EQ mount leveling ?

[konza]

Reading posts there are differing of opinions about leveling an EQ mount. Some say it needs to be dead on, others feel 'close' is enough. With a goto I can see how the hand controller brain and multi-star alignment could adjust for small errors.
But what about us Neanderthals that like the stone hammer simplicity of a manual EQ? I picked up a Sky View Pro a few weeks ago and am delighted with it. No wires, power source, or hand controller to beep and blink at you. And god help you if ya hit the wrong button on the hand control and have to start all over.
So basic question~ "is leveling highly important with a manual EQ mount" ?

[JayTee]

For a manual EQ mount – not at all. Even close enough for government work is still too accurate. The polar alignment is what you should concern yourself with.

Cheers,
JT

[konza]

JayTee, I do take my time with polar alignment. With a less than top of the line mount i feel every little bit of accuracy helps.

[Lady Fraktor]

I use manual EQ all the time and I get it close and done. My favourite mount is my CG-5.
I do not worry about it being super accurate level as there really is no point.
Once you start viewing you can tweak the azimuth knobs or latitude knob a bit if desired but it is usually not required.

Here is a quick alignment trick for you.
Find a eyepiece that gives you a 1.5° FOV.
Place your mount/ telescope in home position (counterweight bar straight down, telescope pointing to Polaris)
Look through your telescope and adjust az and latitude until Polaris is along the edge where it should be for that time.
You are now polar aligned and you did not have to squint through a polarscope either.

[yobbo89]

An eq mount only needs to be level enough so it dosn't tip over. Edit, ohh I see you're doing visual on manual mount? Then I subtract what I've said if you have no polar alighnment procedure.

[seigell]

The Polar Alignment is the "Ultimate Leveling", as you are Leveling the Mount (and Scope) with the Universe. (That eventually gets the RA Axis to the same place as if the Tripod were also Balanced...)

[smeyer8015]

The closer the tripod is to level to start with, the easier polar alignment is.

[Shabadoo]

Level it. It’s quite easy. I found an App for phone called “bubble app.” Set the phone it and raise and lower until it beeps. You can see the floating bubble with crosshairs too.

[KathyNS]

Highly important? No. You can get a very accurate polar alignment on a mount that is nowhere close to level. And, for visual observing, you don't even need a "highly accurate" alignment.

But levelling does make it easier to get polar aligned. In most cases, eyeball level is close enough to be easy enough.

[Arsene37]

Hello !
In my opinion, the real importance of the mount being levelled is to put the center of gravity right above the middle of the legs of the tripod and have a good repartition of the weight on each leg, good seat …
Arsène

[konza]

Lady Fractor, thank you for proclaiming you use "manual EQ all the time". Now I do not feel like a derelict in in the age of goto. (which i do have but simply can not warm up to)

[Lady Fraktor]

I do have a couple of different goto mounts but my favorite has been my Celestron CG-5.
I have added a single tracking motor and a Argo Navis push to system but I do not use it every time I set up.
I still appreciate the simplicity and fun of having a all manual setup for viewing.

[SkyHiker]

If you want to use the manual setting circles, level it. Use the scope in the home position to get it polar aligned by aiming for Polaris in the center ideally with the 40' correction.

[konza]

I do that Skyhiker, the SVP mount has a Orion polar scope with a small circle on a large circle with Ursa M & Cas for orientation..

[pakarinen]

I do have a couple of different goto mounts but my favorite has been my Celestron CG-5.
I have added a single tracking motor and a Argo Navis push to system but I do not use it every time I set up.

Do you use the setting circles?

I've considered a manual EQ off and on, but I keep reading things like, "The circles are useless / unreadable / etc."
Sometimes wish I hadn't sold my C8 fork.

[KathyNS]

I do that Skyhiker, the SVP mount has a Orion polar scope with a small circle on a large circle with Ursa M & Cas for orientation.. After i get i Polaris in the small circle i spin the RA axis 360ᴼ if Polaris rides the big circle it is good to go. "

No, no, no!! Don't believe everything you see on YouTube! :twitch:

Spinning the RA axis to make sure that Polaris rides on the large circle only tests that your polar scope is aligned with the RA axis. It does not tell you anything about polar alignment. You could be 1.5 degrees off the pole and still pass this non-test.

[Lady Fraktor]

Do you use the setting circles?

On the CG-5 I do not, I find them more for show though some people seem to.
I do use the circles on my TAL MT1C as they are quite a bit larger and easier to read.
You can star hop with an EQ mount, it just takes a bit of practice.

[konza]

Kathy, thank you the thump in the noggin to make me think into the rotating the RA axis. With the time spent tweaking the 3 screws to center the X of the polar scope to axis I should have recognized it does not double check polar alignment. Using the visual representation of Ursa M and Cas on the reticle for orientation I get a very serviceable alignment.

As an Administrator would you delete the reference to the "Astronomy Shed" video I referenced 4 posts up? I searched and could not find it, must have been somewhere else. No one needs a finger pointed wrongly at them.

thank you again !