Tried again today and got to the stage where Ekos Solved 3 images and asked me to select a bright star. However, I didn't quite understand that part, and the videos I have seen don't seem to have the same interface I am seeing. Are there any Polar Alignment videos based on the current version of Ekos out there?
This is the video I watched
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx6Zz9lNd5Q
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Right, did some testing again today; and yet another failure to launch 
Switched to a 100mm lens and started the PA process. Ekos solved the first image, and the following two after asking me to rotate the mount. And then it just hung there on solving WCS (or something like that) before crashing. So close yet so far.
Rebooted the Pi, and could not get Ekos to solve even one image over the next two hours or so. Even tried with another cpoy of kstars / ekos on another USB drive.
What am I doing wrong? 
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Hi knro,
Your updates are not reflected in the Raspian version, could you please look into this?
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El Corazon wrote:
Those are beautiful star trails.
With your imaging camera, you will most likely be best served using focal lengths between 200 and 300 mm for polar alignment.
That just has to do with the databases you use for analyzing the images. The more stars there are, the more confusing the image becomes and the longer it takes. Conversely, the smaller the FOV the more plates the solver has to interrogate until it finds the right one.
You have to find the sweet spot for your camera. The optimal FOV lies somewhere between 10 degrees and 5 degrees. That FOV ensures the pole is within the image (unless you are REALLY pointing in the wrong direction), and that there is a manageable number of stars in the image.
E.g. the Polemaster has an FOV of ~11 x 8 degrees. My guide cam of ~ 1.8 x 1.2 degrees. Both work fine for polar alignment and solve within about 10 seconds on a Pi4.
So there is a wide latitude.
Thank you. Will try focal lengths from 140 onward when we get a clear night again.
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TallFurryMan wrote: With such a large field, if you assume your manual polar alignment and park position are roughly correct, you do not need to solve at all. Just slew to your target and overlook the plus/minus five degree error.
This said, I can totally understand you want to do things properly
-Eric
Yeah... I want to use upto a 600mm lens to get some long exposures of a few constellations like the Southern Cross or Orion; and I would like my PA to be as accurate as possible. I cannot use the Polar Scope on the SA due to poor eyesight.
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The trails were shot at 24mm, but I use a 80 mm lens when trying to Polar Align. Will try a 140mm when we get a clear night again.
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AstroNerd wrote: Well if it helps at all, I have never been able to get an image solved from around the pole...
My manual pre-setup includes levelling the tripod; and using a compass and inclinometer app, to get my heading and elevation as accurate as possible. And based on the attached photo, it appears that I am able to achieve a pretty good alignment just by that.
Maybe that is the issue? Should I introduce some degree of error in order to get Ekos to solve?
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Hi all,
I finally got to the point where I was able to test Polar Alignment with Ekos and an Olympus camera. Ekos shot the first image and solved it in about 90 seconds using Astrometry offline . I then got a message asking me to rotate the mount 30 degrees . I did so and clicked the button to confirm. Ekos then proceeded to shoot the second image and then... solver time out!!! Tried multiple attempts for the next hour or so, before giving up.
Nothing changes between the first image which is solved, and the next images which time out. Same lens so same FOV, and I even tried ASTAP with G17 database.
What am I doing wrong?
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El Corazon wrote: 560 mm focal length is not enough for planets. You need about 10x that to get a decent resolution. Also, PA is really not that critical for shooting planets. That can be done even with an Alt/Az mount. You should be able to polar align just fine with your regular camera and lens as long as the field is not too wide. I would guess anything above 150 mm for your camera should work just fine, as long as the FOV angle does not exceed 15 degrees.
Ok got it
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rlancaste wrote: I can take a look at it. Right now I'm a bit bogged down with other projects. But it is getting into the summer now and I should have more time since my students are almost done.
Thank you very much. We are getting into winter here in Australia, and this is the best time for Astro down here. I just need that updated driver before I can start testing my setup.
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knro wrote: I've updated it now in both the official INDI PPA and also in StellarMate. Please update.
Hi,
It appears that the updates have not made it to the Raspian version yet, can you please check?
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I will be using a camera with a 560mm Telephoto lens,and the overall weight is less than the payload capacity of the SA.
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El Corazon wrote: What mount do you have? Is the polar scope not an option?
I know it takes more practice than aligning to the NCP, but with a wide-field setup, you can probably get away with 30' deviation.
I have a Star Adventurer which has a built in Polar Scope. The problem is, I wear progressive spectacles and it is near impossible to see anything through the Polar Scope. And while I do shoot mostly wide field, I want to start shooting planets also.
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