The equatorial mount allows you to tilt the telescopes axis of rotation so that you can track the stars as they move across the sky. How to set up an equatorial mount skyatnightmagazine. Design a german equatorial mount association of lunar. Not as convenient as a fork mount when sweeping from horizon to horizon, as the tube can bump the legs or pedestal mount as the scope passes the zenith, requiring that the tube be tumbled.
Shown above is a newtonian reflector telescope on an equatorial mount specifically a german equatorial mount. How to build an equatorial mount for long exposure astrophotography. How to build an equatorial mount for long exposure. Naturally as a kid i had to have one, so i told my. Very small and simple nonmotorized mounts, used for small telescopes 34. I plan to use it with either my astrophysics 6inch f7 edf refractor or a celestron 11inch sct.
Properly set up, the polar axis of an equatorial mount is parallel to earths axis of rotation and, therefore, doesnt need to be adjusted further. We feel that spending hundreds of pounds on a commercial telescope mount suitable for decent astrophotography is a dull and uninteresting route to. The first part of this article gave an introduction of german equatorial mounts gems and discussed polar aligment and how it is been done. A gem allows the scope to swing around without clearance issues for the most part. Click on the microsoft windows 10 explorestars app download and. He aligned one of the mounts axes parallel to earths axis and moved the mount with a weightdriven clock drive at the same rate as our planets spin. They are very similar for many other equatorial mounts as well. How do i use the setting circles on my celestron german. The basic aim of polar alignment is to align the telescope mounts right ascension ra axis to polaris. Here at the curdridge observatory we like improve our astrophotography with a practical diy approach. Design a german equatorial mount jeff beish introduction after a question from a planetary observertelescope maker was posed to me concerning telescope mounts a reference came to mind that may interest other telescope makers. These knobs work in the same way that the altitude adjustment bolts did.
Make sure the tripod mount is even this is important. L ight and compact but capable of supporting heavy payload, precise goto and autoguide. Make sure your finderscope is aligned with the main scope and that your mount is. Improving the cg5 equatorial mount also available in german to see labels, touch the image with your mouse cursor. This is in the same plane as the one in which the stars appear to move. Axis housing showing furnished integral pole alignment finder telescope.
Company seven orion atlas german equatorial telescope mount. These mounts allow easy tracking of objects as the rotation of the earth makes them. Since that time, many more astroimagers and planetarium controlled setups have emerged as backyard telescope technology has evolved. A mount used primarily with refractors and reflectors. Equatorial mount for astroimaging dec 1, 20 can anyone recommend a portable goto german equatorial mount for astroimaginng. Improving older cg5 mounts machine tools links to suppliers astrophotography building a german equatorial mount improving the newtonian. Homemade gem german equatorial telescope mount how i. A counterweight on one side of the polar axis balances the weight of the optical tube on the other. The solution seemed to be to take the ota optical tube assembly off the forks and mount it to something like a german equatorial mount gem. Losmandy gm8 equatorial mount with tuckedin motors, lw tripod, and gemini 2 goto system gm8g. All these mounts have steel rod legs for increased stability. The diy homemade german equatorial gem telescope mount. While very useful when understood, the motions of a gem can be baffling at first. Manual equatorial mounts largest selection top brands.
How to align a german equatorial mount for visual observing. German equatorial mounts manual a manual german equatorial mount is one without go to capabilities provided by an on board computer and motors to drive the mount to a desired object. The equatorial mount is an essential tool for amateur observation today. The rotation of the earth can be a puzzle for astronomers. This second part of the article talks about declination, right ascension, setting circles, balancing the mount and load capacity. Amazons choice for equatorial mount quartzcontrolled r.
This picture shows the ra axis of a standard equatorial mount and the motion the axis operates in. Eqmod can be downloaded for free from the eqmod website download the. A level tripod allows easier fine adjustment of controls and better weight. M idsized portable equatorial mount specialized for astrophotography and expert observation. Eqalign born as a software that assists to align a german equatorial mount gem exactly to the earth polar axis. In the german equatorial mount, sometimes called a gem for short the primary structure is a tshape, where the lower bar is the right ascension axis lower diagonal axis in image, and the upper bar is the declination axis upper diagonal axis in image. Introduction many of the telescopes purchased by newcomers to astronomy are supplied with german equatorial mounts, or gems. Astronomers often use a pole alignment telescope in a german mount as an aid to quickly orient the german equatorial mount r. Continue reading part 2 of this german equatorial mount article on declination, right ascension, setting circles, mount balancing, and load capacity. Since its creation in the early nineteenth century, the german equatorial mount has allowed astronomers to perform a perfectly stable following, even at high magnification. Beginners with an equatorial mount getting started with.
The worlds easiest equatorial mount instruction manual for reflector telescopes before you get started, youll need to know that your telescope is a reflector telescope. In order to align the mount properly, you will either need to manually turn a slowmotion knob on the right ascension axis or by adding a clock drive. This means that the user often has to nudge the scope in two directions simultaneously to compensate for the earths rotation and follow a celestial object. You might want to experiment with a carpenters level. Setting up an equatorial mount on ascom with eqmod, stellarium. A fork mount on a wedge like many scts have is another type of equatorial mount. An advantage of a fork mount is that it can be converted from an altazimuth mount for viewing to an equatorial mount for photography. View and download meade lx850 instruction manual online. You can see that it looks more complicated than the altazimuth mount. Hi allive owned a number of scopes in my time but ive never used a german equatorial mount. What makes it more complicated is that it has an axis with an adjustable tilt.
If you are on a hill, youll want to adjust the length of the legs. This german mount has tracking motors in both axes that follow celestial objects very precisely. The handbox with goto works reliable and controls the mount in every situation. Add a wedge to turn the altaz form mount into an equatorial means i lost any chance of pointing north.
Bresser messier exos2 eq goto mount bresser exos2 goto equatorial mount. Get the best deals on equatorial mount when you shop the largest online selection at. You may also download the latest version of the a200 control software from com. German equatorial mount telescope system with starlock. Fork mounts have become very common for their versatility and ease of use. The following instructions are generally applicable for our german equatorial mounts as of 2009.
Figure 3 all the ways a german equatorial mount can twist and turn. B eautiful exterior and great rigidity by machining center, milling and lathe work. Setting up a german equatorial mount need help finding polaris the pole star then jump to 6. The proper way of using this arrangement of two rotating components, with the whole apparatus tilted at. Turn the knobs a few times while looking through the polar scope.
How to use an equatorial mount for beginners youtube. Download and install the latest ioptron aommanderascom drive for from. Regularly stocked item that is on order with the manufacturer and on. German equatorial mounts have a huge range in prices. Ascension 200hr german equatorial mount instruction manual. Presented by robert j dalby produced by db video services for astronomy. While german equatorial and fork equatorial mounts are similar in their ease of use, compared to an altazimuth fork mount the equatorials are more difficult and awkward to use. The crosshair scope now visible in stellarium is quite literally your telescope. Easy polar alignment for astrophotography step by step. Now im putting together a shopping list for the wannabe astronomer. German equatorial mounts gems used to be more common, but the advent of computerized telescopes has made the fork mount usable for a variety of applications and it is quickly becoming the most popular mount for most observers.
If the mount is aligned along this axis, and if it rotates at the same speed as earth about 1 revolution every 24 hours but in the opposite direction, then the movement. It seems to the best of my memory that it started when i was 9 or 10 years and saw a gocart for the first time. I relish the idea of learning how to use one, but im considering one for our new club and im wondering if they might be a bit daunting or difficult to operate for a. My tutorial on setting up an equatorial mount on ascom to interact with the free. Polaris should have moved to either the left or the right. The worlds easiest equatorial mount instruction manual. A telescope on an altazimuth mount simply moves updown altitude and leftright azimuth. Download installs a driver for telescope control systems that speak the merlin. Examples of high quality, sturdy german equatorial mounts for different telescope weights.
An observatoryclass equatorial mount for dedicated amateur astronomers, the orion hdx110 eqg mount combines a huge 110lb. Equatorial eq mounts, and particularly german equatorial mounts, are the best way to mount a portable telescope. Fully manufactured by astrodreamtech so that perfect support and warranty is provided. How to set up an equatorial mount from space with love.
Fred tretta published a paper in the riverside telescope. German equatorial mounts are easily identified by their counterweight, which is used to balance the telescope across the primary axis of the mount, or polar axis, resulting in greater stability and weight capacity. Introduction cg5 information introduction preparation getting started declination axis right ascension axis tripod tips astronomy information barn door camera mount equatorial mount animation comet halebopp photos constellation. For us, i feel that going for an equatorial was the right decision, and we found it easy to use both scope and mount. With an altaz mount, doing this requires you to adjust two axes, azimuth leftright and altitude updown. Putting your telescope on an equatorial mount allows you to follow stars as they continue their steady progress across the night sky. Cgx equatorial mount and tripod celestron telescopes. Pmceight explorestars windows install tutorial youtube. Last fall 2011 i took full advantage of the fantastic sabatical policy where i am employed. Celestron cgem 1100 instruction manual pdf download. For best telescope performance, the equatorial mount should be properly leveled. Manual german equatorial telescope mounts can track a celestial object once the mounts are properly polar aligned.
An equatorial mount is any type of mount that has an axis parrallel to the earths axis so that simple rotation will track the stars. An equatorial mount allows a scope to move in the celestial directions of northsouth and eastwest. Quick and dirty guide to setting up a german equatorial. Telescope equatorial mounts with goto and tracking versions. Grab n go german equatorial goto mount fitting into almost everyones budget. The simplest method of polar alignment is simply to aim the ra axis at. The tripodmount is an orion skyview pro german equatorial mount with a polar alignment scope and dual axis motors. Using an eq mount simple polar alignment for beginners. How to use an equatorial mount for beginners will explain the difference between an equatorial mount and an altazimuth mount and the advantages of each. This article will end up on the subject of a german equatorial telescope mount after i give you a little background. Insulated and waterproof boots, thermal socks, mittens, a red light, possibly a planisphere and with advice, perhaps a cheshiresight tube.