Colin,
What time of day was it? Your post suggests around 23:30. At the moment Saturn rises at around 16:48, transits around 22:56 and sets around 05:09. Those times are for places around Adelaide and are CST.
How are you determining the mount settings? The RA and Dec circles have to be calibrated. If you point the scope at a known location or object (eg due east and at the horizon) and have your computer tell you what the RA and Dec are for that time and object you can loosen the adjustment screws, rotate the circles so the correct value is under the pointer, and then tighten the screws. You will have to repeat this every time you set up the mount.
You might do better looking for Saturn earlier because the eyepiece location would be more comfortable. Around 18:40 (Nautical twilight) when it would be a little north of east at 23 deg above the horizon and best after 19:10 (Astronomical twilight), fractionally further north at 29 deg.
If the clouds clear tonight here, the earliest I could see Saturn is around 18:15 when it clears the house.
Andrew
|