Best version for scope alignment?

[Dave Elson]

Hi All

I'm having trouble aligning an old 12" Meade lx200 and a new Losmandy mount.

First off - I'm 71, and slightly disabled with a "Parkinsonism". I have poor balance and weaker muscles. 

I'm in the northern hemisphere but have no view of Polaris or north as the mount/tripod is permanently placed on a deck - facing south.

I have tried to align the scope but am having difficulty - and heard of Skeye yesterday.

I'd be more the happy to pay for the Pro version. I have a cellphone mount in my cart but I'm unsure of the instructions of the app- and exactly how we point the phone.

I'm thinking if I can get to see exactly what the Scope is looking at, I'll be good for minor adjustments of the mount. Any advice appreciated.

Amazon.com: tridaptor - Universal Digiscoping Adapter | High-Precision Phone to Telescope 3-Axis Metal Holder Mount for Spotting Scope Binocular Monocular Microscope|Fits 2.4" Eyepiece Max&Any Cell Phone Camera : Electronics

Thanks

[Harshad RJ]

Hello Dave,

For polar aligning your mount, the recommended app is "SkEye Cam". It uses the phone's camera to recognize stars and guide the alignment. And it doesn't need Polaris to be visible.

You can find the app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lavadip.skeyecam

And a guide for polar alignment is here: https://skeye.rocks/apps/skeye-cam/cam-book/guides/polaralignment

For polar alignment, you can affix the phone on the OTA in any convenient orientation, as long as the camera points towards the sky (preferably midway between zenith and celestial equator).

The other apps, SkEye and SkEye Pro, do not support polar alignment at the moment. They are mainly for PushTo navigation to help visual observation. (Though, I hope to integrate the apps together eventually). They may yet be used for rough polar alignment with the help of a polar scope, but that requires visibility of Polaris.

Please let me know if you have any other questions,

Harshad

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Harshad RJ

[Dave Elson]

Harshad

I appreciate the quick reply. I saw Skeye Cam yesterday also. If I knew how to - I'd attach a photo of the scope and deck. The  deck is covered so only has a limited view - although I do have quite a good view south within that limitation. I'm overlooking a valley although it's quite urban.

So the lens of the cell phone does not go through the lens of the scope?

Does anyone have any ideas about attaching the phone to scope?

I see now an option for attaching photos so I''ll try that later.

The cost of the Pro version looks good - I'll just have to make sure it works for me.

Thanks again.

[Dave Elson]

My other question refers to the instruction to only have RA axis working in Skeye Cam. I have no idea how to do so. I know I'm almost there with alignment. Does Skeye use the lens of the scope? I think I'd overall be happy to get both if it got me working. 

[Dave Elson]

Just throwing ideas out. This looks interesting. It would (I think) allow access to the scope and allow the camera to face the same direction as the scope - as long as I set it up carefully.

Just a thought. For programs that don't use the scope lens.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P2VK93P/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3KBSHPQA08UT5&psc=1

[Harshad RJ]

On Mon, Dec 2, 2024 at 9:41 PM Dave Elson <huckna...@gmail.com> wrote:

The  deck is covered so only has a limited view - although I do have quite a good view south within that limitation. I'm overlooking a valley although it's quite urban.

That shouldn't be a problem. The closer you aim between the celestial equator (declination 0) and zenith, the better it is for accuracy. But it's not strictly necessary.

So the lens of the cell phone does not go through the lens of the scope?

No, not during the alignment process. After polar alignment, you can attach the phone to the eyepiece if you are interested in photographing the target from your smartphone. The SkEye Cam plate solver is currently optimised for wide angle lenses (greater than 40° FOV), so plate solving currently doesn't work with the narrow FOV of the scope.

Does anyone have any ideas about attaching the phone to scope?

Many of the cell phone holders (such as the ones you linked to earlier) have a 1/4" threaded hole on the side. And OTA's often have a 1/4" threaded mount for attaching accessories.

This article by Brewster has some photos of a similar setup:

https://medium.com/@cellphoneastronomy/astronomy-with-a-cellphone-new-life-for-old-scopes-e50032c0c7f9

Your scope seems to have an attachment for a finder; maybe the phone can piggyback on that. For simplicity, you can even take out the scope and attach the phone directly on the mount until you figure out things.

My other question refers to the instruction to only have RA axis working in Skeye Cam. I have no idea how to do so.

That just means you need to lock the declination, and let the mount rotate such that only the RA (Right Ascension) of the camera view changes. (Assuming the mount is polar aligned, which it currently may not! ) I am not familiar with the Losmandy mount to tell exactly how to do this, but usually equatorial mounts have two axes which can be locked independently by tightening respective knobs. If it's still unclear, let me know, I will try to explain more.

This looks interesting. It would (I think) allow access to the scope and allow the camera to face the same direction as the scope - as long as I set it up carefully.

Just a thought. For programs that don't use the scope lens.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P2VK93P/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3KBSHPQA08UT5&psc=1

It looks way too flexible to use on a moving platform, so I would advise against it. Something more rigid would be preferable.

best,

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Harshad RJ

[Dave Elson]

Thanks Harshad - very kind to be so comprehensive.

Yes you're correct. The attachment link shown would not work. I saw a few cell phone tripod mounts after I posted. I asked on a LX200 forum and it looks like one user has a Celestron nxEYZ. Someone else just replied and is using a Move Shoot Move model. I'll check that out.
As far as I can see - my Motorola moto g stylus 5G does work. My tablets as well - but I don't know if my tablets do have the requirements, They are pretty cheap.

Cheers

[Dave Elson]

I think this might do it - with double sided foam tape.

Amazon.com: Leaplumin Aluminum Phone Mount for with Ball Head, Adjustable Phone Tripod Mount with Cold Shoe & Arca Swiss Quick Release Plate,Universal Adjustable Clamp Suitable for iPhone 14 pro/13 Pro/12/11 : Cell Phones & Accessories