Vixen Polarie Star Tracker

Product Information

We set the camera running with 90-second and 60-second exposures with both our 50mm and 150mm lens, correcting the polar alignment after swapping the lenses over. Fornax is a company based out of Hungary, and they are no stranger to astronomical equipment. Fornax has been manufacturing astronomical mounts for nearly 20 years, working on professional astronomical projects such as the HATNet Exoplanet Survey (Hungarian Automated Telescope) for discovering exoplanets. Yes i know it still not completely out of the guiding errors, but still, it is a lovely one for me.) When the POLARIE U is set for time-lapse photography and placed horizontally using the bubble level attached.

Oh yeah, there’s that little dial on the top of the unit. Turn that to the “Preparation” position and the tilt meter lights up. Tilt the head holding the Polarie until the tilt-meter indicator roughly matches your latitude. This should get you close to where you can see Polaris through the built-in polar-alignment sight. Use the head holding the Polarie to adjust the polar alignment so that Polaris is centered in the polar alignment sight. Once you’ve performed these steps, you’re ready for some wide-field astrophotography. Working Voltage/Electricity Consumption: AA batteries: DC 2.4V to 3.0V, Maximum 0.6 ampares (at 2.5 kg/5.5 lbs. loading weight); External power supply: DC 4.4V to 5.25V, Maximum 0.3 ampares (at 2.5kg / 5.5 lbs. loading weight) Using a 150mm lens on a cropped sensor DSLR camera we started to see star-trailing after 60 seconds, despite revisiting our polar alignment.

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer

This portable EQ mount fits in the palm of your hand, yet can handle up to 11 lbs of imaging gear. With the counterweight kit attached, the SkyGuider has no trouble with larger telephoto lenses and even small refractor telescopes such as the William Optics RedCat 51. The built-in rechargeable battery has a decent runtime (though you can also run it off a portable battery) and we enjoyed uninterrupted imaging. Results are very impressive, with good results of a selection of stars and galaxies, and the operation of the setup isn't too noisy.

If you use a short focal length lens on your camera it will enable you to take remarkable wide field photos of the Milky Way and other targets. But it you use a longer lens or a small telescope, the alignment becomes more critical. It’s even more of a problem in the Southern Hemisphere, where we are.If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, polar alignment is much more difficult due to the absence of bright stars near the celestial pole. The south celestial pole is located near σ-Octans, a dim star in the dim Octans constellation. Image from the Polarie User Manual.

Power for the Polarie U comes from four AA batteries or an external power supply connected via USB-C. Vixen says four new AAs will last seven hours at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius). The housing of the Polarie U is plastic, but it feels very rigid and robust and doesn’t flex when pressed. Commercially available autoguiders are usable with the POLARIE U. (This will move in the direction of R.A. only.) Fourth, I’d like to try a wider lens. I used a 28mm for the Orion sequence, and this might be better than the 85mm. The bottom line

Fornax Mounts LighTrack II

To configure the Polarie in a similar way, you have to buy the Counterweight Upgrade Kit plus the extension bar and counterweight. This alone will cost you about 900 USD.

In the box, you will find the Polarie unit and nothing more. This is because most of what you need is built-in or stored in the unit body. What’s Not Included (But Would Be Useful) Next, attach the Polarie with the ball head to a standard tripod. Then you attach your camera to the ball head. This is the final assembly. igned properly so as not to interrupt the orientation of the camera. The "U" for the POLARIE U stands for the cross-section of the product. Star-scape photography” is photographs that capture the stars and scenery together, such as the Milky Way and mountains, or the constella

A sight tube finder (detachable) that is usable for rough polar alignment in the northern hemisphere comes equipped as a standard accessory. xposure finishes. This is useful as a time-lapse rotator so you can create better quality images in every single shot in the day or night.