If you are thinking of getting into Astrophotography, may I suggest choosing another genre

[nardes]

I’m not sure what was wrong with the HEQ5 (is it the HEQ5 SynScan GPS model), but from what I have read on the SKywatcher website, it is the baby brother of the EQ6.

“This heavy-duty HEQ5 Pro mount is a smaller version of the sturdy EQ6 Pro mount”.

http://ca.skywatcher.com/_english/02...ail.php?sid=59

With that, I would be concerned about your expectations about the EQ6 in terms of what it can deliver compared to the EQ5; I hope you will not go through the same disappointment.

When I first started in astronomy I purchased a Vixen GP mount (made in Japan) which had 2 motors for moving the telescope (or camera/lens) to compensate for the earth’s daily rotation. The Right Ascension (RA) motor basically drives the RA axis at a rate of 1 revolution in 23 hours 56 mins, thus tracking the stars as they appear to move in the night sky. RA can be thought of as analogous to lines of Longitude on the Earth.

The Declination (DEC) motor is not used in plain tracking, it provides for moving the telescope in Declination which is analogous to lines of Latitude.

To get the benefit of this tracking, you have to Polar Align the mount so that the RA axis is pointing accurately at the South Celestial Pole (SCP), that imaginary point in the skies around which the Earth appears to revolve on its axis. The SCP for me in Brisbane is some 11 degrees East of Magnetic South as shown by a compass. It will be different for you.

Where the HEQ5 and the EQ6 differ from my Vixen GP mount is that they incorporate advanced electronics and a computerised hand controller that provides amazing functionality for searching for objects and then commanding the mount to “GoTo” those objects and centre them in the eyepiece of a telescope or camera lens. But, you have to ensure that the mount is set up and aligned correctly so “it knows where it is” before it can GoTo an object in the database.

I found the learning curve very steep and several times I felt like bailing out, until I realised that these mounts more like scientific instruments rather than consumer equipment. As my knowledge of astronomy, astronomical concepts, the celestial sphere, how the stars move, etc. grew I finally began to enjoy the hobby.

If modern mounts are GPS enabled they should, be able to assist with the set up procedure once you have got the mount outside and aligned to the SCP. Some mounts have a mode where you don’t have to set up the mount to align with the SCP (mainly for visual observing). You can just plonk the tripod down and the mount will figure out where it is and can then give you a tour of the skies.

Good luck with the EQ6 and I hope you continue your endeavours to master the concepts, hardware, firmware and software!

Cheers

Dennis