Vixen Polarie User Manual

Polarie

Star Tracker
User's Guide

PREFACE

Th is m an ua l de sc ri be s th e fu nc ti on s of t he P ol ar ie s ta r tr ac ke r.
Yo u ma y oc ca si on al ly f in d de sc ri pt io ns i n th e te xt n ot r el ev an t to y ou r pa rt ic ul ar m od el ; th is d ep en ds o n th e mo de l yo u pu rc ha se d.
Yo u sh ou ld refer to the instruction manuals for y ou r ca me ra , ba ll h ea d ad ap te r, c am er a tr ip od and shutter release control together w it h th is
ma nu al a s oc ca si on d em an ds .

Thank you very much for your purchase of a Vixen Polarie star tracker.

WARNING!

Never look directly at the sun with your naked eyes or through this product or its polar axis scope
sold separately. Permanent and irreversible eye damage may result.

Al wa ys k ee p th e in st ru ct io n ma nu al n ea r yo ur P ol ar ie t o en su re q ui ck a ns we rs t o an y qu es ti on s.
Th is in st ru ct io n m an ua l d es cr ib es ne ce ss ar y precautions for the safe use of th e p ro du ct to pr ev en t p os si bl e injuries to yourself and
ot he rs , as w el l as d am ag e to t he e qu ip me nt .

Read through this manual before use.

CAUTION

Do not use the product while traveling or walking, as injuries may
arise from stumbling, falling or collision with objects.

Do not try to restrain the movement of the mount when in operation,
which may lead to injuries to you or damage to your equipment.

Do not use the product in a wet environment

Do not turn on the power switch of the product under circumstances
when internal condensation is suspected on the equipment. It may
cause a failure by a short circuit.

Do not attempt to disassemble or alter any part of the equipment that
is not expressly described in this manual.

Use only recommended power sources. Using other power sources
could result in damage to the unit.

Insert the batteries in the correct direction.

Be careful not to drop the unit when handling. This may cause
damage or lead to injury.

HANDLING AND STRAGE

Do not leave the product inside a car in bright sunshine, or in hot
place. Keep any strong heat radiation sources away from the product.

Do not expose the product to rain, water drops, dirt or sand.

When cleaning, do not use solvent such as paint thinners.

For storage, keep the product in dry places, and do not expose to
direct sunlight.

Remove the batteries from the battery compartment if the product is
not used for a long time.

2

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Warning!

Caution

Handling and Storage

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CONTENTS

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USING THE POLARIE

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SPECIFICATIONS

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APPENDIX

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BEFORE USE

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Checking Contents

Basics of the Polarie

Parts Descriptions

M-178V Tr

ipod for Polarie

Mode Dial

Requirements and Useful Items

PREPARATION

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Batteries for the Polarie

Inserting the Batteries

Utilizing an External Power Supply

SETTING UP

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Setting up the Polarie

Flow of Operation

What is Polar A

lignment?

Using the Polarie in the Northern Hemisphere

1. Find Polaris using a compass and the latitude of

your location

2. Find Polaris from Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper

Using the Polarie in the Southern Hemisphere

1. Find Octans using Small Magellanic Cloud and

the Southern Cross (Crux) as pointers

2. Find Octans using the arrangement of stars in

the Southern Cross (Crux) as pointers

3. Find Octans using Small Magellanic Cloud, Beta

Hydrus and Gamma Octantis as pointers

Point the Polarie to the South Celestial Pole

Basic Camera Settings

Switching ON the Polarie

Star-Scape Photography Mode

Wi

de-Field Astrophotography Mode

Solar Tr

acking Mode, Lunar Tracking Mode

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Using an optional Polarie Polar Axis Scope

3

Zenith

North Celestial Pole

North Celestial Pole

Earth's Axis

Polar Axis

Horizon

Equator

North Pole

South Pole

BEFORE USE

The Polarie box contains the parts list ed below. Make s ure that your box contains a ll these parts.

Stars s eem to rotate around the celestial poles of the eart h. This is

called the d iur nal m oti on of stars. Th is is because Earth makes o ne

rotation on its a xis e ach d ay. Polarie tracks wit h the d iur nal motion

of the stars to eliminate "star trailing" on photographic images.

The motor-driven Pol ari e is set so that its r ota tio nal axis is parallel to

the axi s of the diurnal moti on of stars. It allows you to track the

camera, mounted on the Po lar ie, in the same direction as the stars

you want to photograph.

The Polarie is a totally new photographic accessory which easily

allows you to take pinp oin t phot os of stars and constellations. It is

designed to foll ow th e app are nt motion of th e sta rs ca use d by th e

earth's rotation, eliminating star trails.

With u se of the Polarie, taking wid e filed photographic images of

constellations, the Mil ky W ay, sho oti ng stars and bright comets is

surprisingly simple and easy.

Polarie also enables you to photograph starry nightscapes by adding

a night landscap e o r s ilh oue tte d f igu re in the foreground of your

frame. We name it “Star-Scape” photography.

Checking Contents

Polarie

Polarie User's Guide (This manual)

If purchased the Polarie as a package with the tripod

M-178V Tr

ipod with QHD-43 Ball head

QHD-33 Ball head

BASICS OF THE POLARIE

4

Com pass(In side )

□□

□□

□□

□□

□□

□□

□□

□

□□□□□□□□

BEFORE USE

Parts Descriptions

N-S Change Swi tch

USB -minib Plug Soc ket for

Ext ernal P ower Sup ply

Bat tery Co mpar tmen t Cover Bat tery Co mpar tmen t

Pol ar Sigh t Ho le

Pol ar Sigh t Ho le

(Fi eld of View : 8. 9 degre es a ppro x.)

Acc essory Shoe

Mod e Dial Pol ar Axis Sco pe S etting Hole

(In side)

Til t Meter

Mod e Dial

Cam era Mou ntin g Bl ock

Soc ket for 1/4 " Th read Sc rew

[Of f the c over ]

5

Ball head adapter (Velbon QHD-43)

is pre-installed on the tripod.

Crank handle

Leg angle adjuster

Center column lock lever

Center column

Standard UNC 1/4” thread

Camera mounting dial

Ball head lock lever

Geared elevator

Elevator lock lever (Far side)

Hand grip

Extension clamps

Rubber leg tip

Ball head adapter
(Ve

lbon QHD-33)

Ball head adapter 1: QHD-43 Ball head adapter 2: QHD-33

M-178V Tripod

Elevator bottom

BEFORE USE

M-178V Tripod for Polarie (If purchased as a package)

6

: Power OFF

: Preparati on

: Star-Scap e
Photograp hy

: Wide-Field
Astr oPhoto­ graphy

:

Solar track ing

:

Lunar tracking

Legend : Mode Description

Shuts off the power of Polarie.

Us ed fo r p ol ar al ig nm en t( Se t t o b e
parallel to the axi s of the diurnal mo tio n.) .
The built-in til t met er is backlighted in red
when the mode dial is set at this position.

A ha lf spee d of the celestial tracking rate
is selected for star-scape photography.

Ce le stial tr ac king rate is selected f or
wi de -f ield as tr op hotography with no
trailed stars.

Drives Polarie at the mean solar time.

Drives Polarie at the mean lunar time.

Lunar Tracking

Power OFF

Mode
Dial Pointer

Preparation

Solar Tracking

Wide-Field

Astrophotography

Star-Scape

Photography

Wi de -f ie ld ast ro ph ot og ra ph y : Ph ot og ra ph s of wid e- fi el d vi ew s of
constell ati ons and the Mi lky Way are ca lle d wide field p hot ography.
Usually night sca pes are no t inc lud ed in the frames of pho tographs
but they wi ll be in the b ack ground part of yo ur image.
Sta r-S cap e ph o to g ra p hy : P hot ogr aph s of w i de - fi e ld v iew s of
constell ati ons and the M ilk y Way plus ni ght landsc ape s under starry
skies th at are included i n t he frames of p hot ographs.

Color of the backlit legends on the mo de dial is chang ed if

the

rotating di rection of the tr acking motor i s s witched.

Track ing in northe rn hemisphere : Illuminated in red

Tracking in southern hemi sphere : Illum inated in green

BEFORE USE

Mode Dial

Wide-Fie ld astrophotograp hy vs. Star-Scape ph otography

The Polarie al low s yo u to not only take pi npo int photos of star s and
const ellat ions bu t also to crea te “star -scap e” photo s i n ni ght-sky
scenes by a ddi ng a mot ion l

ess night l and sca pe or si lho uet ted fig ure

in the foreground of your frame.

Star-Sca pe Photography

7

A ta bl e be lo w sh ow s ne ce ss ar y eq ui pm en t an d it em s th at a re u se fu l fo r as tr o- ph ot og ra ph y wi th t he P ol ar ie .

Es se nt ia l : N ee de d su bj ec t to c on di ti on s : Us ef ul :

Description

Po la ri e

2 x AA -s iz e
Ba tt er ie s

(So ld comm erci ally )

Ex te rn al P ow er
Su pp ly

(So ld comm erci ally )

Ca me ra T ri po d

(So ld comm erci ally )

Ba ll H ea d
Ad ap te r

(So ld comm erci ally )

Polar Axis Scope
(Optional)

DS LR C am er a
wi th L en s( 1)

(So ld comm erci ally )

Le ns S ha de

(So ld comm erci ally )

Need

Item

Need

Ultra- sma ll and handy sta r tracker.

Alkaline batteries or rechargeable Ni-MH or
rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries are recommended.
Battery performance decreases in cold weather.
Be sure to prepare spare ones.

Power supply with USB-output (USB-mini Type
: DC4.4~5.25V) can be used . It is convenient
for long exposure wide-field astrophotography.

The tripod pan head with UNC1/4” thread is
required. It is recommended to use a sturdy
tripod. Included if purchased as a package.

Used to mou nt your cam era on the Pola rie.
So li d ba ll h ea d ty pe is reco mm ended.

Includ ed if purchased as a package.

It allows for a more accurate polar alignment.

A digi tal SLR camera w ith wide-ang le le ns is
the most pref erable. Rem emb er to bring the
battery for the camera and storage media
(CF, SD a nd etc.)with you , a lso.

It is usef ul to avoid unwant ed stray light and
le ss en dew cond en sa tions on t he l en s
surfac e o f your camera .

Description

Sh ut te r Re le as e
Ca bl e( 2)

(So ld comm erci ally )

Timer or Stopwatch

We ak A dh es iv e
Ta pe

(So ld comm erci ally )

De w He at er

(So ld comm erci ally )

Pl an is ph er e,
St ar C ha rt

Re d Fl as hl ig ht

Ou tf it f or c ol d
weather,Repellant

Shroud, Plastic bags

Item

It is used to avoid moving the camera and also
to c ontrol shutter exposure times. Genuine
parts are recommended.

It is used to measure the shutter exposure times.

It is used to hold the position of the focusing
ring after you focu s the lens to the object.
Autofocus lenses with inner focusing systems
may not hold the focus.

It is used to prevent the lens surface from dew
condensing during the photography session.

It is u sef ul to c onf ir m the d ir e ct ion s of
constellations and the position of stars.

It is used to read star charts, setting up and
dismantling equipment.

Take pr ecautions agai nst t he cold. Use an
insect repellent if necessary.

It is useful to protect equipment from a sudden
rain.

BEFORE USE

Requirements and Useful Items

8

(1 )I t is s tr on gl y re co mm en de d that y ou r ca me ra have f un ct io ns

th at s at is fy t he f ol lo wi ng s pe ci fi ca ti on s.

A b ul b sh ut te r me ch an is m is needed for long ex po su re s. If i t is

no t available o n your ca me ra , both an ISO sp ee d setting f as te r

th an 320 0 an d a sh ut te r ex po su re time setting longer th an 30

se co nd s ar e re qu ir ed .

Sh ut te r re le as e ca bl es .

Wi de -a ng le d ph ot og ra ph ic l en se s ar e re co mm en de d.

Ma nu al Foc us is av ail abl e. Au to Fo cus re re ly wor ks in ni ght -

sk y sc en es .

DS LR cameras wi th an optical vie wf in de r or “L iv e Fo cu s” are

pr ef er ab le .

(2 )I t is best t o us e a remote re le as e ca bl e with functions to p re se t

th e shutter exposure times. In fr ar ed wir el es s re le as e models

ar e no t re co mm en de d.

BEFORE USE

Requirements and Useful Items

9

PREPARATION

Polarie works w ith 2 AA al kal ine batteries which are sold separately. An external pow er supply is a vai lab le for the Pol ari e usi ng the USB-minib
plug (DC4.4V to 5.25V)*.

*Sanyo Lithiu m Ion b atterie s with USB out put (Enelo op KBC- L2B) is approv ed for use wit h P olarie as of N ov. 201 1.

 I nserting th e Ba tteries

Open the battery co mpa rtm ent
cover by pus hin g down on the
tab of the cover as shown.

Batteries for the Polarie

Pus h d own on the tabPus h d own on the tab

Pul l t he c ove r to op enPul l t he c ove r to op en

N-S change
swi tch

N-S change
swi tch

1

Insert two AA alkaline batteries
in the correct direction.

2

 U tilizing an E xt ernal Pow er S up ply

Use an external power sup ply
with USB-minib plug (D C4. 4V
to 5.25V) for this purpose.

If you co nn ect the externa l po we r su pply wi th the ba tt eries
inserted, t he ex ternal power supply ta kes precedence over th e
batteries.

Co nn ecting the e xt er nal p ow er su pp ly pr ev en ts th e ba tt er y
compartment cover from opening. Finish setting t he S- N swi tch i n
the battery compartment bef ore you con nec t the external power
supply.

Connect to the USB-minib pl ug
socket as shown in the photo.

1 2

Confirm the N-S change sw itc h
inside t he battery com par tme nt
is set t o wo rk corr ect ly in yo ur
lo cation. Swit ch to N i n the
northern hem isp her e or switch
to S in the southern hemisphere.

3

Replace the battery compartment
cov er so that the tab on the
cover fits in place.

4

Note:

USB -mi nib plu g so cke t USB -mi nib cab leUSB -mi nib plu g so cke t USB -mi nib cab le

10

SETTING UP

Ex tensi on
cl amps

Ex tensi on
cl amps

To be even

Pul l apart ful lyPul l apart ful ly

To be even

Setting up the Polarie

This manual d esc rib es Polarie which comes w ith the M178-V tripod as a package. You ma y occ asi ona lly find descriptions in th e text not re lev ant
to your model. You should refer to the instruction manuals for your camera and tripod with this manual.

Place the tri pod o n even and solid

ground so that you have a stab le

ba se fo r you r pho togra ph y.

Lo osen the e xtens io n c lamp on

th e t ri pod l eg and d raw o ut th e

tripod leg un til it is at the desired

height.

Pull the tr ipo d le gs apart fully to

le t th e t ri po d s ta nd by itself.

Wh en nec es sa ry , ch an ge th e

height o f t he tripod by ad jus ting

th e t ripod le gs t o b e t he same

length

1/4 ” threa d so cket
(bo ttom)

1/4 ” threa d so cket
(bo ttom)

Cam era mou ntin dia lCam era mou ntin dia l

Bal l headBal l head

Cam era mou ntin g bl ock

Thu mb scre w

Cam era mou ntin g bl ock

Thu mb scre w

Thu mb scre wThu mb scre w

Mount the P ola rie on the ball h ead

ad ap te r of th e M 17 8-V tripod .

Attach the Polarie on the ball head

ada pt er s ecu re ly w ith the 1/4 ”

thr ea d s cr ew and t igh te n t he

camera mounting dial securely as

shown in the figure.

Loosen the two thum b screws and remove the camera mo unt ing

block from the Polarie as shown in the figure.

3

21

1/4 ” threa d
scr ew

1/4 ” threa d
scr ew

11

SETTING UP

Bal l head

Cam era
mou nting
blo ck

Tur n the c amer a mo unting bloc k
whi le push ing the 1/4” th read scr ew

Bal l head

Cam era
mou nting
blo ck

Tur n the c amer a mo unting bloc k
whi le push ing the 1/4” th read scr ew

Attach another ball head adapter to the camera mounting block.

Push the 1 /4” th read screw protru ding from the center on t he

underside of the camera mounting block so that the 1/4” thread screw

is pushed out on front side. Attach the ball head adapter on the

camera mounting block with the protruded 1/4” thread screw and fix it

securely by turning the camera mounting block as shown in the figure.

Attach the camera onto the ball head-mounted Polarie. Make sure

that the camera is installed securely on the ball head adapter with the

camera mounting dial fully tightened.

Hol d w ith the han d s ecre ly

Cam era
mou nti ng d ial

Bal l h ead

Finis h

Cam era
mou nti ng d ial

Cam era mou ntin g bl ock

1/4 ” threa d
scr ew

Push

Mak e sure that all the lo cks are
fas tened f ully

Hol d w ith the han d s ecre ly

Cam era
mou nti ng d ial

Bal l h ead

Loc k l everLoc k l ever

Cam era
mou nti ng d ial

Mak e sure that all the lo cks are
fas tened f ully

Pu t t he camera mounting b lo ck

back on the Polarie and fix it securely

with the two thumb screws.

Note: Be sure to securely hold the

camera wi th your h and while

attaching it to a void dropping the

camera from the ball head adapter.

Also, make sure that all the screws

and lock levers are fastened fully.

Los ing balance due t o unlocked

levers could damage the camera or

lead to injury.

4 6

5

Cam era mou ntin g bl ock

1/4 ” threa d
scr ew

Push

Thu mb scre w

Thu mb scre w

Thu mb scre w

Thu mb scre wThu mb scre w

Thu mb scre w

12

USING THE POLARIE

Flow of Operation What is Polar Alignment?

Polar align the Polarie

Setting various functions
on the camera

Determining a frame

Turning ON the Polarie

Taking photographs

North or south celestial pole

Diu rnal mo tion
of stars

Rotation axis
of Polarie

The Polarie works as a star trac ker when

set up to follow diurnal motion of stars.

It is es sen tia l that the rota tio n axis of the

Polarie is set to be para lle l to th at of the

diurnal motion of th e sta rs. This is cal led

polar alignment.

Using the Polarie in the
Northern Hemisphere

To set u p t he Pol ar ie , y ou n eed t o

lo ca te th e polar sta r f or both wide-

field a str op hot og rap hy and S tar -

Sca pe p hot og rap hy . T he p ola r

star is a 2 nd ma gni tu de sta r

ca ll ed Polaris. Y ou c an find

Po la ri s e as il y using either

of t he f ol lo wi ng m et ho ds .

Pl ace the P ol ar ie so that i ts
ro tation axis is paral le l t o t he
ea rth's axi s.

Se t a sh ut te r exp os ure time,
IS O speed and len s ap er ture
of your cam er a.

De termine a fr am e fo r a sho t
an d focus o n th e stars.

Po wer the Polarie a nd s el ec t
a tracking ra te .

Sh oot for t he s ta rs.

13

USING THE POLARIE

Ori ent nor th

Bac klit in red

Lat itude

Nor th

Ori ent nor th

Nor th

Or ient no rth u sing Po larie 's

compass and face the front side of

the Polarie to the north. The

compass is stored inside the cap on

the back of the Polarie. Remove

the cap by turn ing c ounter-

clockwise to use the compass.

Polaris appears to remain at the same

lat itude during your photography

ses sion. It is rough ly the same

latitude as your location.

Unl ock the ball head an d tilt the

Polarie so that the built-in tilt meter

points your latitude.

Note:

Setting the mode dial to position

backlights the tilt meter in red.

The tilt meter is designed only for a

rough setting of the latitude.

Look through the polar sight hole

and confirm that Polaris can be seen

somewhere in the field of view.

In the event that Polaris is not there,

uncover the cap on the back side of

the Polarie and remov e the f ront

camera mounting block to make a

wide viewing hole.

Readju st the orientation of the

Polarie by slowly loosing the pan

head grip of your tripod so that Polaris comes into the field of view of

the polar sight hole.

Next, bring Polaris to the center of the polar sight's field of view and

firmly lock the pan head again.

Note: If your view through the polar

sight hole is blocked by the camera

mounted on the Polarie, turn the

camera to secure its field of view or

remove the camera while aligning

with Polaris.

1

2

3

1. Find Polaris using a compass and the latitude of your location

In the dir ecti on
of Polari s

Pan head grip

Loo k throu gh t he
pol ar sigh t ho le

In the dir ecti on
of Polari s

Pan head grip

Loo k throu gh t he
pol ar sigh t ho le

14

Cassiopeoa

Extends 5 times

Extends 5 times

Big Dipper

Polaris

USING THE POLARIE

The constellations C ass iop eia and the Bi g D ipp er (part of Ur sa Major) are near P ola ris . You w ill be able to fi nd Polaris if you kn ow the position o f

these gr oup s of stars. Cassiopeia a nd the Big Dipper are aut umn and spr ing constellations respectively. Either co nst ell ati on is al way s above the

eastern or western horizon most of the year.

Directions 1:

Locate the two st ars th at form the outer edge of the Big Dipper as

shown in the above map. Draw an imaginary line st rai ght th rou gh the

tw o star s of t he dipper e dge. Yo u will s ee Pola ris eq ui dista nt

between the constellations.

Directions 2:

Cassiopeia looks like the letter “W” or the letter “M” depending on when

you observe it. Draw imaginary lines from the stars that form the outer

edges of the lette r “W” so tha t the t wo lines inters ect . Draw a n

imaginary line from the center of the “W” through the cross point of your

fir st line. Exten d it straight t hrough by about 5 times to get to Polaris.

Find Polarisu sin g th e guide m apb elo w.  Yo u wi ll findi t easie r with

theh elp of acompass sin ce Polarisis loc ate dintheno rth .

Tu rn th e P ola rie to war d P ola ris a nd lo ok through the po lar si ght

ho le a nd co nfir m th at Po lari s is se en som ew here in the fi eld of

vi ew.

1 2

2. Find Polaris from Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper

15

Small Magellanic

Cloud

Large Magellanic Cloud

HYDRUS

OCTANS

MENSA

VOLANS

CARINA

CENTAURUS

CRUX

CHAMAELEON

MUSCA

DORADO

α

γ

β

δ

β

γ

1

γ

2

γ

3

υ

τ

σ

χ

80°

70°

Small Magellanic

Cloud

Large Magellanic Cloud

80°

70°

1

1

2

3

I南半球での極軸合わせについて事前に八分儀座を調べることを推奨します。

USING THE POLARIE

Octans is a constellation loc ate d nea r the s out h celestial pole and it can be used to a lig n the P ola rie i n the southern hemisphere. Unlike Polaris
which is a bright 2nd magnitude star adjacent to the north celestial pole, Octans is made up of dark stars about 5th magnitude on average.

The nearest st ar to th e south celestial po le is Sigma Oc tan tis , which is one of f our stars forming a trapezoid in O cta ns, visible at 5. 5th magnitude.
There are a few methods to locate the inconspicuous Octans using the surrounding stars.

No te : D ep en di ng on
th e seas on of y ea r,
the o rient ation of th e
Octans changes.

Using the Polarie in the Southern Hemisphere

16

USING THE POLARIE

1. Find Octans using Small Magellanic Cloud and the Southern Cross (Crux) as pointers

Draw an imaginary line between th e cen ter o f Sma ll Ma gel lan ic Cloud and Beta Crux and divide it at a r ati o of on e to two. You will find the four

stars of Octans at that location.

2. Find Octans using the arrangement of stars in the Southern Cross (Crux) as pointers

Draw an ima gin ary li ne straight through the tw o s tar s (Alpha and Beta Cr ux) of the Southern Cross mak ing th e vertical line of t he cro ss toward the

Small Magellanic Cloud. You will find the four stars of Octans at a place about 4.5 times extended from the span of the two stars.

3. Find Octans using Small Magellanic Cloud, Beta Hydrus and Gamma Octantis as pointers

If you lo ok toward Cru x from the Sm all Magellani c C loud, you wil l see Bata Hydru s. Going sout hward from Ba ta Hydrus will f ind you Gamma Oc tans

which consists of a row of three stars. C ont inue looki ng the same d istance towar d the Souther n Cross and y ou will fi nd the four s tars of Octan s.

Point the Polarie to the South Celestial Pole

Uncover the cap on th e back side of the Polarie a nd remo ve the front c ame ra mounting blo ck to make a wi de look-through ho le so that you can

secure about 14 degrees of field of view.

There is a group of four sta rs which form s a tra pez oid in Octans. The st ars are Sig ma(    ) ,Ta u(   ), Chi( ) and Upsilon( ) Octantis. L ook

through the hole and confirm if the four stars of Octans can be seen in the center of the hole. You should use a binocular with 6 to8 magnifying

power to locate the four stars if the sky is not dark enough.

While looking thr oug h the polar sight ho le, readjust the Polarie i n the direction of t he south celestial p ole so that Sigma Oc tan tis co mes nearest to

the center of its field of view.

Note: It is recommended to use an optional Polar axis finder for Polarie for better pointing accuracy.

17

Mo de d ia l

N-S ch ange sw itchN-S ch ange sw itch

USING THE POLARIE

Basic Camera Settings

Set camera's various modes, shut ter exposur e times and lens aperture
val ues. For d etails refe r to instru ction manua ls of your camera.

Switching ON the Polarie

Tur ning the mode dia l to powe r up the Polarie and selecting a mode
for your plann ed imaging.

Shutter Speed:

Set to bulb (B).

Lens Aperture (F-Stop):

Fully open or stop the lens down by one or two steps.

ISO Speed (Light Sensitivity):

Doubling the ISO setting increases se nsi tiv ity b ut it w ill d ete rio rat e
image quality if boosted too much.

Exposure Time:

Longer exp osu res can gath er more ligh t to disp lay faint im age s,
but some star trailing may occur.

Sharp Focus:

Focus the l ens man ual ly to in fin ity or unti l the stars look as sharp
as possible if the camera has "Live Focus" mode.

Note:
Switch the lens from Auto to Manual Focus.
Attach th e zoom fo cus ring with tape when you put a dew heater
around the lens.

Determine Frame:

The s tar s are hard to v iew through the camera's fi nde r frame or on
its LCD screen unless you are viewing a ve ry br igh t sta r or pl ane t.
In stant resu lt s o f d ig ital ca meras make it easy to chec k t he
captured images on the spot. It is reco mme nde d to take a test
photo using th e fas tes t ISO sp eed to pick up mor e sta rs for this
purpose. Remember to change the ISO setting back.

Setting the Parameters:

The legend on the mode dial is

backlit in red when the rotation is set

for the northern hemisphere. Th e

legend is backlit in green if the N-S

switch i s set for the southe rn

hemisphere. Th e b ack lig ht w ill

flicker if the batteries run low.

The N-S change switch is next to the

USB-minib plug socket in the battery

compartment.

18

◎

◎

◎

◎

◎

◎

USING THE POLARIE

: Star-Scape Photography Mode

If this mode is se lec ted , the Polarie tracks sta rs at half the spe ed of the diurnal motion of the stars. The ter res tri al objects are trailed less as
compared wi th images t ake n by wid e-f ield photography at a given ex pos ure time. Short ex pos ure times w ill allow you to take images with n o star
trails. P hot ogr aphy at half th e s pee d o f t he star's diurnal motio n l imi ts the movement se en in terrestrial objects . Ad ding landscape o r
architectural objects in the foreground will make your photos more impressive.

The tab le below sh ows recommended maxi mum shutter exposure t ime s to hold pin poi nt
star images at Star-Scape mode.

f=100mm

2sec.

2sec.

2sec.

3sec.

3sec.

4sec.

5sec.

8sec.

15sec.

f=85mm

3sec.

3sec.

3sec.

3sec.

4sec.

5sec.

6sec.

9sec.

18sec.

f=50mm

5sec.

5sec.

5sec.

6sec.

7sec.

8sec.

10sec.

16sec.

31sec.

f=35mm

7sec.

7sec.

8sec.

9sec.

10sec.

12sec.

15sec.

22sec.

45sec.

f=28mm

9sec.

9sec.

10sec.

11sec.

12sec.

15sec.

19sec.

28sec.

56sec.

f=24mm

11sec.

11sec.

12sec.

13sec.

14sec.

17sec.

22sec.

33sec.

65sec.

f=20mm

13sec.

13sec.

14sec.

15sec.

17sec.

21sec.

27sec.

40sec.

78sec.

f=15mm

18sec.

18sec.

19sec.

21sec.

23sec.

28sec.

36sec.

53sec.

105sec

0°

(Celestialequator)

±10°

±20°

±30°

±40°

±50°

±60°

±70°

±80°

Focal length of

photographic

lens(mm)

*1

Separation from
the celestial equator

Not e

*1: The above focal lengths show actual focal lengths of your camera. It is not necessary to convert them to focal lengths in 35mm film format if APS-C, 3/4 or other format is utilized for your camera.

*2: Th e ab ove exp osu re t imes ar e calcu lated o n the a ssum pti on t hat the pi xel size of an ima ging de vice is 0.0 01m m. All owab le maxi mum exp osure t imes wi ll c han ge a cco rdin g t o th e

s pecific ati ons of your ca mer a an d l ens. I t i s re com mended you tes t y our sys tem to det ermine the bes t e xpos ure time.

*3:The ab ove exp osure t imes wi ll be e xte nded by th ree tim es and mor e if yo u use a 35 mm f ilm format ca mera .

★

North

East

West

Large

Small

[Diurnal Motion of Stars]

Polaris

Sho rt expo sure tim e
pre vents s tar trai ling

19

f=100mm

1min.

01sec.

1min.

02sec.

1min.

05sec.

1min.

11sec.

1min.

20sec.

1min.

36sec.

2min.

03sec.

3min.

00sec.

5min.

56sec.

f=85mm

1min.

12sec.

1min.

13sec.

1min.

17sec.

1min.

24sec.

1min.

35sec.

1min.

53sec.

2min.

25sec.

3min.

32sec.

6min.

59sec.

f=50mm

2min.

03sec.

2min.

05sec.

2min.

11sec.

2min.

22sec.

2min.

41sec.

3min.

12sec.

4min.

07sec.

6min.

01sec.

11min.
52sec.

f=35mm

2min.

56sec.

2min.

59sec.

3min.

08sec.

3min.

24sec.

3min.

50sec.

4min.

35sec.

5min.

53sec.

8min.

36sec.

16min.
58sec.

f=28mm

3min.

41sec.

3min.

55sec.

3min.

55sec.

4min.

15sec.

4min.

48sec.

5min.

43sec.

7min.

22sec.

10min.
46sec.

21min.
12sec.

f=24mm

4min.

17sec.

4min.

21sec.

4min.

34sec.

4min.

57sec.

5min.

36sec.

6min.

41sec.

8min.

35sec.

12min.
33sec.

24min.
44sec.

f=20mm

5min.

09sec.

5min.

14sec.

5min.

29sec.

5min.

57sec.

6min.

43sec.

8min.

01sec.

10min.
18sec.

15min.
04sec.

29min.
41sec.

f=15mm

6min.

52sec.

6min.

58sec.

7min.

19sec.

7min.

56sec.

8min.

58sec.

10min.
41sec.

13min.
45sec.

20min.
06sec.

39min.
17sec.

USING THE POLARIE

:Wide-Field Astrophotography Mode

If this mode is s ele cte d, th e Pol ari e fol low s sta rs at the same speed as the diurnal motion of th e sta rs. It is suitable for capturing dark stars and
faint celestial objects. It is possible to avoid star trails but the terrestrial objects are trailed in long exposure.

The table b elo w shows allowable maximum shu tte r ex pos ure times to hold pinp oin t star
images subject to a polar alignment at an error of 2 degrees.

: Solar Tracking Mode Lunar Tracking Mode

Since the Sun and Moon appear to move ac ros s t he sky at a di ffe ren t s pee d than the stars, Po lar ie inc lud es a Solar and Lu nar ra te option. These
rates are useful especially during an eclipse, allowing the user to maintain constant tracking on the object for up to 4 hours."
CAUTION: Never loo k directly at the sun with your nak ed eyes or through this pr odu ct or a camera mounted on the Polarie. Perm ane nt and
irreversible eye damage may result.

Focal length of

photographic

lens(mm)

*1

Separation from
the celestial equator

0°

(Celestialequator)

±10°

±20°

±30°

±40°

±50°

±60°

±70°

±80°

No star trails

Blurred terrestrial objects

Note

*1:The ab ove focal lengths show actual foc al len gth s

of yo ur camera. I t i s not n ecessary to co nvert
them to focal lengths i n 3 5mm fi lm format if APS-C,
3/4 or other format is utilized for your camera.

*2:The above exposure times a re calculated on the

assumption tha t the pixel si ze of an imaging device
is 0.001mm. Allowable maximum exposure times
will chan ge according to the specifications of your
camera and le ns. It is recommended you t est y our
system to determine the best exposure time.

*3: The above exposure times will be extended by three

times and more if you use a 35mm film format camera.

20

SPECIFICATIONS

Type

Tracking Mode

Wheel gear

Wo

rm gear

Bearings

Drive

Maximum Loading weight

Polar sight hole

Ti

lt meter

Standard accessory

Wo

rking voltage

Operating temperature

Electricity consumption

Duration of operation

Dimensions

We

ight

Optional accessory

Ultra compact (equatorial) tracking platform

Celestial tracking rate. 1/2 of celestial tracking rate. Solar tracking rate (Mean solar time).

Lunar tracking rate (Mean lunar time) : Usable in both northern and southern hemispheres

57.6mm dia. aluminum alloy axis with full-circle 144-tooth

9mm dia. high tension brass

2 pieces

Pulse Motor (Stepper Motor)

2.0kg (4.4 lbs)

About 8.9° field of view

Angles between 0° and 70° (5° increments)

Compass

2 x A

A-size battery : DC2.4~3.0V

External power supply : DC4.4~5.25V

0 degree to 40 degrees C (104 F)

DC3V.

0.4A at a loading weight of 2.0kg (4.4 lbs)

About 2 hours: At 20 C (68 F) degrees temperature, a 2.0kg (4.4 lbs) loading weight with use of Alkaline batteries

95x137x58mm (3.7x5.9x2.3 inches)

740g (26.1 oz) without batteries

A

dedicated polar axis scope for Polarie

Polarie Star Tracker

21

SPECIFICATIONS

Model

Tripod legs

Minimum tripod length

Wo

rking height

Elevator pole extension

Camera thread size

Maximum loading weight

We

ight

Standard accessory

M-178V

4-section legs

555mm (22”)

Adjustable from 540mm to 1,780mm (21.2 to 70 inches)

Geared part : 200mm (7.9”), Friction up and down part (Center column) : 290mm (11

4”)

UNC1/4 inch

About 3.0kg (6.6 lbs)

Tr

ipod : 1.98kg (4.3 lbs) without pan head

QHD-33 Ball head adapter : 130g (4.58 oz)

QHD-43 Ball head adapter : 158g (5.57 oz)

QHD-43 (Pre-installed on the tripod head) and QHD-33 Ball head adapters

Tripod for Polarie (If purchased as a package)

22

APPENDIX

Using an optional Polarie Polar Axis Scope

Your polar alignment on the Polarie can be improved with use of the dedicated polar axis scope sold separately.

Parts Descriptions

Water level

Line marks

Eyepiece of the polar axis scope

(6x20 scope with 8-degree

field of view)

Time g rad uation circle
(10-mi nut e increments)

Date graduation circle

(2-day increments)

Meridi an offset scale
(Adjus tab le between
E20 an d W 20 at
5-degr ee increments)

Eyepiece diopter

adjustment ring

Tim e merid ian indi cator

Eye piece b arre l

23

APPENDIX

Using the Polarie Polar Axis Scope in the Northern Hemisphere

Example: If your location is Tokyo, which has a longitude of 139° E,
you need to offset the standard time meridian indicator by 4° in the
direction of E after you set to 0 degree on the meridian offset scale.

Point th e Polarie in the direction

of nort h us ing its p ol ar si gh t

hole.

Lo ok t hr ou gh t he p ol ar a xi s

sc op e and t urn the e yepiece

diopter adjustment rin g so th at

the reticle can be seen clearly.

Ch eck the differe nce betw ee n

th e stan da rd time m eridian o f

your region and yo ur ob ser vin g

si te b ef or e you set up t he

Polarie.

If th e observing site is east of

standard time meridian, rotate the

time merid ian indicator in the

directi on a s indicated E on the

meridian offset scale.

If the observing site is west of standard time meridian, rot ate the

ti me meridia n i ndicato r i n th e di recti on as in dicated W on t he

meridian offset scale.

1

2

3 4

Match the date graduation circle
with your observing t ime b y
tur ning the eyepiece. You can
move the time meridian indicator
by rotating the eyepiece while you
hold the date graduation circle.

*Th e time and date graduat ion
circl es read 2 1h 40m on
December 20th in the figure.

Rot ate the dio pter
adj ustment rin g of
the eyepie ce

Rim of pol ar a xis
sco pe

Hold the non knurled part of the ey epiece

Rim of pol ar a xis
sco pe

Hold the non knurled part of the ey epiece

Hold the non knurled
part of the eyepiece

Loo k throu gh

Rot ate the dio pter
adj ustment rin g of
the eyepie ce

Loo k throu gh

Rotat e the date
gradu ation circle

Hol d the n on k nurl ed part wit h fi ngers

Hold the non knurled
part of the eyepiece

Hol d the n on k nurl ed part wit h fi ngers

Rotat e the date
gradu ation circle

No difference in longitude from
the standard time meridian

Difference by 4 degrees from
the standard time meridian

December
20th

21h40m

24

Bubble

Line marks

APPENDIX

Un cover t he ca p on the ba ck

side of th e Polarie and remove

the front camera mounting block.

Insert the polar axis scope into

the center op eni ng hole of the

Polarie until snug.

Turn th e time graduation circle

by holding the sides of the water

le ve l s o that you bring the

bubble to the middle of the level.

Look th rou gh the pola r axis sc ope and confirm that Polaris ca n be

seen somewhere in the fiel d of view. Readjust the orie nta tio n of

the Polarie by slowly loosening t he pa n hea d gri p of your tripod so

th at i s set a t a de si gn at ed

position on th e reticle in the fie ld

of view. If the field of v iew is

too dim to see the reticle, point

a dim red fl ash lig ht to the fr ont

of the p ol ar axis s co pe to

slightly illuminate the reticle.

Caution:

Lo ck the p an he ad se curel y wh en you h ave c omple ted p olar

alignment. Be careful not to change the alignment.

Uncover the cap

Water l evel

Uncover the cap

Remove the camera
mounting block
and camera

Insert the polar
axis scope

Remove the camera
mounting block
and camera

Insert the polar
axis scope

Water l evel

Pol ari sPol ari s

5

8

6

7

25

Octantis

σ

(Sigma)

χ(Chi)

τ(Tau)

υ(Upsilon)

Magnitude

5.5

5.2

5.6

5.7

γ

2

β

υ

τ

σ

χ

γ

3

Field of view of
the po lar axi s scope

Octant is four stars

Precession

Position of

Polaris in 2011

Polar axi s scope's Fie ld of view

Th e ori entat ion o f the reti cle
pa tt er n ch an ges acc or di ng t o
th e se as on s and hou rs .

The o rie n tat i o n o f t h e
ret icl e p att e rn c han ges
ac co rd in g to th e se as on s
an d ho ur s

APPENDIX

Slowly remo ve the pola r axis scop e from the Polarie and replace
the cap and camera mounting block.

The position of the north ce les tia l pol e mov es gradually each year
due to precession. According to this , the po sit ion of Pol ari s shifts
every year as s how n in th e figure. Place Polaris at a pos iti on on the
alignment scale in the re tic le to matc h the year of yo ur observation,
between 2005 and 2025.

9

1

2
3

Usi ngthePola rie PolarAxis Scop einthe
Sou thernHemis pher e

Se t up th e P ol ar ie mounted on t he t ri po d on a level ground

wh er e you can see Oc ta ns in the sky. Po in t th e Polarie in the

di re ct io n of s ou th b y us in g th e co mp as s.

Re fe r to se t up procedures 2 , 5 a nd 6 that a re d es cr ib ed for th e

us e in t he n or th er n he mi sp he re .

Yo u se e Octans in t he field of vi ew of the po la r a xi s scope.

Loo se n the p an h ead s lo wly a nd pl ace O ct ans a t the s et

po si ti on i n th e reticle as s ho wn in t he figure b y rotating t he

ey ep ie ce o f th e po la r ax is s co pe .

26

γ

2

β

υ

τ

σ

χ

γ

3

Fi eld o f vie w
of the polar
ax is sc ope

Lo osen the pan hea d g rip fo r a dju stm ent

Ma tch w ith t he or ienta tion of th e fou r sta rs

The or ien tation of the re ticle pattern

ch an ge s ac co rd in g to t he s ea so ns

and hours.

υ

τ

σ

χ

Fi eld o f vie w
of the polar
ax is sc ope

Mach with each other

APPENDIX

Ma tc h the fo rm of th e Octantis four stars o n the re ti cl e wit h the

fo ur s ta rs o f Oc ta ns w hi le l oo ki ng t hr ou gh t he p ol ar a xi s sc op e.

Lo ck th e pa n he ad firmly

af te r co mp le ti ng the po la r

al ig nm en t.

No te :

Ta ke much c ar e no t to lo se t he balance of t he Polarie wh en you

lo os en t he l oc k of t he p an h ea d gr ip .

Slo wl y rem ove t he po lar a xis s cop e f ro m t he Po lar ie an d

re pl ac e th e ca p an d ca me ra m ou nt in g bl oc k.

6

54

Oct ant is
fou r s tars

Oct ant is
fou r s tars

27

59ki-11-（80000094）-2S-84-（miz）（M）(k)