Sky-Watcher EQ2 MOUNT - Manual (Page 18)

18
Examples of the telescope moved in R.A. and Dec
Fig.o
Telescope pointing South
Fig.p
1. 2.
Pointing to directions other than due North
Pointing in any direction other than due North
requires a combination of R.A. and Dec positions
(Fig.o). This can be visualized as a series of Dec
arcs, each resulting from the position of rotation of
the R.A. axis. In practice however, the telescope is
usually pointed, with the aid of a finderscope, by
loosening both the R.A. and Dec locks and
swivelling the mount around both axes until the
object is centred in the eyepiece field. The
swivelling is best done by placing one hand on the
optical tube and the other on the counter-weight
bar, so that the movement around both axes is
smooth, and no extra lateral force is applied to the
axis-bearings. When the object is centred, make
sure the R.A and Dec locks are both re-tightened
to hold the object in the field and allow tracking
by adjusting only in R.A.
Pointing at an object
Pointing at an object, for example to the South
(Fig.p), can often be achieved with the optical tube
positioned on either side of the mount. When
there is a choice of sides, particularly when there
could be a long observing period, the East side
(Fig.p2) should be chosen in the Northern
Hemisphere because tracking in R.A. will move it
away from the mount's legs. This is particularly
important when using an R.A motor, because if the
optical tube jambs against the mount's legs, it can
result in damage to the motor and/or the gears.