Hobbies And Interests
Polar Alignment
Keeping stars in your telescope range is as simple as obtaining polar alignment. Stars drift out of sight because your telescope is not in direct alignment with the movement of the Earth. Obtaining polar alignment means that your telescope is lined up with the poles of the Earth, which aligns your telescope with the movement of the Earth. This method will keep stars in your telescope as long as they are in the sky. Your telescope will rotate with the Earth, and you will never lose sight of the objects you're viewing.
Method
Place your telescope on a tripod so that it will not shake. Avoid uneven rocky terrain. Find a diagonal guiding eyepiece for your telescope, which will help keep your direction orientation smooth and avoid any confusion you may have in later adjustments to your telescope. Make sure the north and south cross-hairs of your scope are up and down while the east and west cross-hairs go from right to left. Find a bright star in the sky and set it up directly in the center of your telescope. Watch the star. After about 5 to 30 seconds, you will notice it drifting out of the center of the circle. Slowly and carefully, adjust your telescope so that the star stays in the center. You shouldn't change the actual position of the telescope manually. There should be small position adjusting knobs. Turning these slowly will move your telescope's position without changing its position on the ground. These adjustments should be done slowly and carefully to avoid overcompensating and ruining your alignment. Continue watching the star and monitoring its drift. Adjust the star back to the center of the scope as it drifts. As you get closer and closer to perfect alignment, it will take longer for you to notice the drifting. Once you notice no drifting for about five minutes, your telescope has obtained polar alignment. You can now watch your star or take pictures for as long as you like without losing proper focus.