Hi, been here since 9 months ago and still watching this vid when I got confused to do this method. I always prioritize my camera to be in the meridian flip free position so that I can leave it whole night. But, I always use this method to do quick session photograph since I've found this method very useful to my several photograph session. Thanks so much! Greetings from Indonesia 🙌🏼🌌
This video is the BEST explination of this I've seen to date.. every one else is like 'you need to do weird math on the RA or take video and match it'.. i'm like.. that's not how RA works, and trying to just explain it to a friend over the phone was hard.. this video allows me to go 'Here! this shows it nice and easy'. Thanks for doing this video Oz. While there new GTi has full go to i'd love it if Star Watcher would just give us a Declination motor update.
Kamil's method is ok. This is marginally better. But I've left instructions on his Kamil's video and on cloudy nights for far superior method. The date circle is not accurate, as others have stated. But above that is actual 1 hour markings. Just calibrate against those and count up and down from there given that the home position equates to H.A. 6 or 18 depending on which side of meridian you are going for. To calibrate on the hour dial, just pick a line to follow from the date dial.
Wonderfully done. Thank you from a Star Adventurer novice. I am an old amateur astronomer with a big 10" scope, but i have recently begun using my Star Adventurer 2i Pro mount and experiencing the newbie (frustrating :)) phase. Your video is so helpful, I can't wait to try this out. Thanks so much for doing this.
This will be roughly correct. The 1 to 12 scale is not a 12 fractioned circle. It is a 365 days calendar, each number represents a month. February with 28 days, March with 31 days etc.
Really good. Thanks for sharing. I must try this out. I already have a declination scale on the declination head having followed a similar RUclips video from ‘Bobcoastro’ who uses a similar technique to you. Incidentally I didn’t realise I could install a spirit level on my phone. I do now! The scales I think are approximate but with an Asiair plus and plate solving, the entire process of finding targets with a Star Adventurer is so much easier
To do the meridian flip, can you just subtract 6, since that is half (180°) of the 12 hour clock? So if the HA is 15h40m, then you divide in half, which gives 7h50m then subtract 6 would give the meridian flip of 1h50m..... Does that seem right?
Even easier yet is to use the SA Console app to its full capacity. Try this! When you're connected to the Star Adventurer select "Manual Control" and you're controlling the RA angle to 0.1 degree with the right and left arrow keys! To find a "hard to see" DSO, go to Stellarium and get the RA (and Dec) of both a visible reference star, close to the DSO, and the DSO itself. A bit of math will yield the RA and Dec offset angles between them. When you're on site; polar align your tracker, get the visible star in the centre of your camera's field and go to manual control on the app and "zero" the angle. Adjust your Dec difference first and then with the SA Console app in "Manual Control" slew the RA in the proper direction towards the DSO. The angle, that the camera is moving at, is displayed in 0.1 degree increments. To be super precise, remember that the stars are moving 0.25 degrees per minute so, since the slew rate on the RA motor isn't lightning speed, you should adjust the offset angle to compensate for the time lag in doing all the adjustments. It usually takes a few minutes to adjust the Dec and slew the camera so you're adding/subtracting 0.25 degrees for every minute of adjustment time. Depending on how tight the target is in the field of view of your lens. this may or may not be critical. Hope this helps as well!
Very nice improvement. Thank you! The only thing I didn’t understand is: the HA was 15 h and 40 min. You divided 15/2= 7.30, but then you said “half of 20 min is 10”. Did you mean “half of 40 min is 20”? Then the time graduation should be 7 h and 50 min?
Possibly i will have to look at the video again as I canot remember. However, the process for both parts is to divide by two to take from a 24 hour to 12 hour which will match the dial. Hope that makes sense. Cheers for the feedback it's much appreciated. Oz
If there was a easer way of doing it Kamil would of done it. Infect he has ! There's one bit you have forgot ! you must get your declination bracket square and level and your scope / lens and camera pointing at the north star, before you can "0" TIME I've made lots of attachments to use a laser on my set up so I know I'm spot on and square. It's then and only then you can "0" your declination angle pointer At 4:00 in Kamil's video he dose mention this. As Kamil said the scale on the back of the tracker isn't time its a date scale and doesn't work. Its close but no coconut.
I do actually mention you should look at Kamil's video to further your understanding and yes you should line it up with the north star etc. As to the dial originally being set for dates that is irrelevant. It is dividing the circle into 12 equal units. You can call them what you like as long as it is a system based on the the number 12. So you can call them 12 months or 12 hours. The limitation is due to dials scale so no it is not going to be super accurate. However, his will apply whether you use mine or Kamil's method as they both use the same dial. Hope this helps😁
Am I missing something here? Wouldn’t it be far easier to just use Stellarium or similar with your smartphone then mounted on your camera hot shoe pointed in the same direction as your camera?
@@oztaylorastrophotography2420 why didn’t it work? Whichever direction you point your phone or tablet in, Stellarium displays exactly what’s in the sky in that direction.
@@earthling-fh2mg i know i am late to the party, but i ran into a problem during the solar eclipse on April 8 2024. Since i use the batteries in the star tracker to power it, whenever I would try to align using my phone, the compass would go crazy, even with the tracker off. I took the batteries out, and my phone apps for lining up, worked just fine. I havent tried it plugged into an extension cord yet, but that is what i will try next.....if i ever get a night without clouds.
![CHILE vs. BRASIL [1-2] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5ObJt_71AYc/mqdefault.jpg)
![[INTRODUCING] Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTI](/img/1.gif)
Hi, been here since 9 months ago and still watching this vid when I got confused to do this method. I always prioritize my camera to be in the meridian flip free position so that I can leave it whole night. But, I always use this method to do quick session photograph since I've found this method very useful to my several photograph session. Thanks so much! Greetings from Indonesia 🙌🏼🌌
This video is the BEST explination of this I've seen to date.. every one else is like 'you need to do weird math on the RA or take video and match it'.. i'm like.. that's not how RA works, and trying to just explain it to a friend over the phone was hard.. this video allows me to go 'Here! this shows it nice and easy'.
Thanks for doing this video Oz.
While there new GTi has full go to i'd love it if Star Watcher would just give us a Declination motor update.
Yep the update idea would be mint. Would make it a modular system😁. Thanks for the feedback!
Kamil's method is ok. This is marginally better.
But I've left instructions on his Kamil's video and on cloudy nights for far superior method.
The date circle is not accurate, as others have stated. But above that is actual 1 hour markings.
Just calibrate against those and count up and down from there given that the home position equates to H.A. 6 or 18 depending on which side of meridian you are going for.
To calibrate on the hour dial, just pick a line to follow from the date dial.
Wonderfully done. Thank you from a Star Adventurer novice. I am an old amateur astronomer with a big 10" scope, but i have recently begun using my Star Adventurer 2i Pro mount and experiencing the newbie (frustrating :)) phase. Your video is so helpful, I can't wait to try this out. Thanks so much for doing this.
Thanks so much for the feedback. It makes it all worthwile😁
This improvement is good with respect to making it easier to dial in after calculating the meridian flip….
Thank you.
Cheers!👍
This will be roughly correct. The 1 to 12 scale is not a 12 fractioned circle. It is a 365 days calendar, each number represents a month. February with 28 days, March with 31 days etc.
Agreed but it does work😁
Really good. Thanks for sharing. I must try this out. I already have a declination scale on the declination head having followed a similar RUclips video from ‘Bobcoastro’ who uses a similar technique to you. Incidentally I didn’t realise I could install a spirit level on my phone. I do now!
The scales I think are approximate but with an Asiair plus and plate solving, the entire process of finding targets with a Star Adventurer is so much easier
Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. 😁👍
This is absolutely fantastic! It will save me so much time and 10 fold increase my chances to find my targets. Thank you Sir!
More than welcome! Thank you for the feedback😁
To do the meridian flip, can you just subtract 6, since that is half (180°) of the 12 hour clock? So if the HA is 15h40m, then you divide in half, which gives 7h50m then subtract 6 would give the meridian flip of 1h50m..... Does that seem right?
Even easier yet is to use the SA Console app to its full capacity. Try this! When you're connected to the Star Adventurer select "Manual Control" and you're controlling the RA angle to 0.1 degree with the right and left arrow keys!
To find a "hard to see" DSO, go to Stellarium and get the RA (and Dec) of both a visible reference star, close to the DSO, and the DSO itself. A bit of math will yield the RA and Dec offset angles between them. When you're on site; polar align your tracker, get the visible star in the centre of your camera's field and go to manual control on the app and "zero" the angle. Adjust your Dec difference first and then with the SA Console app in "Manual Control" slew the RA in the proper direction towards the DSO. The angle, that the camera is moving at, is displayed in 0.1 degree increments. To be super precise, remember that the stars are moving 0.25 degrees per minute so, since the slew rate on the RA motor isn't lightning speed, you should adjust the offset angle to compensate for the time lag in doing all the adjustments. It usually takes a few minutes to adjust the Dec and slew the camera so you're adding/subtracting 0.25 degrees for every minute of adjustment time. Depending on how tight the target is in the field of view of your lens. this may or may not be critical. Hope this helps as well!
Awsome! Thanks for the input 👍👍
Very helpful, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.
Very nice improvement. Thank you! The only thing I didn’t understand is: the HA was 15 h and 40 min. You divided 15/2= 7.30, but then you said “half of 20 min is 10”. Did you mean “half of 40 min is 20”? Then the time graduation should be 7 h and 50 min?
Possibly i will have to look at the video again as I canot remember. However, the process for both parts is to divide by two to take from a 24 hour to 12 hour which will match the dial. Hope that makes sense.
Cheers for the feedback it's much appreciated.
Oz
I live in the southern hemisphere. With the HA, must I rotate anticlockwise instead of clockwise? Substract 12 hours from the HA?
Yep that sounds about right. However, i will check thst out for you.
This is great. I was thinking that it might be some easier way to do it and your explenation how to do it will save plenty of time :D Thanks!
That's great I'm glad it helps. Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated!
If there was a easer way of doing it Kamil would of done it. Infect he has ! There's one bit you have forgot ! you must get your declination bracket square and level and your scope / lens and camera pointing at the north star, before you can "0" TIME I've made lots of attachments to use a laser on my set up so I know I'm spot on and square. It's then and only then you can "0" your declination angle pointer At 4:00 in Kamil's video he dose mention this. As Kamil said the scale on the back of the tracker isn't time its a date scale and doesn't work. Its close but no coconut.
I do actually mention you should look at Kamil's video to further your understanding and yes you should line it up with the north star etc. As to the dial originally being set for dates that is irrelevant. It is dividing the circle into 12 equal units. You can call them what you like as long as it is a system based on the the number 12. So you can call them 12 months or 12 hours. The limitation is due to dials scale so no it is not going to be super accurate. However, his will apply whether you use mine or Kamil's method as they both use the same dial. Hope this helps😁
Am I missing something here? Wouldn’t it be far easier to just use Stellarium or similar with your smartphone then mounted on your camera hot shoe pointed in the same direction as your camera?
I have tried it but that did not work that well for me. It maybe depends on your phone.
@@oztaylorastrophotography2420 why didn’t it work? Whichever direction you point your phone or tablet in, Stellarium displays exactly what’s in the sky in that direction.
@@earthling-fh2mg i know i am late to the party, but i ran into a problem during the solar eclipse on April 8 2024. Since i use the batteries in the star tracker to power it, whenever I would try to align using my phone, the compass would go crazy, even with the tracker off. I took the batteries out, and my phone apps for lining up, worked just fine. I havent tried it plugged into an extension cord yet, but that is what i will try next.....if i ever get a night without clouds.