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Orion EQ-1 Instruction Manual page 9

Equatorial mount
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One thing you DO NOT do is make any adjustment to the
latitude adjustment t-bolt. That will nullify the mount's polar
alignment. Remember, once the mount is polar-aligned, the
telescope should be moved only on the R.A. and Dec. axes.
To point the scope overhead, first loosen the R.A. lock thumb
screw and rotate the telescope on the R.A. axis until the coun-
terweight shaft is horizontal (parallel to the ground). Then
loosen the Dec. lock thumb screw and rotate the telescope
until it is pointing straight overhead. The counterweight shaft is
still horizontal. Then retighten both lock thumb screws.
Similarly, to point the telescope directly south, the counter-
weight shaft should again be horizontal. Then you simply
rotate the scope on the Dec. axis until it points in the south
direction. (Figure 5a)
Figure 5a. Telescope pointing south. Note that in all these
illustrations, the mount and tripod remain stationary; only the R.A.
and Dec. axes are moved.
Figure 5c. Telescope pointing east.
What if you need to aim the telescope directly north, but at an
object that is nearer to the horizon than Polaris? You can't do
it with the counterweight down as pictured in Figure 1. Again,
you have to rotate the scope in R.A. so that the counterweight
shaft is positioned horizontally. Then rotate the scope in Dec.
so it points to where you want it near the horizon. (Figure 5b)
To point the telescope to the east (Figure 5c) or west (Figure
5d), or in other directions, you rotate the telescope on its
R.A. and Dec. axes. Depending on the altitude of the object
you want to observe, the counterweight shaft will be oriented
somewhere between vertical and horizontal.
The key things to remember when pointing the telescope is
that a) you only move it in R.A. and Dec., not in azimuth or
latitude (altitude), and b) the counterweight and shaft will not
always appear as it does in Figure 1. In fact it almost never
will!
Figure 5b. Telescope pointing north.
Figure 5d. Telescope pointing west.
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