Setting SKywatcher up for ICeland

[Baldurth]

Hi everyone

I am trying to set up my SkyWatcher Explorere 130 EQ". As I am living in Iceland I set it up according to instructions to the Latitude around 65°. AS you can see in the pictures  the scope is almost point direct north and I am having hard time seeing anything.

I have viewed videos on Youtube and as far as I can see I have set it up correctly but for some reason I feel like I am doing something wrong?

Any advice?

[Astronomist]

Looks right to me, just make sure the mount is pointed approximately north and you should get reasonable tracking accuracy. unless you are doing astrophotography with a motorised mount polar alignment is not all that critical. As an aside, I found the EQ2  RA and DEC setting circles are not really worth the hassle, IMHO they are fiddly to use and innacurate.

looks like you have lots of nice dark sky in Iceland, enjoy!

Edited October 30, 2023 by Astronomist

[dweller25]

Apologies if you worked this out but I do not know what level you are at…

To move the scope to lower targets you need to loosen the right ascension and declination knobs, then once the target is found tighten the knobs back up.

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by dweller25

[bosun21]

Just ensure that you are pointing the open end of the telescope and counterweight directly North or as close as you can get it. If you don't do this before you start observing the mount will actually work against you. Once done just loosen the clutches that has been highlighted in red for you and pivot both axis to aim at your target. Once close you can use the slow motion cables and red dot finder to centre the target in the eyepiece.

[AstroMuni]

On 29/10/2023 at 11:13, Baldurth said:

I am having hard time seeing anything.

Hi, could you be more specific in what you mean by "hard time seeing anything". i.e. Can you see objects but out of focus, just blackness etc.

[LandyJon]

Just to collate and add to advice you've been given here and other thread.

1. Take outside, setup as is in your photo, weights down scope up.

2. Orientate tripod to point scope roughly at Polaris / North. 

3. Remove caps, insert your 25mm eyepiece without Barlow or any filters.

4. Release clutches (red highlighted above) and swing scope to the moon, re-tighten clutches.

5. With the moon in your finder, adjust the focuser through its full range while looking through the 25mm eyepiece.  If the moon is not within view you should at least see the defocused glow of it at some point indicating which direction to move your slow motion controls to find it, focus it and centre it.

6. Once focused and centred on the moon, adjust your finder so it is also best centred.

7. The moon is a big object, repeat the procedure on a bright star to fine tune the finders centering with the telescopes.  You should be close enough and focused to find the star in the telescope after centering in the finder tho.

8. Tighten down that finder and be very careful not to knock it EVER also lock off the focuser when packing away so it remains for next time.

9. Have some fun looking round at the wonders of the night sky, pick an object, point with the finder best you can and start spiralling round with the slow motion cables till you see it, 1 bit up, 1 bit right, 2 bits down, 2 bits left, 3 bits up, 3 bits right, 4 bits down, 4 bits left (where a 'bit' is about the field of view in the eyepiece movement on the cable) if that makes sense, say quarter turn moves a faint star from one side to the other, move quarter up, quarter right, half down, half left, 3 quarter up etc. So you're spiraling round in a grid of field of view size sections.

Hope that helps get you started.

 

[Baldurth]

Thanks everyone for great advice. I took my scope outside during the day as adviced and I was able to see the mountains that surrounds the town I live in. When I was going back out in the evening it was to cloudy to see anything so I will try again tonight. 

 

[MartianHill]

40 minutes ago, Baldurth said:

Thanks everyone for great advice. I took my scope outside during the day as adviced and I was able to see the mountains that surrounds the town I live in. When I was going back out in the evening it was to cloudy to see anything so I will try again tonight. 

 

Was the feature you saw in the middle of the finder also in the middle of the eyepiece ?

If not line a feature up in the middle of the eyepiece then adjust the finder to get the same feature central - then at night what is central in the finder will be central in the eye piece.