| This illuminated 6x20mm polar alignment finder and setting circle set is supplied as standard equipment on the Vixen Great Polaris Deluxe 2 German equatorial mount, but not on the current standard Great Polaris 2 or older Great Polaris Economy mounts. It is available here to upgrade the Great Polaris 2 or Great Polaris Economy mounts for those observers who need a more accurate polar alignment for long-exposure deep space photography than the finder-less mounts can provide. The finder threads into the rear of the polar axis of the mount and contains an etched reticle with star patterns for both northern and southern hemisphere use. A separate battery operated variable-brightness illuminator press-fits into the viewing port for the finder that’s located at the front of the mount’s polar axis. The illuminator can be removed from the mount and used as a variable-brightness red flashlight for reading star charts during the evening. A snap-on cover for the eyepiece end of the finder keeps the finder dust-free and protects it from accidental bumps and knocks.
To use the polar finder, the mount is first roughly aligned on the north celestial pole. The wide eight degree field of the finder makes a precise initial alignment unnecessary. Once the appropriate date and time are dialed into the mount using the scales on the polar finder, the mount’s altitude and azimuth controls are adjusted while looking through the polar finder until specific stars seen in the finder align with the star pattern etched into the reticle. When the stars coincide with the reticle pattern, the axis of rotation of the mount is polar aligned for the evening with an accuracy of about three arc minutes, more than accurate enough for long exposure guided astrophotography. The finder can be left installed in the mount permanently. The illuminator is normally removed and its opening at the front of the mount covered with a supplied plug to keep dust from entering the mount.
The right ascension and declination circles provide celestial coordinate locating capabilities for the Great Polaris 2 mount. When used correctly, these setting circles help you determine the coordinates in the sky that your telescope is pointing to at any given moment, or conversely, help you move your telescope to the correct spot in the sky to find an astronomical object, using the r. a. and dec coordinates of the object as determined from a star chart or star atlas. The circles are made of machined steel, with graduated markings (24 hours in right ascension, subdivided into 10 minute increments, and +/-90° in declination).
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