polar alignment

[old39]

If i have set up my scope looking north, how do i then look south without unlocking everything i have just set.

Very confused.

Richard

[Dave-Ryan]

You don't polar align the telescope, you polar align the mount.

What telescope and mount do you have?

[crabbiT Scot]

Hi mate,

I struggled when I 1st got my scope and EQ mount - a bit overwhelming. I came across this site which is useful for pointing your scope in any direction, this is of course assuming you have an EQ mount aligned north!!

Astronomy Boy: Animated Equatorial Mount Tutorial

Good luck

[old39]

I have a 114 stargazer reflector on a eq1 mount thanks Dave

[Dave-Ryan]

Does your EQ1 mount have a polar scope, if so this is what you use to align the mount.

[old39]

Sorry Dave have no idea what a polar scope is. So i assume it has not got one.

Richard

[Ronseal]

I have the eq3-2 mount which I look through (after taking a cap off) to align the mount to Polaris.

Looking at this link, your eq1 doesn't have this so do as instructions say & align using the method desribed.http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtsupport/Instruction_Manuals/PolarAlignmentEQ1and2.pdf

[Ronseal]

let us know how you get on....

[brantuk]

Just point the mount magnetic north and set the elevation to your latitude and you are roughly aligned - certainly good enough for manual tracking. To get it a bit finer use the azimuth adjust screws and elevation screws till the pole star is in the eyepiece.

Then you can unlock RA/DEC and point to whatever you want to view. You'll only have to track in RA with small tweaks in DEC now and then - the scope doesn't need to stay locked on to the pole star - but the mount does

[themos]

Hello Richard, I have the EQ1 and I, too, struggled to "get it" at the start. The unfamiliar terminology does not help. What you have, essentially, is a "cannon" arrangement (left-right, up-down) on top of another cannon arrangement. To polar align, you use the "bottom" controls. To move the scope once you're polar aligned, you use the "top" controls.

Bottom up-down: "altitude"

Bottom left-right: "azimuth"

Top up-down: "declination"

Top left-right: "right ascension"

You need to locate the screws/knobs that free/lock all four movements. You think you've managed that?

[old39]

Thanks everyone for help. If i cant do it now i will take up knitting.

Richard

[Dave-Ryan]

Don't worry Richard, you will get there.

Don't be afraid to keep asking questions.

[JamesM]

Hi Old39 and welcome to the forum.

Your EQ1 mount doesn't have a polar scope to align with and in some ways it makes the whole thing easier to be honest. In reality, this whole business of polar aligning doesn't have to be too accurate if you are just observing - it is when you are imaging, (..and therefore tracking) that this level of accuracy is required.

First thing, remove the scope from the mount and put it safe. Makes sure the top part of the tripod is level with the ground your using for observing. Now, your 'mount' (the lump of metal with all the dials on it) needs to be attached and tightened off at its base ensuring that it also in line with one of the tripod's legs to help stability. Next, look near the bottom of the mount and you will see a latitude dial that list a scale depicting degrees that show 0 at the top with 60 degrees running down either side of it. Undo the bolt nearest to this and tilt the whole mount mechanism backwards so that the other dials are uppermost and that the little metal arrow next to the latitude dial is now pointing at your latitude, usually 51 degrees - now tighten this off. The mount on the tripod should be now fixed and the mount itself is tilting back so that the arrow on the latitude scale is pointing at 51 degrees. Don't worry about accuracy as the scales are only rough indicators. All you have to do now is move the whole setup (tripod/mount) so that the body of the mount and dials are pointing north and in the direction of the star polaris. You can then attach your weights and scope and off you go. The instructions tell you how to make sure the scope/weights are balanced.

Hope that's a bit clearer for you but please ask if not because it's one of those things that takes seconds to show someone but ages to write it. Have fun and don't worry too much about the other dials (Right Ascension and Declination - left/right and Up/down) they're too small to be of any use and are there mainly for show.

Clear skies

James

[old39]

Thank you James for helping to make things less technical, apreciated.

Richard:headbang:

[JamesM]

Hi Richard,

You can't believe how many attempts I made at writing that! It reminded of an exercise once where you had to list in the correct order, instructions for building a house - in no time at all I had the whole thing built except I forgot to mark out where the door was supposed to go. (...another senior moment and I'm not even senior)

Keep the questions coming cos' we want you up and running!

James

[barkis]

Nice thread guys. Good to see the willing help flowing in.:icon_salut:

Ron.