Telescopes & Mounts...
ALT-AZ
f all the many and varied telescopes Oavailable for use by the amateur astronomers, the mountings that sup- port them fall into two types - the
and the equatorial. The 'Using your telescope' section of this booklet that follows will tell you more about these terms and the actual use of your instrument, so we will concentrate on the actual initial assembly and adjustments of your telescope here.
The initial assembly of your telescope is best undertaken in daylight with plenty of room to lay out the components and to familiarise with the accompanying images to see how the assembled instrument should look.
The three legs should be attached to the tripod head one by one by the three bolts and wing nuts provided. They should not be overtight- ened, but just made finger tight. Pay particular attention to the orientation of each leg prior to assembly such that the tripod tray bracket is facing inward. The tripod may now be placed on the ground with the legs splayed enough for the accessory tray to be attached. Adjust the height of each leg so that the tripod head is initially kept low for maximum rigidity, taking note that the thumb screws holding the legs in place are securely tightened prior to the next stage.
Next, attach the
If your telescope mount is fitted with flexible slow motion controls (e.g.
EQ-5
4
