Polar Alignment and star gazing (EQ mount)

[drewpy46]

Sorry if this is a really daft question...

But, has been hurting my brain cells...

I have watched various videos and tutorial regarding polar alignment for EQ mounts.

And do understand what is done, the centre bit points up to the north star.

My question is - the moon is then behind where I have pointed the alignment. It usually appears to the south early evening (or did last week)

So how do I then turn everything around to face the other way, and change the angle to get the moon in view?

It would seem to me that all the alignment that has just be performed would be lost, as you need to rotate the base bit (sorry no technical term AZ?) and would have to change the elevation (dec), if the moon was higher in the sky, as it was last week.

None of the instruction videos say what to do next to go star gazing after polar alignment has been completed.

Might be a gap there for someone to fill?

Thanks in advance.

Andrew

[Stephen]

To align it you use the alt and az bolts as you've worked out.

To point it at something, you use the RA and DEC cable / motors, these move indepentantly of the alt/az.

[drewpy46]

Ah right.

So the middle bit stays the same and its the slow motion controls that are used...

Not got a scope yet, and this has been bothering me.

Thanks for the quick answer.

[Cornelius Varley]

Astronomy Boy EQ tutorial animated equatorial mount tutorials.

Peter

[drewpy46]

Thanks Peter, just what I needed...

[malc-c]

The mount will have locking knobs (called clutches) on both axis of the mount. Releasing the RA clutch allows the mount to rotate around the polar axis, releasing the DEC clutch allows the scope to rotate around the DEC axis, so basically if the RA axis is rotated so the weight bar is horizontal, the scope can then be rotated in a vertical plane to point south towards the Moon... (using your description with the Moon directly south )

EQ mounts can get into strange positions to point to various parts of the sky. For details on setting up an EQ mount check out Dion's excellent videos starting with this one astronomyshed's Channel - YouTube

[Tinker1947]

Just mark the spot the tripod legs are so when you next put the tripod and mount out to play it doesn't aligning every time...

[malc-c]

Astronomy Boy EQ tutorial animated equatorial mount tutorials.

Peter

must learn to type faster

[drewpy46]

Hi Malc-c,

I am subscribed to Astroshed...

So in the animated examples, it does not matter that the scope ends up on its side facing due south?

Should the tube be rotated in the hoops back to level?

Thanks

Andrew

[drewpy46]

Just mark the spot the tripod legs are so when you next put the tripod and mount out to play it doesn't aligning every time...

Thanks, I have planned to do that.

It was the moving in the opposite direction that I was finding hard to grasp.

My first scope should be here tomorrow - and will be able to see how it works and this all makes sense...

Thanks

[Stephen]

I'll be dead honest with you, I wouldn't worry about polar aligning

If you point the North leg ... well North, and set the altitude to be reasonably close to your location, you are good to go for visual.

Swing the scope round and use the slo mo controls to follow the objects you want to view. You can get hung up on polar aligning later

[malc-c]

Andrew, what scope are you hoping to get ?

Refractors / Maks or SCT it matters not as you look through them, but Newtonian reflectors often get the eyepieces in strange positions. You either become a contortionist or rotate the tube withing the rings that support it

[drewpy46]

Thanks Kelder.

I want to video the moon first.

Thanks everthing makes sense.

[drewpy46]

Andrew, what scope are you hoping to get ?

Refractors / Maks or SCT it matters not as you look through them, but Newtonian reflectors often get the eyepieces in strange positions. You either become a contortionist or rotate the tube withing the rings that support it

Its a Skywatcher EvoStar 90 refractor on an EQ2 mount, this will be my first ever and thought it would get me started on the cheap.

[drewpy46]

The mount will have locking knobs (called clutches) on both axis of the mount. Releasing the RA clutch allows the mount to rotate around the polar axis, releasing the DEC clutch allows the scope to rotate around the DEC axis, so basically if the RA axis is rotated so the weight bar is horizontal, the scope can then be rotated in a vertical plane to point south towards the Moon... (using your description with the Moon directly south )

EQ mounts can get into strange positions to point to various parts of the sky. For details on setting up an EQ mount check out Dion's excellent videos starting with this one astronomyshed's Channel - YouTube

Thanks Malcolm,

Its the strange positions part I could envisage.

Loads of help here - thanks everyone.

Andrew