Robotic Polar Alignment -- gimmick or useful?

Equipment Polar Alignment
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mount_battle avatar
mount_battle avatar

I have observed that some of the newer strain wave mounts are considering incorporating Robotic PA as a feature. ML Astro has a “SAL-66” strain wave gear mount that will support robotic PA with payloads of 30 kg. JTW Astronomy has announced a Strzyga mount that supports a 40 kg payload, Renishaw 26-bit encoders, and Robotic Polar Alignment.

Could anyone please elaborate on the practical applications of Robotic PA? As I do not plan to own one of these mounts, I am uncertain whether this feature is a genuine quality of life improvement or not. I usually take 10 minutes to PA so I don’t know if spending a few hundred euros to optimize that is worth it.

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Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

It’s coming for sure. I think if you are someone who sets up and breaks down for every session then it will be a useful feature. I can also see edge cases where you’re on a balcony or terrace with a flexible floor that moves every time you walk on it. For everyone else, not so much. Honestly, I would rather see more precision in the manual adjustments mounts already have. Better precision there would help everyone.

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mount_battle avatar
mount_battle avatar

Tony Gondola · Jan 30, 2026 at 04:15 PM

It’s coming for sure. I think if you are someone who sets up and breaks down for every session then it will be a useful feature. I can also see edge cases where you’re on a balcony or terrace with a flexible floor that moves every time you walk on it. For everyone else, not so much. Honestly, I would rather see more precision in the manual adjustments mounts already have. Better precision there would help everyone.

I cannot agree more. I can’t recall the last time I tightened up the adjustment knobs without knocking the careful polar alignment out by half an arc minute or so.

Perhaps this is more of a problem with my ZWO mount than anything else.

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andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
Tony Gondola:
I can also see edge cases where you’re on a balcony or terrace with a flexible floor that moves every time you walk on it.


I was such a person. Makes no difference whatsoever, ever.
Arun H avatar
Arun H avatar
Could anyone please elaborate on the practical applications of Robotic PA? As I do not plan to own one of these mounts, I am uncertain whether this feature is a genuine quality of life improvement or not. I usually take 10 minutes to PA so I don’t know if spending a few hundred euros to optimize that is worth it.


I feel like you sort of answered your own question here. If you are a backyarder, I am hard pressed to imagine it is worth paying a few hundred dollars or euros for that feature. 

On the other hand, if you are a remote imager and the mount is not mechanically solid enough to maintain alignment, it could be worth it. Of course, temperature variations and expansion and contraction of materials can also cause you to lose polar alignment.
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Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

andrea tasselli · Jan 30, 2026, 04:34 PM

Tony Gondola:
I can also see edge cases where you’re on a balcony or terrace with a flexible floor that moves every time you walk on it.



I was such a person. Makes no difference whatsoever, ever.

Good to hear.

SonnyE avatar
SonnyE avatar

And then there is me….

My mount is set up and kept that way. So PA is of little concern, much like having a real pier. But my pier is still portable if I was of a mind to.

But progress is marching along. I predicted CMOS was going to wipe out CCD cameras, just like CCD’s wiped out film. Heck, look what is creeping up in the SeeStar arena.

It’s turning into a plop-plop fizz-fizz sport.

Arun H · Jan 30, 2026, 04:39 PM

Could anyone please elaborate on the practical applications of Robotic PA? As I do not plan to own one of these mounts, I am uncertain whether this feature is a genuine quality of life improvement or not. I usually take 10 minutes to PA so I don’t know if spending a few hundred euros to optimize that is worth it.



I feel like you sort of answered your own question here. If you are a backyarder, I am hard pressed to imagine it is worth paying a few hundred dollars or euros for that feature. 

On the other hand, if you are a remote imager and the mount is not mechanically solid enough to maintain alignment, it could be worth it. Of course, temperature variations and expansion and contraction of materials can also cause you to lose polar alignment.

Shucks Arun, just ground vibrations can mess things up. We’re all on this giant ball of jello mud with chunks in it. 🫣