Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Set your equatorial mount tripod on the ground with the legs extended. Mount the tube in the tube rings and tighten the wing nuts, if this has not already been done. Unlock the counter weight knob on the counterweight shaft and move the weight slightly back and forth while tipping the telescope tube. Find the weightless equilibrium of the telescope tube and fasten the counterweight shaft knob.
Use a compass to orient the front of the tube so it points due north. Turn the position of the tripod legs to do this. Two knobs sit at the base of the telescope just above the tripod mount. One is the right ascension (longitude) lock knob and the other is the declination (latitude) knob. Loosen both knobs and adjust the base of the telescope so it sits straight up and down and perpendicular. All shafts should pointing at right angles to each other.
Take the lens caps off the small finder scope and the main telescope front lens. Consult your star chart for the location of the North Star, according to your geographic location in the U.S. The North Star is generally 25 to 45 degrees above the northern horizon. Or find the big dipper in the chart and locate it in the sky. Follow the two base stars that represent the bottom of the dipper's pot side, in a straight line outward, you will see a very faint star, which does not move -- the North Star. Remember its position.
Pick out an object in the finder scope that is 200 or 300 yards away, like a house or car, and center it in the small finder scope. The finder scope has cross hairs or a dot in the middle -- center the object in the view. If the cross hairs or dot is not in the middle of the view, adjust the small knobs on the finder scope to center it. Then recenter the object and lock the knobs.
Unlock the lower declination and right ascension knobs on the telescope. Swivel the scope tube up and look through the finder scope to center the North Star in it. Adjust the lower declination knob to the number (in degrees) that appears in the star chart for the North Star. Lock the declination knob. Refer to your star chart for the recommendation on choosing a bright target star, for your first viewing and calibration.
Loosen the upper declination and right ascension knobs on the telescope. Bring the telescope tube to point at your target star by moving the telescope along the declination axis until you find the number, in degrees, on the telescope dial that corresponds with the number in the star chart.
Loosen the right ascension knob and move the telescope upward until the pointer on the telescope dial indicator matches the right ascension number in the star chart. Lock the knob. Look through the finder scope to see if the target star is in the field. It should be visible.
Place a 20-millimeter lens in the eyepiece socket. Look through the lens and see if the target star appears. If the target star appears in the main eyepiece, but is slightly off center in the finder scope, adjust the cross hairs or dot in the finger scope to center it.
Look through the main eyepiece and you will see the star begin to move out of the field, due to the Earth's rotation. Turn the fine-tune cable knob that adjusts the declination every 2 minutes or so, to keep the star within view.
Consult the star chart for any popular star you wish to view. Read the star's declination (horizontal-latitude) from the star chart and turn the scope until the scope dial pointer matches up with that number. Read the star's right ascension number from the chart and move the scope up or down (longitude) so the scope dial falls on that number. Look through the main eyepiece; you should see the star in view.