Atmospheric turbulence causes the stars to appear to shimmer or move slightly, a phenomenon known as 'seeing.' This subtle movement affects your telescope’s tracking accuracy.
Even with a perfectly aligned mount, the atmosphere can cause the guide star to shift unpredictably. Guiding systems detect these shifts and send correction signals to keep your telescope locked on target.
Without guiding, atmospheric turbulence would blur your long exposures, smearing star images and reducing detail.
In essence, guiding compensates not just for mechanical errors but also for the dynamic, ever-changing conditions of Earth's atmosphere.
