|
Hi David
I like the shot of M42. Quite good.
Having walked the same path, this is what I did to overcome these problems.
I balanced the OTA in the tube rings, then on the mount (I have an EQ5), I simply move the whole assembly forward or back at the dovetail. Seems to work fine. Depending on what I have on the scope, it moves forward or back by maybe an inch either way.
On the issue of finding the SCP, I tried the compass thing and compensated for the magnetic variation, but I had trouble lining up on something. If you want to use the compass, you will need to find the magnetic variation for your location, then either add or subtract the value from you compass reading. So anyway, I used the Sun. I got a straight pole 2 meters long; found the centre point of where I wanted to place the EQ5, then at midday held the pole vertical using a spirit level and marked out the shadow. You will need to compensate by around 12 minutes because you are not in the middle of the timezone. This got me very close. I refined the placement over a month or two to confirm the calculations. Then I drift align. I have since maked the spots on the lawn where the tripods legs must sit.
I have a southern reticle, but I don't use it.
Hope this helps.
Darrell
|