how to use the dials on a celestron 114q mount

[mparsons]

Hi guys

I would like to say a big hello

I am totally new to this, and for my birthday i got a celestron 114eq, I am baffled by the mount in how to use the settings or hhow to read them,

I have got a basic idea for the north star setting, but after that i am lost,

spent many hours looking on you tube, but it goes over my head big time,

please help so i can impress my wife lol.

Big Thanks in advance.

[Gino Arcari]

Hi! welcome to SGL! For starting out, you do not need to set up your eq mount too accurately. Just set your latitude and point it at polaris (to the north) then track using the R.A tracking knob or motor to track the object your looking at.

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL . I am not familiar with your mount, but as said above a alignment with Polaris will be sufficient at first.

[mparsons]

Thank you for the advice, I have taken it on board,

[Cornelius Varley]

It's probably better to ignore the RA and DEC setting circles on small mounts because they aren't very accurate.

[damnut]

Hi There,

Welcome to SGL, comments above really. Once you have set your lattitude and pointed your mount north. Use as is until you have some experience. There are plenty of guides on youtube for setting up an equatorial mount. Also try the astronomy shed if the one's on youtube leave you cold.

Sounds like you need a planetarium program to get you started, plenty out there but try stellarium, its great and free to be found here :-- http://www.stellarium.org/  . Copies of 'turn left at orion' and 'sky & telescope pocket star atlas' will also help you learn the sky.

[Piero]

That was my first telescope and if the mount is the same, I would also avoid wasting time on setting those circles, as a previous member said.

Just learn how to use a sky atlas (e.g. the sky and telescope pocket sky atlas) and if your finder is not good, maybe replace it with a red dot finder (e.g. the rigel one sold by FLO).