Electronic polar alignment for astronomical instrument
AssigneeNanjing iOptron Scientific, Inc. Ltd.
InventorsChengcheng Xu, Baitao Zhao, Hua Jiang
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Abstract
A technique for polar aligning the mount of a telescope or other astronomical instrument includes acquiring star images from an electronic polar scope and determining a location of a celestial pole relative to the star images based on computerized matching of the star images to information in a database. The mount has a right-ascension (RA) axis, and the technique directs an adjustment to the mount so as to align a location of the RA axis with the determined location of the celestial pole.
Claims20
A method of polar aligning a mount for an astronomical instrument, the method comprising:
- acquiring star images from an electronic scope coupled to or integral with the mount;
- determining a location of a celestial pole relative to the star images, based on computerized matching of the star images to information in a database;
- displaying, by a computing device operatively connected to the electronic scope, the star images superimposed with a first symbol and a second symbol, the first symbol indicating the determined location of the celestial pole relative to the star images, the second symbol indicating a location at which a right ascension (RA) axis of the mount intersects a field of view of the electronic scope, the mount becoming polar aligned responsive to the first symbol intersecting the second symbol.
A mount for an astronomical instrument, the mount comprising:
- a right-ascension (RA) axis;
- an electronic scope oriented substantially parallel to the RA axis;
- and
- a set of non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of polar aligning the mount, the method comprising:
- acquiring star images from the electronic scope;
- determining a location of a celestial pole relative to the star images, based on computerized matching of the star images to information in a database;
- displaying the star images superimposed with a first symbol and a second symbol, the first symbol indicating the determined location of the celestial pole relative to the star images, the second symbol indicating a location at which a right ascension (RA) axis of the mount intersects a field of view of the electronic scope, the mount becoming polar aligned responsive to the first symbol intersecting the second symbol.
A computer program product including a set of non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of polar aligning a mount for an astronomical instrument, the method comprising:
- acquiring star images from an electronic scope;
- determining a location of a celestial pole relative to the star images, based on computerized matching of the star images to information in a database;
- displaying the star images superimposed with a first symbol and a second symbol, the first symbol indicating the determined location of the celestial pole relative to the star images, the second symbol indicating a location at which a right ascension (RA) axis of the mount intersects a field of view of the electronic scope, the mount becoming polar aligned responsive to the first symbol intersecting the second symbol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.