How to set up telescope

[Nebs]

Can someone please help me? :help:

I have a Celestron 80EQ refractor and I'm trying to set it up. First I set the latitude at roughly 38 degrees (for Melbourne). Now the scope is pointing 38 degrees up from the southern horizon. Is that right?

Is there something else I should do or am I ready to go? Also, what should my readings be on the RA and DEC scales if I'm looking right at the southern star? Zero, or something else? :shrug:

[Alchemy]

pointing south , thats polar south NOT magnetic south theres about an 11 degree variation , 38 deg up sounds right
DEC should be -90 the RA at exactly the SCP is all at once as the RA is like hour hands on a clock in the centre all hands meet.

if you were looking at sigma octans the readings would be RA 15h 7.031m , DEC -89 48.361'

[Alchemy]

oh and by the way welcome to ice in space:welcome:

[Dennis]

Hi Nebs

Welcome to Ice In Space and congrats on acquiring your telescope.

As you probably know, there are (mainly) 2 types of mounts:
Alt-Azimuth
Equatorial.

Alt-Az mounts are the simplest design and let you swing the ‘scope in Altitude (up-Down) and in Azimuth (Left-Right) easily and intuitively, a bit like aiming a canon! To follow a star, planet or the Moon as they rise, you move the scope on the mount in a series of small diagonal steps, a bit like a staircase; up a bit, left a bit, etc.

Equatorial mounts are designed to align one axis (Right Ascension or RA) of movement parallel with the Earth’s axis of rotation so you can then move the scope on the mount smoothly in one axis only.

So, to set up your Equatorial mount, you would need to do the following:

Place the tripod so that the RA axis is facing due South (you can use a compass) and set the altitude to the Latitude of your location – 38 degrees as you describe. You’ll have to read your manual for this as I don’t know how your particular mount works.

This will set up the mount so that you can follow any object as it rises just by using the slow motion movement of the mount.

The Declination of the South Celestial Pole is -90 degrees.

Cheers

Dennis

PS - Magnetic South and the SCP are not the same. In Brisbane, the SCP is 11 degrees E of Magnetic South as found using a magnetic compass.

[OneOfOne]

In Melbourne you will need to face south according to the compass and face the axis of the scope about 11 degrees to the left (east) of the compass south. This will place you within coowee of true south.

[Nebs]

Awesome! Thanks a lot everyone :)