Short answer: no — not reliably, and usually not at all.
When you’re using an EQ6 mount (like the Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro) through ASCOM Platform and Stellarium, the system does not inherently remember its physical pointing after a power loss.
Here’s what actually happens:
🔌 When you turn the mount off
- The mount loses its internal state (unless it has absolute encoders — EQ6-class mounts do not).
- ASCOM and Stellarium only know where the mount was based on tracking data, not actual physical verification.
- If the mount is moved even slightly while powered off, that positional reference is gone.
🔄 When you turn it back on
- The mount starts “blind” — it has no idea where it is pointing.
- ASCOM reconnects fine, but it cannot reconstruct the sky position unless:
- The mount was returned exactly to a known reference (like home position), and
- You explicitly tell the software that it is at that position.
⚠️ What if you didn’t move it?
Even if you think nothing moved:
- There’s still no guarantee of accuracy.
- Stepper motors don’t provide feedback — the system assumes, it doesn’t measure.
✅ How to recover properly
You have a few options:
- Park before shutdown
Use Stellarium/ASCOM to park the mount (usually at home position). On restart:- Power on
- Unpark
- The system can resume correctly
- Re-home manually
Put the mount back to its index marks/home position, then:- Sync or reinitialize via ASCOM
- Plate solve (best method)
Use imaging + plate solving to:- Determine actual pointing
- Sync the mount precisely
(This is the most robust method in practice.)
🧠 Bottom line
ASCOM is just a communication layer — it doesn’t track real-world position after power loss. Without encoders or a proper park/home workflow, you must re-establish alignment each session.