Polar Finders & Polar Alignment Tools

Polar Finders and Polar Alignment Tools: The basis for accurate tracking

An equatorial mount functions optimally only when the hour axis is exactly parallel to the earth's axis of rotation. Pole Seekers and polar alignment tools are the instruments with which you perform this alignment to the minute of arc. At Telescoop.nl, we provide optical and electronic tools from brands such as Bresser, Explore Scientific and Omegon which are essential for both visual use and astrophotography.

Without proper polar alignment, field rotation occurs, causing objects to slowly move out of focus or stars to turn into dashes in photos.

Optical and electronic alignment

Within the category telescope-accessories/mountings/mounting-accessories/pool-finders-and-polar-alignment-tools/ we distinguish between two methods:

• Optical Polar Finders: Small telescopes placed in the hour axis of the mount. With a specific reticle (reticle) of Bresser or Sky-Watcher position the Pole Star (Polaris) in the correct place relative to the celestial pole.

• Electronic Alignment Tools: For maximum precision in astrophotography, there are systems that calculate deviation via a camera and software. This speeds up the process and eliminates human error.

• Illuminators (Illuminators): To make the reticle of an optical polar finder visible in the dark, we supply adjustable LED illumination units from Omegon and Explore Scientific.

Compatibility

When purchasing, pay attention to the type of mount. A pole finder is mechanically designed for a specific model; a unit for a Bresser EXOS mount does not fit a mount of iOptron or Sky-Watcher. However, most modern mounts are already prepared for mounting these accessories, so installation is usually a matter of screwing them in.