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Polar scopes

Sky-Watcher HM5 polar scope for EQ5, NEQ-5 and EQ-6

A polar scope screwing directly into the polar axis of named Sky-Watcher mounts, with a reticle usable in both hemispheres.

Sky-Watcher HM5 polar scope

Sky-Watcher HM5 polar scope for EQ5, NEQ-5 and EQ-6

A polar scope screwing directly into the polar axis of named Sky-Watcher mounts, with a reticle usable in both hemispheres.

Reticle pattern
The listing gives none
Illumination
Not mentioned
Dimming
Not published by the maker.
Mount compatibility
EQ5, NEQ-5 and EQ-6, named by the maker
Fit
Screws into the polar axis of the mount
Retention
Not published by the maker.
Focus adjustment
Neither is published
Hemisphere support
Northern and southern, per the maker
Amazon reference
B017NH3NYC (same reference on 3 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
6930096630154
  • Names the three mounts it fits rather than claiming universality
  • Works in both hemispheres, which not every reticle does
  • No accuracy, magnification or field figure

Best for: An EQ5, NEQ-5 or EQ-6 mount bought without its polar scope

≈ £49
Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Reticle pattern
The listing gives none
Illumination
Not mentioned
Dimming
Not published by the maker.
Mount compatibility
EQ5, NEQ-5 and EQ-6, named by the maker
Fit
Screws into the polar axis of the mount
Retention
Not published by the maker.
Focus adjustment
Neither is published
Hemisphere support
Northern and southern, per the maker
Amazon reference
B017NH3NYC (same reference on 3 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
6930096630154

What a polar scope is for

An equatorial mount tracks the sky with one axis, and only if that axis points at the celestial pole. Polaris is close to the pole and not on it — about three quarters of a degree away — so pointing the axis at Polaris by eye is not enough. The reticle in a polar scope shows where Polaris belongs relative to the true pole.

Both hemispheres

The maker states the reticle serves the northern and southern sky. That is not universal: many polar scopes carry a northern pattern only, and a southern reticle needs a different set of reference stars entirely.

The blanks in the listing

Accuracy, magnification, field of view, illumination. The Vixen polar scope on this shelf publishes the first three; this listing publishes none of them.

The fitting

Directly into the polar axis of three named mounts. That is the right way to build a polar scope — nothing to align separately, because the tube is the axis — and it is also why they are not interchangeable between makers.

Availability

British Amazon store held a record for it on the day of the survey, with no euro figure against the offer.

German and French Amazon catalogues hold a record for it that nobody is selling.

American, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores gave no result whatever, so the buy button there opens a search rather than an empty page.

Figures as Keepa reported them on the day this page was last updated. Stock and pricing shift without warning.

What this fits

More polar scopes

  • Vixen Polarie PF-L II polar scope

    Vixen Polarie PF-L II polar scope

    A compact polar scope with a published alignment accuracy of 3 arcminutes or better, 5x magnification and a dimmable, self-extinguishing red reticle.

    Reticle pattern
    3 arcminutes or better, as the maker publishes it · Red, dimmable, with automatic shut-off
    Illumination
    Not published by the maker.
    Dimming
    Not published by the maker.
    Mount compatibility
    Not published by the maker.
    Fit
    Not published by the maker.
    Retention
    Not published by the maker.
    Focus adjustment
    5x · 10 degrees
    Hemisphere support
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B07RZ7WMVH (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4955295355334
    • The only alignment accuracy figure published anywhere in this family
    • Automatic shut-off on the reticle saves a battery left on after packing up
    • Made for the Polarie system; fitting it to another mount is not addressed

    Best for: A tracker owner who needs alignment good enough for long exposures

    ≈ £231 / €238
    Check price on Amazon
  • Bresser polar scope illuminator with M8 thread

    Bresser Polar scope illuminator M8 × 0.75 (4964212)

    A polar scope illuminator with an M8 × 0.75 thread, whose entire listing consists of its article number.

    Reticle pattern
    Not published by the maker.
    Illumination
    Not published by the maker.
    Dimming
    Not published by the maker.
    Mount compatibility
    Not published by the maker.
    Fit
    M8 × 0.75, from the title
    Retention
    Not published by the maker.
    Focus adjustment
    Not published by the maker.
    Hemisphere support
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B077ZVM1C7 (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4007922054216
    • Solves the single commonest problem with a polar scope: an invisible reticle
    • The thread is named precisely, which is what decides whether it fits
    • The listing contains one bullet and it is the article number

    Best for: A Bresser mount whose polar scope reticle cannot be seen against a dark sky

    ≈ €27
    Check price on Amazon
  • Explore Scientific polar scope for the iEXOS-100 mount

    Explore Scientific Polar scope for iEXOS-100 (0456103)

    A polar scope for the iEXOS-100, listed with a clear explanation of when precise polar alignment is needed and when it is not.

    Reticle pattern
    The listing gives none
    Illumination
    Not published by the maker.
    Dimming
    Not published by the maker.
    Mount compatibility
    iEXOS-100, from the title
    Fit
    Not published by the maker.
    Retention
    Not published by the maker.
    Focus adjustment
    Neither is published
    Hemisphere support
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B085HRSCC6 (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4007922062532
    • The listing explains the physics rather than only describing the part
    • It states plainly when a polar scope is not needed, which costs a sale and earns trust
    • No accuracy, magnification or field figure

    Best for: An iEXOS-100 owner moving from visual observing to photography

    ≈ £87 / €76
    Check price on Amazon

The rest of this rack

  • Explore Scientific Astro R-Lite red torch with belt clip

    Explore Scientific Astro R-Lite (0340100)

    A black anodised red torch with an adjustable dimmer, bright and dim continuous modes, a flashing mode and a 360-degree side signal, published at 105 g.

    Red output type
    Not published by the maker.
    Dimming range
    Continuously adjustable by a dial, per the maker
    Minimum
    Not published by the maker.
    Mode memory
    Continuous bright, continuous dim, and flashing · 360 degrees, through side cutouts
    Battery type
    One AA (LR6), supplied
    Cold behaviour
    Up to 100 hours, as the maker publishes it
    Weight
    92 × 25 × 25 mm, as the maker publishes them · 105 g, as the maker publishes it
    Attachment
    Torch, wrist strap, belt clip, battery
    Amazon reference
    B07CZ2TP7X (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4007922039534
    • A continuous dimmer, which is the specification that matters most for astronomy
    • Runtime, dimensions, weight and battery type all published
    • No wavelength figure for the red LED

    Best for: Reading a chart at the eyepiece without losing dark adaptation

    ≈ £23 / €23
    Check price on Amazon
  • Klarlight 625 nm red night light

    Klarlight LST4555 625 nm night light

    A tap-operated red night light at a published 625 nm with 20 and 100 per cent steps, charging over USB-C from a 300 mAh cell.

    Red output type
    625 nm, as the maker publishes it · None — it is a diffuse light rather than a torch
    Dimming range
    Two — 20 % and 100 % — plus off, by tapping the body
    Minimum
    Not published by the maker.
    Mode memory
    Not published by the maker.
    Battery type
    300 mAh, rechargeable · USB-C, from any port or power bank
    Cold behaviour
    Not published by the maker.
    Weight
    Not published by the maker.
    Attachment
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B0GVSD49Q9 (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    5056776465517
    • Publishes its wavelength, which the astronomy torches on this shelf do not
    • A 20 per cent step is genuinely dim, which is the setting that matters
    • It is a night light: there is no beam and no way to point it

    Best for: A red light beside a chair or on a table at the observing site, rather than in a pocket

    ≈ £13 / €15
    Check price on Amazon
  • Shadowhawk S1616 rechargeable torch with red mode

    Shadowhawk S1616

    A rechargeable torch whose red LEDs are on a dedicated second switch, with stepless dimming, a charge display and IP67 sealing, published at 155 g.

    Red output type
    Three XPE chips, per the maker · Neither wavelength nor minimum output is published
    Dimming range
    Stepless, by holding the power button; excluded from strobe
    Minimum
    Not published by the maker.
    Mode memory
    Red and COB side light are on a lower switch; white modes are on an upper switch
    Battery type
    USB-C, 4–6 h to full, over 10 h of runtime per the maker
    Cold behaviour
    IP67
    Weight
    155 g, as the maker publishes it
    Attachment
    Not published by the maker.
    Amazon reference
    B0H4ZNSHJG (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    6978501840613
    • Red on a separate switch, so the white modes are never reached by accident in the dark
    • Stepless dimming and a published weight and runtime
    • No wavelength and no minimum output figure for the red mode

    Best for: A general torch for the car and the observing site, whose red mode is genuinely usable

    ≈ £37 / €32
    Check price on Amazon

All polar scopes

Any figure written into the body of this page was true on the day it was written. The amount shown next to each instrument is requested from the retailer as the page loads, and it is that amount, not the text, that stands.