Drift Alignment Drift Alignment, like ALL polar alignment techniques, is used to get the polar axis of your telescope parallel with the polar axis of the Earth. Nothing more; nothing less. It's just that it's done by watching selected stars 'drift' in Declination while viewing them. From the type of Declination drift, we determine in which way our scope is mis-aligned, and we can correct it accordingly. Thus, the name of 'drift align'.