Wow, really fantastic! I just got my first reflector telescope with an equatorial mount and was totally baffled. The manufacturer's instructions were incomprehensible, but your live demo, and showing how to just release the clutches to swivel things around, made everything so clear! I thought everything had to be locked in place, but now I know you can just unlock things, get the tube pointed in the right general direction, then lock it down. Thank you so much!
This is exactly what I was looking for. I jumped in at the deep end with an EQ and only knew how to align as opposed to everything else. Great job! Had to sub.
This video is a great help thank you. I bought a second hand (probably 3rd or 4th hand) refractor yesterday for my first scope. It came with an EQ3 mount which the seller took the time to show me how to set up and use. By the time I got it home and set it up last night, I'd forgot a lot of what he showed me! LOL 🤣 I watched a couple of videos, including this one, and I think I have it all figured out now. If I get stuck, I'll come back to your video to remind me. :)
This is the simplest and most straightforward video about eq mount I've seen. All other videos I have seen only talk about polar alignment bit never how to use the mount. Thank you very much :)
I have to say I LOVE what you do. Your sense of humor, clear explanations---everything! I'm hooked! However, one thing I didn't hear mentioned in this video is how to use the setting circles on your mount, given a set of celestial coordinates, to locate objects---if that is even how it works. So my question is: (assuming your mount is properly aligned) can you use the setting circles, given a set of coordinates, to go directly to an object? For example, you determine Mars is at a certain RA and Dec: assuming proper alignment and accurate coordinates, can you set your setting circles to those coordinates and be near (if not directly on) the object?
You just confirmed that I am not CRAZY and relieved a lot of frustration for me! I have the same EQ mount as in your video and ran into the motor bumping problem! Have been "fighting" my EQ mount for a while now! Thank you for doing this video!
Can see well for the first time in my life , finally had eye surgery...am 69 years old ...learning my first telescope, 120mm,..and in this video, you explained and answered every question I had ...WOW, ...is so much to see in this world, Thank you young man...Good Job Thanks from Howard.
You're welcome, Howard! Congrats on the successful eye surgery too. I also show how to find lots of interesting objects up in the night sky on my channel too.
Thank you Jim! I will do one on setting circles, most definitely. But these last 8 or so 'extra' videos I've done took a lot of time. Gotta work on a few things around the house now! I have quite a few "next step" video ideas to make for future videos, and setting circles is one of them.
This is a critical how to for the use of these mounts. Everything else I find just shows you polar alignment. We all need to know just how to actually use the mounts with our scopes for use after polar alignment for objects in various orientations in the sky. Your video does this very well. Sub'd, liked & saved!
You're welcome, and thank you for the excellent question. That is one of my frustrations with that particular mount/motor drive, is the inability to use the RA slow motion while the drive is connected. Some mounts allow you to easily disconnnect - or move the motor away from - the mount itself, allowing for fine RA adjustment before engaging the motor. I have not found a way to do that reliably and with good results on this one, unfortunately.
Thank you so much for the compliment, and you're welcome - I'm glad to help others learn to use their astro-equipment so they can "see what's up" in the night sky more easily.
I think I can say your setting up the mount and this video have helped loads. I had absolutely no clue about how they work but now I understand how to get the most out of my new toy. Now I just need a clear sky at the weekend so I can set it up.
Thank you so much. I just bought a telescope with an Equatorial mount. I knew right off the bat I was gonna need some help. Your First video on set up helped with that, and the second one was the finisher. Gonna have some fun with my daughter now.
Thanks. Both your videos have helped us balance our new Celestron 130 that we got for Xmas. Hopefully we can now use it more effectively. I'll be back with questions!
just bought a scope with an EQ mount and thanks to both your videos, i feel i understand the concept quite clearly. can't wait to field test it. thanks a lot, good sir!
I got them Chris. The last one looked like you almost had the whole Moon trying to get in focus. Try and use the longest focal length eyepiece you have, and hold the camera above the lens about 10-20mm or so, using your finger as a brace between them to keep the camera in place. Keep at it!
There's nothing wrong with learning about how to use setting circles, of course. But it does require the extra set up time, and the setting circles need to be large enough that they can be used with sufficient accuracy to find objects. Many smaller scopes have setting circles that are more decoration than useful. Thanks so much for the nice compliment; I'm glad to help!
Great vid; when I owned a 10" Schmidt-Newtonian I marked off the center-of-gravity in the standard configuration on the tube and with the counterweights so I could skip the step of balancing during setup in the field, worked great.
My Telescope just turned up after ordering a few days ago.....just set it up, thanks for the video, well explained, hope the sky is clear tonight. All the best.
Something like this is best demonstrated via video, hard to explain through the written word. I've been relying on alt-azimuth mounts to find and sketch deep-sky objects for the past 3 years. Now I need to start using my EQ mounts to become more efficient in tracking and sketching objects. It's a pain to lose objects at high powers in the middle of a sketch using an alt-azimuth mount and then having to star-hop all over again (using lower powers) to find the object. This is the first time I've seen a demonstration on how an EQ mount is used, so many thanks!!
After I made my "How to align an EQ mount" video, I got a lot of questions on how to use one. That's why I made this one - I know it's helped a lot of people, and I myself was scared of using a GEM type mount for a long time because I didn't really understand them. So I thought I'd share it with others, since as you said, it makes it a lot easier to track an object at high magnification.
Eyes on the Sky The few times I've tried using my EQ mounts I had a hard time slewing the scope around to get to my target - now I see it involves constantly rotating the OTA within its rings as well as rotating the diagonal to get to a viewable position. Again best to see it done via video, so I'm viewing it multiple times. I also replaced the slo mo cables on my EQ mounts with knobs - another major problem I had was the OTA constantly getting jammed with these cables.
Fantastic mate. Watched your video on how to align it and after I had no idea how to use the scope. After watching this video I now know how to use it, thank you so much!
Thanks for your brilliant tutorial.This was something I could never understand from textbooks.It came over so easy the way you explained it.Thanks again!
The best video I've found to explain this complicated piece of equipment. I've forwarded it to several people when my explantion just wasn't getting through. Great stuff. Great job 'Eyes on the Sky guy'. :o)
David, I like to review your vids and keep a file with the ones I like. Hvn't been out with my GEM for a while. You are the best at your tutoring. Everyone else shows how to align. You show how to use. Thanks !!!!
I appreciate that, sir! My very first video was a "How to align" as the ones on YT at the time were all awful (10 yes ago!). But I kept getting questions, "Ok, I'm aligned, but how do I use it now?" So I made this video. Glad it's helpful!!
These are wonderful videos. I don't have an equatorial mount but I have posted your set-up and your how to use video on forums to help new owners of this type of mount. Great job!
Another truly fantastic tutorial!, many thanks David. the information I have gained from these and from your site has allowed me to get a bit closer to checking out more of the sky above, I watch the sky pretty much every night, seeing anything from multiple meteors to some of the comets that have been gracing us lately! I think I now understand how use the mount a lot better. many thanks for all of your efforts from Aus!. Cheers Paul.
You're right, it's an Orion SkyView Pro mount. Solid and stable for a scope of that size. That's what is nice about the largely standardized dovetail saddle mounts, is that observers can easily switch telescopes back and forth on a single mount.
Hi Scott, Yes, that's correct, if everything is working properly and you're aligned precisely. In practice, you may need to do minor declination adjustments or occasionally speed up / slow down the motor to keep the object centered. But the idea of the equatorial mount is that the telescope more easily follows objects across the sky.
Thank you so much! My pleasure to share the knowledge - the more people we have looking up, the more we have who are conscious about light pollution. Just please return the favor and adjust your outdoor lighting accordingly, and we'll call it even. :-)
Thanks for point me to this video David. I now see that I didn't mess up setting up the telescope, just that I wasn't using it correctly. I haven't tried the polar alignment yet, since I just got the scope last night. I got a fuzzy shot of the moon this afternoon, with a few light clouds in the way. Now it is buried. Couldn't quite get Jupiter and Saturn focused, but I'm betting that has something to do with all the moisture in the air right now. Had some good rain earlier. Thanks again!
David..you are a sanity saver! Thank you so much for the effort in both of the videos that I've used, as a new (but eager) starter to telescopes this has been invaluable with my basic Skywatcher P1145 (EQ1) Christmas pressie..I wil be tracking Santa next Christmas.
Great video! All the talk about the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction got me itching to get a telescope. Bought an inexpensive starter scope, and the manual left me with many questions. This video, and the one about alignment, got me in the right direction! You have a nice approachable style, and take time to demo each step. Thanks!
Fantastic video! Thank you so much for making it.The last time I went out I felt like an idiot with my EQ2 mount.I can promise you that the next time will be much better.
Very well done, very high quality, and excellent presentation. Had an Alt Azimuth when I was a kid, and now many years later decided to get back into astronomy, and wanted an equatorial mount... but was intimidated by the complexity... this video walks you through the steps. Personal thanks for producing and sharing...
Jonathan, I was the same way - very intimated by the equatorial mounts before I got one. After I did, I realized how simple they are once an observer understands them. This video - as well as my "How to align an equatorial mount" video - are intended to help people realize that simplicity-in-the-complexity. Thank you for the nice comment!
Thank you for doing this video. I was thinking about getting an equatorial mount but wasn't sure if I could manage it with only one hand...lost use of left arm after a stroke. Now, I know for sure that alt/az is my only option. You saved me a lot of money and frustration by doing this video!
It makes it much easier to take pictures for sure. Note that for longer exposures or ones that you will be 'stacking' then it is critical to have precise polar alignment and for the motor drive to track accurately.
This is the best video explaining how to use a refector, I am using a 200P and when the rings are loose enough to be able to turn the tube slides down, presume I just need an other ring attachig to the scope tube to stop it from sliding? Thanks Bill Horwich in the UK
Thanks for these videos! Not much out there and these are very informative, just got my first scope for my birthday. Cannot wait to bring it out on a clear night :)
You're welcome! I got a lot of requests for a video like this after I did the one on how to align - hopefully a lot more people are seeing things in the sky as a result. :-)
I'm glad to see that there are a few tricky areas to get to in the sky with a simple set up, and that I'm not crazy. These videos are great, and are helping me make the most out of my scope. Do you ever attempt taking simple photos with those scopes used in the video? Thanks again for taking the time to put these videos together.
Nice scope set up, Jeff! Indeed, this video is not a tutorial on precise polar alignment for astrophotography. Drift-alignment is probably the best method for that.
Hey ScienceofWinning, thanks for the comment. That reflector is actually a Celestron C6N, not an Orion scope (though it IS on an Orion SkyView Pro mount). Regarding pros/cons? Well, I've owned well over 3 dozen telescopes in my life, and after getting that one, it is, honestly, the one scope I use the most. I still have a 10" Dob, and a bunch of smaller refractors, but I use that one all the time. It's a nice "all around" telescope.
Fantastic video. I find that I'm a diehard dob guy and also use a vixen polaris mount in alt az with my short reflector, but this video gives me the confidence to give GEMs another chance.
Thank you so much David for all the video's. I recently bought the Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ and I was very intimidated by it but your video's turned that around. Once again thank you and keep those video's coming.
No problem - I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss something. EQ mounts can be confusing initially, but that's why I made the videos to help them be more understandable, because once they are "figured out," it makes it a whole lot easier to track things in the sky and follow them at the eyepiece. Glad you got it all squared away! :-)
Sean, that's "on the list" of videos to get done. I'm ridiculously busy for the next few weeks, but hopefully will get a chance to work on that and some others early in the spring.
I've been leveling my tripod with a torpedo level. Nice tip with the plumb line. I'm going to rig one up now. I'm beginning to watch your videos. Nice job.
You're welcome; glad it answered some questions for you. The video idea you describe is part of what I'd like to do for a future video, indeed. I do need to take a little time off from the "extra" ones; I've spent a lot of time getting this one and the 6 "Telescope Basics" ones put together. I need a break from that much editing for several weeks, at minimum. But I'll get to some advanced topics. :-)
Great video, I watch the sky for some time now (and don't consider myself a rookie anymore), but still I've found out sth really useful - the explanation of proper position of a telescope in relation to the counterweight (as balance is one of critical points during astrophotography). Clear skies!
RA & Dec is a whole other subject. Many people never even learned how to use the coordinate system, and have located all of the Messier objects and many NGC objects. It's not a requirement at all; Dobsonians don't even have coordinates on them. Starhopping is a valid way to find objects. And, a telescope must be very precisely aligned in order for the setting circles to work properly. I plan on doing a video about it sometime in the future, but need to find some time to get that done.
You're welcome; many, many years ago I used to be intimidated by these kinds of mounts. Knowing how to use them makes observing the sky so much easier to do.
I am a product designer and found that if you are using such a mount aligned with the North star and want to see South, there is an easier way. With any scope with an end eyepiece (like a refractor) you don't have to turn the tube in the mount to use the finder. Just turn the scope South and then flip the weight and scope to the other side. The finder will be up. Now just turn the diagonal up. Oh, and having the counter weight above the scope is OK.
Fantastic video. I am new to astronomy and bought an Equatorial mount but was basically using as an alt-az. Soooo helpful!!
Wow, really fantastic! I just got my first reflector telescope with an equatorial mount and was totally baffled. The manufacturer's instructions were incomprehensible, but your live demo, and showing how to just release the clutches to swivel things around, made everything so clear! I thought everything had to be locked in place, but now I know you can just unlock things, get the tube pointed in the right general direction, then lock it down. Thank you so much!
This is exactly what I was looking for. I jumped in at the deep end with an EQ and only knew how to align as opposed to everything else. Great job! Had to sub.
Finally I understand how to set up an equatorial mount.
Many thanks David.
This video is a great help thank you. I bought a second hand (probably 3rd or 4th hand) refractor yesterday for my first scope. It came with an EQ3 mount which the seller took the time to show me how to set up and use. By the time I got it home and set it up last night, I'd forgot a lot of what he showed me! LOL 🤣 I watched a couple of videos, including this one, and I think I have it all figured out now. If I get stuck, I'll come back to your video to remind me. :)
This is the simplest and most straightforward video about eq mount I've seen. All other videos I have seen only talk about polar alignment bit never how to use the mount. Thank you very much :)
Thanks so much for watching, and I'm glad the video helped. Clear and dark skies to you!
Thanks again for a how-to video. You look a lot more relax now than your previous equatorial mount set up video!
I have to say I LOVE what you do. Your sense of humor, clear explanations---everything! I'm hooked!
However, one thing I didn't hear mentioned in this video is how to use the setting circles on your mount, given a set of celestial coordinates, to locate objects---if that is even how it works. So my question is: (assuming your mount is properly aligned) can you use the setting circles, given a set of coordinates, to go directly to an object? For example, you determine Mars is at a certain RA and Dec: assuming proper alignment and accurate coordinates, can you set your setting circles to those coordinates and be near (if not directly on) the object?
The best video yet on aiming an eq mounted telescope ..thanks!
Thank you! That's high praise for a video I made around 10 years ago. :)
You just confirmed that I am not CRAZY and relieved a lot of frustration for me! I have the same EQ mount as in your video and ran into the motor bumping problem! Have been "fighting" my EQ mount for a while now! Thank you for doing this video!
Mate thanks for teaching me how to use an EQ mount i am new Astronomer and it really helped me! Thank you so much!
Clear Skies everyone!
Glad it helped - clear and dark skies to you!
Can see well for the first time in my life , finally had eye surgery...am 69 years old ...learning my first telescope, 120mm,..and in this video, you explained and answered every question I had ...WOW, ...is so much to see in this world, Thank you young man...Good Job Thanks from Howard.
You're welcome, Howard! Congrats on the successful eye surgery too. I also show how to find lots of interesting objects up in the night sky on my channel too.
Thank you Jim! I will do one on setting circles, most definitely. But these last 8 or so 'extra' videos I've done took a lot of time. Gotta work on a few things around the house now! I have quite a few "next step" video ideas to make for future videos, and setting circles is one of them.
If there's such thing as the perfect You Tube tutorial, this is it. Answered every question I had before watching this.
Thank you, Michael! Extraordinarily kind of you to share that comment.
Awesome video, tnx.
Now all I need is an easier way to wrap my mind around what I see
in my refractor & reflector and what I see in my star atlas.
This is a critical how to for the use of these mounts.
Everything else I find just shows you polar alignment.
We all need to know just how to actually use the mounts with our scopes for use after polar alignment for objects in various orientations in the sky.
Your video does this very well.
Sub'd, liked & saved!
You're welcome, and thank you for the excellent question. That is one of my frustrations with that particular mount/motor drive, is the inability to use the RA slow motion while the drive is connected. Some mounts allow you to easily disconnnect - or move the motor away from - the mount itself, allowing for fine RA adjustment before engaging the motor. I have not found a way to do that reliably and with good results on this one, unfortunately.
Thank you so much for the compliment, and you're welcome - I'm glad to help others learn to use their astro-equipment so they can "see what's up" in the night sky more easily.
I think I can say your setting up the mount and this video have helped loads. I had absolutely no clue about how they work but now I understand how to get the most out of my new toy. Now I just need a clear sky at the weekend so I can set it up.
Absolutely needed this video. I think this is the only video that covers this. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much. I just bought a telescope with an Equatorial mount. I knew right off the bat I was gonna need some help. Your First video on set up helped with that, and the second one was the finisher. Gonna have some fun with my daughter now.
Thanks. Both your videos have helped us balance our new Celestron 130 that we got for Xmas. Hopefully we can now use it more effectively. I'll be back with questions!
Thank you for the kind words; you're most welcome.
just bought a scope with an EQ mount and thanks to both your videos, i feel i understand the concept quite clearly. can't wait to field test it.
thanks a lot, good sir!
Glad to help!
You the real MVP! ... Saw Saturn for the first time ... And in the first attempt after watching the Video ... Thank you Sir !
I recently transitioned from Alt/AZ to an equatorial mount and watching this video was a revelation!
I got them Chris. The last one looked like you almost had the whole Moon trying to get in focus. Try and use the longest focal length eyepiece you have, and hold the camera above the lens about 10-20mm or so, using your finger as a brace between them to keep the camera in place. Keep at it!
There's nothing wrong with learning about how to use setting circles, of course. But it does require the extra set up time, and the setting circles need to be large enough that they can be used with sufficient accuracy to find objects. Many smaller scopes have setting circles that are more decoration than useful. Thanks so much for the nice compliment; I'm glad to help!
Great vid; when I owned a 10" Schmidt-Newtonian I marked off the center-of-gravity in the standard configuration on the tube and with the counterweights so I could skip the step of balancing during setup in the field, worked great.
Thank you, I've been struggling with this for ages and finally I know how to use my EQ mount properly. Good stuff!
My Telescope just turned up after ordering a few days ago.....just set it up, thanks for the video, well explained, hope the sky is clear tonight. All the best.
I've been looking for a video like this for AGES! Thank you so much for making this, I finally know how to properly use my EQ3 mount!
+Niskis Glad I was able to help - clear and dark skies!
Awesome!! Exactly what I needed!! I have to watch a video of someone explaining /showing it, to fully comprehend. Thank you sooooooo much!
Something like this is best demonstrated via video, hard to explain through the written word. I've been relying on alt-azimuth mounts to find and sketch deep-sky objects for the past 3 years. Now I need to start using my EQ mounts to become more efficient in tracking and sketching objects. It's a pain to lose objects at high powers in the middle of a sketch using an alt-azimuth mount and then having to star-hop all over again (using lower powers) to find the object. This is the first time I've seen a demonstration on how an EQ mount is used, so many thanks!!
After I made my "How to align an EQ mount" video, I got a lot of questions on how to use one. That's why I made this one - I know it's helped a lot of people, and I myself was scared of using a GEM type mount for a long time because I didn't really understand them. So I thought I'd share it with others, since as you said, it makes it a lot easier to track an object at high magnification.
Eyes on the Sky
The few times I've tried using my EQ mounts I had a hard time slewing the scope around to get to my target - now I see it involves constantly rotating the OTA within its rings as well as rotating the diagonal to get to a viewable position. Again best to see it done via video, so I'm viewing it multiple times. I also replaced the slo mo cables on my EQ mounts with knobs - another major problem I had was the OTA constantly getting jammed with these cables.
Many thanks for an easy to understand explanation for us beginners.
Fantastic mate. Watched your video on how to align it and after I had no idea how to use the scope. After watching this video I now know how to use it, thank you so much!
Thanks for your brilliant tutorial.This was something I could never understand from textbooks.It came over so easy the way you explained it.Thanks again!
The best video I've found to explain this complicated piece of equipment. I've forwarded it to several people when my explantion just wasn't getting through. Great stuff. Great job 'Eyes on the Sky guy'. :o)
+Barry Cooper That's so very kind of you Barry. Thank you. I appreciate the referrals to my videos very much!
David, I like to review your vids and keep a file with the ones I like. Hvn't been out with my GEM for a while. You are the best at your tutoring. Everyone else shows how to align. You show how to use. Thanks !!!!
I appreciate that, sir! My very first video was a "How to align" as the ones on YT at the time were all awful (10 yes ago!). But I kept getting questions, "Ok, I'm aligned, but how do I use it now?" So I made this video. Glad it's helpful!!
These are wonderful videos. I don't have an equatorial mount but I have posted your set-up and your how to use video on forums to help new owners of this type of mount. Great job!
Another truly fantastic tutorial!, many thanks David. the information I have gained from these and from your site has allowed me to get a bit closer to checking out more of the sky above, I watch the sky pretty much every night, seeing anything from multiple meteors to some of the comets that have been gracing us lately! I think I now understand how use the mount a lot better. many thanks for all of your efforts from Aus!. Cheers Paul.
I want to thank you i recently perchased a celestron 127eq and ur vids are easy to follow and understand for a newbie as myself
I noticed that you didn't mess with the latitude position when getting to the target. Great job of explaining and thank you.
Umm…this was amazing. I’ve been hesitant to jump into EQ mounts because I wasn’t sure I could handle the aiming. You’ve cured me.
Thanks David this answers a lot of questions.
Yes, thanks, so much for this! It all comes together now! Not explained in my manual, at all clearly, so this is perfect!
You're right, it's an Orion SkyView Pro mount. Solid and stable for a scope of that size. That's what is nice about the largely standardized dovetail saddle mounts, is that observers can easily switch telescopes back and forth on a single mount.
Hi Scott,
Yes, that's correct, if everything is working properly and you're aligned precisely. In practice, you may need to do minor declination adjustments or occasionally speed up / slow down the motor to keep the object centered. But the idea of the equatorial mount is that the telescope more easily follows objects across the sky.
Thank you - just trying to make astronomy easier for people, so more of them will look up (and aim their lights down). :-)
Great video I have a Celestron power seeker 114eq and covers pretty much every situation I ran into. I'm so much better at my stargazing! Thanks
That was my goal, Phil. You're welcome, and thank you for the nice comment.
Thank you so much! My pleasure to share the knowledge - the more people we have looking up, the more we have who are conscious about light pollution. Just please return the favor and adjust your outdoor lighting accordingly, and we'll call it even. :-)
Thanks for point me to this video David. I now see that I didn't mess up setting up the telescope, just that I wasn't using it correctly. I haven't tried the polar alignment yet, since I just got the scope last night. I got a fuzzy shot of the moon this afternoon, with a few light clouds in the way. Now it is buried. Couldn't quite get Jupiter and Saturn focused, but I'm betting that has something to do with all the moisture in the air right now. Had some good rain earlier. Thanks again!
David..you are a sanity saver! Thank you so much for the effort in both of the videos that I've used, as a new (but eager) starter to telescopes this has been invaluable with my basic Skywatcher P1145 (EQ1) Christmas pressie..I wil be tracking Santa next Christmas.
Great video! All the talk about the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction got me itching to get a telescope. Bought an inexpensive starter scope, and the manual left me with many questions. This video, and the one about alignment, got me in the right direction! You have a nice approachable style, and take time to demo each step. Thanks!
Thanks for submitting these videos. I'm just getting started and these are really helpful.
Alastair Plant you're welcome. There's a lot more on my channel, so be sure to check them out.
same here!
Fantastic video! Thank you so much for making it.The last time I went out I felt like an idiot with my EQ2 mount.I can promise you that the next time will be much better.
+Roger Hambleton It's confusing until people see how it's used. Then it tends to make sense. That's why I made the video. Glad it helped!
Very well done, very high quality, and excellent presentation. Had an Alt Azimuth when I was a kid, and now many years later decided to get back into astronomy, and wanted an equatorial mount... but was intimidated by the complexity... this video walks you through the steps. Personal thanks for producing and sharing...
Jonathan, I was the same way - very intimated by the equatorial mounts before I got one. After I did, I realized how simple they are once an observer understands them. This video - as well as my "How to align an equatorial mount" video - are intended to help people realize that simplicity-in-the-complexity. Thank you for the nice comment!
Just wanted to say thanks a ton, because this helped so much.
Thank you for doing this video. I was thinking about getting an equatorial mount but wasn't sure if I could manage it with only one hand...lost use of left arm after a stroke. Now, I know for sure that alt/az is my only option. You saved me a lot of money and frustration by doing this video!
It makes it much easier to take pictures for sure. Note that for longer exposures or ones that you will be 'stacking' then it is critical to have precise polar alignment and for the motor drive to track accurately.
This is the best video explaining how to use a refector, I am using a 200P and when the rings are loose enough to be able to turn the tube slides down, presume I just need an other ring attachig to the scope tube to stop it from sliding?
Thanks
Bill
Horwich in the UK
Thank you for making this video. It really explains things in a clear fashion that is easily understood.
You're welcome! I hope you will check out my weekly videos along with the Telescope Basics series I have here on TH-cam and on my website.
Thanks for these videos! Not much out there and these are very informative, just got my first scope for my birthday. Cannot wait to bring it out on a clear night :)
Thanks. I'm new to the skies. You have described all of the small anomalies that had me thinking that I was doing something wrong. I am renewed...lol
Glad to read this - thank you!
This is really helpful. Great video.
Excellent vid, answered sooo many questions!!
Glad it helped!
Thanks for showing this so clearly, even a newbie like me can follow.
You're welcome! I got a lot of requests for a video like this after I did the one on how to align - hopefully a lot more people are seeing things in the sky as a result. :-)
Thanks so much for the compliment - my pleasure to help! Let me know if/when you have more questions.
Well, this is what I was looking for! Thanks a million David ! 👍🏻 👍🏻
fvmuijen you're welcome! I have lots of videos on how to find things on the night sky too.
Eyes on the Sky I'll be checking your website and maybe contact you if I need some help! Thanks again!
Wonderful...inarguably the best video on Equatorial mounts
Thanks. Helped me a lot
I'm glad to see that there are a few tricky areas to get to in the sky with a simple set up, and that I'm not crazy. These videos are great, and are helping me make the most out of my scope. Do you ever attempt taking simple photos with those scopes used in the video? Thanks again for taking the time to put these videos together.
Just needed this video, helping me get around my new telescope. Thank you.
Thank you , great information, I am very new at this but with this video I get a better understanding .
Nice scope set up, Jeff! Indeed, this video is not a tutorial on precise polar alignment for astrophotography. Drift-alignment is probably the best method for that.
Hey ScienceofWinning, thanks for the comment. That reflector is actually a Celestron C6N, not an Orion scope (though it IS on an Orion SkyView Pro mount). Regarding pros/cons? Well, I've owned well over 3 dozen telescopes in my life, and after getting that one, it is, honestly, the one scope I use the most. I still have a 10" Dob, and a bunch of smaller refractors, but I use that one all the time. It's a nice "all around" telescope.
Fantastic video. I find that I'm a diehard dob guy and also use a vixen polaris mount in alt az with my short reflector, but this video gives me the confidence to give GEMs another chance.
Its sooooo much easier to use a single slow motion control to follow an object across the sky than fiddling with two simultaneously.
Thank you so much David for all the video's. I recently bought the Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ and I was very intimidated by it but your video's turned that around. Once again thank you and keep those video's coming.
No problem - I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss something. EQ mounts can be confusing initially, but that's why I made the videos to help them be more understandable, because once they are "figured out," it makes it a whole lot easier to track things in the sky and follow them at the eyepiece. Glad you got it all squared away! :-)
Sean, that's "on the list" of videos to get done. I'm ridiculously busy for the next few weeks, but hopefully will get a chance to work on that and some others early in the spring.
Can you explain how to use the dials on the RA and the Declination axes? thanks.
I've been leveling my tripod with a torpedo level. Nice tip with the plumb line. I'm going to rig one up now.
I'm beginning to watch your videos. Nice job.
thanks for your video's. they help alot in grasping the fundamentals of using a telescope.
You are so awesome. Thank you so much. Because of you, I am able to use my telescope, which is my very first.
Your videos are so clear and helpful! Thanks!
Thank you for the kind compliment, and you're welcome. :)
You're welcome; glad it answered some questions for you.
The video idea you describe is part of what I'd like to do for a future video, indeed. I do need to take a little time off from the "extra" ones; I've spent a lot of time getting this one and the 6 "Telescope Basics" ones put together. I need a break from that much editing for several weeks, at minimum. But I'll get to some advanced topics. :-)
Great video, I watch the sky for some time now (and don't consider myself a rookie anymore), but still I've found out sth really useful - the explanation of proper position of a telescope in relation to the counterweight (as balance is one of critical points during astrophotography). Clear skies!
RA & Dec is a whole other subject. Many people never even learned how to use the coordinate system, and have located all of the Messier objects and many NGC objects. It's not a requirement at all; Dobsonians don't even have coordinates on them. Starhopping is a valid way to find objects. And, a telescope must be very precisely aligned in order for the setting circles to work properly. I plan on doing a video about it sometime in the future, but need to find some time to get that done.
fantastic video, really helpful and explains how I can use my scope properly, thank you!
You're welcome - thanks for watching, and please feel free to share with others who are learning how to use an eq mount.
this video cleared up so much for me thank you! i had been trying to use my new eq mounted scope like my old az lol
Thanks astroguyz, and that's a great idea to pre-mark the tube and counterweights.
Thank you so much for these videos on how to use a gem. I've been doing it wrong and now I feel like I'll be able to at least track things easier!
You're welcome; many, many years ago I used to be intimidated by these kinds of mounts. Knowing how to use them makes observing the sky so much easier to do.
Thank you because I was about to pitch this telescope through the nearest window.
I am glad my video helped!
very nice explanation for a beginner like me, thanks
great videos!!! thanks for the tips mate!
I am a product designer and found that if you are using such a mount aligned with the North star and want to see South, there is an easier way. With any scope with an end eyepiece (like a refractor) you don't have to turn the tube in the mount to use the finder. Just turn the scope South and then flip the weight and scope to the other side. The finder will be up. Now just turn the diagonal up. Oh, and having the counter weight above the scope is OK.