8 • Assembling Your CM-1100
After the tripod is set up, you are ready to attach the equatorial mount. The
equatorial mount is the platform to which the telescope attaches and allows
you to move the telescope in right acsension and declination. The mount is
also adjustable so you can orient the axis of rotation so that it is parallel with
the Earth’s axis of rotation (see the section on “Polar Alignment”). To attach
the equatorial mount to the tripod:
1.
Insert the base of the equatorial mount into the top of the central column.
2.
Rotate the equatorial mount on the central column until the holes in the
mount line up with those in the central column and the dec opening (where
the counterweight shaft will go) is positioned directly over one of the tripod
legs.
3.
Insert the three remaining 3/8-16 cap screws and washers provided through
the holes in the central pier and into the equatorial mount (see Figure 2-5).
4.
Tighten the screws to hold the equatorial mount in place.
Attaching the
Equatorial Mount
Figure 2-5
Central Column
Equatorial Mount
Counterweight
Shaft Opening
