a few questions eq mount

[timbo1709]

hi all after getting my wife a very basic telescope for her birthday, we have just bought a skywatcher 200p on an eq5 mount as recommended by a few shops we visited as a great all round telescope,hopefully it is?

after struggling with the instructions i have found this forum that looks like a great source of information.

now all this is new to me as we collected it saturday and the previous scope was nothing like this.

i have built it up and got it balanced etc.

theres clear skys forcast tonight so while i get my head round the polar alignment dials etc could someone just say if this will be good enough to get set up for tonight so we can have our first go with a proper scope.

set the mount facing north and level,then align polaris in the tripod scope to match a picture on my phone from an app called polar finder.

would that suffice enough to beable to get the scope set up roughly as theres alot of information to digest in just a few hours if we want to use it later.

i dont quite have my head round setting the date and time dials etc on the tripod,or any of the dials on the tripod

thanks for any advice

[JamesF]

For visual use it's quite good enough to set the mount up so it points roughly north and the latitude setting is correct for your location. I probably wouldn't even bother with the polar scope.

James

[WaveSoarer]

Timbo,

That's pretty much how I set up my scope - though I do use the graticule constellation references to get polaris in just the right spot. It sounds to me like you're doing the right thing. James is correct about purely visual use as an approximate alignment is probably good enough. If you're on an object for a while then DEC will need tweaked now and again. As I have the dual axis drive I prefer to get the polar alignment reasonably good so that I can track on an object for a long time.

I hope that you're enjoying your scope. I certainly am.

Dave

[sgazer]

yep. just point the mount north and set your latitude, should be enough. Make sure it's balance with the scope on there. You'll then be able to track your object once you've found it just using the RA knob or the optional RA motor.

[Carbon Brush]

I have had EQ5 size mounts in various guises for a number of years and have an SW200P. Great scope.

Yet another one here who plants the tripod with mount northish and levelish.

The mount latitude is just left where it is.

Forget the funny numbers around the dials until you get seriously into finding dim objects.

For now just enjoy the easy targets.

Not only will you have pleasant evenings, but you will get to learn more about the scope and mount without effort.

Enjoy the views now, worry about the technical bits later. David.

[Qualia]

+ 1 for just planting tripod north and level.

I've never really figured what those dial numbers do or what they're meant for but at the moment they haven't added to or hindered my hunting and stargazing.

You may find these links useful:

EQ 5 Manual

Setting up a Gem

Gem Tutorial

Setting up a Gem