Polar Alignment

Polar alignment is the process of pointing your mount’s axis of rotation at the celestial pole. ARIS provides a plate-solve alignment wizard that measures your polar error and guides you through correcting it, similar to the workflow found in ASIAir and SharpCap.

Alignment Methods

ARIS supports two alignment methods. Choose the one that suits your setup and sky conditions.

• 3-point alignment — The default and most accurate method. ARIS captures and solves three frames at different rotation angles to triangulate the pole position. This produces a reliable error measurement even in marginal conditions.
• 2-point alignment — A faster alternative that uses two frames. Suitable when time is short or the sky is clear and seeing is steady. Slightly less robust than 3-point if one of the solves is imprecise.

The Four-Step Workflow

The alignment wizard walks you through four steps displayed across the top of the screen. Each step highlights as you progress.

1. Prepare

Point your mount roughly toward the pole and open the alignment wizard. A setup dialog appears with three options:

• Alignment mode — Choose 3-point or 2-point.
• Rotation direction — Select West or East. This determines which direction the mount rotates between solves. Choose the side with a clearer horizon.
• Return to Home — When enabled, the mount returns to its starting position after the alignment measurement completes.

Confirm your choices to proceed.

Tip

Start with 3-point alignment until you are comfortable with the process. It is more forgiving of marginal plate solves and gives a more stable error reading.

2. Rotate 1

ARIS prompts you to capture and solve the first frame. Set your exposure using the exposure picker — 3 to 8 seconds typically works well for a mid-focal-length setup. Tap the capture/solve button to take the shot. When the plate solve succeeds, the wizard advances automatically.

If the solve fails, increase the exposure or verify that enough stars are visible in the frame.

3. Rotate 2

The mount rotates to a new angle and ARIS prompts a second capture and solve. For 3-point alignment, a third rotation and solve follows. Each successful solve adds a data point for the error calculation.

Note

The mount moves automatically between rotations. Keep hands off the mount during this phase to avoid introducing mechanical shift.

4. Align

Once all solves complete, ARIS displays the polar scope view with an animated overlay showing where the pole is and where it needs to be. A draggable error card appears over the scope view with three readings:

• Altitude error — How far off you are in the up/down axis.
• Azimuth error — How far off you are in the left/right axis.
• Total error — The combined angular distance from the true pole.

The error values are color-coded to give you immediate feedback:

Color	Range	Meaning
Green	Less than 2 arc-seconds	Excellent alignment
Yellow	2 to 5 arc-seconds	Acceptable for most imaging
Red	Greater than 5 arc-seconds	Needs adjustment

Adjust your mount’s altitude and azimuth knobs while watching the error readings update. The polar scope overlay animates in real time as you make corrections.

Caution

Make small, deliberate adjustments to the altitude and azimuth knobs. Large corrections can overshoot, and the mount bolts may need a moment to settle before the reading stabilizes.

Capture and Solve Controls

During each rotation step, the bottom of the screen shows the capture controls.

• Capture/Solve button — Takes an exposure and immediately plate-solves the result. A progress ring animates during the exposure.
• Exposure picker — Tap to select the integration time. Shorter exposures are faster but may not solve reliably in light-polluted or hazy skies.

Tips for Good Polar Alignment

• Level your tripod first. A level base makes altitude and azimuth adjustments independent of each other, which simplifies corrections.
• Use a moderate focal length. A focal length between 200 mm and 500 mm gives a good balance of field coverage and solve accuracy for alignment frames.
• Avoid the meridian. Start with the mount pointing away from the meridian to give the rotation steps room to move without hitting limits.
• Repeat if needed. After making adjustments, run the wizard again to confirm the final error. Two passes often get you below 2 arc-seconds.
• Check periodically. If you move your rig or bump the tripod, re-run alignment before starting a capture session.

Tip

For visual confirmation, toggle the star match overlay after a successful solve. This shows which catalog stars were matched and helps you verify that the solve is trustworthy before committing to adjustments.