Polar Aligning a German Equatorial mount

Polar alignment is used to align the rotational axis of the telescope with the rotational axis of earth. To achieve this a drift alignment explained below can be used. Although not necessary, preferably roughly align the mount to the North star first!

Use a Barlow but NO diagonal. Procedure for SCT or Mak. Check the way your mount moves first!

First, choose your star due south, where the celestial equator (i.e. at or about 0º in declination) and the meridian meet . The star should be approximately 1/2 hour of right ascension from the meridian and within five degrees in declination of the celestial equator. Center the star in the field of your telescope and monitor the drift in declination.

  • If the star drifts north, move the star in your eyepiece so it moves to the East.
  • If the star drifts south, move the star in your eyepiece so it moves to the West.

Using the telescope's azimuth adjustment knobs, make the appropriate adjustments to the polar axis to eliminate any drift. Once you have eliminated all the drift, move to the star near the eastern horizon. The star should be at RA 6hrs. That is most crucial.

  • If the star drifts South, move the star in your eyepiece so it moves to the East. This means you should turn the elevation control so it drops a little, this will elevate the polar axis.
  • If the star drifts North, move the star in your eyepiece so it moves to the West. This means you should turn the elevation control so it gets pushed up a little, this will lower the polar axis.