How to Polar Align When You Can't See Polaris!? 

Worth noting that Photopills can be used for polar alignment as well. Using the Spot Stars mode and selecting the AR button opens a similar view to the plain Night AR mode but has a crosshair. With the phone mounted perpendicular to the polar axis of the star tracker, align until the crosshair is on the north or south pole(depending on where you are and how the phone is mounted). Any of the AR star apps can be used in this way if some kind of crosshair can be enabled. Chasing Luminance did a good video showing the process while he was reviewing the MSM phone mount(Follow up to my Move Shoot Move phone mount video).

Lots and lots of really great content coming out at the moment 👍. As a MSM user I was contemplating getting their phone holder / bracket to overcome such problems, but tbh....the cloud in the UK is more of an issue🤣 Looking forward to the next vid 😁

Awesome info. I just ordered the hard back copy of your book. Can't wait to get it! Tim

That app looks great! Sadly it looks like it's only available for iOS 😞 Do you know of an equivalent for Android? Another great video as always 🙂

can you make a video explaining the Scheiner method?

Great and helpful video! There is also a Scheiner method I guess.

Great presentation, wow

Thanks!

Love your videos!❤️

Watching this video just to learn how to polar align without looking for octantis..haha

very informative. I live in the Caribbean and my Latitude is 10 degrees and I cannot see Polaris so what is my next option?.

Step 0: Get a Benro Polaris 😂😂

3:43 please feel sorry also for us on the tropics of Northern Hemisphere

Hello, according to what is said at 4:27, if correct polar alignment is done, then in the following case : having waited some 15 minutes (for various reasons, amongst others for the camera to complete the noise reduction) there is no need to remake the polar alignment (unmounting the camera, cable and counterweight..) to continue long exposure shots ? I'd love to know, thanks for your reply..

Thanks for your great videos, I have a question, can we just use an app like stellarium and put the phone in front of the scope to see Polaris? Is that accurate enough?

Alyn: How do you align at the equator??

Is there a polar scope or laser I can use to attach to my skywatcher AZ-GTI so I can align it in EQ mode?

We might not have it easy for Polar Alignment in the Southern Hemisphere; but that Milky Way, high in our Winter skies, is 'to die for'.

I'm a big fan of the SUUNTO MC-2 compass. It's small, light, and easily fits into my pack. It's way more accurate than a phone compass. Plus, you can use the flip-out cover of the compass to extend the compass away from the tracker to minimize any deviation caused by the motor magnets. I do use an inclinomter app in my phone to measure the inclination of the tracker. It uses the phone's accelerometer which isn't affected by the tracker's motor. I love the maths discussion about finding alternate stars overhead! So nerdy!!

Alyn just downloaded the ps pro app can't wait till the weekend cheers bud ¯\_(ツ)_/¯♥.

With star trails, I'm struggling to get perfect lines for whatever reason they always seem jaded. Can you please help with this? I have watched your tutorial on Starstax and applied the gap fill.😐

You DIDN'T mention that PS Polar Align Pro in an APPLE ONLY app! 🤬

Thank you for this video (and all of your others)! I have been doing photography for many years, but only recently attempting astrophotography. So far I don't have any star tracker, which of course is somewhat limiting, since I can only do very short exposures. I often do not have a good view of Polaris due to trees and terrain, so I was thinking I would need a relatively expensive full equatorial mount with tracker or a computerized alt-az mount either of which could do 2 or 3 star alignment and not require Polaris visibility. So your suggestions in this video are good news, since it means that I may be able to get a less expensive star tracker such as from iOptron or Sky-Watcher and have it be useful even in my constrained location.

Haha I literally ran into this exact problem at this exact arch a few months back and just gave up.

I use a laser for polar alignment if I find it hard to see. Much easier to see through the scope too

Hola Alyn, como siempre un excelente tutorial. Me alegra saber que estás aprendiendo español. Quick question about the book, I would like to pre order one, is it possible to ship it to Miami? Gracias!

Ball heads often gives that PLAY, which is really annoying, is there any way you could avoid that..

Another fantastic video. Thank you, Alyn, and clear skies!

Loving these new types of videos Alyn. I'm all for regular videos!

I use the AR on PhotoPills to align as best I can, and an inclinometer app to set the latitude. I have got it down fairly well given I mostly do wide stuff, but I am wondering about getting a compass and working out the adjustment from magnetic north, because I find i always get a bit of drift with the phone compass.

Is this possible with Alt AZ mounts?

All of your videos are so informative sir😄😄 this one is not an exception

I can't find the app on the Play Store, could you share a link for it, please?

Which tracker are you using in this video? I didn't see it in the description

This is really useful thanks! My garden points North and my house is in between my tracker and my target! So I need another method to shoot from my front bedroom window which is currently my observatory lol. Also, apparently Google maps points to true north and shows an N in red when aligned. so i guess that might be another way, using the phone axis??

Ah, love Arches, was there almost thirty years ago, but in November … weather was great, but temperatures of course much lower, it was perfect. We came from LasVegas, Bryce, Zion, went on to Canyonlands, Grand Canyon etc. Thx for the video, might need the info some day with my StarAdventurer GTi 🤩

I use the sky tracker pro in the southern hemisphere. To do a rough alignment I use the iPhone compass set to true south and just butt it up beside the tracker. The compass app has the lat and long, so I then open up the level app and place the phone on the tracker. Job done for alignment. I also have a rail on my camera hotshoe and then use the same technique for finding DSO using Stelarium to give me alt+az

First thanks for the new knowledge! Mainly in the desert there are rattlesnakes and others and keep watching these videos by everyone and all just wear hiking boots or sneakers but really snake boots or chaps even shin shields. I was at Casa Grande AZ doing a sunset and on both sides of me were a snake 6 to 8 ft long 10 yards away headed to Casa Grande for a meal of birds or mice. I then went to another location for MW shots over Casa Grande and while the camera did it's thing another passed 20 yards in front of me. I wear boots and chaps ( some will strike above the knee). Also Scorpions very painful. And like us not in the desert and around grass use "VICKS" on legs and socks outside of for the 6 month long of a Red Bug bite itch! Lastly I find the MSM phone mount (removing protective phone case due to metal inside) using Photopills Spot Stars app due to a lot of Airports and Aircraft, do not want a blue light special rolling up, it is the best idea ever and pilots everywhere thank you every night during a new moon.

This is an awesome video Alyn. Thanks for sharing that geometric picture wrt latitude and Polaris elevation from horizon. I am going to download the PS align pro app as I am going to try to image Orion nebula from my balcony but Polaris is not visible.

Can I ask what headlamp you use and prefer Alyn? I notice your red lamp is super bright which is exactly what I need throughout the night. Thanks in advance!

Interesting ideas for using the phone sensors or a perpendicular laser. Could be useful to have a few small (3D printable) jigs to help ensure the alignment of phone to the tracker edge and the laser at 90degs (mine has a rounded back end :-( so would need help to use this approach!

I don't agree the north star is all that easy to locate in really dark skies where there are a lot of bright looking stars. I use the big and or little dipper for rough location then I know I can find it.

Doesn't the SGP tracker alter the app that uses a compass? It will give an error by multiple degrees.

Cual es el nombre de la app que usas en el celular?

Alyn, thanks for the introduction to PS Align Pro. I’m discovering a number of uses for the app in addition to polar alignment of a tracker. The comments on this video are also proving to be a goldmine of suggestions to pursue. Right now I’m off to figure out a mounting of the iPhone to the Dob for push-to pointing to objects, as an alternative to craning my neck to peer through a telrad (with aging eyes).

Can you please giv a link to the app you use please. Seeing how you use yours I'd like to do it like that vers having to stand mine up with more equipment

Great video, thanks! How are there no people around you?? I was there in June and it was super busy!

Alyn, what’s more precise for polar alignment : use of a phone app or a polar scope?

So helpful! Love all your videos and just pre-ordered your book. Looking forward to reading it!

Been using the PS Align Pro method with my Move Shoot Move and now Start Adventurer over the last year and have found it to be both very reliable and super easy. It really takes the headache out of polar alignment with wide angle lenses and also helps to get you close to polar alignment before using the polar scope to fine tune when shooting with longer lenses.

I love your work and your videos, so informative. Thank you.

This is just the information I needed to help me track in my location with mountains to the north. Although I don't have a lot of experience, I love taking images and learning more about the night sky - your information has been extremely valuable! I pre-ordered your book a while back and looking forward to receiving it soon.

Excellent tips, gonna try the polar alignment using the app!

The landscape is really cosmic ❤️ I appreciate your explanations 👍

Ordered the hard cover copy of your book and I can’t wait to get it! Nice video!

Cool1, Thanks Alyn for the great alignment tips. BTW, I've never visited Double Arch in the daylight. I've photographed the arch plus additional places within Arches many times at night. I need a trip to Arches. Finally, eagerly awaiting your book release.

I have the same tracker, but with iPolar!

WE ARE ALL LEARNING ON HOW TO GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN THE HEAVENS.GREAT VIDEO!

Thanks for the PS Align Pro Tidy 🙂

Very helpful video thanks a lot alyn

Thanks for your great videos.

I have a shot from there , it’s amazing

Thank you for another great video

When you coming Guyana🇬🇾

F for the southern hemisphere 😆 greetings from Chile Alyn 😁💯

Why can't the stars be seen anymore in specific areas, even without light pollution

first

hi

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