Meade LX70 R5 5 inch Instruction Manual - Page 14

Locating the Celestial Pole In the northern Hemisphere, find the North Star Polaris by facing North. To get basic bearings at an observing location, take note of where the Sun rises (East) and sets (West) each day. After the site is dark, face North by pointing your left shoulder toward where the Sun set. To precisely point at the pole, find the North Star (Polaris) by using the Big Dipper as a guide (See figure below). In the southern Hemisphere, you align the mount to the southern celestial pole. To do this it is necessary to reference star patterns since the southern celestial pole has no nearby bright stars. The closest bright star to the south celestial pole is Sigma Octanis, which is about one degree away. Using Sigma Octanis and other bright stars will help you locate the pole. Toward True North Toward True North Side View Figure 30: RA Polar Axis toward True North (Polaris) Top View Figure 31: RA Polar Axis toward True North (Polaris) Pointer Little Dipper Polaris (North Star) Figure 29: Latitude Scale with pointer Big Dipper Cassiopeia Figure 32 : Finding Polaris (North Star) For Northern Hemisphere observers 14