Omegon EQ-500 X User manual

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Operating Instructions
Omegon® EQ-500X pole finder
English version 04/2021/1.0

The complete or partial reproduction of the content of this document for anything other than personal use is expressly prohibited.
Subject to changes and errors. All text, images and diagrams are the property of nimax GmbH.
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Omegon® EQ-500X pole finder
Thank you for choosing the EQ-500X pole finder. Using this product, you can quickly and easily align
your mount with the north celestial pole - the foundations for successful astrophotography. The pole
finder can also be used for mounting the Celestron AVX and CGEM, and the Skywatcher NEQ-5 and
EQ-6.
1. Getting to know your pole finder
Figure 1: Polarscope
2. Mounting
2.1 Remove the pole finder cover and remove the pre-installed pole finder bracket if necessary.
2.2 Insert the lens end of the polarscope into the shaft and turn it clockwise in the mount thread.
The pole finder should now be securely held.
3. Aligning the pole finder on the mount
You can complete the next steps during the day once you have installed the pole finder on the
mount.
3.1 Remove the lens tube, counterweight and the counterweight shaft and align the mount vertically
with the horizon. It is easier to use an earthbound object as an alignment guide.
3.2 Point the mounted polarscope towards a distant object, such as a church tower, chimney or
pylon.
3.3 Look through the pole finder optics and adjust the viewfinder until the object is in focus.
3.4 Centre the object in the middle of the pole finder and rotate the RA axis 180 degrees.
3.5 Observe how far the object has moved from the crosshair. This drift occurs because the pole
finder is not yet exactly aligned with the mount’s rotational axis.
3.6 Use the hex key and move the object half way towards the middle of the crosshair using the
three adjusting screws.
1. Eyepiece with adjustable
viewfinder unit
2. Three adjusting screws at 120
degree intervals
3. Date scale
4. Mounting thread
5. Polarscope
6. Pole finder lens

The complete or partial reproduction of the content of this document for anything other than personal use is expressly prohibited.
Subject to changes and errors. All text, images and diagrams are the property of nimax GmbH.
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3.7 Centre the object in the middle of the crosshair using the azimuth and vertical screws and turn
the pole finder another 180 degrees. Has the object moved from the centre again? If so, repeat steps
3.6 and 3.7 until the object no longer drifts from the centre.
4. Aligning the mount with the north celestial pole
4.1 Point the mount northwards and set the vertical scale to the geographic width of your
observation area. Rotate the mount's declination axis through 90 degrees. Ensure that the Pole Star
can be seen in the pole finder's visual field. Adjust the focus using the viewfinder if necessary.
Figure 2: Reticule plate with images
4.4 Look through the polarscope, open the RA axis clamps and rotate this until the positions of the
images in the pole finder correspond with the current position of the constellations.
4.5 Look through the polarscope again and use the azimuth and vertical screws until the Pole Star is
located within the circle at the centre of the crosshair. Your mount is now aligned with the northern
celestial pole. In the Southern hemisphere, Sigma and Chi Octantis should be aligned with their
images.
Note: There are different methods for aligning the mount with the pole. We are describing the
method which uses the images on the reticule.
4.2 When looking through the polarscope, you will
see images of the constellations Cassiopeia and the
Plough for the Northern hemisphere, and the
Southern Cross and Achernar for the Southern
hemisphere.
4.3. Using the naked eye, pinpoint the appropriate
constellations for your hemisphere and memorise
their current positions.
Note: As you are looking through a miniature telescope, you are not seeing the real
constellations in the sky, simply their images on the transparent reticule plate and a restricted
visual field around the polar region. You, therefore, need to compare the actual view of the
constellations with the pole finder's position.
Note: An equatorial mount can also be aligned using a smartphone pole finder app. A selection
of apps can be found in the Play Store or App Store.