CCD Assisted Drift Alignment

I got the idea for this here CCD drift Alignment I modified my guider relay control program to make these drift images automatically

See the autoguider relay page

Here is a discussion of drift alignment in general. I boiled it down to this for my little brain:

DRIFT ALIGNMENT

ON MERIDIAN: (Adjusting polar axis azimuth)

STAR DRIFTS IN SAME DIRECTION NORTH BUTTON WOULD MOVE IT. ADJUST POLAR AXIS AZIMUTH EAST.

STAR DRIFTS IN SAME DIRECTION SOUTH BUTTON WOULD MOVE IT. ADJUST POLAR AXIS AZIMUTH WEST.

ON EAST HORIZON: (adjusting polar axis elevation)

STAR DRIFTS IN SAME DIRECTION NORTH BUTTON WOULD MOVE IT. ADJUST POLAR AXIS ELEVATION DWONWARD (TURN CCW)

STAR DRIFTS IN SAME DIRECTION SOUTH BUTTON WOULD MOVE IT. ADJUST POLAR AXIS ELEVATION UPWARD (TURN CW)

Adjusting wedge azimuth on an LX200 is hard unless you make an azimuth adjuster that works better than Meades.

Here are actual alignment images taken on the celestial equator near zenith while adjusting my mounts azimuth. See this page for an explaination of the technique

480sec exposure. Star trails way off the frame to the left and then returns. Return trace is below exit trace which indicates star has drifted in the direction south button would normally move it. This means I need to move the north end of the polar axis west.

After adjusting east better but not quite there.

Final image close enough!!! Note the final point on the return track is a little right of the starting point. This was done on purpose to distinguish the traces. In my latest version of the agdr program I end it well to the left of the starting point for even more discernability.