Is something wrong with me German EQ mount

[Luddite (Colin)]

I have just set up my telescope on its German EQ mount and have a program telling me that Saturn is currently in the eastern sky with RA 12h 49m 39s and Dec -02 22' 13". Unfortunately at this setting the scope is actually pretty much parallel to the ground. I am in Adelaide and have the axis set to 34 degrees and the tripod is aligned correctly according to the articles I have read. I am a beginner and to me this makes no sense, Please any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Hi Colin.

Welcome.

It could be a lot of things going wrong, or just one.

Firstly, what EQ mount do you have: Make & Model?
What hand controller?
and what software version is it?

Have you allowed for NO daylight savings in your set-up?
Are you polar aligned, or at least close to polar aligned?

So many things to check.

[Luddite (Colin)]

That's not Ken James who used to own land on Bilgola Plateau is it? It's just a dodgy cheap thing I was given and has been roundly dissed in these forums. It's a StarTracker 127 (laughter is allowed). By Polar aligned I assume you mean the latitude set to 34deg (Adelaide) and 8 degrees off South for the mount/tripod assembly. bad explaining I know but have followed advice on this forum to the letter.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by Luddite

That's not Ken James who used to own land on Bilgola Plateau is it? It's just a dodgy cheap thing I was given and has been roundly dissed in these forums. It's a StarTracker 127 (laughter is allowed). By Polar aligned I assume you mean the latitude set to 34deg (Adelaide) and 8 degrees off South for the mount/tripod assembly. bad explaining I know but have followed advice on this forum to the letter.

Sorry Colin, no I've never even heard of Bilgola Plateau.

But anyway, to your mount. Ahhhh, that's an EQ1

Those little EQ1's are quite good actually (I have said so several times in this Forum).

Yes, polar alignment for you would be somewhere near 34deg and about 8 - 12 degrees East of South. So you have that correct.

I don't know how well you know the sky, or constellations or star names, but if you look up in the North sky at the constellation of Corvus (looks like a crooked rectangle shape), you will see a bright star just to the right of Corvus (Spica).
Directly below Spica you will see a Bright slightly yellowish star that doesn't twinkle.
That's Saturn

Here is a sky map of it for you:

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

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

[Luddite (Colin)]

Originally Posted by mithrandir

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.

Let me clarify for my two brain cells what you are saying here.
The wingnuts on the RA and Dec allow me to freely move the telescope and then when these are tightened I can then use the flexible knobs to follow the object I have aimed the scope at. These large wingnuts are distinct from the screws that you mention? If I read you correctly when I have the telescope aimed at an object(say Saturn) and then lock the wingnuts, I can then loosen a different set of screws that will then allow me to move the actual numbered dials until they reflect the true location of Saturn. Relock these same screws and the scope will then accurately reflect RA and Dec.?
Sorry if I sound pedantic but I am what my nick implies.
Can I not buy a scope that has onboard GPS and that will then calibrate itself to my exact location automagically? Are these sorts of things expensive?

[Luddite (Colin)]

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Sorry Colin, no I've never even heard of Bilgola Plateau.

The Ken James who owned the land next to us was the helicopter pilot in a TV show called Skippy. I asked regarding Bilgola as i thought that if you were Skippy Ken you may have wanted to keep it under your hat for obvious reasons. If you had been we could have shared beer. Who cares lets share some anyway.

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Colin,

Originally Posted by Luddite

Let me clarify for my two brain cells what you are saying here. ... I can then loosen a different set of screws that will then allow me to move the actual numbered dials until they reflect the true location of Saturn. Relock these same screws and the scope will then accurately reflect RA and Dec.?

I don't have an EQ1, but that roughly describes what I can do on my CG5 or G11, except they don't need lock screws. They rely on the friction between the dial and the mount to keep them in place.

Sorry if I sound pedantic but I am what my nick implies.
Can I not buy a scope that has onboard GPS and that will then calibrate itself to my exact location automagically? Are these sorts of things expensive?

It depends on what you mean by expensive. An EQ5Pro SynScan mount plus SynScan GPS would set you back around $1050 at Andrews.

Most mounts with dual axis motorised drives have a hand control which can be used to set the date/time/location. If they are a GEM, you still have to do the physical polar alignment. Some have builtin GPS (eg Celestron CPC series). Some have a port to plug in a GPS (eg Celestron CG5, CGEM, CGEPro mounts; Losmandy Gemini). Most support some style of computer interface which can be used to set the date/time/location. You can plug a GPS into the computer and have it program the mount.

Andrew