Using RA and dec. (Right Ascension and declination) coordinates, it is possible to locate a faint target that might otherwise be difficult to see in your viewfinder. With an undriven mount, you are limited to relatively short exposures, but with a fast lens and high ISO setting, impressive night-sky images are certainly achievable.
The mount's RA axis must be aligned with Earth's axis of rotation, so you must adapt the downloadable plans to suit your latitude. At the North or South Poles, the RA axis would point vertically upwards, and at the equator it would be horizontal. For most of us, the angle between the RA disc and the ground is somewhere in between (90° minus your latitude).
Wrangle the angles
The dec. assembly pivots on the RA disc, but it is clampable with a wing nut when you're ready to take a photo. Similarly, the camera platform pivots on the dec. assembly, also with a clamp. The dec scale is glued so that it reads 90° when the camera is pointing directly at the Pole. As the night sky appears to rotate, the RA scale must be free to turn, so you can adjust it. A strong bulldog clip holds it still while you move the dec. assembly between targets.
To use the mount, it must firstly be polar aligned. Make sure the base is level, with the RA disc facing due north (in the Northern Hemisphere). To fine-tune the alignment, you can place a smartphone (with a planetarium app) on the RA disc and centre the displayed south celestial pole.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Could We Find Aliens by Looking for Their Solar Panels?- Designed to reflect ultraviolet and infrared, the panels have a unique fingerprint
Researchers searching for life beyond Earth spend a lot of time thinking about what telltale signs might be detectable astronomically. Forms of unambiguous evidence for the presence of life on another world are known as biosignatures. By extension, techno signatures are indicators of activity by intelligent, civilisation-building life.
Antimatter- In our continuing series, Govert Schilling looks at antimatter, the strange counterpart to most of the matter filling our Universe
Particles and corresponding antiparticles are very much alike, except they have opposite electrical charges. For instance, the antiparticle of the electron - known as the positron - has the same tiny mass, but while electrons carry a negative electrical charge, positrons are positively charged.
Where Have All The Milky Way's Early Stars Gone?- Our Galaxy has a curious lack of pristine stars
The Big Bang produced a Universe filled almost exclusively with hydrogen and helium; all other elements - what astronomers call metals - were produced by stars, supernovae and everything that happens later. So if you can pick out a pristine star with no metals polluting it from among the billions in the Milky Way, then you are likely to have a star dating from our Galaxy's earliest days.
Inside The Sky At Night - Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST
Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST. In July's Sky at Night, we discovered what she's learned since then.
How to stack DSLR data in Siril
Easily combine multiple frames to boost detailin your astro photos
Lunar occultation of Saturn
You'll need to strike a balance on 21 August to capture the Moon covering the ringed planet
How to plot a variable star light curve
A rewarding project to chart stars that change brightness
Smartphone photography with a telescope
Mary Mcintyre explains how to get impressive night-sky images using your phone
Once-a-century solar storm is overdue
If a Carrington Event struck today it would be catastrophic, says Minna Palmroth
The new era of human spaceflight
There's been a step-change in crewed space missions since the dawn of the 21st century. Ben Evans charts its course and looks ahead to future horizons
