How to use an Equatorial mount. (Beginners guide}
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- In this video I will show you how to use a basic German Equatorial Mount (GEM)
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Thank you for watching, clear skies.
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Hello folks, I forgot to mention in the video a VERY impotant point..PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR TRIPOD IS LEVEL do this before adding the mount at the place were you intend to use it. otherwise the EQ mount will not work properly.If you are taking your telescope out to the same location each clear night, and you are doing the mark the ground & tripod tip(mentioned in video) again it will be just be a one time set-up, all you have to do next time is line your mount sticker up with the mark on the ground and everything is pre set-up ...Saves so much time this way ......Take care all, clear skies :)
You did... Twice. but three times is good.
yep thats the first time i seen this and it really helped me iv had my telescope for a few years now and could not be asked to us it but now there will be no stopping me. thank you very much that was great
brilliant video just realised i have the exact same telescope as u so ur vids are ideal for me to learn set up
Thank you for the video! Finally one that I could follow and that didn't insist on using a motorized mount. Fantastic job 👍🏾 thanks 😊
@smalloptics753 "... how on earth..." INDEED!!! 😂
This channel has to be the BEST on UA-cam for beginners, plainly spoken, easy to understand quality content. Thank you Jason!
Thank you Steve, really appreciate it my friend :)
This is by FAR the clearest and most useful video I have seen on this to me (up till now) intimidating topic. You are a charming and encouraging teacher with a real gift for clear explanation. Thank you!
100% agreed! I've been watching multiple different videos on the topic before this, and they all made it seem so complicated, nobody else managed to explain it like this!
I totally agree! I recently acquired an EQ mounted scope and was unsure how to use it. This video broke it down to just the basics perfectly for me. Now I'll know what I'm doing. Thank God I found this video before trying to observe with others. LOL. 🥲
this is the best video i've seen for helping a beginner like myself. I just got mine today, but unfortunately it will be cloudy tonight. Thanks!
Hello Disciple of Christ. Thank you friend, great to hear my video has helped you. Hope you enjoy your new telescope. Clear skies :)
Well done!
I have no access to Polaris from my backyard so I mounted a magnetic compass and a spirit level to the tray that is in the center of the tripod. The compass has been aligned so it will point the N-leg of the tripod to true north.
Setting up in the front yard, I level the mount and set the N-leg to true north. I also set the RA and DEC of the mount as you had instructed and also set both of their setting circles to zero.
Then, I adjust the altitude and azmiuth of the mount to Polaris and lock them both down.
For the backyard, all I need to do now is level the mount, point the N-leg towards true north, and I am all set.
It's great to see a video aimed at those of use who have chosen German mounts WITHOUT GoTo.
Nice to watch a video for beginners that doesn't baffle you with unnecessary jargon. A nice simple explanation 🙂
I recently got into astronomy and have watched several videos on how to use one of these and this is by far the clearest one! Good job and thank you!
Hello Jeff. Your more than welcome friend :)
Absolutely brilliant, clear, straight talking guy. I haven’t even used my celestron scope yet because of cloud but I have now got it set up at long last thanks to this fella, looking forward to using it the first clear night we get. Cheers Jason.
You are more than welcome my friend, pleased to hear it has helped you. Enjoy your new telescope, Clear skies. All the best for 2021.
Thanks that is really easy to understand and great for a novice like myself. Just off out now to set up the tripod before it gets dark.
Hello David, your welcome my friend, hope those clouds keep away for you. Have fun :)
Excellent novice explanation of how to set-up and use the Equatorial Mount. Great job!!!
Thank you friend, I appreciate your kind words. All the best for 2021
Jason, thanks for taking the time to enlighten us on these beginning steps. So appreciate the time you take and the ease of which you describe the steps. You have helped me jump farther into the night sky magic!
This is exactly what a beginner needed. You made it sooooo much clearer than dozens of others I watched!! Excellent!! *****
Bloody great video, thank you!!! Seriously helpful for a total newbie. The mystery of the equatorial mount is now a lot clearer!!
Hello cineboy99. Your welcome my friend, great to hear it has helped you. Stay safe, clear skies :)
Super helpful for a newbie like me - thank you very much for sharing this info!! 🔭
I'm buying my first telescope and it has an EQ mount. Watchd a lot of videos and couldn't wrap my head around it. (So started to get scared) but after watching this video I think I understand it. Thank you soso much. Fantastic video
Hello Wallin, Your more than welcome friend..Don't be worried, EQ mounts are not as scary as they might first look, once you use it a couple of times you will soon get the hang of it. The most important thing is always point it North before using, don't worry about precise polar alignment that's only necessary unless you are doing astrophotography. As long as you have your latitude set about right and you start of pointing North, you will be fine. Enjoy your new telescope, Stay safe and clear skies :)
Thanks dude this helped massively. Iam only recently starting to take this hobby seriously and your videos i find to be inviting, informative and not overly complicated. You are my go to for all things telescope related and I'm very grateful. Thanks again 👍
Sensational, no nonesense, clear and to the point. Sir is to be commended. I have just bought my first scope with an Equatorial mount, this is just the ticket for me therefore. Cheers
My first EQ mount telescope arrives tomorrow. The video was priceless in helping me transition from an altaz Orion to the new Spaceprobe 130.
My favourite Astro-professor, good job.
Thank you my friend :)
Great video, buddy! You connected a lot of dots for me. Thank you for taking the time to put this together for us!
Your more than welcome pal🙂
thanx for the explanation on how to move the telescope to watch stuff south, seen many tutorials and they never did move it to explain how to do it, nice video
Thank you so much for this video! Your instructions were very clear. This is the best video I have seen for a beginner!
Wow! Finally a tutorial that actually dumbed this process down enough for me to understand. I can Finally use my telescope now. Thanks! You saved my hobby
Great to hear my friend 👍
without a doubt one of the best noob to veteran astronomy channels on YT
Nice video! Thanks for the information, I have always had an AZ/ALT mount, but I struggled in using it, so I bought a used GEM off FB marketplace.
But not ever having used one, I have been watching many videos, and yours is about the easiest one I have watched!
I was thinking of making a mount, but, I priced out the parts, and the labor I would put into it, and buying one made more sense!
Fantastic. As you said it does click. It clicked with me today and this video has just signed sealed and approved it 👍🏼. Happy 22
Great to hear :D... All the best for 2022 my friend :)
This is the best video that I have seen on the tube that shows how to set the EQ mount telescope and Polar Alignment in a easy and perfect way. Thank you very much. Channel Subscribed. Awaiting for the next valuable video.
This was very helpful. Thank you very much for taking time to explain and demonstrate.
Just returning to Astronomy after nearly 40 years. Thanks for making it clear i will carry out finder scope alienment tomorrow and set the equatorial mount up on the Pole star tomorrow.
Like my 8th time coming back to your vids haha thank you, every time we are one step closer
Great to hear 👍.. thanks for watching my friend.
At last- an informative video i can understand on this subject.thankyou so much Jason!
Many thanks Jason
Just taken delivery of my first telescope skywatcher explorer 130. I must admit to being overwhelmed when I unpacked it as the instructions for set up were a little over complicated for a novice such as myself!! Thanks for making the set up so simple
Very cool!
Have fun and enjoy your nights outside 🙂
Everytime you take it out, you'll learn something new, just take it slow and enjoy each success and failure alike - there is no need to rush anything
Congrats on your first telescope, you'll love it!
hello JASON, I'M new to astronomy and i just wanted to thank you for this video. it was so helpful and easy to follow and understand. :)
Hello Robert.your welcome my friend, Really pleased it helped you. Hope you get a life time of enjoyment out of your new amazing hobby. Take care, clear skies :)
Thanks again, Jason! You've demystified the EQ mount for me (not an easy task!).
Great video, your made it easy to understand! I have watched a dozen more of your videos after this first one. For your north leg mark on the ground you are going to mark two or three legs, or have to draw a line for something repeatable. I think I'm going to mount a small compass with adjustable declination on the tray for visual viewing without acquiring Polaris each time.
That sounds like a great idea. Thanks.
Thanks for the guide. Very useful in helping me set mine up as its the same telescope
Beautifully explained, really helpful and topped off as delivered by a nearby Mancunian!
Jason, your videos are so helpful, thank you so much!
Your more than welcome my friend 😊
Got up at 5 to see Saturn and was so frustrated trying to get the aligned scope pointed in the right location. Was tightening/loosening stuff and screwing it all up. Everyone talks about why you need an eq mount in detail but no one shows how to actually move/use it. Ty for simplifying and explaining so well.
Excellent!!!
That was the best explanation I have seen so far. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Mark, pleasure :)
Thank you. I tried a few other videos but yours was the clearest for me in telling me the basics AND including how to turn it south. Your tips to make it repeatable are great. Thanks again. Mine is a 90mm on a mount almost identical to yours. I will subscribe to make this a bit easier. Thanks, K
Same here. I just bought a used 130mm Orion. I understand the basics of lining it up to point north/Polaris. But u didn't quite understand how I was supposed to turn it south where Jupiter and Saturn are right now.
Keep one of the, THE designated tripod LEG, pointing north though. Remember the "arc" of the elliptical 🙏😷🌈
Very clear and helpful video!
Wonderful video! Heartfelt thanks from a complete noob that FINALLY got how to use the mount! And now on to watch Andromeda… should be well visible tonight!
Hello Tito, You are welcome pleased to hear it has helped you. If you are going to look for Andromeda Galaxy have a look at this video for a easy way find it. ua-cam.com/video/31DJiFMH-AE/v-deo.html Happy hunting.
@@smalloptics753 Will do! Thanks!
Excellent video!
Just starting out with a Feldstein 127 equal and found your clip to take the questions out of something I was somewhat confused with. Now I don't think I can at least outside with a bit of knowledge a and understanding to make a go of it.
I like your easy to understand and plain talk approach instructions.I also like your Scot accent ... Just kidding!Just a Yank messing about with ya!
Looking forward to viewing your channel for a lot of info as 70 year old dude like me needs all the help I can get for a newbie at looking to the sky above. Thanks M8 !
Fish from NY USA
Definitely helped me understand the hole thing, will get my scope out tonight if it’s clear and try get it set up properly for the first time
Great to hear.. Just take your time and I'm sure you will be fine. Good luck my friend.
Thanks for your clear explanation I finally understand how it works :)) greetings from Morocco
Hello Ziad, your welcome my friend, pleased to hear it helped you. Take care, clear skies.
Very nice tutorial. Clear and easy. Congrats
Much appreciated Alex. Thank you 😊
Thanks. Useful info.
thanks a lot for this! my previous telescope's mount was broken (was an alt azimuth) and I couldn't find any replacements, so I bought a celestron powerseeker 127eq, which (obviously) has an equatorial mount.
Thank you for a great explanation of how to use my telescope to look south.
Your more than welcome Jim.
Cheers 🙏🏻 great video thank you from the states
Very good instructions. I hope to get a telescope with the motor drives too.
Thank you for this video.
thanks so much for this vid. really helped a lot! cheers from florida.
great stuff. looking into modifying a very similar telescope so that it tracks the night sky automatically. Great introductory video to my project! thanks!
Thank you Peter.. Your more than welcome :)
Simple explanation for the beginner.
Got my explorer today.sounds straight forward we shall see🙏🏻
Hello Steven ..Just take your time and I'm sure you will be fine.. Enjoy your new telescope my friend 😀
Thank you so much for explaining this the right way.
You're very welcome!
You are the best. You saved me a lot of time. Thank you for all the information. That can't be more clear then this even if you explained that in my language. :) (Turkish)
Your more than welcome my friend. All the best 😊
Excellent video, great information for a newby like me.Thank you...
Good tips, filled in some gaps for me.
I have a long row of stones aligned north 😀
Thank you kindly, Sir, for your encouraging, inspiring explanations for setting up an equatorially mounted 'scope...
I bought one recently, and the weight of the counter weight, make felt discouraged and made me think I've made a mistake in buying it. It being a 130 eq meade. After your explanations, it doesn't sound intimidating.
I generally use a meade 90 & or 125 cass, which I guess have made me so lazy.
Regards from London 😷 🌈
Clear skies 🤸 🙏
Thank you!!! Fantastic job!!!
Your more than welcome :)
Excellent explanation 👍👍
My first telescope was a 141/900 Refractor on a EQ-1 Mount. Absolute budget Setup (~250€), and I got it as a Birthday present from my Patents and I had a great time with it - it really holds historic value for me
Telescope is actually quite good, but the mount is honestly just trash haha and the only downside
It's sort of alright for visual use, but at 900mm FL, you have the image wobble when just breathing :D semi-good Images are literally Impossible, but that's Not to be expected on an EQ-1
This setup/visual astronomy really got me into the hobby!
Cool video, thanks! =)
Excellent video! Very useful information, thanks.
Thank you, your more than welcome Marco :)
Brilliant 👌
Fantastic, thanks mate.
Thank you... You're more than welcome pal.
Mate I can't thank you enough for this video. I bought my first telescope last night exactly the same as this one (skywatcher 130?) for £80 luckily as wasn't sure I'd really be all that entertained. Felt such a div last night trying to figure it out in the dark but did manage to see jupiter could just make out the bands but it was too white?? Clear defined circle but just shining too much to see much else but what a liberty keeping it in view with the 10sp manually moving the whole scope tube 🤣 hopefully tonight I'll be able to use the adjustments properly.
You've done a grand job, lad!
Thanks buddy 👍
Great video, sir! Thanks for explaining everything so clearly. I've had my Celestron Astromaster 130eq since 2008 and by then, UA-cam was only 3 years old and didn't have this kind of content. Having a passion for amateur astronomy was not enough to start using this...somewhat counterintuitive type of "machine" and i've quickly put it aside and just took it out once or twice a year to look at the Moon, Jupiter and one time I even got to see Saturn but it was hard to keep it in the FOV. Of course the scope was not aligned or anything....i just pointed at something and that was it. The finderscope did do a lot of helping in that scenario :))). This year when Jupiter and Venus were in conjunction, i took it out again and looked at Jupiter and it sparked that passion again, but this time, i'm doing it properly! Got to know A LOT of things from your tutorials, i've searched for the stuff and i found the color filters i had since i bought the scope, the 10mm ocular and the 20mm one and i've bought a barlow lense 2x and a smartphone mount so i can take some pics more easily. That's it, i'm doing it!!!! Everything is so logical right now...after understanding the equatorial mount function, it's all so evident...and tracking planets will definitely be easy and enjoyable! Thanks again for your effort and great content! Helps a lot of us drifter astronomy enthusiasts get on their tracks! Can't wait for first night with clear sky, which i think it will be this Sunday! Thanks Thanks Thanks! Subscribed!
Your more than welcome.. Hope it stays clear for you my friend.
great video, useful stuff without all the B.S.
just need a clear night now.
cheers mate
Thanks buddy, your welcome...Stay safe, clear skies :)
Thanks mate, all makes sense now 👍
Your more than welcome friend :)
Really Good thanks friend 😊
This was very informative!
Thank you, your welcome my friend :)
Excellent! Excellent presentation...... Thank you very much..... Bob Collins/ Lincoln, California
Hello Bob in sunny California from a cold rainy UK. Thank you Your welcome my friend. Stay safe, clear skies :)
Hi I really love your content and tutorials they are so helpful and watching your videos always make me happy and get me new knowings. Keep up the good work an positivity!!🤩🤩🤩😇😍
That's great to hear, thank you my friend, very much appreciated
@@smalloptics753 and thats why I am Subscribed (Your positivity and caring of your Subscribers level is soo high)[10000000000000%]❤️💜🧡🖤💛🤍💚🤎💙❤️🔥💕💞💓💗💖💘💝❤️❤️
I keep dipping in and out of astronomy, purely from the frustration of setting up a telescope. My Wife had a Helios 114mm reflector when she was a kid - and still has it - so she’s let me use it a few times now. Annoyingly, it never came with a manual, and the thing that has stumped me on every occasion, is polar alignment. You, my good man, have cleared it up no end. Yes, it may not have been the best audio, but it was clear enough to know that this has been the most helpful video I have found to date, so thank you. I was also wondering if you had a video on the setting circles and how to set them up and use them, please?
Again, many thanks for this very helpful video. All the best to you and have a nice day.
Hello Chris, your more than welcome, great to hear I've cleared things up for you, once you get the hang of them it all makes sense doesn't it.. I will be doing a video on settings circles eventually, so stay tuned.. Take care pal.
@@smalloptics753. Sounds perfect. Keep up the great work.
thank you very much for the video i just got mine for the first time ever this helped a lot , btw i also subbed :)
Hello Kakashi. Your more than welcome, thank you for your support my friend. Enjoy your new telescope, clear skies :)
@@smalloptics753 thanks today i finally spotted the moon in good detail and jupiter got lucky with that took me a while to focus jupiter it was pretty hard to do
Fantastic video
Thank you James, much appreciated :)
Awesome thank you!
You're more than welcome friend
I just got it in the starting position and used a spirit level and builders angle measure to get my latitude off the side of the telescope. It was out by about 5-10 degrees. :)
Hi Jason. I know I'm asking a lot of questions since I found your channel a couple of days ago. As I've mentioned before, we just got a used Orion 4.5. It was missing some pieces, most importantly the 10mm eyepiece and collimating cap. One thing that appeared to be missing might not be, watching your last videos including this one. On the tube rings, the forward one has the wide ribbed knob with threaded stud in the center, and the rear one has just the female threaded hole for something to mount to. What is the hole for, and what might mount to it? There's no mention of it in the Orion manual. Also, this video is very detailed and appreciated. Without a longer eyepiece than the 25mm one the last owners included, we haven't taken it out at night to look for Polaris. What I have done after setting our latitude to 37 degrees where we are, is use the iPhone compass to point the barrel directly to north. I figured that would get me close, and I'd be able to fine tune on a clear night. The finder scope with this scope is a red dot, and I just placed a new battery in it. It seems centered with the tube using a 14,000' mountain peak about 20 miles away. Would also looking at Polaris with the wide eyepiece ensure I'm pointing due north, or is that necessary once the finder centers it? Anyway, I want to thank you again for providing the videos for completely new hobbyists like I am. Thank you, Sir.
Very good video I’m sure this will help a lot of people coincidentally I have one that is almost identical to yours so it’s just fun to see same video by other people and the way they explained it but anyway it’s very good video cheers have fun
very helpful; thank you
Your more than welcome :)
I guess I’m going to have to watch all of your videos
Wish I could see Polaris at my place (there are trees on the way). But I did like the way of following the Moon - it was much easier then by Alt/Az mount even without precise adjustment. Definitely will learn the proper way of setting up this mount because of the ease of following sky objects afterwards - maybe I even will be able to follow ISS some day with it. :) Thank you for sharing.
Hello NatureWathcer. I have the same problem my Norther sky, it is completely blocked by trees. I haven't polar aligned for over 10 years now. As long as you are roughly aligned by using a compass you will be fine for visual work. It only matters to be precisely polar aligned when doing astrophotography. :)
Thank you for the nice easy explanation! I know equitorial mounts are better, but I was slightly intimidated by the learning curve. It is simple once it all "clicks."
Another very easy to watch video Jason, I'm definitely for team equatorial mount like yourself. I'm one of those people who advocates having the focuser opposite the counter weight shaft, but I have the tripod really low so I can reach to the north in comfort. I spend most of my time sat on a stool with the scope either side of the meridian though. I think it makes sense to do it your way if you're going to spend a long time observing one object, but I tend to do laps of the sky lol I think I would prefer your method if they provided a third slip ring so you don't lose you balance position when you loosen the rings. Rings with bearings that can be locked into position would be ideal, I wonder if that's actually a thing?
Hey Chris.Thanks pal. Ring bearing method you mentioned sounds good, but I'm not aware of such a thing either, maybe your onto something, patent it quick lol. I agree you can't beat the sat down position (that sounds wrong lol) I usually do that when I'm sketching, I know, proper old school.
@@smalloptics753 haha have you noticed that nearly everything sounds wrong now days :D There's still lots of people posting their sketches on the forums, you're far from alone with that one :)
Thank you.
One of the best things to remember is.... if you dont take your mount anywhere else then set the latitude, and never touch it again.
All you then need to remember is point north and make sure its level....(I dont use the built in single bubble level... I purchased a seperate one.... the more accurate the level the better. In the northern hemisphere, this should make it real close to polaris for a rough polar align. Everything from here clicks into place much easier..... Ive seen people constantly adjusting latitude to find a target.... with an eq mount this absolutely works against you
Subscribed!
Thanks for the vid. I just bought myself a telescope last week n got same one. Cudnt for the life of me understand how to set the mount properly
This content is intellectual. A book I read recently was of similar calibre. "Stars Aligned" by Olivia Whitestone
Thank you
Great video Jason, just aquired the same model as shown . How do or where do you get the coordinates for the latitude setting? Thanks …gaz
@garrycaswell2301: Use a GPS or Google maps. On Google maps just Left-Click on your location and it will show your latitude and longitude (the first number is your latitude......that's the one you want).
A very good and easy to understand video mate I'll be giving it a go next clear night.
Also do you have any advice on setting up a motor drive on a eq2 mount?
Hello Ryan, thanks buddy. The EQ2 motor is easy to install and use. They are self-explanatory really they can only go on one way. One thing though, make sure you remove the long slow-mo adjuster...It's really easy to forget you've got the motor engaged and start turning it which will damage the motor, the other slow-mo adjuster is obviously not a problem. Take care, clear skies :)