Laser tracker for determining the position of an auxiliary measuring instrument that has a retroreflector and a multiplicity of target markings, and also for continuously tracking the auxiliary measuring instrument, wherein the target markings are arranged in a known fixed spatial distribution on the auxiliary measuring instrument and are embodied to emit or reflect light beams, and wherein the laser tracker has • a first radiation source for producing measurement radiation, • a distance measuring module having distance measuring functionality, and • a target sensing unit for determining an impingement point for radiation reflected by the retroreflector on a sensor of the target sensing unit and for producing an output signal in order to control a fine targeting functionality and a target tracking functionality, wherein the sensor of the target sensing unit is embodied as a two-dimensional image sensor, characterized in that the target sensing unit is embodied • to determine impingement points for light beams reflected or emitted by a multiplicity of target markings of the auxiliary measuring instrument on the sensor, and • to determine the spatial orientation of the auxiliary measuring instrument on the basis of the distribution of the impingement points of the light beams, wherein the target sensing unit has a target tracking mode and an orientation sensing mode, wherein the target sensing unit • in the target tracking mode is embodied to determine the impingement point of the reflected radiation on the sensor of the target sensing unit and to produce the output signal in order to control the fine targeting functionality and the target tracking functionality, and • in the orientation sensing mode is embodied to determine the distribution of the impingement points of the light beams on the sensor of the target sensing unit and, on the basis thereof, to determine the spatial orientation of the auxiliary measuring instrument, wherein the orientation sensing mode comprises a measurement sequence with recording events that are triggered by an electronic shutter of the sensor, wherein the target sensing unit is in the target tracking mode as standard, and the orientation sensing mode can be dialed in under user control and lasts a stipulated period of time. • a first radiation source for producing measurement radiation, • a distance measuring module having distance measuring functionality, and • a target sensing unit for determining an impingement point for radiation reflected by the retroreflector on a sensor of the target sensing unit and for producing an output signal in order to control a fine targeting functionality and a target tracking functionality, wherein the sensor of the target sensing unit is embodied as a two-dimensional image sensor, • to determine impingement points for light beams reflected or emitted by a multiplicity of target markings of the auxiliary measuring instrument on the sensor, and • to determine the spatial orientation of the auxiliary measuring instrument on the basis of the distribution of the impingement points of the light beams, • in the target tracking mode is embodied to determine the impingement point of the reflected radiation on the sensor of the target sensing unit and to produce the output signal in order to control the fine targeting functionality and the target tracking functionality, and • in the orientation sensing mode is embodied to determine the distribution of the impingement points of the light beams on the sensor of the target sensing unit and, on the basis thereof, to determine the spatial orientation of the auxiliary measuring instrument, wherein the orientation sensing mode comprises a measurement sequence with recording events that are triggered by an electronic shutter of the sensor,