Razner

Welcome to SGL! Ryan

I've got the same mount as you (EQ5 Pro) and my polar scope also had the markings upside down. My polarscope has the new precision engraving pattern as per Tomatobro's second image. Essentially, I don't think it matters which way around the markings are. If you disregard the numbers and just align based on position using something like PolarFinder on Android (or an Apple store equiv) and use the StarAdventurer reticle type then you should be ok. At least that's what I used to do and it seems to work fine for me. That being said, I couldn't keep looking at it with the numbers being upside down and decided to do something about it. In the end I was able to turn it around by essentially taking it apart and rotating the lens that has the markings on but it was a pain to do and certainly isn't something I'd do again if I got another mount with the same issue. Unrelated, the other problem that I quickly ran into was that the EQ5 Pro has no polar illumination so when it's dark you have to shine a light across the top opening of the polar finder otherwise you can't see the engraving. I got one of these and although there not perfect as they've got no proper power switch, they made the process much easier https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/polar-illuminator-for-eq3-2eq5-mounts.html.

Thanks for the warm welcome all! I've taken your advice and picked up a copy of 'Making Every Photon Count' from FLO as suggested by a couple of you and I'll have a good read through before purchasing any more kit. Cheers, Ryan

Hi all I'm Ryan and I live just outside of Nottingham. I've been lurking on the site for a few months now and thought it was about time I registered and said hello. I've always been interested in the stars but have never really taken it further other than a few books etc until the missus brought me a cheap telescope from Amazon for my birthday last year and I've caught the astrophotography bug so this is all her fault Since then I've changed to a Skywatcher Explorer 200P connected to a EQ5 Pro goto mount and using a second hand unmodded Canon 600D which i plan to mod myself. I addition, I'm using Ekos/INDI via Stellarmate running on a RPi 3B+ to control everything which I'm really impressed with so far. I've taken a few shots of M42 and M51 but nothing to write home about as of yet and I'm still getting to grips with the various callibration frames and exposure/iso settings that are needed to get the best out of my images plus the various software options for stacking and processing. There's a lot to learn! I've also very quickly realised how expensive this could all end up being depending on how much I get into it. I've already started looking at filters, guide scopes and possibly upgrading the mount to a used HEQ5 or EQ6 in order to better support my current scope, but I've made a promise to the missus (and my bank account) to learn the basics first and then see where it goes. Cheers, Ryan