow evening. Do you have any quick tips, or should I just follow the video?
Hi Peter, Great vids, I am on the verge of getting the adventurer and I'm in the market for a new tripod (my trusty amazon one is not up to scratch!). Do you have any recommendation on tripods to mount the adventurer? Thanks!
I don't have too much experience with different tripods, so I can't really say. However, I recently started using a Feisol CT-3442 tripod and it does a great job!
In my own backyard, I use a nice, sturdy, heavy old Bogen - Manfrotto for my SA. (Fifty bucks on EBay) The heavier the better. I also have an "ultra light" travel tripod, for backpacking the rig out into the wilderness, but it is often quite sensitive to the effects of wind, vibration, etc. so I hang a water bottle from the center column and pack sand or dirt-filled Zip-lock bags around the feet. The best mounts, as you know, are on steel and concrete piers. The more solid the better - no exceptions. With this portable unit, you have to go for the sturdiest tripod you are willing and able to carry to wherever you plan to set up, but know that a cheap, flimsy little aluminum and plastic tripod will be a total waste of money.
Just use a headlamp with a red light, it's way easier and less hassle. When I look through the polar scope, I'll use one hand to briefly shine the red light into the front of the scope, so I can see the reticule. Then I move the light out of the way so I can see the star again.
Hi Peter, I am new to this hobby. When you said 0 to the top 6 to the bottom at 5:46. How am I supposed to make sure zero is exactly on the top? Thanks!
If you are using an app to help you find the north star would your phone need a signal? I'd imagine you are out where's there's no signal when you're doing this kind of photography.
Thankfully no internet is required. I almost always use the app when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, and I've never had a problem. As long as you have a GPS signal, it should work fine.
very "wise" tips at the end credits there. How the hell am I able to check polar aligment again if each time I attach my camera via ballhead, it risks moving the whole set up again?
Hey Peter. Question for you. I have the iOptron skytracker pro. I love it and I'm going to northern Manitoba in the summer. I would like to set it up for some great shots but the problem is I don't have any service up there. How do you polar allign if you can't check your app to find out where polaris needs to be?
You should be able to use the Polar Finder app without any data connection. I spend most of my time way off the grid, with no cell reception. I've never had an issue with my Android apps, since they mainly rely on a GPS signal, which I can get from pretty much anywhere. Not sure if the same is true for iPhones though
@@PeterZelinka good to know! I didn't realize you did not need service. The one app I am using does require service, but I just tested another one and it does not!
Hi Peter, thank you for the video, brand new user here plan on using for first time at the Texas Astronomical Society site in OK tonight. One stupid question - I assume you use the illuminator to get the north star where it should be, then take it off and return the dovetail part?
You could do that, I hate that illuminator though. I just shine my red light headlamp briefly over the front of the polar scope. This has the same effect of illuminating the reticle, and it's a lot easier.
Is there a tripod that you would recommend with the Star Adventurer? I just picked on up a few days ago and think my current tripod may need to be upgraded.
There are so many options to choose from, it's hard to say. One thing I would caution against is any tripod with a center column. These center columns have given me a lot of trouble with my star tracker. No matter how hard I would tighten everything down, the center columns would always move slightly. This prevented me from ever having an accurate polar alignment. I now use a Feisol CT-3442 tripod, which allows me to attach the latitude base directly to the tripod, without a center column. This provides a more stable platform, without any risk of things moving around. I really like this tripod too, its carbon fiber, very tall, and well built!
Those dials are obsolete. Use an app or check the internet for Polaris's location at a specific time - and keep mind the Star Adventure's scope shows a reversed image. If Polaris's location is at 1 o'clock adjust the scope to put Polaris at 7 o'clock.
@@len.whistler thank you len, I have had no luck with the star adventurer, I have been using the sam app and placing Polaris exactly where it appears in app!
I prefer to line up the north star in the reticle as soon as it appears in the sky so it is easy to find but many times I will not be shooting until a few hours later so do I need to keep my star tracker on for those few hours?
Hi, thanks a lot for your video, but I have two questions.. do I need to do the polar scope alignment? (Not the polar alignment itself) How can i be sure that the 6 o'clock is right down and the zero is straight up in the reticule? Thanks in advance and great vid again, so healpful
What I do is start by putting Polaris dead centre in the circle, then twist the altitude control until it hits the circle, then I rotate the 0 over that. Done!
Love your videos, Peter. A quick query....I installed the SAM console app, but when I opened the polar clock utility to get my accurate location, I got a message saying "use location sensor". When I clicked the button to 'on', the next message was 'no location sensor'. Local time shown and Polaris Position in the reticle was correct. What is the location sensor and where do I find it?
@@PeterZelinka erm.....thanks for the tip....my phone's GPS was turned on...what was turned off was in fact the app permission to use location services...I allowed it in settings and baaam... SAM console now shows my location. Lesson learned...thanks again! :)
everytime i look through my polar scope, the stars are all blurry even when im twisting the focus ring thing on the front of the eye piece. how do i fix this?
Hi Peter, thank you so much for the great introduction video. I recently purchased a SkyWatcher - Star Adventurer serie for night photography. I installed the SAM App as recommended on the Google Store, but I was unable to acquire the location and was return with "No location sensor" for error in the Polar Clock. Any alternatives? I had my LTE and GPS activated on my Android phone. Thank you in advance.
Hmm, never heard of that happening. The PolarFinder app is another option, but it usually takes it a while to find my latitude and longitude. SAM console has always done that very quickly for me
You need to go into Settings > Location > App permission and scroll down the list until you see SAM Console. It's probably in the Denied section. Click on the app and change to "Allow only while using the app". The SAM app doesn't automatically request Location permission so you'll never see it come up unless you manually add it to the list.
@@robhorner3504 Thanks Rob ...I had the same issue...I guess the app developer for got to enter the line that asks the user for location permissions specifically...
Hi, I have a question. Do I have to polar aline the tracker to the north star every time I got out to look a different object each night? I'm new to this.
So I bought your Tutorials yesterday and noticed that in the RAW images section you have shots of Trillium Lake. Do you live in Oregon? I am just asking because I live in Portland, Oregon.
Thanks. Could you tell me if the refractor telescope suffers a lot of damage if I want to observe from the seashore? I say this because of the salinity that can affect the lenses. Is there a trick to protect it and be able to go anyway?
So wait, after you've done all of this how do you rotate to find objects in the night sky? I know the night sky, I know where what I want to shoot is, but like, for example, the milky way area is directly south. Do I loose polar alignment if I point my 2i south? Im so confused
Hey Peter, I'm seeing that when I have the '0' in my reticle aligned at the top of the scope (and 6 at the bottom), the camera mount (and thus declination bracket, counter weight, etc) is slanted quite a bit. It's almost perfectly horizontal in fact. Does that mean my mount needs to be re-calibrated? It's brand new. My friend just received his brand new, too, and when he has 0 aligned at the top, his mount allows for a perfectly vertical placement of the declination bracket. Let me know if this makes sense. If not, I can email you the pictures. Thank you in advance!
It seems the reticle orientation differs on every star tracker. Ideally, it would be vertical when 12 is at the top. However, in most cases it is not. For example, on my SkyGuider Pro I have to flip everything upside to get the 12 at the top. This shouldn't affect the accuracy of your polar alignment though. I know iOptron has instructions on adjusting their polar scopes to fix this problem. I can't remember if Sky-Watcher has instructions for the Star Adventurer though.
Thanks @@PeterZelinka! I'll check to see if there is an instruction to fix this. I tried googling-- but it's a weird question to try to type into Google lol. I might ask Sky Watcher on Monday when they're open. I'll shoot you an email if I get the answer. It's just annoying because, in many cases we may need to re-check alignment after we've added the camera/lens... and that would mean putting everything back -- in my case -- to a completely horizontal orientation of the counterweight and declination bracket. Just purchased your DSO tutorials. Can't wait!
@@marisamarulli8955 Yeah, it is a pain to do a precise polar alignment when you have to flip everything around and lock it down like that. Thank you! Enjoy the course!
@@marisamarulli8955 Hi Marisa! I just received the Star Adventurer and exactly the same thing happens to you. Did you get any response from Skywatcher? or any solution? Thank you!
Hi guys, I'm looking to start out in astrophotography and this tracker seems to be reasonably priced for what you get. I have a modded Canon 450D which I want to start using and I'm in doubt over what kind of glass I should use. I have a Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II which is amazing during day-time but will it also be great during nighttime? I plan to shoot nebulae so I think FOV-wise I'm set, but is it a good starter lens, or should I invest in a cheap small-ish telescope?
I have been having trouble with Star Adventurer. I pretty much start seeing trails at 60 seconds and have to scale back. One thing I just noticed after a session last night is that my altitude was showing more like 42 degrees than 39.5 degrees that it should be. Did I pick the wrong star? I did get 60 second exposures that most of them were tight stars. What is the star field around Polaris that I should see to be sure I am on the right one looking through my scope? I did start at twilight but always seems that there are still more stars visible through the scope.
Finally! A complete explanation on how to polar-align a mount.
The big dipper has always been something I've adored. It always appears above my home when I'm walking back in the colder, clearer months. And because of this, even abroad, it gives me a wonderful sense of home just seeing it hovering, as if my house is just over the horizon waiting right underneath.
Thanks alot, Peter! My Star Adventurer 2i got here today and you made me understand more in 10 minutes than an hour plus with their nearly useless literature!
Just got my Sky-watcher Star Adventure and had some trouble understanding the Polaris alignment..This video was VERY helpful, Thanks a lot!
The first video about the Star Adventurer with which I could actually do something. Very well explained.
Thanks Peter for a well organized and useful video. Your content explained the beginner level operation and I was able to get my tracker on polar alignment quickly and successfully.
I think this is the best tutorial so far. I've recently got a Sky-Watcher SA Mini and this is very helpful. Can't wait to try it out. Thank you so much!
Edit here for other SAM owners: For the actual ring which revolves to track the stars, there might be a small screw holding it in place to avoid rotation when not in use. That needs to be removed before using "Run".
Great video, Peter, thank you. I am patiently waiting for my Star Adventurer to arrive, now I've got a better idea how to set it up.
Good video. I am thinking of getting a star tracker and I am sure that I will be watching this again when I do.
This is a good basic tutorial... it would be incredibly helpful to mention that when looking through the polar-scope, the image seen is inverted. This is something not mentioned in any of the tutorials I watched before going into the field. I know I can always RTFM but many people rely on these types of videos because the tech-speak in manuals often leads to a TL;DR situation.
Good point! I do occasionally get questions on that. It can definitely complicate things at night, if you don't realize things are inverted
Considering the viewable image in the polar scope is inverted, wouldn't I need to put Polaris 180 degrees from the position indicated in the SAM app? Also, what's the reasoning for aligning the reticle vertically (0 on top, 6 on bottom) before the alignment? As long as Polaris is on the correct position on the ring relative to the axis it shouldn't matter, correct?
@@AirBourn I've learned that all polar scopes are inverted and the apps used to determine location on the ring take that into consideration. You're right about aligning the reticle, but many apps allow you select which tracker you are using and the reticle on screen will match exactly what's in the scope, so using the 'minutes' really helps getting aligned perfectly. If you're shooting wide angle tracked images, it won't matter much. I was able to shoot a 12 minute exposure with a 14mm and set it up quickly by eye.
@@MattMuirhead Thanks for the reply, Matt. I think you're right about the apps. I'm at about 44.5 north latitude and according to Stellarium the rotational axis is at the three o'clock position relative to Polaris - which means that Polaris is at the the three o'clock position relative to the axis (from an inverted viewpoint). This is exactly where the Polar Clock Utility in the SAM app tells me to put it.
Dude.. I have two telescopes and this never occurred to me for some reason. THANK YOU
Thanks Peter your videos are always so easy to understand the lesson being taught...
Thanks Chris!
after buying my first small telescope i ran in to so much problems! some things just didn't add up. so i decided to go back to basic/base.. so after some close inspection of my star tracker instruction book i learned that i missed out on so many things !! one of those was the precise polar alignment with the offset and time/date rings. Thank you for sharing this video!
Well done, thank you...the only video i've found that really explains the process.
Peter love your calm style, keep it up! Great video!
For longer lenses/long sessions I suggest getting a scope illuminator adapter (super cheap 3D printed) so you can keep it attached at all times, and check alignment now and then.
A right angle viewfinder to attack to the scope is also super useful, expecially when you are shooting with longer lenses and need a super precise polar alignment.
The Star Adventurer Pro Pack is now shipped with an adapter to put the illuminator in the declination bracket
You can beam a laser through the polar scope to get it pretty close then proceed to actual alignment
Just got mine from B&H yesterday. Can't wait to use it in the field!
me too, lockdown is killing me
Great video Peter, there's actually a little hole on the right of the skywatcher - it can be used to line up with Polaris visually. Sadly for the Southern Hemisphere it wont work. A tip for anyone in the Southern Hemisphere:
Firstly, get the App for IOS or Andriod Polar Align pro (or free version) this will help you set the orientation of of the polar scope which is very important in order to find the four Octans in the scope.
Secondly, focus of the scope is critical, if its not focused, you'll never see Octans as they are VERY faint, but with some practice, you'll find them quite easily, its just very important to have the scope orientated correctly. Polar Align pro is pretty nifty as you can choose for multiple different scopes (Skywatcher, Vixen, ioptron etc) and remember on the Skywriter, the image you see is inverted. EG if polaris is top left in the sky, its actually bottom right in the scope.
The App itself is also useful for dialing in your altitude as the EQ wedge is not always precise enough, you'll be surprised what a 1 degree difference makes.
Over multiple nights, even under moon light, I've found the 4 stars in the constellation Octans - the main star among the four is Polaris Australis, its basically our version of Polaris in the Southern Hemisphere - I have found that all four stars are of the same brightness, they are very dim but CAN be found.
at 50mm I've easily managed 4 minutes and 2 minutes at 200mm. - I havent tested longer than that but I do not believe it is designed for very long focal lengths, then again, I haven't really tested enough.
Another thing i've found is to attach the dove tail mount on the tracker also when looking for the stars, often when you put your camera on, it can cause a slight shift in alignment!
I have used 900mm focal length. However cannot have any wind and counterweight needs to be spot on
exposure time?
For me, there was an adapter that came with the camera, so I could slide the polar scope illuminator in the dovetail plate
To nail Polaris, I cut a piece of wood exactly 39mm wide and about 150mm long. I added a right angle to it and insert it into the wedge when the wedge is adjusted to horizontal. I place a compass on it and taking account of magnetic declination (-1 to -4 degrees West in Scotland), move the tripod to true north. Polaris will also move about +-1 degree east or west depending on time of day so I account for that too. Then I replace the wood with a digital angle finder and adjust to 56 degrees (Edinburgh, Scotland). I then fit the Adventurer unit and tighten it down. This way when I switch on the reticule, Polaris is always within the field of view. Fine adjustments are made to get Polaris in the middle. Whenever I add the camera and the counterweights, it moves slightly so I make another Polar alignment once the balance is sorted. After fine turning, I've been able to get pin sharp stars at 16 minute exposures with my Zeiss Distagon 15mm f2.8 lens at F5.6 and ISO 400. If I fit the Zeiss 135mm F2.8 Apo Sonar, I've been able to achieve pin point stars at 6 minutes at ISO 400 with the lens at f5.6. I'm working on doubling this duration once I've figured out why the unit wanders off center. I did disassemble the wedge and re-grease and adjust the assembly cos there are some factory tolerances which could be better. I'm using a Canon D5Sr for maximum resolution capture and its sensor enjoys lots of light, hence the aim to double these exposures.
hey just wanted to say loved your video it helped so much i will be checking out your other videos!!!!!
Very well explained. Looking forward to using my mount again for Comet Neowise. It's been a while since I last used it and your tutorial was a nice reminder of how to polar align.
Great video Peter. So, are you adjusting the alignment to positioning Polaris to be at the center of the crosshairs or at the roughly 10:30 position on top of the gray dot? Thank you.
This man is good - straight to the point!
you make it sound so easy, in the south its a whole new can of worms!! haha, great video though!
You should write the instructions that come with it! LOL. Excellent vid. many thanks.
A useful video thanks. For me i try to attach the camera and lens before I align, to reduce the chances that i'll nudge the mount.
Good point! Once you add a declination bracket, counterweight, and camera / lens it will likely move things enough to throw off the polar alignment.
For beginners though, it might be overwhelming to have everything attached when doing the initial polar alignment.
great video. just acquired this tracker. thanks very much
Thanks for your video! You did a very good job on explaining it! I will try it out tonight!
Great vid! The alignment is everything!
This has been very helpful,Thank you
Thank you so much, this is really useful
On the right side of the start adventure is a small hole that you can look through to get a rough polar alignment once you line up Polaris in that hole then go to your old scope and do fine adjustments
Peter you didnt talk about the initial calibration of the polar scope - is it possible to make a short vid on how to do that?
Really excellent tutorial thanks!
I will buy this mount next month. Can't wait for test it! Thanks for the video.
Thanks Peter, great video. Here in the UK the latitude is just over 30 deg, and I found it very difficult to bend down low enough to see though the Polar scope, so I purchased the Amici prism for polar scope. It's right angle so makes viewing easier, now waiting for the right night to try it out.
Thank you so much for this. Very helpful.
Really helpful and detailed
Excellent video
Well made video. Thank you 😊
Thank you, very helpful video !
I have found that at least in the skytracker pro mount there is some miss alingment between polar scope and the rotational axis of the mount. But with some tweaks and tools like EOSbackyard i can get at least 1 minute exposures with 300mm lens
There are three small hex screws on the side of the polar scope that let you adjust it to the rotational axis ;)
Thank You. This helped alot.
Do a video for the southern hemisphere please !
FYI, the azimuth (horizontal) control knobs are mentioned once on page 42 of the instruction manual. In fact, the equatorial wedge has no breakdown of any of its features unlike the main 2i body. If it wasn't for your video and others like it, I'd be lost. Even with the videos, no where does it explain that the set screws directly in front of the azimuth knobs need to be slightly loosed otherwise the knobs will not rotate the platform which is what was happening for me.
Nota you can illuminate with your smartphone flashlight as well
you might want to add that the polarscope inverts the location of Polaris relative to the NCP. You mentioned Stellarium and it has option to show the NCP and Polaris is in a different position relative to NCP !! i.e. inverted.
If time permits, find due south during the day. It's when the sun is at it's highest in the sky. "Solar Noon" websites can tell you the exact time when that happens, based on your coordinates... and then just put a stick in the ground for the shadow. The shadow points true north. Get the scope or camera all set up during the daylight, and then wait for dusk to continue with your fine tuning polar alignment.
Great tutorial, thank you!
Thank you for your helpful video.
Hi. I bought this Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer years ago but never used. I want to get into astrophotography now and I'd like to know if it is a good idea to remove this item from the box now. I also bought the counter-weights for it.
Congrats on your videos.
First off, one of the best videos I have seen explaining this device. Very well done!! My question though is if this device is rotating with the stars then how do you keep the landscape in the foreground from becoming blurred? How do you keep the foreground sharp and crisp yet capture all the stars in their glory? Would I take one shot without movement as the "base of the image" and then use all the other images taken and composite them together, and then remove the "star background" on the "base image" in Photoshop and use the composite image for the stars background?
That's the trick! If the star tracker is turned on, the foreground will blur out. Therefore, you will need to blend a static foreground and tracked sky together.
You could take both images in the exact same spot. One with the tracker turned on, and another with the tracker turned off. However, this can cause some problems. If there are a lot of foreground elements, they will blur out and will make the blending much more difficult. Therefore, I recommend finding a wide open sky, and taking your star tracked images there. This will make the blending a lot easier. I cover this full process in-depth in my star tracker tutorials.
www.peterzelinka.com/star-tracker-tutorials
@@PeterZelinka excellent! And thank you for the link. That was exactly the tutorial I have been looking for. Keep up the good work!
Level tripod should be first, as you’ve just shifted your angle for your latitude by shuffling it around, yes, it may still be rough, but doing the level first will make the rough alignment closer
Hi Peter - your videos are really useful, thank you. I have a brand new star adventurer and am trying to figure it out before heading out for some night sky photography. I am really confused about the dial on the back of the star tracker and you did not cover this in your video. I realise it has something to do with the date and time, but as you did not mention it, is it not important or how should I set it up (I am in the UK by the way, so an example would be great)! Thanks in advance.
Thanks! Yeah, that dial is used for a manual polar alignment, if you didn't have an app to help. To be honest, I don't remember how to even use it. (The problem with technology, we become too reliant on it).
Pages 22 and 23 of the manual explain it, although it's a bit confusing:
www.skywatcherusa.com/downloads/manuals/StarAdventurer_UsersManual.pdf
Thanks for the clarification Peter - I was hoping that was the case, I am all in favour of tech - life (and clear skies) is way too short! I read the manual and, yes, it was confusing and no mention of the possibility of an app, as far as I could tell.
Thanks for the video. Helped me do my first shot, I went out and shot andromeda, came out awesome! I wanted to ask quick vs precise alignment what focal length would you say is the max you can to a quick alignment and still do a 4 minute or more exposure?
I'd say 35mm - 50mm is pushing it with a rough polar alignment. If I know I'm shooting with my 35mm lens I will spend a little more time making sure the polar alignment is good.
Super helpful thanks! Wonder if one has been done by him for the Southern Hemisphere
Mine came with a plastic adapter that you plug into the opening of the large fine-tune bracket and push the light assy into the adapter to align with the camera onboard.
Greetings Peter: Thank you for the video! I realize that you know better, but for the others, the "Big Dipper" is not a constellation, but an asterism in the constellation of Ursa Major. In contrast, the seven stars of the "Little Dipper" constitutes the entire constellation of Ursa Minor. Keep up the good work.
Basically, anything over 100mm, you pretty much need auto guiding if you want to do anything longer than 30 seconds and get no star trails. The cheapest adequate Auto Guiding system for this unit (camera and scope) will cost you about $300 CAD, and that is if you already have a Laptop!~ But if you are serious about Astrophotography and want good results, auto guiding is a necessary tool!
Hello Peter, you've got me hooked. I'm a pro landscape photographer in Fife, Scotland with my own gallery/shop. Watched your videos and grabbed my first Milky Way this week setting over the 700 year old Tantallon Castle near Edinburgh. I'm using a Canon 5DSr with battery grip and a Zeiss Distagon T* 15mm F2.8. The lack of coma, distortion and chromatic aberration is remarkable for such a lens but like any glass, limited by aperture. I managed multiple 20 second shots and stacked them using the software you recommended - Sequator. But a tracker means I could shoot much, much longer exposures to reduce the ISO from 3200 to something useful for print enlargements like ISO 100. But that suggests exposures of at least 4 mins and maybe up to 10 mins. So, question is this: will this small rig hold up to the weight of my gear and is it possible to shoot 10 min images with 15 mm lenses and still get sharp images? And is 10 mins at ISO 100 for milky way shots reasonable. Scotland stretches from 54 ° N all the way to 61° N. Does this present any unique challenges? Thank you for all your effort in making these videos.
Hi Graham,
I normally use 4 minute exposures, at either f/2.8 or f/4 and I capture plenty of light. You'll be amazed by how much cleaner and more detailed the photos are! Worst case scenario, you might need to take a 5 or 6 minute image to have a completely grain-free image. This is all easily done by the Star Adventurer!
I've never personally shot a 10 minute exposures, for a variety of reasons. One problem you'll have is a lot of sensor heat, which may manifest in the form of hot pixels. I normally use Long Exposure Noise Reduction to remove these in-camera. However, this effectively doubles the exposure time.
At that latitude, the core of the milky way will be very low on the horizon. However, you'll have a great view of the beautiful "northern milky way", which has some stunning nebula in it. With your star tracker and a 4 minute exposure, you will be able to capture all of the faint details!
@@PeterZelinka Thank you for your reply. I ordered a right angle viewer/eyepiece because we're so far north, it's a neck breaker to find Polaris through the optics. And yes, the Milky Way is very low but will rise in the summer. However, sun sets at between 10:30pm and 11:15pm so there's too much light in the night sky for good core images. Thanks for the exposure tips; might experiment again tonight as the skies look to be clear again. All the best!
@@grahamhgraham That's a good idea, with the right-angle eyepiece! I always have a hard time contorting to look through my polar scope.
I didn't realise Scotland was so high up! Almost sounds like Alaska, where the sun never sets in the summer.
Good luck and clear skies!
Hi thank you for the excellent video it really simplifies the process. I do have a question please... if you lose alignment while attaching the camera, how can you re-align when the camera would be blocking the polar scope? Aren't just going to have to go back to step 1 to realign? Thanks again!
You don't need to use the adapter as any bit of light will do. Even the light from a headlamp can be bounced down there. I use a small thumb light which is taped to the rail not pointing down the hole at all. Reflected light off the huge nut above is all that is needed. If you really want to use it make sure when balancing to leave enough room in the central gap to fit it.
Thanks, great explanation.
Peter, thanks for all your videos. I'm wondering if there might be a 3d printed device that would allow me to put my phone on it, while it's attached to the alt-az base, that would allow me to utilize Polar Scope Align Pro to get close to a polar alignment and spend less time to try to bend over to look through the actual scope of my tracker. Are you aware of anything like this?
I just bought my Sky-watcher Star Adventure 2i Pro Pack, and don't think I polar aligned it properly. I tried it out for the first time last night. I just found this video and will be trying again tomorrow evening. Do you have any quick tips, or should I just follow the video?
nice job! good video, thanks!
Hello. What kind of tripod will be enough to avoid issues with wind? ;)
Hi Peter, Great vids, I am on the verge of getting the adventurer and I'm in the market for a new tripod (my trusty amazon one is not up to scratch!). Do you have any recommendation on tripods to mount the adventurer? Thanks!
I don't have too much experience with different tripods, so I can't really say. However, I recently started using a Feisol CT-3442 tripod and it does a great job!
In my own backyard, I use a nice, sturdy, heavy old Bogen - Manfrotto for my SA. (Fifty bucks on EBay) The heavier the better. I also have an "ultra light" travel tripod, for backpacking the rig out into the wilderness, but it is often quite sensitive to the effects of wind, vibration, etc. so I hang a water bottle from the center column and pack sand or dirt-filled Zip-lock bags around the feet. The best mounts, as you know, are on steel and concrete piers. The more solid the better - no exceptions. With this portable unit, you have to go for the sturdiest tripod you are willing and able to carry to wherever you plan to set up, but know that a cheap, flimsy little aluminum and plastic tripod will be a total waste of money.
Don`t forget to power on the SA!
thank you!
Thank you so much.
Great video. I've been trying to track down that polar scope illuminator but can't seem to find it. Any ideas?
Just use a headlamp with a red light, it's way easier and less hassle. When I look through the polar scope, I'll use one hand to briefly shine the red light into the front of the scope, so I can see the reticule. Then I move the light out of the way so I can see the star again.
Hi Peter, I am new to this hobby. When you said 0 to the top 6 to the bottom at 5:46. How am I supposed to make sure zero is exactly on the top? Thanks!
If you are using an app to help you find the north star would your phone need a signal? I'd imagine you are out where's there's no signal when you're doing this kind of photography.
Thankfully no internet is required. I almost always use the app when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, and I've never had a problem. As long as you have a GPS signal, it should work fine.
very "wise" tips at the end credits there. How the hell am I able to check polar aligment again if each time I attach my camera via ballhead, it risks moving the whole set up again?
Hey Peter. Question for you. I have the iOptron skytracker pro. I love it and I'm going to northern Manitoba in the summer. I would like to set it up for some great shots but the problem is I don't have any service up there. How do you polar allign if you can't check your app to find out where polaris needs to be?
You should be able to use the Polar Finder app without any data connection. I spend most of my time way off the grid, with no cell reception. I've never had an issue with my Android apps, since they mainly rely on a GPS signal, which I can get from pretty much anywhere.
Not sure if the same is true for iPhones though
@@PeterZelinka good to know! I didn't realize you did not need service. The one app I am using does require service, but I just tested another one and it does not!
Hi Peter, thank you for the video, brand new user here plan on using for first time at the Texas Astronomical Society site in OK tonight. One stupid question - I assume you use the illuminator to get the north star where it should be, then take it off and return the dovetail part?
That's correct
You could do that, I hate that illuminator though. I just shine my red light headlamp briefly over the front of the polar scope. This has the same effect of illuminating the reticle, and it's a lot easier.
Thanks so much for that.
Is there a tripod that you would recommend with the Star Adventurer? I just picked on up a few days ago and think my current tripod may need to be upgraded.
There are so many options to choose from, it's hard to say. One thing I would caution against is any tripod with a center column. These center columns have given me a lot of trouble with my star tracker. No matter how hard I would tighten everything down, the center columns would always move slightly. This prevented me from ever having an accurate polar alignment.
I now use a Feisol CT-3442 tripod, which allows me to attach the latitude base directly to the tripod, without a center column. This provides a more stable platform, without any risk of things moving around. I really like this tripod too, its carbon fiber, very tall, and well built!
Using this method does it matter whether the SA Time Meridian circle is adjusted for your local meridian as the instruction manual indicates?
Can you please explain all the dials in the back of the Star adventurer. How to use them as per the reading of like hours, minutes as S Reilly?
Those dials are obsolete. Use an app or check the internet for Polaris's location at a specific time - and keep mind the Star Adventure's scope shows a reversed image. If Polaris's location is at 1 o'clock adjust the scope to put Polaris at 7 o'clock.
@@len.whistler thank you len, I have had no luck with the star adventurer, I have been using the sam app and placing Polaris exactly where it appears in app!
But once you've attached your camera you surely can't see through the Polarscope anymore?
I prefer to line up the north star in the reticle as soon as it appears in the sky so it is easy to find but many times I will not be shooting until a few hours later so do I need to keep my star tracker on for those few hours?
Hi, thanks a lot for your video, but I have two questions.. do I need to do the polar scope alignment? (Not the polar alignment itself)
How can i be sure that the 6 o'clock is right down and the zero is straight up in the reticule?
Thanks in advance and great vid again, so healpful
What I do is start by putting Polaris dead centre in the circle, then twist the altitude control until it hits the circle, then I rotate the 0 over that. Done!
Hi, could you explain the time and date dials settings ? This bit confuses me
Love your videos, Peter. A quick query....I installed the SAM console app, but when I opened the polar clock utility to get my accurate location, I got a message saying "use location sensor". When I clicked the button to 'on', the next message was 'no location sensor'. Local time shown and Polaris Position in the reticle was correct. What is the location sensor and where do I find it?
It should be using your phone's GPS, which might be disabled?
@@PeterZelinka erm.....thanks for the tip....my phone's GPS was turned on...what was turned off was in fact the app permission to use location services...I allowed it in settings and baaam... SAM console now shows my location. Lesson learned...thanks again! :)
everytime i look through my polar scope, the stars are all blurry even when im twisting the focus ring thing on the front of the eye piece. how do i fix this?
When you rotate the polar scope, 0 at the top, 6 at the bottom, how accurate does this have to be? Are there any ways/tips to make sure it’s accurate?
7:18 - South Pole guys. Your screwed at this point haha
Hi Peter, thank you so much for the great introduction video. I recently purchased a SkyWatcher - Star Adventurer serie for night photography. I installed the SAM App as recommended on the Google Store, but I was unable to acquire the location and was return with "No location sensor" for error in the Polar Clock. Any alternatives? I had my LTE and GPS activated on my Android phone. Thank you in advance.
Hmm, never heard of that happening. The PolarFinder app is another option, but it usually takes it a while to find my latitude and longitude. SAM console has always done that very quickly for me
You need to go into Settings > Location > App permission and scroll down the list until you see SAM Console. It's probably in the Denied section. Click on the app and change to "Allow only while using the app". The SAM app doesn't automatically request Location permission so you'll never see it come up unless you manually add it to the list.
@@robhorner3504 Thanks Rob ...I had the same issue...I guess the app developer for got to enter the line that asks the user for location permissions specifically...
I ordered a mount like this today and it says in the specifications that the pole finder is illuminated? Is that wrong or an upgrade lately?
Hi, I have a question. Do I have to polar aline the tracker to the north star every time I got out to look a different object each night? I'm new to this.
So I bought your Tutorials yesterday and noticed that in the RAW images section you have shots of Trillium Lake. Do you live in Oregon? I am just asking because I live in Portland, Oregon.
I spend about half the year in Ohio and the other half traveling across the country. I'm looking forward to getting back to Oregon this summer!
Which star tracker should I buy ?
Thanks. Could you tell me if the refractor telescope suffers a lot of damage if I want to observe from the seashore? I say this because of the salinity that can affect the lenses. Is there a trick to protect it and be able to go anyway?
wait!!! So I don't have to worry about all the markings on the polar scope dials? Just turn it to face up and down?
So wait, after you've done all of this how do you rotate to find objects in the night sky? I know the night sky, I know where what I want to shoot is, but like, for example, the milky way area is directly south. Do I loose polar alignment if I point my 2i south? Im so confused
what tripod would you recommend, if i use the star adventurer mit evostar ed72?
Hey Peter, I'm seeing that when I have the '0' in my reticle aligned at the top of the scope (and 6 at the bottom), the camera mount (and thus declination bracket, counter weight, etc) is slanted quite a bit. It's almost perfectly horizontal in fact. Does that mean my mount needs to be re-calibrated? It's brand new. My friend just received his brand new, too, and when he has 0 aligned at the top, his mount allows for a perfectly vertical placement of the declination bracket. Let me know if this makes sense. If not, I can email you the pictures. Thank you in advance!
It seems the reticle orientation differs on every star tracker. Ideally, it would be vertical when 12 is at the top. However, in most cases it is not. For example, on my SkyGuider Pro I have to flip everything upside to get the 12 at the top.
This shouldn't affect the accuracy of your polar alignment though.
I know iOptron has instructions on adjusting their polar scopes to fix this problem. I can't remember if Sky-Watcher has instructions for the Star Adventurer though.
Thanks @@PeterZelinka! I'll check to see if there is an instruction to fix this. I tried googling-- but it's a weird question to try to type into Google lol. I might ask Sky Watcher on Monday when they're open. I'll shoot you an email if I get the answer. It's just annoying because, in many cases we may need to re-check alignment after we've added the camera/lens... and that would mean putting everything back -- in my case -- to a completely horizontal orientation of the counterweight and declination bracket. Just purchased your DSO tutorials. Can't wait!
@@marisamarulli8955 Yeah, it is a pain to do a precise polar alignment when you have to flip everything around and lock it down like that.
Thank you! Enjoy the course!
@@marisamarulli8955 Hi Marisa! I just received the Star Adventurer and exactly the same thing happens to you.
Did you get any response from Skywatcher? or any solution?
Thank you!
Hi guys, I'm looking to start out in astrophotography and this tracker seems to be reasonably priced for what you get. I have a modded Canon 450D which I want to start using and I'm in doubt over what kind of glass I should use. I have a Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II which is amazing during day-time but will it also be great during nighttime? I plan to shoot nebulae so I think FOV-wise I'm set, but is it a good starter lens, or should I invest in a cheap small-ish telescope?
I have been having trouble with Star Adventurer. I pretty much start seeing trails at 60 seconds and have to scale back. One thing I just noticed after a session last night is that my altitude was showing more like 42 degrees than 39.5 degrees that it should be. Did I pick the wrong star? I did get 60 second exposures that most of them were tight stars. What is the star field around Polaris that I should see to be sure I am on the right one looking through my scope? I did start at twilight but always seems that there are still more stars visible through the scope.