DWARF Telescope EQ Mode Setup: Step-by-Step Guide for Deep Sky Astrophotography

Smart telescopes like the DWARF 3 and DWARF Mini have made deep sky astrophotography dramatically easier than traditional telescope rigs. Instead of hauling out heavy mounts, counterweights, and complex tracking systems, these compact telescopes combine automated pointing, tracking, and image stacking into a small portable system.

To photograph deep sky objects such as nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters, the telescope needs to track the motion of the night sky accurately. This is done using Equatorial (EQ) Mode, which aligns the telescope with Earth’s rotation so it can follow objects smoothly during longer exposures.

Fortunately, setting up EQ mode on DWARF telescopes is far simpler than aligning a traditional equatorial mount. The process typically takes only a few minutes once you become familiar with the workflow.

The setup steps below apply to both the DWARF 3 and DWARF Mini telescopes.

Before You Start

Before heading outside, take a few minutes to prepare your equipment and software. These quick checks can prevent a lot of frustration once you’re under the night sky.

• Charge the DWARF telescope battery
• Check available storage space on the telescope
• Fully charge your phone or tablet
• Update the DWARF app on your phone
• Check for DWARF telescope software updates
• Update the Sky Atlas database
• Ensure you have dark frames taken for the exposure time, gain, and temperature range you’ll be using. Taking them ahead of time avoids delaying the start of your Astrophotography session to take the dark frames.

Occasionally after a DWARF software update the Atlas database may need to be downloaded and reinstalled, so it’s best to verify this before you begin your session.

Step-by-Step EQ Mode Setup

The following workflow works for both DWARF smart telescopes when imaging deep sky objects in Equatorial Mode.

1. Mount the DWARF Telescope on a Stable Tripod

Attach the telescope securely to a stable tripod. A lightweight travel tripod can work, but a sturdy tripod helps reduce vibration and improves tracking accuracy during long imaging sessions.

2. Allow the Telescope to Acclimate to Outdoor Temperature

If there is a large temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, allow the telescope to sit outside for about 10–15 minutes so the optics and electronics can adjust to the ambient temperature. This helps stabilize focus and improves star detection. If the temperature difference is small, this step is usually not necessary and you can begin setup right away.

3. Connect an External Battery for Long Sessions (Optional)

If you plan a longer imaging session, connect an external USB-C battery pack to the telescope. I use a small “lipstick-style” portable charger that I simply Velcro to one of my tripod legs, which keeps the setup compact and prevents the cable from dangling while the telescope tracks. (I’ve included a link above to the one I use if you want to see the exact model.)

Battery life will vary depending on temperature and usage:

• DWARF 3: approximately 4–6 hours

• DWARF Mini: approximately 4 hours (as advertised by DWARF Labs)

Cold temperatures can reduce battery performance, so using an external battery pack is a simple way to extend operating time during longer deep sky imaging sessions.

4. Choose a Location With a Clear View of the Sky

Place the tripod where the telescope has a clear view of the night sky, particularly in the direction of your target object, and where it will remain unobstructed for the duration of your imaging session.

Avoid areas with:

• trees
• buildings
• bright lights

A sky-planning app such as Star Walk 2 can be helpful for identifying deep sky objects and determining when they will be best positioned in the sky.

5. Level the Tripod and Telescope

Level the tripod as accurately as possible.

Many tripods and tripod heads include built-in bubble levels, which make this step easier. Proper leveling improves the accuracy of the EQ alignment process.

6. Connect Your Phone or Tablet

Connect your phone or tablet to the telescope using the DWARF Wi-Fi network.

In my experience, connecting directly to the DWARF’s Wi-Fi network is more reliable than connecting through a home Wi-Fi network when imaging.

When processing images later in Stellar Studio, you may need to reconnect the telescope to your home Wi-Fi network.

7. Focus the Telescope on a Bright Star

Before starting EQ alignment, focus the telescope using a bright star.

In the DWARF Labs app, configure the display so the wide-angle view appears in the upper left corner and the telephoto view fills most of the screen. The telephoto view is required for focusing because autofocus only works when the zoom window is active.  

Click the small preview display in the upper-left corner to swap the wide-angle and telephoto views. The rectangle icon on the left side of the app toggles the picture-in-picture display on or off, if you want to hide or show the secondary view.

1. Point the telescope toward a bright star. Use the navigation controls in the DWARF app to center the star on the display. The wide-angle view helps with locating and roughly positioning the star, while the zoomed-in view is useful for fine adjustments.
2. Confirm the zoom window is active.
3. Run Auto Focus by clicking on the focus icon and then AF.

After autofocus completes, verify that the star appears small and sharp in the zoomed-in view before continuing with EQ alignment.

Setting Up EQ Mode

8. Enter Deep Sky Mode

EQ alignment is only available in Deep Sky Mode.

To enter Deep Sky Mode:

1. Tap the icon in the upper right corner
2. Select Deep Sky Mode

When Deep Sky Mode is active:

• the icon in the upper right appears as a circle with two rings
• an additional icon with three dots (…) appears on the left side of the screen

This … icon provides access to the EQ alignment controls.

If you have trouble switching to Deep Sky Mode, try selecting a target in the Atlas and press the camera icon to have the Dwarf perform a GoTo and start tracking.  You will need to cancel tracking to start EQ alignment, but this will switch to deep sky mode.

9. Roughly Align the Tripod Toward North

Before starting EQ alignment, roughly orient the back of the telescope toward true north.

A simple method is to point the back of the tripod (the side without the DWARF logo) toward north by using physical compass, compass app or locate Polaris (the North Star) using a night sky app such as Star Walk 2

This rough alignment helps the automatic alignment process complete more quickly.

10. Start EQ Alignment

Open the EQ alignment tool located in the … menu and begin the alignment process.

The app will display your latitude, which determines the tilt needed for proper polar alignment.

Tilt the telescope so the angle relative to the ground matches your latitude.  Depending on the scale on your wedge / geared tripod head, you may need to subtract your latitude from 90 degrees to get the proper setting.

For example: If I’m at 42 degrees latitude, so I need to rotate my wedge back 48 degrees (90 – 42), so it is 42 degrees from the ground.

11. Follow the On-Screen Alignment Instructions

Once alignment begins, the Dwarf Lap app will guide you through the process.

You will be asked to adjust the telescope:

• Up or Down
• Clockwise or Counterclockwise

Make small adjustments until the alignment indicator shows good accuracy.

When satisfied, press Ready to complete the EQ alignment.

The longer your exposures, the more accurate the polar alignment needs to be.

Optional: Using a Wedge for Easier Alignment

For EQ setup, I find it helpful to use a geared tripod head or wedge-style mount rather than a standard ball head. These types of tripod heads allow for precise micro-adjustments when aligning the telescope.

A geared head typically provides:

• Independent altitude and azimuth adjustment controls
• Fine-tuning knobs for small alignment corrections
• Degree scales or marked adjustment dials for repeatable positioning

These features make polar alignment smoother and more precise, especially when making the small adjustments required for accurate EQ tracking.

(If you’re interested, I’ve linked to the geared tripod head I use above)

Starting a Deep Sky Imaging Session

12. Select a Target From the Sky Atlas

Open the Sky Atlas inside the DWARF app by selecting Atlas at the top of the screen.

Choose a deep sky object by clicking on an object in the atlas or by doing a search. Here are a few common astrophotography targets to start:

• Orion Nebula (M42)
• Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
• Pleiades (M45)

Tap the camera icon, and the telescope will perform a GoTo operation and begin tracking the object.  This may take a few minutes for the telescope to locate and start tracking the object.

13. Set Your Imaging Parameters

Open the Parameters menu in the Dwarf Labs app and adjust the following settings:

• Exposure Time
• Gain
• Filter Mode

These settings will vary depending on your target object, sky conditions, and alignment accuracy. New users often ask what exposure settings work best with DWARF telescopes, and while conditions vary, a simple starting point works well for many deep sky targets.

To start out, I typically set gain to around 60 and begin with shorter exposures such as 30 or 60 seconds. Shorter exposures are more forgiving if your EQ alignment is not perfect and can also help in windy or partly cloudy conditions, since frames affected by motion or clouds can simply be rejected from the stack.

Longer exposures can collect more signal, but they require more accurate EQ alignment to prevent star trailing.

For filter selection:

• Use the Duo Band filter when photographing emission nebulae such as the Rosette Nebula or Orion Nebula.
• Use the Astro filter for other deep sky targets like galaxies, star clusters, and reflection nebulae.

Press the Start / Shutter button to begin imaging.

14. Monitor the First Few Stacks

Watch the first several frames to confirm everything is working properly. The display at the top of the screen will indicate how many images have been captured and successfully stacked, and the current stacked result will appear on the screen.

Look for:

• sharp stars
• proper tracking
• steady stacking progress
• no clouds passing through the frame

Once everything looks good, you can monitor the process using your smartphone or tablet. Depending on how far the telescope is from your house, you may be able to monitor your deep sky imaging session from the comfort of the inside of your home.

Written by Martin Belan

Related Posts
7 Reasons to Buy a Smart Telescope for Astrophotography
OM System OM-3 Astro: What’s Actually New — And Is It Worth It?
The Olympus 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 vs. the 300mm f/4 on a Handheld High Res Moon Photograph