Opticstar Eq1300-gt User manual

Opticstar EQ1300-GT Equatorial Mount Instruction Manual

CAUTION!

Never look at the Sun through your telescope, the telescope’s finder

or the mount’s Polar scope as this will cause blindness. Observing

the Sun directly, even for a very short period, without the appropriate

protection can cause serious damage to your eyes.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Instruction Manual

Please keep this instruction manual handy and always use this telescope mount as

described in this manual. Read the safety instructions below carefully to avoid damage to

the product and to avoid injury to yourself and others.

Attention

Never disassemble the mount, there are no serviceable parts inside. Disassembling the

mount will invalidate your warrantee and may cause damage or injury. In the event of a

defect please contact your dealer. Children should always use this product under the

supervision of adults.

Intended Use

This mount has been designed primarily for astronomical use. It can be used with an optical

instrument or similar device. Do not leave the mount under direct Sunlight as this can cause

damage to the mount or instrument mounted to it. Note that optical instruments can focus

Sun light into a point and cause a fire.

Observing the Sun

Never look at the Sun or close to the Sun through a telescope, the telescope’s finder scope

or the mount’s Polar scope as this will cause permanent blindness. Always use the

appropriate protection to observe the Sun through any telescope or through the naked eye.

Always use a full aperture Solar filter if you intend to observe the Sun with a telescope,

avoid Solar filters that can be attached to the eyepiece end, they are unsafe and can result

in damaging both your eyes and the telescope.

Chocking Hazards

Keep small parts, plastic bags and other packaging materials out of the reach of children.

Electric Hazards

Use the mount as described in the manual. Do not disassemble the mount as there is a risk

of electric shock. The mount is powered by 8 x D cell batteries, always use the

recommended batteries and make certain that the batteries have been inserted correctly.

Batteries

Damaged, old and discharged batteries can leak acid and cause burns if improperly

handled. Always handle and dispose batteries with care. Never heat up or throw batteries

into a fire as this can cause an explosion.

Opticstar Ltd

87 Washway Road, Sale, Greater Manchester, M33 7TQ. United Kingdom

Web: www.opticstar .com –Email: [email protected]

Opticstar EQ1300 GT Overview

1. Telescope mounting saddle

2. DEC motor housing

3. DEC locking lever

4. Polar Scope cap

5. RA locking lever

6. DEC setting circle

7. RA setting circle locking knob

8. RA setting circle

9. Polar scope illuminator

10. Polar scope

11. R.A. motor housing

12. Counterweight shaft & locking nut

13. Counterweight with locking knob

14. Rear latitude adjustment T-bolt

15. Front latitude adjustment T-bolt

16. DEC motor cable

17. Azimuth adjustment knobs

18. Tripod platform

19. Handset cable

20. Tripod tension bolt

21. Tripod leg spreader

22. GOTO handset

23. Counterweight safety screw-cap

Opticstar EQ1300 GT Handset & Motors

ST-4 Auto-guide port

Power ON/OFF switch

Handset port

DEC motor cable port

12VDC power socket

LED power light

RA Motor

Control Panel

DEC Motor

Control Panel

DEC motor cable port

Handset port

DSLR port (n.a.)

Handset

LED display

Red LED torch

LED torch Switch

Arrow Keys

Confirm key

Alpha-numeric keypad

+& -Keys

Mini USB port (n.a.).

RJ-45 handset port

RJ-22 Port

Help key

Mount & Telescope Assembly

You will need a fair amount of space to unpack the parts and

assemble the mount and telescope. Please note that some

parts are heavy. Carefully remove all the parts and tools from

their packaging and lay them out on a flat surface.

When removing the tripod from the box hold it level to the

ground or the tripod leg extensions will slide out as they are not

locked in place. Do not throw packaging materials before

having assembled the mount. Look carefully through the

packaging materials as it is easy to miss smaller parts.

Pick up the tripod and fully spread the legs making certain that

the tripod platform (18) is level by adjusting the tripod’s legs,

then secure the legs by tightening the leg locking knobs until

firm. Before continuing assembling the tripod, you will need to

first assemble the leg spreader assembly as follows:

Thread the tension nut (24) into the silver threaded shaft (20)

as far as it will go, do not tighten the tension nut at this point

and ensure that the stop-washer is in position (25).

Pass the shaft (20) through the leg spreader (21).

Pass the leg spreader assembly through the base of the tripod

platform (18). Snap the e-clip (29) all the way onto the shaft,

the shaft should extend above the tripod’s platform at this point

when pushed from below. Note that slanting the shaft makes

the insertion of the e-clip easier.

Loosen both Azimuth adjustment knobs (17) on the mount-

head equally so that they are apart by just over 1cm.

Place the mount-head over the tripod platform and onto the

shaft so that protruding peg (28) on top of the tripod's platform

is positioned between the two Azimuth adjustments knobs (17).

If necessary, loosen the Azimuth adjustment knobs (17) further

for the peg to fit between them.

Tighten the T-handle (26) so the shaft screws-into the base of

mount-head until it feels firm, this secures the mount-head in

place. Make certain that the mount-head is secure before going

to the next step.

Line up the leg spreader braces so that each faces and

supports their corresponding tripod leg.

Tighten the tension nut (24) until the leg spreader presses

firmly against the tripod legs. Now lightly-tighten the two

Azimuth bolts (17).

Place the counterweight shaft locking nut over the threaded

end of the counterweight shaft (12) and screw it firmly in place.

Thread the counterweight shaft and counterweight locking nut

assembly (12) into the threaded hole under the declination

setting circle (6) and tighten firmly.

TIP To partially collapse the tripod for storage first remove the telescope and counterweights, loosen the

tension knob (24) enough so that you can freely rotate the leg spreader to partially collapse the legs. There

is no need to remove the tripod shaft unless you intend to completely collapse the tripod.

LEG SPREADER

ASSEMBLY

Setting the Mount’s Latitude

Latitude is the angular distance in degrees North or South from the Equator for

a location on the Earth’s surface. You will first need to establish your location’s

latitude and longitude. GPS devices including mobile phones will supply this

information that you will also later need to set up the handset. You can also

obtain the latitude and longitude for your location from a map or via an Internet

search-engine. A list of large cities and their longitudes and latitudes have been

listed on page10 for your convenience.

You will only need to physically set the mount’s latitude once for your current

location. It is important that you set the latitude without any load on the mount

at this point i.e. no counterweights and no telescope. It makes the process

easier, safer and without the need to balance the telescope prior to physically

setting the latitude.

To physically set the latitude for your mount you will need to use the two

latitude adjustment T-bolts (14, 15). By always loosening one T-bolt and

tightening the one opposite you will be able to revolve the upper part of the

mount-head until the latitude pointer points to the correct latitude on the

mount’s latitude scale (30). Once the latitude pointer points to the desired

latitude slowly tighten both T-bolts until they make contact. Do not overtighten.

You are now ready to mount the counterweight and optical tube to the EQ1300 GT mount.

Mounting the Counterweights

Before proceeding make certain that the counterweight shaft (12) is pointing to

the ground and that the DEC and R.A. locking levers are tight (3, 5).

Completely unscrew and remove the counterweight safety screw-cap (23) at

the end of the counterweight shaft (12).

Carefully lift a counterweight and loosen the counterweight locking knob (13)

enough to ensure that the hole in the counterweight is free of the floating

locking pin.

Carefully slip the counterweight to approximately halfway up the counterweight

shaft and tighten the counterweight locking knob firmly. Replace the

counterweight safety screw-cap (23).

You can position and secure the counterweight further up the counter-shaft if

you intend to mount a smaller telescope like an 80-100mm aperture refractor,

lower down if you intend to mount a heavy telescope.

Connecting the Handset

Use one of the two supplied black coiled cords to connect the handset to the handset port on the RA or DEC motor

control panel. Use the second coiled cord to connect the two DEC Motor Cable ports found on the RA and DEC motor

control panels respectively (page 4).

ATTENTION The two latitude adjustment T-bolts work in a push & pull fashion, in other words as you tighten

one you must always loosen the other. If you tighten one T-bolt without loosening the one

opposite, you will bend the bolts resulting to damage not covered by warranty.

ATTENTION The counterweight safety screw-cap (23) prevents counterweights from sliding entirely off the

counterweight shaft and must remain in place during normal use.

ATTENTION Only use original cables supplied with the mount, incorrectly wired cables can cause serious

damage to the mount.

Mounting the Telescope

Ensure that the DEC and R.A. locking levers are tight (3, 5).

loosen both the large hand-wheel bolt and smaller safety thumb

screw on the mount’s saddle (1) so that they do not protrude into

the saddle.

Lift the optical tube and let it rest centrally on the saddle, tighten

the hand-wheel bolt. Make certain the hand-wheel and safety

thumb-screw have been firmly tightened and that the scope has

been secured before releasing.

Balancing the Telescope

It is necessary to correctly balance the mount and optical tube on the R.A. and DEC axes before proceeding. A well

balanced mount will be accurate, will extend the life of the motors, is safer and easier to use. Always hold the optical

tube firmly during all the steps of the balancing process as the tube could easily swing under its own weight.

Balancing the Optical tube round the R.A. Axis

Firmly hold the optical tube and slowly loosen the RA locking

lever (5). Rotate the optical tube so that the counterweight shaft is

parallel/horizontal to the ground. While holding the optical tube

unlock the counterweight locking knob (13) and carefully slide the

counterweight either way until the optical tube does not drift up or

down.

Once the optical tube is balanced tighten the counterweight

locking bolt, then tighten the RA locking lever in this order. Rotate

the scope round the R.A. axis so that the counterweight shaft is

pointing down and tighten the R.A. locking lever.

Balancing the Optical tube round the DEC Axis

Make certain that the counterweight shaft is pointing downwards and that the R.A. locking lever is locked before

proceeding.

While holding the optical tube so that it does not accidentally

swing freely loosen the DEC locking lever (3). The optical tube

will now be able to rotate freely around the DEC axis. If the

optical tube is mounted on rings loosen the ring locking knobs

that hold the optical tube in place just enough to be able to slide

the optical tube back and forth inside its own tube rings.

Slide the optical tube inside its rings to a position where the tube

is balanced. Once the optical tube is balanced tighten the ring

locking knobs and the DEC locking lever (3) on the mount.

Alternatively hold the optical tube and slightly loosen both the

hand-wheel bolt and thumb screw on the mount’s saddle (1). You

will need to move the whole of the optical tube assembly back

and forth to a position where the optical tube is balanced. Every

time you check for balance, at least the hand-wheel bolt must

tightened to prevent the optical tube slipping off the saddle.

Once balanced rotate the tube to point the same direction as the

Polar scope. Tighten the hand-wheel bolt and thumb screw (1).

TIP When dismounting the optical tube first loosen the safety thumb screw followed by the larger hand-wheel

while firmly holding the optical tube. When mounting an optical tube reverse the process, first tighten the

larger hand-wheel followed by the safety thumb-screw.

TIP The mount is supplied with a 4.5Kg counterweight but you may need an additional counterweight for heavy

equipment. Never overload the mount beyond its maximum 13Kg payload (excludes counterweights).

Preparing your Mount and Telescope for Observation

The following figure shows a fully assembled telescope consisting of an Opticstar EQ1300 GT mount and 127mm

Opticstar-Ascension 127mm apochromatic triplet refractor.

The telescope is in Home Position and ready to Star Align via the mount’s handset. The following section outlines the

procedure of how to get your mount and telescope into Home Position. This is necessary so that you can Star-align

the complete telescope and subsequently issue GOTO commands.

Latitude

Levelled

mount

POLAR HOME POSITION

Front Tripod leg is aligned North

under the counterweight rod.

Setting the Telescope to Polar Home Position

Please follow the list of steps below to set your mount and telescope in Home Position. Ensure that:

1. the tripod is level.

2. the mount’s latitude is correctly set for your observing location.

3. the counter-weight shaft points downwards.

4. the mount/telescope has been balanced.

5. both the mount and the telescope point towards Polaris if you are in the

Northern Hemisphere. Check that the two DEC and R.A. arrows are

opposite each other to confirm.

6. that the R.A. and DEC Locking levers have been tightened.

7. all fixings have been secured.

8. there is power to the mount.

Once you have assembled positioned and set the balanced telescope in

Home Position you will be ready to proceed with Star Alignment. Setting to

Home Position is necessary for the telescope to operate correctly.

Powering the EQ1300 GT Mount

The mount can be powered by a good quality regulated/switch-mode 12VDC power supply (pin positive) delivering a

minimum 3A of power. Alternatively insert eight D cell batteries (not supplied) in the battery pouch that came with the

mount. Observe the polarity when inserting the batteries, inserting batteries in the wrong way will cause complications

and the mount will not operate.

GOTO Telescope Star Alignment & Control

Once the telescope has been assembled, balanced and set to Home Position as described earlier in this document

you will be ready to Star-align. Insert a diagonal to the telescope’s drawtube if it is not a Newtonian reflector. Now

insert a medium power eyepiece (20mm-25mm) to the eyepiece drawtube and remove all dust covers. Secure all

accessories in place by tightening all holding locking-screws found on the focuser’s drawtube and other parts.

The following text describes the procedure of setting up the handset and Star-aligning your telescope. The diagram on

page 12 outlines the same but in a concise graphical form.

Handset Setup

With the power switch in the OFF position insert eight D cell batteries into the battery holder or connect the telescope

to a regulated mains PSU (12VDC ~3A, pin positive).

Plug one end of the coiled RJ-45 cable in either Handset port on the mount (page 4) and the other one into the RJ-45

port of the handset. Switch ON the telescope. The handset will light up accompanied by a short beep.

Please note that that the +and –keys on the handset keypad can be used to navigate the menus. Pressing the –key

for example a few times will get you back to the main menu from where you can issue GOTO commands once the

telescope has been Star-aligned.

Time & Date

You will be prompted to enter the date and time (yyyy:mm:dd & hh:mm:ss). Do so by navigating the entry fields using

the Arrow keys and typing in the values using the numeric pad on the handset. Once finished, press the oval Confirm

key to proceed.

Daylight Saving

Use the Up/Down Arrow keys to select Daylight Saving time by selecting the status (ON/OFF). Press the Confirm key

to proceed.

TIP Inputting an illegal value like the year may cause the handset to fail Initialisation. In such cases switch OFF

and then switch ON power before starting again.

HOME

POSITION

At the time of writing in the UK the following applies:

Otherwise Daylight Saving needs to be set to OFF.

Location

When prompted to enter your location you can either select a city (Country & City) close to you or directly enter your

GPS coordinates in terms of longitude and latitude (Custom Site). Press the Confirm key to proceed.

Selecting: Country & City

To select a city close to you select the Country & City option. Select the country with the Up/Down Arrow keys and

then the city with the Left/Right Arrow keys. Once you have made your choice press the oval Confirm key to proceed.

Selecting: Custom Site

To set you own Custom Site instead, enter your site’s details as follows:

For example, if the telescope was in a location listed below on the 22nd of December 2015, the time was 8:10pm, the

telescope (mount and optical tube) was pointing North (Home Position) the inputs list would look as follows:

Please note that if your location is West of Greenwich (Greenwich longitude: 000o00’) the value would be negative i.e.

-0o.5’ or 0o5’ West. Since the handset expects a positive value between 0-360 this can be calculated by subtracting

the value you want from 360, i.e. 360o0’ - 0o5’=359o55’ as in the previous ’London’ example.

Longitudes & Latitudes List

City

Longitude

latitude

City

Longitude

Latitude

Aberdeen

57o09’ N

4o07’ W

Londonderry

55o00’ N

0o07’ W

Bangor

54o39’ N

5o40’ W

London

51° 29' N

0° 0' W

Bath

51o23’ N

2o22’ W

Manchester

53o28’ N

2o14’ W

Belfast

54° 36' N

5° 55' W

Newcastle upon Tyne

54o58’ N

1o37’ W

Birmingham

52° 29' N

1° 56' W

Newry

54o11’ N

6o21’ W

Bristol

51o27’ N

2o35’ W

Norwich

52o37’ N

1o17’ E

Cambridge

52o12’ N

0o07’ E

Nottingham

52o57’ N

1o08’ W

Cardiff

51° 28' N

3° 10' W

Omagh

54o36’ N

7o15’ W

Coventry

52o24’ N

1o31’ W

Oxford

51o46’ N

1o15’ W

Dundee

56o27’ N

2o59’ W

Peterborough

52o35’ N

0o15’ W

Edinburgh

55° 55' N

3° 11' W

Plymouth

50o22’ N

4o10’ W

Glasgow

55° 52' N

4° 17' W

Reading

51o27’ N

0o58’ W

Inverness

57o28’ N

4o14’ W

Sheffield

53o23’ N

1o28’ W

Ipswich

52o04’ N

1o10’ E

Southampton

50o54’ N

1o24’ W

Leeds

53o48’ N

1o33’ W

Swansea

51o37’ N

3o57’ W

Liverpool

53o24’ N

2o59’ W

York

53o58’ N

1o06’ W

Name: London

Lon: E359:55

Lat: N51:32:00

Zone: E00:00:00

Name: custom name for your location London

Lon: your location’s longitude in: degrees:minutes:seconds W 0o05’ = E 359o55’

Lat: your location’s latitude in: degrees:minutes:seconds N 51o32’

Zone: your time zone in: hours:minutes:seconds UK: 00:00:00

Date: 2015:12:22 (yyyy/mm/dd) Time:20:10:00 Daylight Saving: OFF

Name:

Lon:

Lat:

Zone:

Birmingham

358o07’

52o29’

00:00:00

Cardiff

356o49’

51o29’

00:00:00 0

Edinburgh

356o43’

55o57’

00:00:00 0

Leeds

358o27’

53o48’

00:00:00 0

Liverpool

357o00’

53o24’

00:00:00 0

London

359o55’

51o32’

00:00:00 0

Manchester

357o45’

53o30’

00:00:00 0

Newcastle

358o23’

54o58’

00:00:00 0

Ipswich

1o09’

52o04’

00:00:00 0

2015: Sunday, 29 March, 01:00 Sunday to 25 October, 02:00 Daylight Saving ON

2016: Sunday, 27 March, 01:00 Sunday to 30 October, 02:00 Daylight Saving ON

2017: Sunday, 26 March, 01:00 Sunday to 29 October, 02:00 Daylight Saving ON

2018: Sunday, 25 March, 01:00 Sunday to 28 October, 02:00 Daylight Saving ON

Telescope Star Alignment

The telescope needs to be Star-aligned before GOTO commands can be issued. There are three ways the telescope

can be Star-aligned; One-star, Two-Star and Three-star alignment. We recommend the Three-star alignment as it will

deliver the highest accuracy and only takes a couple of minutes to complete once you are familiar with the procedure.

With the telescope set at the Home Position (page 8) press the oval Confirm key on the handset and select

“Telescope Align” from the menu to start the Star-alignment procedure. There is a choice between one-star, two-star

and three-star alignment. Choose One, Two or Three Star Alignment and press the oval Confirm key to proceed.

Always use the Arrow keys on the handset to slew and point the telescope. Manually moving the telescope to a target

or disturbing the tripod will require going through the alignment procedure again.

The diagram on the following page shows all the steps involved in setting up the handset and aligning your telescope

on a single star (One Star-alignment). It assumes the telescope is switched ON to start and that it is set at the Home

Position (page 8) which is a requirement. The text below outlines the Star-alignment process and other relevant

operations. It may be useful to read the text below with reference to the diagram on the following page before

attempting to star align your telescope for the first time.

One-Star Alignment

To Star-align the telescope on a star follow the procedure below.

1. The handset will prompt you to select an Alignment star and suggest a

bright star for you.

If the star was not visible because it was hidden behind a tree you could

select another star by pressing the Up and/or Down Arrow keys to go

through a predetermined list of bright stars, before pressing the oval

Confirm key to choose the Alignment star of your choice.

2. Once an Alignment star has been selected the telescope will

automatically slew to the chosen star and prompt you to centre it in the

field of view using the Arrow keys, once you have centred the target star

press the oval Confirm key to finish.

Two-Star & Three-Star Alignment

These are very similar to One-star alignment with the only difference that you will need to repeat steps 1 and 2 above

twice or three times respectively. It is advisable to select the suggested stars for star aligning the mount but in case

this is not possible select the stars so that they in the same Meridian (East or West), around 30 degrees apart and

form a triangle.

Two star-alignment is acceptable for casual observation, three-star alignment is necessary for more serious work or

when imaging. One star-alignment on the other hand is more relevant to permanent installations i.e. in an observatory

where the mount is on a permanent pillar and has already been accurately aligned at least once.

In certain situations, the mount may not offer all three alignment stars. It is still possible to add a third or fourth star

once you have completed the alignment process. This can be done at any point following Star Alignment via the

Target Sync command (page 13) and is recommended when imaging or following a mount Meridian flip.

List Align Stars:

Arcturus

OBJ Azi:135o4’

Alt:+51o8’

R.a:14h16m

Dec:+19o08’

In two and three Star alignment you will need to repeat steps A, B and C twice or three times respectively.

Telescope Align

Navigation

Utilities

Setup

System Initialised.

2014-06-20 20:02:00

Sky Site:E 0o 10’0”

EQ N 51o 30’0”

OBJ: 0h 0m 0s

Cel -0o0’ 0”

64x OTA: 6h 0m 0s

Stop +90o0’ 0”

System Initialising…

One Star Align

Two Star Align

Three Star Align

Target Sync

Pole-Axis Dev.

RA Bk Lash Corr.

DEC Bk Lash Corr.

List Align Stars:

Arcturus

OBJ Azi:135o4’

Alt:+51o8’

R.a:14h16m

Dec:+19o08’

Slewing to Target

Please center this star

to the field of view

The telescope has been

aligned

2014-06-20 20:06:00

Sky Site:E 0o10’ 0”

EQ N 51o30’ 0”

OBJ: 22h43m 41s

Cel +19o8’18”

64x OTA: 22h44m 6s

Trac 19o8’18”

Wait for the telescope to initialize

The telescope has now initialised

Select Telescope Align and

press Confirm

Use the Arrows to select One Star

Align, press Confirm

Use the up & down Arrows to select an

alignment star, press Confirm

The telescope will slew to the target,

wait for a beep before you proceed

Use the up & down Arrows to centre

the star in the scope, press Confirm

The telescope is now ready to accept

GOTO commands

The telescope is tracking the last star

while waiting for your commands

Albania

Tirana

Lon: E 19o50’

Lat: N 41o19’

Zone: E1

up & down key: country!

Left & right key: city!

Use the Arrows and Keypad to select

a Country and City.

England

London

Lon: E 0o10’

Lat: N 51o30’

Zone: 0

up & down key: country!

Left & right key: city!

Press Confirm

JOC GoT0 System

Ver. 1.8 Ez/Alt-Az

Press Confirm to proceed

Date & Time Set

2014:06:20

YYYY-MM-DD

20:00:00

HH:MM:SS

Use the Arrows and Keypad to input

the date/Time values, press Confirm

Daylight Saving

status: on

hit direction Key!

Use the Arrows to set the Daylight

Saving value, press Confirm

Country & City

Custom Site

Use the Arrows to select Custom

or pre-set location, press Confirm

Please Input Data:

Name: my london home

Lon: E 0o10’

Lat: N 51o30’

Zone: E00

Use the Arrows and Keypad to input

the values, press Confirm

Using your Telescope for the First Time to Locate an Object

Once the telescope has been Star-aligned you will be able issue GOTO commands using the telescope’s handset.

Take care not to move the telescope by hand or accidentally move the whole mount and telescope. If you do you will

need to re-establish Home Position and Star-align the telescope again.

A properly aligned telescope will compensate for the earth’s rotation and enable you to issue GOTO commands. A

GOTO command will slew the telescope to the selected object in the night sky and track it over long periods.

Press the oval Confirm key and select Navigation. In the menu list you can select any object catalogue but for now

select Solar System and press the oval Confirm key. Select a bright object in the night sky like the Moon, Jupiter,

Venus or Saturn if they are visible. These objects are visible at different dates and times depending on your location.

Assuming Jupiter was visible select Jupiter from the list with the aid of the Up/Down Arrow keys and press the oval

Confirm key to proceed. The telescope will now automatically slew to Jupiter and slow down as it reaches the planet,

the telescope will confirm with a beep once it has reached its destination and subsequently automatically track the

planet.

Use the Arrow keys on the handset to bring the planet into the centre of the field of view, then use the telescope’s

focuser controls to bring the planet into focus. Use a high power eyepiece (i.e. 5mm-10mm) or higher to observe the

planet and refocus the telescope if necessary.

Note that if an object like a planet or star is well out of focus it may not be visible even if it is inside the field of view.

This is very evident with deep sky objects and especially when using telescopes of smaller apertures.

Choosing your First Targets

During the early stages it is advisable to concentrate on bright objects within our Solar system including the Moon and

planets. In deep-sky terms the Orion Nebula (M42), the Ring Nebula (M57) the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the

Hercules star cluster (M13) also qualify.

From a reasonably dark site you should also be able to easily observe many of the brighter deep-sky objects including

nebulae like the Orion Nebula (M42) the Ring Nebula (M57) the Lagoon Nebula (M8) the Omega Nebula (M17) and

the Dumbbell nebula (M27). Other possible targets include galaxies like the Andromeda (M31) the Triangulum (M33)

the Cigar (M82) and Bode’s Galaxy (M81). Star clusters of interest include the Hercules (M13) the Pleiades (M45) and

the Butterfly (M6). Double stars include Sirius, Capella, Polaris and Albireo among many others.

Target Sync

Whether you have Star-aligned the telescope on one, two or three stars you can further improve the GOTO accuracy

of the telescope by adding another star at any point after alignment and during a session.

1. Use a high power eyepiece (i.e. 5mm-10mm).

2. Issue a GOTO command to a familiar star. Do not use planets, the Moon or deep-sky objects.

3. Once the telescope slews to the selected star and stops use the handset Arrow keys to precisely centre the

object in the field of view. Using a cross-hair eyepiece will improve accuracy.

4. Now select >Telescope Align >Target Sync and press the oval Confirm key. The telescope will add the star to its

list of Alignment stars and use this information to increase GOTO accuracy for the rest of the session.

if you have only performed a One-star alignment adding a Sync star is highly recommended and may prove

necessary.

Backlash Correction

Backlash is inherent in the gears and may introduce a small pointing error, in the vast majority of cases the error is too

small to make a difference. However, you may still improve the GOTO precision of the telescope by training the

"backlash correction of the axis". This is done separately for each axis and is not always necessary.

In the handset’s main menu press the oval Confirm key, select Telescope Align and then RA BKlash Corr. or DEC

BKlash Corr. depending on which of the two motors you would like to train. Follow the on-screen instructions to

complete the training for each motor. We recommend that you leave backlash correction training for later as it only

adds unnecessary complexity at this point.

Time, Date and Daylight Saving

Please note that the telescope will not remember the Time, Date and Daylight Saving values. These need to be

entered every time you switch on the telescope.

Accurate Polar Alignment

Accurate mount Polar alignment is necessary for imaging and can be achieved via the built-in Polar viewfinder.

Viewfinder Alignment Round the R.A. Axis

The Polar viewfinder can be adjusted in daytime. Remove the silver cap at the front of the mount-head, also remove

the black cap at the back of the mount-head to gain access to the viewfinder eyepiece.

1. Starting at the Polar Home position, loosen the R.A. locking lever, turn the mount-head round the DEC axis by

90° and tighten the DEC locking lever. This is required to be able to obtain an unobstructed view through the

viewfinder.

2. Point the mount/viewfinder at a white wall and turn he viewfinder’s eyepiece until you can see a focused image of

the viewfinder’s etched scale.

3. Point the viewfinder at a distant terrestrial object like a lamp post, church steeple or similar so that it lines up with

the centre cross of the reticule.

4. Loosen the R.A. locking lever and carefully hand rotate the mount-head round the R.A. axis to ascertain whether

the object under the crosshair moves out of centre.

5. If the object moves off centre, correct the error half way by adjusting the three Viewfinder alignment hex screws.

Now correct the remaining error by repositioning the mount-head by turning it round the R.A. axis in 90°

increments. Repeat this process until the centre cross stays over the target object, tighten the three hex screws.

Precise Polar Alignment for the EQ1300 GT Mount

You would need to use the rear and front latitude adjustment T-bolts (14,15) and the two Azimuth adjustment knobs

(17) to perform the fine adjustments required. Please prepare your telescope for precise alignment as follows:

1. Set the telescope to Polar Home Position and remove all dust caps.

2. Loosen the DEC locking lever, turn the DEC axis by 90°; tighten the DEC locking lever.

3. Loosen the R.A. locking lever. The mount and telescope need to have been already balanced!

4. Switch ON the viewfinder LED illuminator.

5. Focus the Polar scope viewfinder if you have not done so already.

First determine the longitude and latitude of your observing site, for Manchester this would be 2°14’ W, 53°28’ N. Now

determine the longitude of the central time meridian according to your local time which for the UK is 0:00 hours, ignore

Daylight Saving. Calculate the difference between both longitudes which is -2 (0 - 2 = -2). Negative values indicate

West; positive values indicate East. Now set the longitude scale dial (W 20 10 0 10 20 E) to W 2for Manchester UK.

Follow the instructions below to precisely Polar align the mount within a few minutes of arc.

1. Loosen the R.A. setting circle locking thumb-screw and turn the setting circle to “0”, re-tighten the R.A. setting

circle thumb-screw.

2. Loosen the R.A. locking lever and turn the mount-head round the R.A. axis until the actual date of the month on

the R.A setting circle matches with the local time on the Date scale dial.

3. Re-tighten the R.A. locking lever and make certain that the DEC locking lever is also tight.

4. Finally adjust the mount using the two Azimuth knobs (17) and two latitude T-knobs (14, 15) until Polaris fits into

the small circle between the 40’ and 60’ markings in the viewfinder.

5. Once Polaris is in position loosen the R.A. Setting circle locking thumb-screw, during normal operation this

thumb-screw should be loosened.

R.A. Setting circle (0-23)

Date scale dial (0-12)

Viewfinder alignment hex screws (x3)

LED Illuminator

Viewfinder eyepiece

R.A. Setting circle locking thumb-screw

Longitude scale dial (E -20-10-0-10-20 W)

Setting Indicator

NEVER POINT THE VIEWFINDER TOWARDS THE SUN!

Handset Utilities & Setup Menu Reference

The following text elaborates on the currently available functions found on the handset under the Utilities and Setup

menus. Many of the functions require that the Location, Date and Time has already been correctly set.

Utilities Menu: Current Objects

Lists the planets, visible at your location with their actual rise and setting times. Also the time of the object’s

culmination when it is best observed.

Utilities Menu: Object Rise/Set

Calculate rise, setting times and time of culmination (object’s highest position in the south) visible at the set location.

rise, setting times and time of culmination of a selected object that is visible at your location.

Utilities Menu: Current Lunar Phase

Displays the Moon phases of the currently selected month in graphical form. Use the Arrows on the keypad to change

the year and month.

Utilities Menu: Timer

The timer can be set in terms of the number of seconds before it goes off in which case a long beep will sound when

the counter reaches zero. Key in the number of seconds and press the Confirm key to start the counter.

Utilities Menu: Alarm

The alarm function can be set in 24-hour format. Enter the desired time and press the Confirm Key to activate the

alarm. To deactivate the alarm, select Alarm from the menu press the Confirm Key (Close).

Utilities Menu: Eyepiece FOV

Enter the focal length of a telescope (MF), the focal length of the eyepiece (SF) and the apparent visual field of the

eyepiece (E-FOV). Now press the Confirm Key to calculate and display an eyepiece’s field of view.

Utilities Menu: Eyepiece Magnification

Enter the focal length of a telescope (MF) and the focal length of an eyepiece (SF). Press the Confirm Key to calculate

and display the resultant magnification.

Utilities Menu: Display Illumination

Use the Up and Down Arrows to select a suitable level of illumination level.

Utilities Menu: Park Scope

Select this option to allow the telescope to slew to its park/starting position, then switch OFF.

Setup Menu: Time and Date

You can set the current date and time in YYYY:MM:DD / HH:MM:SS format respectively.

Setup Menu: Daylight Saving

You can set daylight Saving ON or OFF as outlined earlier in this manual.

Setup Menu: Tracking Rate

You can set the tracking speed to a desired value, the default value is Star Speed (Sidereal speed).

Star Speed

Solar Speed

Moon Speed

Customize Speed (n.a.)

Setup Menu: Guiding Speed

The motor reaction speed can be adjusted to suit an individual mount for auto-guiding via the ST-4 interface and in

conjunction with an appropriate guide camera. A setting of say 1000 results in an aggressive reaction of the drive

motors where lower values result in a slow response. This setting needs to be adjusted so as to obtain precise and

uniform tracking. This will vary for every mount and depends on a variety of factors including the gears and their

spacing, type of motor, guide camera pixel size, guide scope and software used.

Setup Menu: Language

Select a language i.e. English, German, French, Italian, Spanish.

Setup Menu: Reset

Reset handset to factory settings. This will erase any data stored in the handset by the user.

APPENDIX I: Monthly Sky Watch

JANUARY

Gemini

MGN

NGC2392

The Eskimo Nebula is a planetary nebula close to the double star 63 Geminorum. It can be viewed in an 80mm

telescope but requires magnifications around x120 to make up its shape.

9.35

M35

Large and bright open cluster in the constellation of Gemini. It consists of hundreds of stars and provides excellent

views though binoculars and small telescopes.

5.5

Monoceros

NGC2264

The Christmas Tree Cluster is a large and bright star cluster with nebulosity. It shares the same space with the Cone

Nebula.

4.7

M50

An open star cluster in the constellation of Monoceros. larger telescopes will reveal a large number of stars in a 'heart-

shaped' figure.

5.9

NGC2506

Open cluster.

7.6

Canis Major

M41

The Small Beehive in Canis Major is a cluster of approximately 100 stars with some white dwarfs and red giants, the

largest of which is a red hue 6.3 magnitude star located in the centre.

5.0

Puppis

M46

A large and rich open cluster located close to the Orion Nebula. M46 is about a degree east of M47 in the sky, so the

two fit well in the field of a wide-angle telescope.

6.5

M47

Open cluster with large numbers of randomly arranged stars.

4.5

M93

Bright open cluster with around 80 stars. Its core resembles an arrowhead.

6.5

FEBRUARY

Ursa Major

MGN

M81

Bode’s Galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies in the Messier catalogue, it is located close to the M82.

8.5

M82

The Cigar Galaxy is separated by 150,000 light years from the M81 and is approximately ten times smaller.

9.5

Cancer

M44

The Beehive cluster is an open cluster that contains many double stars.

4.0

M67

The King Cobra is the oldest cluster known. A 4 to 6 inch telescope will show the fainter stars within the cluster.

7.5

Leo

NGC2903

This spiral galaxy is one of the best galaxies for small scopes. It shows a halo and bright core.

9.1

Hydra

M48

An open cluster of around 80 stars.

5.5

MARCH

Leo

MGN

M105

The M105 is an elliptical galaxy with a bright core that grows fainter towards the edge.

11.0

M65

Spiral galaxy that along with the M66 and NGC3628 form the Leo Triplet.

10.5

Coma Berenices

NGC4565

The Needle galaxy is one of the brightest members of the Coma I Galaxy Cloud. It is a face-on spiral galaxy

9.6

Covus

M68

Globular cluster low in the sky which makes it more challenging to observe.

9.0

Canes Venatici

M106

A large and bright galaxy with two spiral arms that are visible in larger telescopes.

9.5

Virgo

M104

The Sombrero Galaxy is virtually an edge-on galaxy that has a large bright core. A dark lane runs across its length

cutting the galaxy splitting it in two.

9.5

APRIL

Ursa Major

MGN

M81

Bode’s Galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies in the Messier catalogue.

8.5

M82

The Cigar Galaxy is separated by 150,000 light years from the M81 and is approximately ten times smaller.

9.5

Coma Berenices

M64

The Black Eyed galaxy has taken its name from a dark dust lane near located its centre.

9.0

Virgo

M58

A barred spiral galaxy. Large telescopes will reveal it’s structure at higher magnifications.

11.0

M85

A bright galaxy that appears as a cross between a spiral and elliptical galaxy.

10.5

M87

A gigantic elliptical galaxy that resembles a very rich star cluster.

11.0

M88

Spiral galaxy that appears as an elongated glow in smaller telescopes.

11.0

Canes Venatici

M51

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a face-on galaxy. Under favourable conditions it is possible to visually observe its spiral arms.

8.0

Globular cluster with around 500 stars. Best observed at higher magnifications.

7.0

MAY

Canes Venatici

MGN

M63

The Sunflower Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy. Large telescopes may reveal a degree of detail.

8.5

Coma Berenices

M100

Face-on spiral galaxy with a low surface brightness. The two main spiral arms are only visible in large telescopes.

10.5

Scorpius

The Cat’s Eye is a bright globular cluster. A large telescope is needed to start resolving individual groups of stars.

7.5

The Butterfly Cluster is a bright open cluster that lies close to the centre of our Galaxy.

4.5

Ptolemy’s Cluster is a bright open cluster of around 80 stars.

3.3

Coma Berenices

M53

Globular cluster. Higher magnifications will begin to resolve some detail.

8.5

JUNE

Hercules

MGN

M13

The Hercules Cluster is perhaps the finest in the Northern Hemisphere consisting of around 400,000 stars.

7.0

NGC6210

Planetary nebula with a blue tint. Higher magnifications will reveal its structure.

9.0

Serpens

This globular cluster is better observed at medium magnifications.

7.0

Dragon

NGC6543

The Cat’s Eye is a bright planetary nebula. Large telescopes may show its central star at higher magnifications.

8.8

NGC4565

The largest edge-on galaxy as seen from Earth. It appears as a long streak of light with a bright core and a dark lane.

10.3

Ophiuchus

Dense and bright globular cluster partially obscured by interstellar dust.

9.0

M10

Well resolved globular cluster.

7.5

M14

Large and bright globular cluster.

9.5

M19

Globular cluster.

8.5

M62

Globular cluster at least three fast rotating stars in its centre known as pulsars.

8.0

M107

Globular cluster possibly obscured by interstellar dust.

10.0

IC4665

Open cluster.

4.2

JULY

Lyra

MGN

M57

The Ring Nebula is a great example of a planetary nebula that is visible in a smaller telescope, the M57 takes

magnification very well. The M57 is illuminated by a central white dwarf or planetary nebula nucleus of 15.75

magnitude.

9.5

Vulpecula

M27

The Dumbbell Nebula is the brightest nebula in the sky. Larger instruments may show hints of colour and also its

central star. The central region of the nebula is marked by a pattern of dark and bright cusped knots and their

accompanying dark tails.

7.5

NGC6885

Open cluster consisting of around 30 stars.

9.1

Scutum

M11

The Wild Duck cluster with around 3,000 stars.

7.0

Sagittarius

The Lagoon Nebula can be seen to the unaided eye under dark skies. Larger telescopes will reveal the nebula’s

interesting structure.

5.0

M17

The Omega Nebula has around 30 stars set in its mass where star formation is taking place. Larger instruments will

reveal considerable detail.

7.0

M20

The Trifid Nebula is a hot red emission nebula surrounded by a blue reflection nebular made of dust. It displays 3

radial lanes that become apparent in moderate size telescopes.

5.0

M22

Globular cluster consists of over half a million stars. It will resolve well in larger telescopes. M22 is one of the closer

globular clusters to Earth at a distance of around 10,600 light years.

5.1

M23

Open cluster with 150 identified members, the brightest being of magnitude 9.2.

6.9

M25

A loose open cluster of around 600 stars. A pleasant sight in telescopes under low powers.

4.9

M55

Open cluster with a loose collection of stars.

7.0

NGC6603

Open cluster superimposed over a rich stellar region.

11.1

Cerpens Cauda

NGC6611

Open cluster.

6.0

AUGUST

Cygnus

MGN

NGC6866

Open cluster.

5.5

Pegasus

M15

Bright and compact globular cluster. Larger telescopes will resolve stars its periphery and also round its centre.

6.2

Aquarius

Globular cluster with around 100,000 stars.

7.5

NGC7009

The Saturn Nebula resembles the shape of Saturn, it takes magnification well. It is a complex planetary nebula

consisting of a halo, jet-like streams, multiple shells and small-scale filaments and knots.

8.3

Vulpecula

NGC6940

Open cluster over a rich star field. Will show individual stars in a moderate size telescope.

6.5

SEPTEMBER

Andromeda

MGN

NGC7662

A captivating planetary nebulae situated between Andromeda and Lacerta. It has a faint at its centre that is variable. A

small telescope will reveal a star-like object with slight nebulosity. A 6" telescope at x100 magnification will reveal a

slightly bluish disk.

8.6

Cassiopeia

M52

Star cluster with hundreds of stars.

10.7

Pegasus

NGC7320

This galaxy is the brightest member of the so-called Stephan’s Quintet.

16.8

OCTOBER

Andromeda

MGN

M31

A large and bright galaxy. Although it appears more than six times as wide as the full Moon, only the brighter core is

visible to the naked eye.

4.5

M32

Situated by M31 in Andromeda the M32 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy about 2.65 million light-years away from Earth.

10.0

Cassiopeia.

M103

A bright open cluster of 170 stars.

6.4

NGC457

The Owl open Cluster is close to the M103 and consists of approximately 100 colourful stars.

6.7

NGC663

A reasonably bright cluster with around 400 stars found close to the M103.

7.10

NGC7789

A spectacular cluster with over 1,000 stars.

8.28

Cetus

M77

A near face-on galaxy with an extremely bright centre, its outer parts are difficult to distinguish.

10.5

Triangulum

M33

The Triangulum Galaxy is a dim face-on spiral 3 million light years from Earth. It can be observed under very good

conditions.

7.0

NOVEMBER

Cassiopeia

MGN

M103

Open cluster located in Cassiopeia with around 170 stars.

7.0

Perseus

NGC869

Open cluster that in small telescopes appears as a beautiful assemblage of bright stars in a rich star field. The cluster

is dominated by bright blue stars and also hosts a few orange stars that add to the visual effect.

3.7

NGC884

Open cluster with around 500 stars. It is very close to NGC869, the two can be observed as a pair.

6.1

M34

Star cluster in the constellation of Perseus. In small scopes only the brightest stars are visible forming a X shape.

6.0

Taurus

M45

The Pleiades star cluster consists of around 500 stars surrounded by gas and dust only visible in large instruments. It

is also home to several brown dwarf stars Otherwise the cluster is dominated by hot blue stars of very high luminosity

that have formed within the last 100 million years.

1.39

Hyades

The closest open cluster to our Solar System. A V shaped group of its brighter stars outline the head of the Bull in the

constellation of Taurus.

0.5

Camelopardalis

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant.

9.0

DECEMBER

Auriga.

MGN

NGC1907

Open cluster.

8.19

M36

Open cluster that consists of a dozen brighter stars against a background of fainter stars.

6.5

M37

An interesting open cluster with hundreds of stars. Fainter stars surround the central 9th magnitude red hue star near

the centre adding to the cluster’s attraction.

6.0

M38

A 220 million years old open cluster with dark lanes with bright and double stars being present.

7.0

Orion

M42

An easy object to observe and enjoy with any type of instrument. Will take magnification very well. At its centre, the

Trapezium which is a group of four stars causes the nebula to emit light by heating the surrounding gas clouds.

5.0

M43

A bright emission nebula in the constellation of Orion, in reality part of the M42. It takes magnification well to reveal

faint stars in the nebula and detail at its edges.

7.0

NGC1981

Open cluster in Orion with around 40 stars.

4.2

Lepus

M79

Globular cluster.

8.5

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