Orion EQ-1 Equatorial Mount 9011 User manual

IN 146 Rev. C 06/13
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Orion
EQ-1 Equatorial Mount
#9011
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Corporate Offices: 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Toll Free USA & Canada: [phone]
International: [phone]
Customer Support: [email protected]
Copyright © 2021 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents
may be reproduced, copied, modied or adapted, without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.
AN EMPLOYEE-OWNED COMPANY

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Figure 1. EQ-1 Equatorial Mount parts diagram
Mounting platform
Dec. slow-motion control
Latitude adjustment t-bolt
R.A. slow-motion control
Accessory tray
Accessory tray bracket
Latitude lock t-bolt
Dec. lock thumb screw
(not shown)
Azimuth lock knob
(not shown)
Counterweight shaft
Counterweight
Counterweight lock knob
R.A. lock thumb screw
Tripod leg attachment bolt
Leg lock knob

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1. Parts List
Qty. Description
1 German-type equatorial mount
1 Latitude adjustment t-bolt
2 Slow-motion control cables
1 Counterweight (5 lb.)
1 Counterweight shaft
3 Tripod legs
3 Tripod leg attachment bolts with wing nuts
and washers
3 Leg lock knobs
1 Accessory tray
3 Accessory tray screws with wing nuts
1 Assembly tool
2. Assembly
Carefully open all of the boxes in the shipping container. Make
sure all the parts listed in Section 1 are present. Save the
original boxes and packaging material. In the unlikely event
that you need to return the telescope, you must use the origi-
nal packaging. Note: The EQ-1 Equatorial Mount is packaged
with one empty interior box; the box is included for structural
integrity only.
Assembling the mount for the first time should take about 30
minutes. No tools are needed, other than the one provided.
All bolts should be tightened securely to eliminate flexing and
wobbling, but be careful not to over-tighten or the threads
may strip. Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process.
1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side. Attach the tripod
legs, one at a time, to the base of the mount by sliding
a tripod leg attachment bolt through the top of a leg and
through the holes in the base of the mount. The wash-
ers should be on the outside of the tripod legs. Secure
the wing nuts nger-tight. Note that the hinged accessory
tray bracket on each leg should face inward.
2. Attach and tighten the leg lock knobs at the base of the
tripod legs. For now, keep the legs at their shortest (fully
retracted) length; you can extend them to a more desir-
able length later, after the mount is completely assem-
bled.
3. With the tripod legs now attached to the equatorial mount,
stand the tripod upright (be careful!) and spread the legs
apart enough to attach the accessory tray to the three
hinged tray brackets on the legs. The slots in the brack-
ets should be positioned underneath the holes in the three
corners of the tray. Use the three small accessory tray
screws and wing nuts provided to fasten the tray to the
brackets. Do not tighten the wing nuts yet.
4. With the accessory tray attached loosely, spread the tripod
legs apart as far as they will go, until the accessory tray
brackets are taut. Then tighten the wing nuts.
Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion product. Your new EQ-1 Equatorial Mount was
designed to work with many different telescope optical tubes. With its precision equatorial head, you’ll be able to
easily track astronomical objects over time so that they remain within your eyepiece’s eld of view. The setting
circles will help locate hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens, including galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters.
With a little practice and a little patience, you’ll nd that your EQ-1 Equatorial Mount is an invaluable tool for get-
ting the most out of your astronomical observing sessions.
These instructions will help you set up and properly use your equatorial mount. Please read them over thor-
oughly before getting started.
Table of Contents
1. Parts List............................................................................................................................... 3
2. Assembly .............................................................................................................................. 3
3. Attaching A Telescope .......................................................................................................... 4
4. Balancing the Telescope....................................................................................................... 5
5. Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount ......................................................................... 6
6. Specifications...................................................................................................................... 10
7. Suggested Accessories ...................................................................................................... 10

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5. Next, tighten the wing nuts on the tripod leg attachment
bolts at the base of the equatorial mount, so that the legs
are securely fastened. You can use the provided assembly
tool to hold the heads of the bolts while rmly tightening
the wing nuts.
6. Thread the latitude adjustment t-bolt into the hole in the
rear of the equatorial mount (see Figure 2). Orient the
mount as it appears in Figure 2, at a latitude of about 40°,
i.e., so that the pointer next to the latitude scale is pointing
to the hash mark at “40.” To do this, loosen the latitude
lock t-bolt (central to the latitude scale), and turn the lati-
tude adjustment t-bolt until the pointer and the “40” line
up. Then re-tighten the latitude lock t-bolt. You may also
need to rotate the mount about its right ascension (R.A.)
and declination (Dec.) axes (see Figure 2). Do this by first
loosening the R.A. and Dec. lock thumb screws.
7. Slide the counterweight onto the counterweight shaft.
Make sure the counterweight lock knob is adequately
loosened so the counterweight shaft can pass through the
hole in the counterweight.
8. With the counterweight lock knob still loose, grip the coun-
terweight with one hand and thread the shaft into the
equatorial mount (at the base of the declination axis) with
the other hand. When it is threaded as far in as it will go,
position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and
tighten the counterweight lock knob. The washer and screw
on the end of the counterweight shaft will prevent the coun-
terweight from slipping off the shaft and possibly onto your
foot if the counterweight lock knob should come loose
9. Now attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A. and
Dec. slow-motion shafts (see Figure 2) of the equatorial
mount by positioning the thumb screw on the end of the
cable over the indented slot on the shaft, then tightening
the thumb screw. A cable can be attached to either end of
the R.A. shaft, whichever is most convenient for you. Use
the shorter cable for the R.A. shaft.
3. Attaching a Telescope
The EQ-1 Equatorial Mount is designed to hold small to
mid-size telescopes weighing up to about 7 lbs. For heavier
telescopes, the mount may not provide sufficient stability for
steady imaging. Any type of telescope can be mounted on
the EQ-1 Equatorial Mount, including refractors, Newtonian
reflectors, and cadadioptrics, provided a proper adapter or
set of tube rings is available to couple the tube to the mount.
Orion carries a variety of differently sized tube rings and a
1/4"-20 mounting adapter designed exclusively for the EQ-1
Equatorial Mount. One of these items probably fits the tele-
scope tube you wish to mount. See the list of Suggested
Accessories at the end of these instructions, or check the
Orion print or online catalogs for currently available mount-
ing accessories. The mounting accessories fasten to the two
holes in the top platform of the equatorial mount.
RIGHT ASCENSION AXIS
Latitude adjustment t-bolt
Declination (Dec.)
setting circle
Right ascension (R.A.)
setting circle
Right ascension (R.A.)
slow-motion shaft
Latitude scale
Latitude locking t-bolt
Figure 2. The equatorial mount
DECLINATION AXIS
R.A. lock knob
Declination (Dec.) slow-
motion shaft

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4. Balancing the Telescope
Once the telescope is attached to the equatorial mount,
the next step is to balance the telescope. Proper balance is
required to insure smooth movement of the telescope on both
axes of the equatorial mount.
If you attach your telescope with a 1/4"-20 adapter, it may not
be possible to balance the scope precisely with respect to
the declination axis, because the telescope cannot be moved
back and forth as it can when tube rings are used.
Assuming you will be using tube rings, we will first balance
the telescope with respect to the R.A. axis, then the Dec. axis.
1. Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen
the R.A. lock thumb screw. Make sure the Dec. lock thumb
screw is locked, for now. The telescope should now be
able to rotate freely about the R.A. axis. Rotate it until the
counterweight shaft is parallel to the ground (i.e., horizon-
tal).
2. Now loosen the counterweight lock knob and slide the
weight along the shaft until it exactly counterbalances the
telescope (Figure 3a). That’s the point at which the shaft
remains horizontal even when you let go of the telescope
with both hands (Figure 3b). Retighten the counterweight
lock knob. The telescope is now balanced on the R.A. axis.
3. To balance the telescope on the Dec. axis (this is not pos-
sible if using a 1/4"-20 mounting adapter), first tighten the
R.A. lock thumb screw, with the counterweight shaft still in
the horizontal position.
4. With one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen the Dec.
lock thumb screw (Figure 3c). The telescope should now be
able to rotate freely about the Dec. axis.
Loosen the tube ring clamps a few turns until you can slide
the telescope tube forward and back inside the rings (this can
be aided by using a slight twisting motion on the optical tube
while you push or pull on it) (Figure 3d). Position the telescope
so that it remains horizontal when you carefully let go with
both hands. This is the balance point for the Dec. axis (Figure
3e). Before clamping the rings tight again, rotate the telescope
so that the eyepiece is at a convenient angle for viewing.
Figure 3a. Balancing the telescope with respect to
the R.A. axis by sliding the counterweight along its
shaft.
Figure 3b. Telescope is now balanced on the R.A. axis. That is,
when hands are released, counterweight shaft remains horizontal.
Figure 3c. Preparing the telescope to be balanced on the Dec.
axis by first releasing the Dec. lock knob.

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The telescope is now balanced on both axes. Now when you
loosen the lock thumb screw on one or both axes and manu-
ally point the telescope, it should move without resistance and
should not drift from where you point it.
5. Setting Up and Using
the Equatorial Mount
When you look at the night sky, you no doubt have noticed
that the stars appear to move slowly from east to west over
time. That apparent motion is caused by the Earth’s rota-
tion (from west to east). An equatorial mount (Figure 2) is
designed to compensate for that motion, allowing you to
easily “track” the movement of astronomical objects, thereby
keeping them from drifting out of the telescope’s field of view
while you’re observing.
This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its
right ascension (polar) axis, using only the R.A. slow-motion
cable. But first the R.A. axis of the mount must be aligned
with the Earth’s rotational (polar) axis; this is a process called
polar alignment.
Polar Alignment
For Northern Hemisphere observers, approximate polar
alignment is achieved by pointing the mount’s R.A. axis at
the North Star, or Polaris. It lies within 1° of the north celestial
pole (NCP), which is an extension of the Earth’s rotational
axis out into space. Stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear
to revolve around Polaris.
To find Polaris in the sky, look north and locate the pattern
of the Big Dipper (Figure 4). The two stars at the end of the
“bowl” of the Big Dipper point right to Polaris.
Observers in the Southern Hemisphere aren’t so fortunate to
have a bright star so near the south celestial pole (SCP). The
star Sigma Octantis lies about 1° from the SCP, but it is barely
visible with the naked eye (magnitude 5.5).
For general visual observation, an approximate polar align-
ment is sufficient:
1. Level the equatorial mount by adjusting the length of the
three tripod legs.
2. Loosen the latitude lock t-bolt. Turn the latitude adjust-
ment t-bolt and tilt the mount until the pointer on the lati-
tude scale is set at the latitude of your observing site. If
you don’t know your latitude, consult a geographical atlas
to find it. For example, if your latitude is 35° North, set
the pointer to +35. Then retighten the latitude lock t-bolt.
The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again
unless you move to a different viewing location some dis-
tance away.
3. Loosen the Dec. lock thumb screw and rotate the tele-
scope optical tube until it is parallel with the R.A. axis.
The pointer on the Dec. setting circle should read 90°.
Retighten the Dec. lock thumb screw.
Figure 3d. Balancing the telescope with respect to the Dec. axis.
As shown here, the telescope is out of balance (tilting).
Figure 3e. Telescope is now balanced on the Dec. axis, i.e., it
remains horizontal when hands
are released.

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4. Loosen the azimuth adjustment knob and rotate the entire
equatorial mount left-to-right so the telescope tube (and
R.A. axis) points roughly at Polaris. If you cannot see
Polaris directly from your observing site, consult a com-
pass and rotate the equatorial mount so the telescope
points North. Retighten the azimuth adjustment knob.
The equatorial mount is now approximately polar-aligned for
casual observing. More precise polar alignment is required for
astrophotography. Several methods exist and are described
in many amateur astronomy reference books and astronomy
magazines.
From this point on in your observing session, you should not
make any further adjustments to the azimuth or the latitude
of the mount, nor should you move the tripod. Doing so will
undo the polar alignment. The telescope should be moved
only about its R.A. and Dec. axes.
Use of the R.A. and Dec. Slow-Motion Control Cables
The R.A. and Dec. slow-motion control cables allow fine
adjustment of the telescope’s position to center objects within
the field of view. Before you can use the cables, you must
manually “slew” the mount to point the telescope in the vicin-
ity of the desired target. Do this by loosening the R.A. and
Dec. lock thumb screws and moving the telescope about the
mount’s R.A. and Dec. axes. Once the telescope is pointed
somewhere close to the object to be viewed, retighten the
mount’s R.A. and Dec. lock thumb screws.
The object should now be visible somewhere in the tele-
scope’s (aligned) finder scope. If it isn’t, use the slow-motion
controls to scan the surrounding area of sky. If the object is
still not visible in the finder scope, you will need to slew the
mount again, this time being more careful to point the tele-
scope closer to what you wish to view.
When the object is visible in the finder scope, use the slow-
motion controls to center it. Now, look in the telescope with a
long focal length (low magnification) eyepiece. If the finder
scope is properly aligned, the object should be visible some-
where in the field of view. If it is not, you may need to realign the
telescope’s finder scope.
Once the object is visible in the telescope’s eyepiece, use the
slow-motion controls to center it in the field of view. You can
now switch to a higher magnification eyepiece, if you wish.
After switching eyepieces, you can use the slow-motion con-
trol cables to re-center the image, if necessary.
To find Polaris in the night sky, look north and find the Big Dipper. Extend an imaginary line from the two “Pointer Stars” in the bowl of
the Big Dipper. Go about 5 times the distance between those stars and you’ll reach Polaris, which lies within 1° of the north celestial pole
(NCP).
Figure 4. Finding Polaris
Big Dipper
(in Ursa Major)
Little Dipper
(in Ursa Minor)
N.C.P.
Pointer Stars
Cassiopeia
Polaris

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The Dec. slow-motion control cable can move the telescope
a maximum of 25°. This is because the Dec. slow-motion
mechanism has a limited range of mechanical travel. (The
R.A. slow-motion mechanism has no limit to its amount of
travel.) If you can no longer rotate the Dec. control cable in a
desired direction, you have reached the end of travel, and the
slow-motion mechanism should be reset. This is done by first
rotating the control cable several turns in the opposite direc-
tion from which it was originally being turned. Then, manually
slew the telescope closer to the object you wish to observe
(remember to first loosen the Dec. lock thumb screw). You
should now be able to use the Dec. slow-motion control cable
again to fine adjust the telescope’s position.
Tracking Celestial Objects
When you observe a celestial object through the telescope,
you’ll see it drift slowly across the field of view. To keep it in
the field, if your equatorial mount is polar-aligned, just rotate
the R.A. slow-motion control. The Dec. slow-motion control is
not needed for tracking. Objects will appear to move faster at
higher magnifications, because the field of view is narrower.
Optional Motor Drives for Automatic Tracking and
Astrophotography
An optional DC motor drive (EQ-1M) can be mounted on the
R.A. axis of the EQ-1 Equatorial Mount to provide hands-free
tracking. Objects will then remain stationary in the field of view
without any manual adjustment of the R.A. slow-motion con-
trol. The motor drive is necessary for astrophotography.
If mounting only a DSLR camera with lens on the mount, note
that the included 5-lb. counterweight could interfere with, i.e.,
contact, the motor drive when the camera is pointed in certain
orientations. To avoid this problem, you should replace the
5-lb. counterweight with the narrower, 2.1-lb. counterweight
(#7398, sold separately). With this counterweight there is
complete clearance from the motor drive in any camera
orientation.
Understanding the Setting Circles
The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to
locate celestial objects by their “celestial coordinates.” Every
astronomical object resides in a specific location on the “celes-
tial sphere.” That location is denoted by two numbers: its right
ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.). In the same way,
every location on Earth can be described by its longitude and
latitude. R.A. is similar to longitude on Earth, and Dec. is simi-
lar to latitude. The R.A. and Dec. values for celestial objects
can be found in any star atlas or star catalog.
So, the coordinates for the Orion Nebula listed in a star atlas
will look like this:
R.A. 5h 35.4m Dec. -5° 27'
That’s 5 hours and 35.4 minutes in right ascension, and -5
degrees and 27 arc-minutes in declination (the negative sign
denotes south of the celestial equator). There are 60 minutes
in 1 hour of R.A and there are 60 arc-minutes in 1 degree of
declination.
The mount’s R.A. setting circle is scaled in hours, from 1
through 24, with small hash marks in between representing 10
minute increments. The numbers closest to the R.A. axis gear
apply to viewing in the Southern Hemisphere, while the num-
bers above them apply to viewing in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Dec. setting circle is scaled in degrees, with each small
hash mark representing 2.5°.
Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects, the
mount must be well polar aligned, and the setting circles must
be calibrated. The declination setting circle was calibrated at
the factory, and should read 90° when the telescope optical
tube is parallel with the R.A. axis.
Calibrating the Right Ascension
Setting Circle
1. Identify a bright star near the celestial equator and look up
its coordinates in a star atlas.
2. Loosen the R.A. and Dec. lock thumb screws on the equa-
torial mount, so the telescope optical tube can move freely.
3 Point the telescope at the bright star near the celestial
equator whose coordinates you know. Center the star in
the telescope’s field of view. Lock the R.A. and Dec. lock
thumb screws.
4. Rotate the R.A. setting circle so the pointer indicates the
R.A. listed for the bright star in the star atlas.
Finding Objects With the Setting Circles
Now that both setting circles are calibrated, look up in a star
atlas the coordinates of an object you wish to view.
1. Loosen the Dec. lock thumb screw and rotate the tele-
scope until the Dec. value from the star atlas matches the
reading on the Dec. setting circle. Retighten the lock thumb
screw. Note: If the telescope is aimed south and the Dec.
setting circle pointer passes the 0° indicator, the value on
the Dec. setting circle becomes a negative number.
2. Loosen the R.A. lock thumb screw and rotate the telescope
until the R.A. value from the star atlas matches the reading
on the R.A. setting circle. Retighten the lock thumb screw.
Most setting circles are not accurate enough to put an object
dead-center in your finder scope’s field of view, but they’ll get
you close, assuming the equatorial mount is accurately polar-
aligned. The R.A. setting circle should be re-calibrated every
time you wish to locate a new object. Do so by calibrating the
setting circle for the centered object before moving on to the
next one.
Confused About Pointing the Telescope?
Beginners occasionally experience some confusion about how
to point the telescope overhead or in other directions. In Figure
1 the telescope is pointed north as it would be during polar
alignment. The counterweight shaft is oriented downward. But
it will not look like that when the telescope is pointed in other
directions. Let’s say you want to view an object that is directly
overhead, at the zenith. How do you do it?

9
One thing you DO NOT do is make any adjustment to the
latitude adjustment t-bolt. That will nullify the mount’s polar
alignment. Remember, once the mount is polar-aligned, the
telescope should be moved only on the R.A. and Dec. axes.
To point the scope overhead, first loosen the R.A. lock thumb
screw and rotate the telescope on the R.A. axis until the coun-
terweight shaft is horizontal (parallel to the ground). Then
loosen the Dec. lock thumb screw and rotate the telescope
until it is pointing straight overhead. The counterweight shaft is
still horizontal. Then retighten both lock thumb screws.
Similarly, to point the telescope directly south, the counter-
weight shaft should again be horizontal. Then you simply
rotate the scope on the Dec. axis until it points in the south
direction. (Figure 5a)
What if you need to aim the telescope directly north, but at an
object that is nearer to the horizon than Polaris? You can’t do
it with the counterweight down as pictured in Figure 1. Again,
you have to rotate the scope in R.A. so that the counterweight
shaft is positioned horizontally. Then rotate the scope in Dec.
so it points to where you want it near the horizon. (Figure 5b)
To point the telescope to the east (Figure 5c) or west (Figure
5d), or in other directions, you rotate the telescope on its
R.A. and Dec. axes. Depending on the altitude of the object
you want to observe, the counterweight shaft will be oriented
somewhere between vertical and horizontal.
The key things to remember when pointing the telescope is
that a) you only move it in R.A. and Dec., not in azimuth or
latitude (altitude), and b) the counterweight and shaft will not
always appear as it does in Figure 1. In fact it almost never
will!
Figure 5d. Telescope pointing west.
Figure 5a. Telescope pointing south. Note that in all these
illustrations, the mount and tripod remain stationary; only the R.A.
and Dec. axes are moved.
Figure 5b. Telescope pointing north.
Figure 5c. Telescope pointing east.

6. Specifications
Mount: German-type equatorial
Tripod: aluminum
Height: 36" to 57"
Weight: 11.9 lbs
Counterweight: 5 lb.
Maximum Loading Weight: about 7 lbs.
Slow-Motion Adjustment: both RA and Dec axes
Setting Circles: RA scaled in 10 min. increments, Dec scaled
in 2.5° increments, for N or S Hemisphere
Polar Axis Altitude Adjustment: 10° to 70°
7. Suggested Accessories
1/4"-20 Adapter (Orion part #10103)
This accessory bolts to the top of the equatorial head and pro-
vides a threaded post on which to mount a camera or tele-
scope that utilizes a standard 1/4"-20 thread.
Tube Mounting Rings
Orion carries a wide variety of tube rings to couple different
sizes of telescope to the EQ-1 mount. The tube rings attach
directly to the mounting platform on the EQ head. Visit our
website (www.telescope.com) for more information.
EQ-1M Motor Drive (Orion part #7826)
This is a small electric motor that attaches to the equatorial
mount. It turns the gear on the R.A. axis at the same rate that
the Earth rotates on its axis, thereby following, or “tracking,” the
apparent motion of the stars. Automatic tracking keeps objects
from drifting out of the field of view while you’re observing, and
is required for astrophotography. Runs on four size “D” alkaline
batteries, not included.
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Corporate Offices: 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Toll Free USA & Canada: [phone]
International: [phone]
Customer Support: [email protected]
Copyright © 2021 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.All Rights Reserved. No part of this product instruction or any of its contents
may be reproduced, copied, modied or adapted, without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.
AN EMPLOYEE-OWNED COMPANY
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion product is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a peri-
od of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benet of the original
retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will
repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defec-
tive, provided it is returned postage paid. Proof of purchase (such as a copy of the origi-
nal receipt) is required. This warranty is only valid in the country of purchase.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused,
mishandled, or modied, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives
you specic legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights
under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights
governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.
For further warranty information, please visit www.OrionTelescopes.com/warranty.