[Robh (Rob)]

Hi Janine,

As a beginner, it probably wasn't the best idea getting an equatorial mount.
You really only need an equatorial mount if it is or can be motorised and you intend doing some imaging. A dob is easier to handle.

With the RA screw locked and Dec screw unlocked check your scope is balanced. Be careful. It may be way out of balance and go for a nasty swing. If not, slide the scope (OTA) up or down inside the OTA ring clamps. Also check it is balanced with the Dec screw locked and RA screw unlocked. If not, adjust the position of the counter-weight.

Initially, I would just get used to releasing/fixing the RA and Dec locking screws so you can move the scope around freely to centre it on an object.

You will need to align your finder scope's axis with the telescope's axis. Put your scope on a bright star and adjust the finderscope so that its crosshairs are on the star. You may need to start with the lower power eyepiece (say 25mm) then do it more accurately with the higher power eyepiece (say 10mm).

If you want to roughly polar align the scope, see attachment. As you probably won't know how to find the South Celestial Pole starwise, just adjust your RA (polar) axis to about 30 degrees elevation (your latitude is about 30 degrees).

I would suggest you buy a planisphere (star disk) to get an idea of where the major constellations are around the sky for the time of night and date. You can download Stellarium for free. It will show you the positions of the constellations and other objects such as the planets.

I would start with brighter targets such as the Moon, the binary alpha Centauri, Mars, Saturn, omega Centauri, 47 Tuc, the Orion, eta Carinae and Tarantula Nebulae (NGC 2070) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Open clusters such as the Jewel Box (NGC 4755), Gem Cluster (NGC 3293) or Wishing Well Cluster (NGC 3532) are always good value.

Better still. If there are any amateur astronomers in your area, get some first hand help. It will save you a lot of time.

Regards, Rob