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How to Find Objects if You Have Less Than Perfect Polar Alignment or Non-
Orthogonal Systems
Yes, it is possible to nd objects with the mounting not perfectly polar aligned. One simple and effective way is to use
the Tour Mode to nd and center a bright star in the constellation or area of the sky where you wish to nd a faint object.
Choose a bright star (use α, β or any of the rst few stars in the constellation list) in the area of the sky that you wish to
explore, press GoTo and center the star in your nder and/or telescope eld with the N-S-E-W buttons. Press the RA/
DEC REV button on your Keypad, then, select “9=Re-calibrate”. Now you can tour around the neighborhood of that
constellation and, unless your polar alignment is way off, you should be able to nd objects in your telescope eyepiece.
While you are in a particular constellation, be sure to check out the prominent doubles. You can access them by pressing
button “6=More” then button “2=ADS Double Stars”. Some constellations have up to a dozen interesting doubles, which
are fun to observe.
How far off is off? If your polar alignment is off by 1 degree and you calibrate on a star near the celestial equator on the
meridian, your error will be about ± 1 degree going from the eastern to the western horizon. If you start in an area 1 hour
from the calibration star, your error will be about ± 5 arc minutes. An 8” f/10 scope with a 12 mm Plössl ocular has an 18
arc-minute eld, so the object would appear within the center 1/3 of the eyepiece eld of view.
What if I Lose My Calibration?
Assuming that you are polar-aligned, you can use the re-calibrate or sync functions as described under Advanced Features
later in the manual.
● A very quick way to recover from any mount orientation errors is to loosen the R.A. and Dec. clutches and while
holding the scope, command it to go to a reference park position (Parks 1, 2, 3, 4). When the motors stop, put the
scope in that chosen position and tighten the clutches. You are now correct once again. When you resume you will
just need a slight object centering and a ReCal.
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