3 replies to this topic

[CaptainKoloth1]

Has anyone tried to guide on the Sun with a filtered Celestron Starsense Autoguider or any other hardware method? I'm struggling to figure out a way to track long enough to make animations; I've spent dozens of hours with Sharpcap feature tracking and can never consistently get it to work, you can't find Hutech Hinode Solar Guiders in stock anywhere anymore, even my nighttime three-point polar alignment isn't good enough to hold the Sun for long the next day, etc.

[steveward53]

Sounds very much like you're confusing 3-point Go-To Alignment with Polar Alignment , the former has nothing to do with tracking accuracy.

 

Decent polar-alignment will keep the disc in view for hours , leastways my HEQ5Pro does.

Edited by steveward53, 10 November 2024 - 01:30 PM.

[OregonAstronomer]

In addition to making sure your mount is precisely polar aligned, also make sure you are tracking at the Solar rate, not the Sidereal rate.

 

A beta version of PHD2 has solar tracking capability: https://www.cloudyni...e-imaging-more/

[CaptainKoloth1]

Sorry, I meant polar alignment. I'm properly polar aligned and tracking at the solar rate. It's just not precise enough for animations zoomed in on a small area like a prominence.