Learn how to easily align your equatorial mount
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- A complete step-by-step explanation of how to set up and align an equatorial mount. The demonstration covers all basics required to set up and polar align most any telescope on a German equatorial mount in the Northern Hemisphere for visual observation of the stars, planets and deep sky objects like nebulae, clusters and galaxies. #withcaptions
Brilliant video, thanks very much for uploading. I've just bought a Celestron Astromaster 130eq and this video was invaluable in explaining how to set it up correctly. All I need now is some good weather!
Thanks John! Glad the video helped. You're now experiencing the "Amateur Astronomer's Curse" by the way - you can expect cloudy weather at night for at least a week or two simply because you have a new piece of astronomy equipment. It will happen every time you buy an eyepiece, accessory, or another telescope.
Eyes on the Sky that's true i just bought the same telescope yesterday and all the sky is now full with rainy clouds :'(
A wedge is used for a different kind of telescope mount, usually a fork-mounted equatorial mount. The wedge serves a similar function as the latitude adjustment portion of a German equatorial mount - it allows the user to adjust the latitude to match their own latitude on Earth.
By far this is the best tutorial for aligning...
You're cheesy as heck. But you're awesome and got a great sense of humor - and you execute it magnificently!
*H E C K I N G F R I C K*
burnt waffles This is a *christian server* so no swearing allowed
@@iuliandascalu4078 Christian*
HECKING FRICK
HECKIN FRICK
Thanks much bro... I got a Celestron Power Seeker 70EQ for my bday.. This vid helped alot
I really enjoyed the video, just starting to use the equatorial mount type scope for the first time, and it did confuse me, so thank you, great help.
hey thanks for this vid David, really helpful. Just got my first scope today , as soon as I got it home the clouds came over :( this really helped me set it up and balance it, can't wait to start using it. Subbed.
Thank you. I've been trying to figure this out, and your video was effective, whereas the instructions Celestron sent to calibrate the telescope were less than helpful.
Thank you very much for this site.
Glad to help!
@Heapydood - I'm glad it helped. :-)
hello what about the Southern hemisphere because Polaris dose not rise in Australia so how do I pola align then if I'm in the southern hemisphere please let me know.
This is what the internet needs more of. Relatable, clear directions that have been explained and demonstrated on equipment that people probably have at home. Very well done. 10 years old and still blowing people's minds on how easy it really is to use an EQ. Thank you sir.
This is so kind of you to say - thank you for taking the time to write this comment. Very much appreciated!
I just got my daughter a Newtonian with an equatorial mount for Christmas. Needless to say, neither of us knew much about telescopes. There is a ton of information to process but I see that it can be done especially with the help of simple videos such as this one. Thanks for this! It was soooooo helpful.
@ItsGabeen why would you say that? Grow up!
@ItsGabeen it doesn't matter what she buys for her kid, it's non of your business. What you wrote was hurtful. I am happy that a parent is getting her kid into a fascinating hobby that could one day grow into something more. Try being supportive instead of insulting!
@ItsGabeen what wrong with a eq mount for a kid?
@Charles X Let me start by saying THANKS for your response to a comment I posted forever ago. This video was and still is much appreciated.
In response to the negative comment. It is no biggie. I didn't even see it until today. Like you said commenting on a public platform should come with thick skin. Luckily for me I have just that. It comes with owning who you are and what you do/stand for. Can't be hurt by much once you've accomplished that.
So it is all love 💙💙💙
Thanks again.
I've been stargazing for 3 years now and I always just pointed my scope at the star/planet I was looking at and then found it difficult to track it. This video has been a massive help to me and now I always align. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.
Thank you - glad it help!
Painfully cheesy, but very informative. Well done!
HECKING FRICK
Almost 10 year old video and here I am about to get a telescope and watching how these work. Thanks!
Glad it is helping you! I've got one about how to aim these too, plus Telescope Basics, etc.
You're welcome, and thanks for the nice compliment! That was the idea: To answer the questions about eq mounts in one video. Glad I accomplished that for you!
I am glad I found this video Sir. When I began watching I felt as if I was in a 5th grade classroom BUT that said I am a 58 year old man that really needed a starter class on alignment. I am buying a Celestron Advanced VX Series 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain Go To Telescope and will need to polar align it. I have watched a few other videos and got lost in the "talk" very fast. Your teaching style would have been AWESOME for me when I took algebra many years ago as it would have saved me a summer school class one year. LOVED the video Sir and will visit your web site today. No need to update the video as I am fairly certain the mounts and stars have not really changed. Thank you.
Really informative, nicely done. Thanks .
Thanks to your video, I just aligned my telescope for the first time ever. It was freaking awesome!
HECKING FREAKING FRICK
You're welcome - that's exactly why I made this video! Glad it helped.
@metalskateboarder965 - thanks. Yes, use the R.A. and declination clutches to move the telescope to the desired object, and then relock them once you have it centered (or close). Use the slow-motion controls to recenter if needed, and use the R.A. slow-mo control to keep the object centered over time, to account for the Earth's rotation. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much dear Sir. God bless you Sir
My fiance has just bought me the eq2 ,130mm/900mm. always loved astronomy,my fionce saw this telescope and bought me it on monday,YEEY.SO COMPLETE NEWBIE!
Are you satisfyed with the scope? I am about to buy the same scope myself,and would like to know if it works fine and is easy to use:)
I've previously used a GO-TO scope so now that I'm trying out an equatorial mount this guide is exactly what I am in need of! Most helpful! :-)
It is hard to imagine that anyone forking-out a bundle $$$ to buy a sophisticated equatorial telescope setup, would need a middle-school-oriented instructional vid explaining that it is the earth - not the sky - that is moving. Please, we're not really cretins, you know! Its a bit like requiring a warning to be stamped on the bottom of your beer bottle to "Open Other End." Even 'newbie" amateur astronomers deserve a bit more respect for their basic intelligence than that. Unless, however, they're "flat earther" newbie amateur astronomers! 😁
I would encourage you to do some public outreach for a while. You will discover how little people know and understand about very basic things right over their heads. As such, I try to educate without being condescending, and I receive many compliments to that effect here and in person. But expecting people to know what many do not know (as I have learned over the years of doing this) would be to leave them uninformed, which is not a good way to teach. I'd rather cover something - even if it *should* be known - and for this video, especially so, as it is integral to understanding why and how the mount works as it does.
Didn’t you take the tripod out of level when you raised the southern leg to align with Polaris ?
This was made 10 years ago I dont think your going to get a reply
But yeah, im pretty sure he f*cked up his alignment doing so
H
@@humwhatever185 dead laughing lol
This was an excellent video tutorial for a complete newcomer such as myself. This not only helped me to understand how to setup and adjust my EQ mounted reflector telescope but why we do the things we do in order to achieve that.
Thank you for your kind compliment! This video is almost 12 years old, so I am incredibly glad that it is still helpful.for people. It's the exact reason I made it!
As a photographer, never having used a telescope, I will be watching your videos ALOT. This one, is the first and so far the best. Thanks for giving me/us some confidence.
Hi David. This video is an excellent, clear demonstration on how to use an eq mount......... the best I've seen online. Well done!
Keep looking up.
Regards.
Mark, Southampton, England
I am an old Dobsonian but bought my first EQ-Mount yesterday. Your video is funny but also very helpful. Thank you for this. It will help me very much using the EQ-Mount for the first time.
A good tutorial comes in handy even after 11 years(or 100 years) 😂
Thanks for this mate 👍
You're welcome, it was my very first UA-cam video too.
Hard to find one in that price range that has decent aperture and a substantial mount to keep it from being a vibrating nightmare while focusing and tracking. For that price range, I prefer an Astroscan (used) or an Orion Starblast - just know that you'd be somewhat limited on magnification for Mars, Jupiter & Saturn, but the wide fields of view, stable mount and larger aperture make these better for just about everything else. Just my $0.02 on the topic.
I've actually got some video shot to do this; I just need to get the rest of the video taken and then edited. It's the editing that takes a long time, and with the weekly videos that I do (10 hrs per week for each), it's hard to get additional videos finished up. But that one is in the works, for sure.
10 years later and this video is still helpful, thanks again!!
If you can see it, Sigma Octans, which is a fifth magnitude star. But that's pretty faint. The other thing to do is look for where the Southern Cross points - there are some tutorials online that can help you estimate where the southern celestial pole is. For visual observing, precise polar alignment isn't critical. So if you get your tripod level, the latitude set properly, and are "close" to pointing south, you'll be in good shape. Hope that helps!
If you are able to leave your telescope in the same spot all the time, then yes. But most of us move our telescopes in and out due to weather and such. Again, for visual observations, you don't have to make it "perfect" by any means. If your alignment is within a few degrees of Polaris, it will be fine and will only require some very minor declination adjustments, and even then only at medium to higher magnifications. I hope that helps!
Julius, you are welcome. Please note, at 6 degrees south latitude, you will want to use the south celestial pole as your reference for polar alignment - not the north pole / Polaris as my guide shows (mine is north only). I cannot insert links into UA-cam comments, so I am unable to point you to a good tutorial. But if you search on Google or another search engine for "Polar Alignment Southern Hemisphere" you will be able to find information to help you align properly for your location.
The balance of the counterweight and scope has more to do with how the mount works than the balance of the tripod/overall setup. So I would balance it according to ensuring everything is in balance with each other (not with the tripod/ground), and simply be careful about the north side of your mount so it doesn't tip. Keep in mind that minor declination adjustments are not difficult even if the mount is level & slightly off polar alignment. Not sure what you mean by "mobility"?
On the nights when the Big Dipper is visible, you can use the "pointer stars" to help you estimate where Polaris is (see my Stargazing Basics video on "Measuring Distance in the Sky"). Another way is to use a compass - especially if you set up in the same place every time, you will be able to "eyeball" where north is simply by knowing the landmarks around you. Remember, for visual telescopic observing, alignment doesn't need to be perfect - only "close."
It is hard to tell you exactly what to get, since you say that good scopes are hard to find there, and I don't know what is available to purchase there. One thing I do not like about that scope is the corrector lens used to increase the focal length in the short tube. I think it has an adverse effect on images. If you can find the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ, I think that is a better option.
Sorry... since I don't live in the southern hemisphere, and have never seen the sky down that way, I can't provide a first-hand account of how to align there. Best I can tell you is that Sigma Octans, a 5th magnitude star, is at the southern celestial pole, and you can "eyeball" it by using the Southern Cross stars to help you find that location in the sky. There are some online guides for the southern celestial pole, but the rest of the info still applies - latitude scale, leveling, etc.
You're welcome. I don't tend to like what comes in those accessory packs, as they often include very short focal length Plossls that have very short eye relief, and a bunch of colored filters you're really not likely to use. I think a Moon filter is worth having, and definitely a couple extra eyepieces, but I think it makes more sense to get some of the Long Eye Relief ones like Zhumell, AstroTech, TMB or Orion sell instead.
You mean the mount can spin freely on the tripod? If so, is there a screw missing somewhere in the mount that can be replaced? If not, is there a way to jam the azimuth motion from moving? For visual observing, polar alignment need not be perfect - just "close." So if it is off by several degrees in azimuth, it won't affect viewing except for occasional declination adjustments every so often. See if there is a way to lock that in place somehow.
Those dials are called setting circles. This video does not cover how to use them. In summary, they can be used to help find objects in the night sky without having to use a finderscope and/or 'star-hopping.' When the scope is aligned very precisely with the celestial pole (also not covered in this video), and the setting circles adjusted properly, the scope can be moved using these circles to have celestial objects (using their coordinates) be in or very near the eyepiece field of view.
@TheFuelFreak maybe a little farther away from the celestial pole than Dubhe. More towards the celestial equator - Betelgeuse, Procyon, Arcturus, Spica, Altair, etc. When centered on that star, set your RA setting circle to match it's listed coordinate. Then move the scope to new coordinates for other objects. Should get you very close; use wide-field eyepiece and spiral the scope to find objects. Just remember to reset the circles to the current object's coordinates precisely before moving on.
@TheFuelFreak - well, using RA and Dec coordinate is one way to find things, but you don't have to use them. If you do, you will need to calibrate the RA setting circle to an object of known RA - say, Sirius or Arcturus or Deneb. Then with close enough polar alignment, you can then "dial in" other objects. But the other way is simple star hopping - no coordinates required. Either way, unlock the RA & Dec clutches, dial in coordinates or point to the object using the finderscope. Make sense?
@ivanosito - you don't need to go to Aries. You can set the RA by using another star of known RA position. So let's say Aries is behind a tree or below the horizon, but you know that Regulus is visible (1st mag star in Leo). Point your scope to Regulus, THEN set your RA circle to the 10h position (Regulus is 10h 08m). Now you can find other objects because your setting circle is accurately set. You may need to adjust periodically throughout the night though, due to Earth's rotation.
@SeanKimStyle - yes it will need to be aligned towards the north star, but once you do it once or twice, you'll realize it's not hard to do it all. It need not be perfect either. Just "close enough" that you only need to do minor declination corrections every so often. Regarding the scopes, I like my 90mm f/10 Orion refractor, but if it's your only one, go larger. But don't go so large that it's difficult to set up and move. 100mm is a nice sized refractor.
@M0mentumPark0ur - I've not been to Mexico City, so I can't say for sure. But Polaris is visible even from Chicago, which has a lot of light pollution. It helps to shield yourself from as many outdoor lights as possible. Aligning your scope will make it easier to observe the Moon; simply turn the Right Ascension slow motion control to account for the Earth's rotation. Hope that helps!
@gdazerg - Without reading the exact language, I'm not sure what manual is saying. It is important to balance the scope in both axes; RA and Dec, and adjust to proper latitude. If balanced and latitude set to your location, you should be mostly set, provided you're level and pointed to Polaris (I'm not sure what "altitude" is referring to in the manual?). Hope that helps; maybe send me a message here with the exact language from the manual? I'll try & decipher for you.
@magsie97 - not sure I can answer your question as I don't know which way it's not balancing. Is it tube-side heavy? Or weight side heavy? If the tube-side is heavy (i.e., goes down) then the counterweight may be too light. If the weight side is too heavy no matter where you place the weight, then the counterweight is too heavy for your telescope tube. Let me know what specific problem you are having and I will do my best to help.
@jvianneyjr - do an internet search for "southern pole alignment" - sigma octans is the closest star to the southern celestial pole, but is only 5th magnitude. If I recall correctly, it is possible to use the Southern Cross to help find the southern pole. Knowing your latitude and using a compass can help immensely too, because you can set your latitude scale on the mount, level your tripod and point the scope south in the "home" position. Should get you fairly close, I think.
@khongten172 - thank you again. Where you are, it will make a steep angle, as the RA axis needs to be parallel to the axis of the Earth's rotation. In Alaska, for example, Polaris would be much closer towards overhead. Your latitude is just closer to the equator compared to me (or Alaska) therefore Polaris is lower in the sky for you, so the angle will appear much steeper than what I show in the video. Trust yourself, give it a try, and see how it works when you observe.
@Buckett162 - Thanks for watching and for the kind words. Re: your telescope - without seeing your telescope and set up, I really don't know. Some eyepieces have very narrow fields of view, and it can be difficult to center your eye and see the field easily. If even slightly out of focus, the stars will not show up and everything will appear black. Other than that, it's hard to speculate what else might be the source of the problem.
@bicnarok - sounds complicated, but all it's saying is that "The Earth rotates, 24 hours in one day. In order to keep objects centered in a telescope, the telescope rotates the opposite direction as the Earth." If the telescope doesn't rotate opposite the Earth, objects in the eyepiece move out of the field of view. Make sense? Motor drives on smaller mounts usually attach to a large post near where the pivot point for the latitude adjustment is. Hope that helps!
@Nunsweepit421 - the techniques for safely cutting down a 3 year old sapling are different than those used for a 90 year old mature oak too, though both are still referred to as "trees." I am confident most viewers will recognize this video is not intended to cover every possible type / weight / mass of eq mount in existence, and most beginners unfamiliar with aligning eq mounts are also quite likely to own lightweight instruments easily moved by one person.
@metalskateboarder965 - no, this simply sets up your telescope to use as an equatorial mount, that will make it easier to track things when you point at other objects in the sky. Once set up for equatorial use, unlock both clutches and point at any object you want (Moon, planets, deep sky objects, etc.), then relock them once centered. Then slowly turn the right ascension slow motion control (if you have one) to keep the object in the middle of your eyepiece while viewing.
A couple things: 1) Check out my weekly videos; you should be able to see most objects I highlight in them. 2) Look for the "Skylights" objects in my blog on my website 3) Observe the Moon, planets, double stars and open star clusters and 4) Stay tuned - I'll have some more videos up in a few months with specific objects to look at for people in exactly your situation.
If you already have a 130mm scope, the 76mm will not be any better on planets - actually, it will be harder to get enough magnification if it is the 300mm focal length one. Also, the smaller aperture means less resolution, so even at higher magnification, it will show less detail. Reflectors are fine telescopes; nothing wrong with starting out using one.
@SeanKimStyle - I prefer star-hopping over computerized myself; not that goto scopes are bad - I just don't like waiting to set them up and waiting for them to slew to objects. You can find latitude usually by finding the closest large city then looking it up on Wikipedia. Upper right hand corner shows latitude under "Coordinate."
@jvianneyjr - drift alignment is perfectly acceptable, and is a good way to get more precise polar alignment even in the northern hemisphere. It just takes longer to align a scope that way. But if you can set up in the exact same position every night, you will have accurate polar alignment every time you observe too.
An EQ mount makes it far easier to find objects using setting circles, and track objects in the sky at higher magnification compared to other mount types. However, some people do find them cumbersome and prefer alt-az. I am glad this video helped you arrive at a good decision for your own needs.
@richiepee - this is one of those things were seeing it in practice is better than even pictures or diagrams. Once people see how to set up an eq mount, it tends to make more sense than reading the often convoluted explanations in manuals. Hope you're able to get it set up correctly now!
@jvianneyjr - you're welcome. Please let me know how it works out for you. Not having been to the southern hemisphere, I cannot relate to the different challenge of polar aligning without a bright star in that area, and I do not have any personal tips I can share, unfortunately.
@khongten172 - not quite sure I understand what you're saying. The entire telescope is slowly moving down, rotating on the latitude axis? Does the latitude lock need to be tightened more? Are the internal threads stripped? Hard to diagnose without seeing it.
Hi - see my video "How to use an equatorial mount" either here on youtube or my homepage. That will clear up any confusion. If you have the annotations left "ON" here on youtube, there are several links to that video in this one.
It was a mount I bought on Ebay - I do not know what brand. I bought the motor from Orion Telescopes, and it worked on that mount, fortunately. I have since sold both, so I do not own them anymore.
@M0mentumPark0ur - your questions were not annoying or stupid - that is why I made the video: To help others set up their equatorially mounted telescopes so they can use them more easily. :-)
@gp15wales - thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately I don't have a video on how to fit a motor onto an EQ1 mount - I don't own one of those. Sorry!
@meinsla - along which axis does it roll? RA or declination? I'm not sure I have enough information to help you fix the problem.
primos, thanks for the kind words. Not to worry, the other comment really doesn't bother me. As they say, "Haters gonna hate."
I will likely have to do it a few times... Clear instructions are great. SUBSCRIBED!
My wife just bought a fancy new telescope (our first ever) and expects me to figure out how this thing works....
Wish I were smart enough to understand what you are saying in this video! My mount looks very similar to this, but I still can't figure out what I'm supposed to do with half the knobs, how to tell if the thing is balanced properly, what half the terminology thrown around means, and I don't understand how you find Polaris and tell it apart from every other star without having access to a time laps video camera!????
Hi there. Polaris can be found in the north. Determine your latitude; Polaris is the same number of degrees above the horizon that your latitude is. You can estimate that number of degrees by watching my "Stargazing Basics" video series, which will help you know how to find Polaris, understand how bright stars are compared to each other, and find Polaris. Then watch my "How to use an equatorial mount" video. And become familiar with the knobs on your scope by checking the instructions - you should be in good shape then. Hope that helps.
Eyes on the Sky Thanks for replying!
We just purchased a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ. The instructions it comes with are a bit vague, and hard for a novice to understand. All this terminology is new to me, as is celestial and terrestrial geography, (if that even makes sense?) And it is making my brain hurt. haha...
So if I understand correctly, my latitude where I live is 42, so I set the mount at 42 degrees on a level surface, point the scope directly north, and Polaris should be about there?
Also, the big and little dippers are about the only constellations I know, is it true that I can spot Polaris that way as well?
Yes! You've got the idea. All the stars in the Little Dipper are hard to see, but Polaris and Kocab are both 2nd magnitude stars in it that can be seen from most anywhere. And you do not need perfect polar alignment for visual observing, so what you said is true: Set latitude, point north on level surface, and "Voila!" Then watch my "How to use an equatorial mount" so you'll know how to move the scope around the mount to point it at other parts of the sky. :-)
Eyes on the Sky Thanks! I will check out your other videos!
Astronomy can be very difficult to understand and I believe the learning curve for it is rather steep. With that said, I'm a beginner in viewing the skies with a telescope and as helpful as these videos are for a beginner, I think you can benefit greatly from smartphone apps (if you have a smartphone or a tablet, or even a laptop). These apps will tell you your current position, if you point them at the sky they will display the stars that are in the region (and much more information). There are apps designed just for star gazing, or more intricate apps designed for telescope viewing.
Star Chart, Astronomist, Star Tracker, Starwalk.
Better watch out - I make these videos to be a threat to light polluted skies everywhere!! ;-)
Awesome video. You told me everything I needed to know without any extra information. The video with the nights sky made it so clear. This is the way kids should be educated in school.
Ioan-Radu Tanasescu Thank you so much - that was very kind of you to write.
Hi, thanks for the very informative video.
Stefano
Italy
You're welcome; thank you for the nice comment.
Turtle Neck....
What a Div!
In this video, the white telescope is a refractor, and the black one is a reflector.
@stewartford00 - glad it was helpful. Sorry I'm not near you or I'd give you a hand!
Is there a reason for not pointing a tripod leg toward South when first beginning?
If you don't point it south, when you get behind it, you will not be facing the opposite (North) to line up the equatorial plane.
Wow! Thank you so much! I just got a telescope and the equatorial mount was baffliing. The instructions for setting it up were pathetic. Now I'm off to a great start. Thank you again!
This video has taught me how to set-up an eq mount with ease, i've watched other similar videos but they seem to over complicate things & have put me off from buying 1. I was going to buy a telescope with an alt-azimuth mount, but after watching this tutorial im definitely going to buy 1 with a eq mount..
I see that it is an older video. what mic did you used? very good sound
Thank you very much, I think I'm ready for my purchase now :) I meant if it would affect in any way the movement of the scope on the mount, for instance if there's any chance of the counterweight being obstructed by the tripod legs or anything similar. But anyway knowing now that the latitude problem can be solved feels good. Once again thank you very much, you were very helpful! Great video by the way, easy to follow and very clear!
Hi there! I have a question: I've been researching to learn about telescopes before I buy one for myself (first one, so one that's good for an amateur in terms of budget, but with a good performance relative to that budget), I have narrowed it down to a couple of candidates, but I would like them to be equatorial mounted, the problem is I live in Costa Rica (latitude 8-11 degrees) and every equatorial mount I've seen has a latitude range of a minimum of 17 degrees, how can I solve this problem?
Hello David . Helpful , enjoyable and informative , thanks .I'm just starting out in astronomy (over 60!) and have narrowed my search down to Skywatchers & Celestrons - good reviews . I would really like to see the Orion and other nebulas , plus the rings of Saturn etc. I am looking at the Skywatcher 130 PM- 650mm focal length ,f4.5 with a parabolic reflector . Would you have any comments on this ? Best regards to you and your family, and thanks again for your great vids .r4
Question: I can do what you show in the video without problem due to the fact that you don't use the R.A and Dec angle markers. But my telescope (celestron c6-n not computerized) has issues with these gauges I think. When I move my scope around the Declination axis the gauge does not remain fixed with the scope. Is this an issue? The Dec gauge has a screw to lock down the dial but the R.A. gauge spins freely when moved by hand and seems to stay put when the scope is moved about this axis.
hi as i almost know nth about telescopes i m wondering if i don't do polar adjustment etc will i not be able to see anything? from some videos about skywatchers telescopes it looks all much simpler you just point an eye piece to where you want to watch and this is basically it. but someone told me that to operate equatorial mount u have to learn how to do a meridian flip to reach other half of the sky not set up on. not sure what it means other half of the sky means.thanks
@eyesontheskyDOTcom Got it. 1: set polar alignment...2: use a star to set current RA co-ords....3: Use RA and Dec to locate other objects...4: when finished observing current object use its Current RA co-ords to set RA circle and off you go again to a new object while repeating step 4 after every object looked at. (reset RA co-ords to the object currently being viewed before moving on)
I really want to buy a dobsonian telescopes, but the maintenance part will drive me nuts. So I am thinking about the refractor telescope which it is maintenance free, but it looks like with eq mount......... you might say 'well get a computerized', but I want to learn about astronomy on my own with help like you provide. I loved your videos, I'm going to watch this video about 100 times. Is North count San Diego 33 latitude? By the way subscribed/favorited/liked. Thank you :)
O man.... this tutorial is giving me a panic attack. I am just learning about all types of telescopes and few stars/planets/nebulars/galexies. I never even thought about the mount. The telescope I am thinking about buying comes with eq mount, do I always need to align towards north star? Also I am thinking about buying either Orion Astroview 90mm(910 focal length or Astroview 100mm(600) focal lenth. Its about 50 dollars difference, what would you buy? Should I spend more to buy 120mm?
Thank you very much, it really helped! i was just doing it so wrong. Ive got 2 questions (as i have not placed my telescope outside yet) 1. is polaris visible in heavy polluted cities like mexico city? 2. do i have to align my telescope to polaris to make a moon observation? i have been doing it without aligning it to polaris but its difficult to keep up with the movement. Also: after i align it with polaris, what axis do i move? thank you again, i hope im not very annoying.
great video i have only 1 question (for me thats a good sine) ^^
in the video about polaris due to the time and length of the video you could see what star was polaris
but i dont have a good camera or webcam to videotape the stars for 24 hours
how can i easily know what star is for me polaris ( and is that star polaris for a long time or is polar alignment needed every few days/weeks)
I am from the Netherlands and very soon gonna buy my first telescope.
can u explain it easy to me ?
thx. :D
Hello sry to bother u..i recently purchased a refractor telescope(first scope)..ur videos have helped out alot...but i live in las vegas so it has lots of light pollution.i know i can easily drive to the desert..but i cant exactly drive 40miles everytime i wanna star gaze.,...i was wondering what are some few tips to improving my experiance in my situation?
Thanks a lot, David! If I adjust the tripod legs to compensate for the latitude, should I balance my telescope again after raising/lowering the legs on my tripod so that it doesn't tip over, or should I adjust the tripod and leave the balance as it was before the adjustment? Will this have an impact on mobility?
Hey! Cool video and pretty informative! But I'm using an EQ 6 pro and it's not quite possible to move the mount after you've put on your 8" newton and 10kg of counterweights. So i align the mount first without telescope on it and set it up after i aligned it. I mean i know how to do it by now. But maybe you can do a video regarding heavier mounts and especially guiding?
this guy was very professional, and took time out of his day to help out strangers, for nothing in exchange, but for the great felling of helping someone get a little further.. so before you go juudging someone with your petty comments go look in a mirror and ask yourself how how you could possibly contribute more to life and people that are in it turd
Could you do a Part II to this video where you show us how to slew the telescope in the opposite direction after it is aligned with Polaris? I see a lot of videos on UA-cam about aligning a telescope on the Celestial Axis but I do not see any that show you how to align a scope on a star from the starting position.