Using Polar Scope Align Pro to find true north

[Shireen Gonzaga]

Hi everyone, 

when we polar align our mounts, many of us use our phone compass to get a rough true north. Unfortunately, the magnetometer in our phones can be unreliable. The developer of PS Align Pro has updated the app to make it easier to get a better true north reading. You can now use a bright star or planet to calibrate your phone's orientation. 

Eric Wilkes has a video about it here: 

https://youtu.be/qY1587qZfgk?si=Y6Xqd2Sfnarz-hi1 

This video is for the MSM Nomad tracker but you can use the same concept to get a better north direction for your mount before you start polar alignment. 

You can also read about it on his website. 

https://www.ericwilkesphotography.com/taking-photos/polar-aligning-a-tracker-with-the-polar-scope-align-pro-app-the-end-of-dodgy-compasses

I tried it during the last clear night we had (before the smoke) and it made my polar alignment much easier. I use ASIAir's all-sky alignment because a tree blocks my view of Polaris.

If you already have it, you can download the latest version for iPhone from the App Store. For new users, PS Align Pro costs $4. It is now also available for Android phones from the Google App Store.

cheers,

  Shireen