How do you align the equatorial mount in the Southern Hemisphere?

How do you align the equatorial mount in the Southern Hemisphere?

1. For rough alignment, hold or mount a laster pointer on your telescope such that it’s directly in line with your telescope’s RA axis, pointing at the celestial pole. 2. Look along the laster beam, and move the telescope mount until your laser is pointing directly at the celestial pole.

How does an equatorial telescope mount work?

An equatorial mount has one rotational axis parallel to the Earth’s axis of rotation. This design allows the attached instrument (your camera or telescope) to stay fixed on a celestial object by driving one axis at a constant speed.

Does an equatorial mount need to be level?

Although it is not absolutely necessary to level a GEM to achieve good polar alignment, leveling is a very easy and handy way to make the first step into polar alignment, for the simple reason there is a relation between level and latitude.

How do you calibrate a equatorial mount?

Depending on your model of telescope, the equatorial mount may be able to rotate left and right on the tripod head. To move the mount up and down, unlock any latitude adjustment screw(s) on the sides of the mount and turn the latitude adjustment screws until Polaris is centered in your finderscope.

Do I need to polar align my telescope?

Polar alignment is an essential first step towards a night of visual observation or astrophotography. Why is it so important? By aligning the axis of your telescope mount with the motion of the sky, you can accurately track objects in space. It’s a rather simple process for German equatorial mount (GEM) owners.

How do you polar align equatorial platform?

THE POLAR ALIGNMENT TOOL Just attach the tool to the south end of your Platform, look through the viewfinder, and center Polaris by moving the Platform. This can be done with the telescope on or off the Platform. You are now polar aligned!

How do I level up my equatorial mount?

Hold it against your mount, with the longest side against the polar axis, and place a spirit level on the shortest side – which should be uppermost. Turn the altitude adjustment bolt until the spirit level is level; the polar axis should now be parallel with Earth’s axis.

How to use an equatorial telescope mount?

To make sense of the untidy arrangement of an equatorial mount, there are a few things you need to do before you can use it. Before you can use the mount to track a specific object in space, you need to align the telescope. The best way to do it is to align it with a known object like the Solaris in the northern position.

How do I align my Telescope to the correct altitude?

In order to perform the final alignment, you need to get your local latitude where you are currently setting up the telescope. Then undo the lock on the side of the latitude scale and set it to the approximate altitude of your location. This will entirely depend on where you are living, and at what latitude you are.

How do I balance the telescope in the DEC axis?

Balancing the telescope in the DEC axis is simply a matter of positioning the telescope at the right distance on the DEC mount so that its balanced from the front of the telescope’s objective lens, to the camera. Setting circles consist of two graduated discs attached to the equatorial mounts RA and DEC axis.

How to use a telescope to find Polaris?

You can rotate the whole mouth by undoing the Azimuth locks and turning it to point the telescope to the north. When you stand behind the telescope and look up along its side, you should be able to locate Polaris easily. When you have done all these steps, you can engage all the locks on the mount to keep it in that position.