Orion SKYVIEW PRO 120 EQ User's Manual
Contents
1. 2 Parts List Optical tube assembly Tripod Equatorial mount Tripod support tray Counterweight shaft Large counterweight Small counterweight Slow motion control knobs R A axis rear cover Latitude adjustment L bolt Tube rings with mounting screws Tube ring mounting plate 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 10mm Sirius Pl ssl eyepiece Star diagonal Finder scope Finder scope bracket with O ring Dust cover a 1 D NN M Collimation tool 3 Assembly Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about 80 minutes No tools are needed other than the ones provided All screws should be tightened securely but be careful not to over tighten or the threads may strip Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process During assembly and anytime for that matter do not touch the surfaces of the lenses of the telescope finder scope or eyepieces with your fingers The optical surfaces have delicate coatings on them that can easily be damaged if touched inap propriately Never remove any lens assembly from its housing for any reason or the product warranty and return policy will be voided Azimuth adjustment knobs Post Figure 2 Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up between the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount T Stand the tripod legs upright and spread the legs out as far as they will go Keep the tripod legs at their2. Dec slow motion control knob Dec setting circle Dec lock lever Front opening R A lock lever R A slow motion control knob Figure 6 The SkyView Pro 120 equatorial mount Latitude adjustment L bolts Little Dipper in Ursa Minor Big Dipper in Ursa Major Polaris Cassiopeia Figure 7 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 five times the distance between those stars and you ll reach Polaris which lies within 1 of the north celestial pole NCP knob But first the R A axis of the mount must be aligned with the Earth s rotational polar axis a process called polar alignment Polar Alignment For Northern Hemisphere observers approximate polar align ment is achieved by pointing the mount s right ascension axis at the North Star or Polaris It lies within 1 of the north celes tial pole NCP which is an extension of the Earth s rotational axis out into space Stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear to revolve around the NCP To find Polaris in the sky look north and locate the pattern of the Big Dipper Figure 7 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 O
3. Slide the eyepiece end narrow end of the finder scope into the end of the bracket s cylinder opposite the adjustment screws while pulling the chrome spring loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers Figure 3b Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O ring seats just inside the front opening of the bracket cylinder Release the tensioner and tighten the two black nylon screws a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place Insert the base of the finder scope bracket into the dovetail holder on the top of the focuser Lock the bracket into position by tightening the knurled thumbscrew on the dovetail holder Inserting the Diagonal and Eyepiece Loosen the thumbscrew on the 1 25 adapter on the focuser and remove the small dust cap Insert the chrome barrel of the star diagonal into the focuser and secure with the thumb screw Loosen the thumbscrews on the diagonal and insert a fi Figure 4a 4d Proper operation of the equatorial mount requires that the telescope tube be balanced on both the R A and Dec axes a With the R A lock lever released slide the counterweight along the counterweight shaft until it just counterbalances the tube b When you let go with both hands the tube should not drift up or down c With the Dec lock lever released loosen the tube ring lock clamps a few turns and slide the telescope forward or back in the tube rings d When the tube is balanced about the Dec axis it wi
4. so you will have a lot of options to choose from If you do not know the positions of the constel lations in the night sky you will need to get a planisphere to identify them Start by choosing bright objects to view The brightness of an object is measured by its visual magnitude the brighter an object the lower its magnitude Choose an object with a visual magnitude of 9 or lower Many beginners start with the Messier objects which represent some of the best and bright est deep sky objects first catalogued about 200 years ago by the French astronomer Charles Messier Determine in which constellation the object lies Now find the constellation in the sky If you do not recognize the constella tions on sight consult a planisphere The planisphere gives an all sky view and shows which constellations are visible on a given night at a given time Now look at your star chart and find the brightest star in the constellation that is near the object you are trying to find Using the finder scope point the telescope at this star and center it on the crosshairs Next look again at the star chart and find another suitably bright star near the bright star cur rently centered in the finder Keep in mind that the field of view of the finder scope is approximately 5 so you should choose another star that is no more that 5 from the first star if pos sible Move the telescope slightly until the telescope is cen tered on the new star
5. Continue using stars as guideposts in this way until you are at the approximate position of the object you are trying to find Figure 14 Look in the telescope s eyepiece and the object should be somewhere within the field of view If it s not sweep the telescope carefully around the immediate vicinity until the object is found If you have trouble finding the object start the starhop again from the brightest star near the object you wish to view This time be sure the stars indicated on the star chart are in fact 14 ora ANDROMEDA Grea Andorre CAE lol Clan a MJJ oat objects Refer to a star chart to map a route to the object that uses bright stars as guideposts Center the first star you ve chosen in the finder scope and telescope eyepiece 1 Now move the scope carefully in the direction of the next bright star 2 until it is centered Repeat 3 and 4 The last hop 5 should place the desired object in the eyepiece the stars you are centering in the eyepiece Remember the finder scope and main telescope eyepiece for that matter gives an inverted image so you must keep this in mind when starhopping from star to star 8 Astrophotography Several different types of astrophotography can be success fully attempted with the SkyView Pro 120 EQ Moon Photography This is perhaps the simplest form of astrophotography as no motor drive is required All that is needed is a T ring for your specifi
6. a Figure 12a d This illustration shows the telescope pointed in the four cardinal directions a north b south c east d west Note that the tripod and mount have been moved only the telescope tube has been moved on the R A and Dec axes the scope in declination so it points to where you want it near the horizon To point the telescope directly south the counterweight shaft should again be horizontal Then you simply rotate the scope on the declination axis until it points in the south direction To point the telescope to the east or west or in other direc tions you rotate the telescope on its right ascension and dec lination axes Depending on the altitude of the object you want to observe the counterweight shaft will be oriented some where between vertical and horizontal Figure 12 illustrates how the telescope will look when pointed at the four cardinal directions north south east and west 7 Astronomical Observing For many users the SkyView Pro 120 EQ telescope will be a major leap into the world of amateur astronomy This section is intended to get you ready for your voyages through the night sky Observing Tips A Site Selection Pick a location away from street lights and bright yard light ing Avoid viewing over rooftops and chimneys as they often have warm air currents rising from them which distort the image seen in the eyepiece Similarly you should not observe through an open or closed window
7. rotate freely Rotate the setting circle until the R A pointer arrow indi cates the R A coordinate listed in the star atlas for the object Re tighten the setting circle thumbscrew 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 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telescope until the declination value from the star atlas matches the reading on the Dec setting circle Remember that values of the Dec set ting circle are positive when the telescope is pointing north of the celestial equator Dec 0 and negative when the telescope is pointing south of the celestial equator Retighten the lock lever Loosen the R A lock lever and rotate the telescope until the right ascension value from the star atlas matches the reading on the R A setting circle Remember to use the lower set of numbers on the R A setting circle Retighten the lock lever Most setting circles are not accurate enough to put an object dead center in the telescope s eyepiece but they should place the object somewhere within the field of view of the find er scope assuming the equatorial mount is accurately polar aligned Use the slow motion controls to center the object in the finder scope and it should appear in the telescope s field of view The setting circles must be re calibrated every time you wish to locate a new object Do so by cali
8. will not be able to use the polar axis finder to precisely polar align the telescope To align the mount using the polar axis finder scope follow these instructions 1 Approximately polar align the mount as outlined in the pro cedure above 2 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the optical tube on the declination axis so that the tube is at a 90 to the right ascension axis Figure 10 This is so you can view through the mount with the polar axis finder Tighten the Dec lock lever 3 Remove the cap on the front of the equatorial mount Figure 6 Focus the polar finder by rotating the eyepiece Now sight Polaris in the polar axis finder scope If you have followed the approximate polar alignment procedure accurately Polaris will probably be within the field of view If not move the tripod left to right and adjust the latitude up and down until Polaris is somewhere within the field of view of the polar axis finder scope 4 Shine a red flashlight down the front end of the polar finder to illuminate the reticle within the field of view Make sure the flashlight shines in at an angle so as not to block the polar finder s field of view It may be helpful to have a friend hold the flashlight while you look through the polar finder Note the constellation Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper in the reticle They do not appear in scale but they indicate the general positions of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper relative to the north celesti
9. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion SkyView Pro 120 EQ 9867 Equatorial Refractor Telescope Customer Support 800 676 1343 gt ORIONI E mail support telescope com TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P O Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 IN 189 Rev B 04 05 Objective lens Declination lock lever opposite side Right Ascension lock lever opposite side Declination slow motion control knob Safety thumbscrew Mounting plate securing knob Counterweight shaft Counterweights Counterweight lock knobs Tripod leg Leg lock knobs Figure 1 The SkyView Pro 120 EQ Optical tube Tube rings ge Finder scope oi Le Finder scope bracket yepiece Star diagonal Focus wheel Right Ascension slow motion control knob Latitude scale Latitude adjustment L bolts Center support shaft Tripod support tray SZ ORION Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion telescope Your new SkyView Pro 120 EQ is designed for high resolution viewing and astrophotography of astronomical objects With its precision optics and sturdy equatorial mount you ll be able to enjoy hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens These instructions will help you set up properly use and care for your telescope Please read them over thoroughly before getting started
10. 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 there are 60 arc minutes in 1 degree of declination Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects the mount must be accurately polar aligned and the setting cir cles must be calibrated Calibrating the Declination Setting Circle 1 Loosen the Dec lock lever and position the telescope as accurately as possible in declination so it is parallel to the R A axis as shown in Figure 1 Re tighten the lock lever 2 Loosen one of the thumbscrews on the Dec setting circle see Figure 11 this will allow the setting circle to rotate freely Rotate the Dec setting circle until the pointer reads exactly 90 Re tighten the setting circle thumbscrew Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle 1 Identify a bright star in the sky near the celestial equa tor declination 0 and look up its coordinates in a star atlas 2 Loosen the R A and Dec lock levers on the equatorial mount so the telescope optical tube can move freely 3 Point the telescope at the bright star whose coordinates you know Lock the R A and Dec lock levers Center the star in the telescope s field of view with the slow motion control knobs 4 Loosen one of the R A setting circle thumbscrews see Figure 11 this will allow the setting circle to
11. Table of Contents 1 Unpacking RES sete BASE ewe GES 3 2 Pans List 22 sven Sec hate Revd whe Se 3 I ASSEMDIY tsar wu re Sn eine 3 4 Balancing the Telescope 5 5 Using Your Telescope 6 6 Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount 7 7 Astronomical Observing 12 8 Astrophotography 15 9 Collimating Aligning the Optics 16 10 Care and Maintenance 16 11 Specifications 17 1 Unpacking The SkyView Pro 120 EQ will arrive in one box Be careful unpacking the box We recommend keeping the box and all original packaging In the event that the telescope needs to be shipped to another location or returned to Orion for warranty repair having the proper box and packaging will help ensure that your telescope will survive the journey intact Make sure all the parts in the Parts List are present Be sure to check each box carefully as some parts are small If anything appears to be missing or broken immediate ly call Orion Customer Support 800 676 1343 or email support telescope com for assistance Warning Never look directly at the Sun through your telescope or its finder scope even for an instant without a professionally made solar filter that completely covers the front of the instrument or permanent eye damage could result Young children should use this telescope only with adult supervision
12. age that is much better color corrected than a non ach romatic one element objective lens Even with the achromatic lens design however the SkyView Pro 120 EQ will suffer a bit from chromatic aberration due to its large aperture and short focal length This will be notice able to some degree on extremely bright objects such as the Moon and bright planets What you will notice is that the object when focused has a slight purple halo around it This will not present a problem for most observers as the eye read ily adapts to the view and is still able to distinguish fine details Chromatic aberration will never inhibit deep sky observing as deep sky objects are too faint to cause any noticeable color distortion 6 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 rotation from west to east An equatorial mount Figure 6 is designed to compensate for that motion allowing you to easily track the movement of astronomical objects thereby keeping them from drifting out of your telescope s field of view while you re observing This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its right ascension R A axis using only the R A slow motion 7 R A setting circle Polar axis finder scope optional Latitude scale opposite side
13. al axis drives worm gear shaft before using the slow motion control knob The object should now be visible somewhere in the telescope s finder scope If it isn t use the slow motion knobs to scan the surrounding area of sky When the object is visible in the finder scope use the slow motion knobs to center it Now look in the telescope s eyepiece If the finder scope is properly aligned the object should be visible somewhere in the field of view Once the object is visible in the eyepiece use the slow motion knobs to center it in the field of view 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 turn the R A slow motion control knob clockwise The Dec slow motion control knob 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 An optional DC motor drive can be mounted on the R A axis of the equatorial mount to provide hands free tracking Objects will then remain stationary in the field of view with out any manual adjustment of the right ascension slow motion control knob Understanding the Setting Circles The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to locate celestial objects by their celestial coordinates Every object resid
14. al pole which is indicated by the cross at the center of the reticle Rotate the reticle so the constellations depicted match their current orientation in they sky when viewed with the naked eye To do this release the R A lock lever and rotate the main telescope around the R A axis until the reticle is oriented with sky For larger optical tubes you may need to remove the tube from the mount to prevent it from bumping into the mount Once the reticle is correctly oriented use the right ascen sion lock lever to secure the mount s position Now use the azimuth adjustment knobs Figure 8 and the latitude adjustment L bolts Figure 6 on the mount to position the star Polaris inside the tiny circle marked Polaris on the finder s reticle You must first loosen the knob underneath the equatorial mount on the center support shaft to use the azi muth adjustment knobs Once Polaris is properly positioned within the reticle you are precisely polar aligned Retighten the knob underneath the equatorial mount Note From this point on in your observing session you should not make any further adjustments in the azimuth or the latitude of the mount nor should you move the tripod Doing so will undo the polar alignment The tele scope should be moved only about its right ascension and declination axes Additional Note Regarding Focusing the Polar Axis Finder Scope The polar axis finder scope is normally focused by simply rotating the
15. asses Before cleaning with fluid and tissue however blow any loose par ticles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue never directly on the optics Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue Oily fingerprints and smudges may be removed using this method Use caution rubbing too hard may scratch the lens For the objective lens clean only a small area at a time using a fresh lens tissue on each area Never reuse tissues 11 Specifications Objective lens Achromatic doublet air spaced Objective lens coating Multi coated Objective lens diameter 120mm 4 7 Focal length 1000mm Focal ratio f 8 3 Eyepieces 25mm and 10mm Sirius Pl ssis fully coated 1 25 Magnification 40x with 25mm and 100x with 10mm Finder Scope 8x40 Achromatic 5 33 field of view Focuser Rack and4pinion accepts 1 25 or 2 accessories and camera T Ring Diagonal 90 Star diagonal mirror type 1 25 Mount SkyView Pro German equatorial Tripod Steel Tripod support tray Aluminum provides additional stability holds five 1 25 eyepiece and two 2 eyepieces Weight 41 lbs Mount 30 Ibs optical tube 11 Ibs Polar axis latitude adjustment 8 to 70 Polar axis finder Optional Motor Drives Optional 17 18 19 20 One Year Limited Warranty This Orion SkyView Pro 120 EQ is warranted against defects in mater
16. at the top of the shaft is threaded clockwise as far as it will go before attaching the shaft Once the shaft is installed turn the casting counter clockwise until the top of the casting is flush with the mount Remove the knurled toe saver retaining screw on the bottom of the counterweight shaft and slide both counter weights onto the shaft Make sure the counterweight lock knobs are adequately loosened to allow the counterweight shaft to pass through the hole Position the counterweights Finder scope bracket Nylon alignment thumbscrews Finder scope Tensioner Focus lock ring Figure 3a The 8x40 finder scope Figure 3b Pull back on the tensioner and slide the finder scope into its bracket until the O ring is seated in the bracket ring about halfway up the shaft and tighten the lock knobs Replace the toe saver at the end of the bar The toe saver prevents the counterweights from falling on your foot if the lock knobs happen to come loose Attach the slow motion control knobs to the right ascen sion and declination worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by sliding them onto the shafts Line up the flat on the end of the shaft with the corresponding feature on the interior of the knob to attach them properly The knobs can be attached to either end of the shafts use whichever end is most convenient Attach the tube rings to the tube ring mounting plate using the attachment screws that are on the
17. brating the setting circles 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 down ward 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 DO NOT make any adjustment to the latitude adjustment L bolts That will spoil 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 lever and rotate the tele scope on the right ascension axis until the counterweight shaft is horizontal parallel to the ground Then loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telescope until it is pointing straight overhead The counterweight shaft is still horizontal Then retighten both lock levers 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 counterweights down as pictured in Figure 1 Again you have to rotate the scope in right ascension so that the counterweight shaft is positioned horizontally Then rotate 11 YS a l
18. c camera model Attach the T ring to your camera body and thread the T ring directly onto the focuser drawtube Point the telescope toward the Moon and center it within the cam era s viewfinder Focus the image with the telescope s focuser Try several exposure times all less than 1 second depending on the phase of the moon and the ISO film speed of the film being used A remote shutter release is recommended as touching the camera s shutter release can vibrate the camera enough to ruin the exposure Planetary Photography Once basic Moon photography has been mastered it s time to get images of the planets This type of astrophotography also works to get highly magnified shots of the Moon In addition to the T ring you will need a Universal 1 25 Camera Adapter The TrueTrack Motor Drive System single or dual axis is also required This is because a longer exposure is necessary which would cause the image to blur if no motor drive was used for tracking The equatorial mount must be accurately polar aligned too As before connect the T ring to your camera Before connect ing the universal camera adapter to the T ring an eyepiece must be inserted and locked into the body of the universal camera adapter Start by using a medium low power eyepiece about 25mm you can increase the magnification later with a high power eyepiece Then connect the entire camera adapt er with eyepiece inside to the T ring Insert the whole sy
19. ctantis lies about 1 from the SCP but it is barely visible with the naked eye magnitude 5 5 Azimuth adjustment knobs TR Figure 8 For polar alignment position the tripod so that the N label at the base of the mount faces north The azimuth fine adjustment knobs above it are used to make small adjustments to the mount s azimuth position Be certain to loosen the tripod attachment knob on the central support shaft before adjusting these knobs 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 There are two latitude adjustment L bolts see Figure 6 loosen one while tightening the other By doing this you will adjust the latitude of the mount Continue adjusting the mount until the pointer on the latitude scale is set at the latitude of your observing site If you don t know your lati tude consult a geographical atlas to find it For example if your latitude is 35 North set the pointer to 35 The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again unless you move to a different viewing location some distance away 3 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telescope s opti cal tube until it is parallel with the right ascension axis as it is in Figure 6 4 Move the tripod so the telescope tube and right ascen sion axis point roughly at Polaris If you cannot see Polaris Eyepiece Alignm
20. der scope s field of view you now need to fine adjust the alignment thumbscrews to center the object on the intersection of the crosshairs Adjust the aim of the finder scope by turning the thumbscrews one at a time until the object is centered Make sure the object is still cen tered in the telescope s eyepiece If it not still centered in the eyepiece you must recenter it and repeat the alignment pro cess The finder scope alignment needs to be checked before every observing session This can easily be done at night before viewing through the telescope Choose any bright star or plan et center the object in telescope eyepiece and then adjust the finder scope bracket s alignment thumbscrews until the star or planet is centered on the finder s crosshairs Focusing the finder scope If when you look through the finder scope the images appear somewhat out of focus you will need to refocus the finder scope for your eyes Loosen the lock ring located behind the objective lens cell on the body of the finder scope see Figure 3a Back the lock ring off by a few turns for now Refocus the finder scope on a distant object by threading the objective lens cell in or out of the finderscope body Precise focusing will be achieved by focusing the finder scope on a bright star Once the image appears sharp retighten the locking ring behind the objective lens cell The finder scope s focus should not need to be adjusted again Ma
21. dge on while at other times they are broadside and look like giant ears on each side of Saturn s disk A steady atmosphere good see ing is necessary for a good view You will probably see a bright star close by which is Saturn s brightest moon Titan VENUS At its brightest Venus is the most luminous object in the sky excluding the Sun and the Moon It is so bright that sometimes it is visible to the naked eye during full daylight Ironically Venus appears as a thin crescent not a full disk when at its peak brightness Because it is so close to the Sun it never wanders too far from the morning or evening horizon No surface markings can be seen on Venus which is always shrouded in dense clouds MARS The Red Planet makes its closest approach to Earth every two years During close approaches you ll see a red disk and may be able to see the polar ice cap To see surface detail on Mars you will need a high power eyepiece and very steady air D The Stars Stars will appear like twinkling points of light Even powerful telescopes cannot magnify stars to appear as more than a point of light You can however enjoy the different colors of the stars and locate many pretty double and multiple stars The famous Double Double in the constellation Lyra and the gorgeous two color double star Albireo in Cygnus are favor ites Defocusing a star slightly can help bring out its color Deep Sky Objects Under dark skies
22. ecause many of them are quite faint yet have some extent apparent width Deep sky objects will often disappear at higher magnifications since greater magnification inherently yields dimmer images This is not the case for all deep sky objects however Many galaxies are quite small yet are somewhat bright so higher power may show more detail The best rule of thumb with eyepiece selection is to start with a low power wide field and then work your way up in magnifi cation If the object looks better try an even higher magnifica tion If the object looks worse then back off the magnification a little by using a lower power eyepiece What to Expect So what will you see with your telescope You should be able to see bands on Jupiter the rings of Saturn craters on the moon the waxing and waning of Venus and possibly hun dreds of deep sky objects Do not expect to see as much color as you in NASA photos since those are taken with long expo sure cameras and have false color added Our eyes are not sensitive enough to see color in deep sky objects except in a few of the brightest ones Remember that you are seeing these objects using your own telescope with your own eyes The object you see in your eyepiece is in real time and not some conveniently provided image from an expensive space probe Each session with your telescope will be a learning experience Each time you work with your telescope it will get easier to use and
23. ent Objective focus ring set screws 3 lens Focus 7 lock ring Figure 9a The optional polar axis finder scope directly from your observing site consult a compass and rotate the tripod so the telescope points north There is a label bearing a large N at the base of the equatorial mount Figure 8 It should be facing north The equatorial mount is now polar aligned for casual observ ing More precise polar alignment is recommended for astro photography For this we suggest using the optional polar axis finder scope From this point on in your observing session you should not make any further adjustments to the latitude of the mount nor should you move the tripod Doing so will undo the polar align ment The telescope should be moved only about its R A and Dec axes Polar Alignment Using an Optional Polar Axis Finder Scope The SkyView Pro 120 EQ mount can be equipped with an optional polar axis finder scope Figure 9a which goes inside the right ascension axis of the mount When properly aligned and used it makes accurate polar alignment quick and easy to do To install the polar axis finder scope remove the cover at the rear of the mount s right ascension axis Figure 9b and thread the polar axis finder scope into the equatorial mount until tight Alignment of the Polar Axis Finder Scope 1 Look through the polar finder at a distant object during the day and center it in the crosshairs You may need
24. erature adjustment allow an hour or more In the winter storing the telescope outdoors in a shed or garage greatly reduces the amount of time needed for the optics to stabilize It also is a good idea to keep the scope covered until the Sun sets so the tube does not heat greatly above the temperature of the outside air D Let Your Eyes Dark Adapt Do not expect to go from a lighted house into the darkness of the outdoors at night and immediately see faint nebulas gal axies and star clusters or even very many stars for that mat ter Your eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps 80 of their full dark adapted sensitivity Many observers notice improvements after several hours of total darkness As your eyes become dark adapted more stars will glimmer into view and you will be able to see fainter details in objects you view in your telescope So give yourself at least a little while to get used to the dark before you begin observing Also exposing your eyes to very bright daylight for extended periods of time can adversely affect your night vision for days To see what you are doing in the darkness use a red filtered flashlight rather than a white light Red light does not spoil your eyes dark adaptation like white light does A flashlight with a red LED light is ideal or you can cover the front of a regular incandescent flashlight with red cellophane or paper Beware too that nearby porch and streetlights and automo bile headl
25. es in a specific location on the celestial sphere That location is denoted by two numbers its right ascension R A and declination Dec In the same way every loca tion on Earth can be described by its longitude and latitude Right ascension is similar to longitude on Earth and declina tion is similar to latitude The R A and Dec values for celestial objects can be found in any star atlas or star catalog The R A setting circle is scaled in hours from 1 through 24 with small marks in between representing 10 minute incre Dec setting circle R A setting circle Dec setting circle thumbscrew 2 Dec indicator arrow R A indicator arrow R A setting circle j thumbscrew 2 Figure 11 The R A and Dec setting circles ments there are 60 minutes in 1 hour of right ascension The lower set of numbers apply to viewing in the Northern Hemisphere while the numbers above them apply to viewing in the Southern Hemisphere The Dec setting circle is scaled in degrees with each mark representing 2 increments Values of declination coordinates range from 90 to 90 The 0 mark indicates the celestial equator When the telescope is pointed north of the celestial equator values of the declination setting circle are positive when the telescope is pointed south of the celestial equator values of the declination setting circle are negative So the coordinates for the
26. eyepiece focus ring However if after adjusting the focus ring you find that the image of the reticle is sharp but the stars are out of focus then you must adjust the focus of the polar axis finder s objective lens To do this first remove the polar axis finder from the mount Look through the polar axis finder at a star at night or distant object at least 1 4 mile away during daylight Use the eyepiece focus ring to bring the reticle into sharp focus Now loosen the focus lock ring 10 Figure 9a and thread the entire objective end of the finder inwards or outwards until images appear sharp Re tighten the focus lock ring Once the polar axis finder s objective lens is focused it should not need to be adjusted again Use of the Right Ascension and Declination Slow Motion Control Knobs The right ascension R A and declination Dec slow motion control knobs allow fine adjustment of the telescope s position to center objects within the field of view Before you can use the knobs you must manually slew the mount to point the telescope in the vicinity of the desired target Do this by loos ening the R A and Dec lock levers and moving the telescope about the mount s right ascension and declination axes Once the telescope is pointed close to the object to be viewed retighten both lock levers Note If you have an optional motor drive attached you will need to loosen the manual clutch on the R A and Dec for du
27. 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 4c 6 Position the telescope in the mounting rings so it remains horizontal when you carefully let go with both hands This is the balance point for the optical tube with respect to the Dec axis Figure 4d If the optical tube does move then you must adjust the position of the optical tube in the tube rings until it does balance in the declination axis 7 Retighten the tube ring clamps OSrEZLV VINYO111V9 View through finder scope AIMAO3IJAI de RESTA View through the SkyView Pro 120 EQ Figure 5 Images through the finder scope will appear upside down and backwards rotated 180 Images through the SkyView Pro 120 EQ with its diagonal in place will be reversed from left to right The telescope is now balanced on both axes When you loos en the lock lever on one or both axes and manually point the telescope it should move without resistance and should not drift from where you point it 5 Using Your Telescope Focusing the Telescope With the 25mm eyepiece inserted in the diagonal move the telescope so the front open end is pointing in the general direction of an object at least 1 4 mile away Now with your fingers slowly rotate one of the focusing knobs until the object comes into sharp focus Go a little bit bey
28. from indoors Better yet choose a site out of town away from any light pollution You ll be stunned at how many more stars you ll see Most 12 Big Dipper in Ursa Major 1 9 MEGREZ 24 MAGNITUDES Figure 13 Megrez connects the Big Dipper s handle to it s pan It is a good guide to how conditions are If you can not see Megrez a 3 4 mag star then conditions are poor importantly make sure that any chosen site has a clear view of a large portion of the sky B Seeing and Transparency Atmospheric conditions play a huge part in quality of viewing In conditions of good seeing star twinkling is minimal and objects appear steady in the eyepiece Seeing is best over head worst at the horizon Also seeing generally gets bet ter after midnight when much of the heat absorbed by the Earth during the day has radiated off into space Typically seeing conditions will be better at sites that have an altitude over about 3000 feet Altitude helps because it decreases the amount of distortion causing atmosphere you are looking through A good way to judge if the seeing is good or not is to look at bright stars about 40 above the horizon If the stars appear to twinkle the atmosphere is significantly distorting the incom ing light and views at high magnifications will not appear sharp If the stars appear steady and do not twinkle seeing conditions are probably good and higher magnificati
29. gnification amp Eyepieces Magnification or power is determined by the focal length of the telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece Therefore by using eyepieces of different focal lengths the resultant magnification can be varied Magnification is calculated as follows Telescope Focal Length mm Eyepiece Focal Length mm The SkyView Pro 120 EQ has a focal length of 1000mm which when used with the supplied 25mm eyepiece yields 1000mm 25mm 40x The magnification provided by the 10mm eyepiece is 1000mm 10mm 100x The maximum attainable magnification for a telescope is directly related to how much light it can gather The larger the aperture the more magnification is possible In general a fig ure of 2x per millimeter of aperture is the maximum attainable for most telescopes Your SkyView Pro 120 EQ has an aper ture of 120 millimeters so the maximum magnification would be about 240x This level of magnification assumes you have ideal conditions for viewing Magnification Keep in mind that as you increase magnification the bright ness of the object viewed will decrease this is an inherent principle of the laws of physics and cannot be avoided If mag nification is doubled an image appears four times dimmer If magnification is tripled image brightness is reduced by a fac tor of nine Always start with your lowest power eyepiece and work your way up Start by centering the object being viewed in the 25m
30. hromatic find er scope Figure 3a The number 8 means eight times magni fication and the 40 indicates a 40mm diameter front lens The finder scope makes it easier to locate the subject you want to observe in the telescope because the finder scope has a much wider field of view The finder scope uses a spring loaded bracket that makes alignment of the finderscope very easy As you turn either of the thumbscrews the spring in the bracket s tensioner moves in and out to keep the finder scope secure in the bracket The finder scope must be aligned accurately with the tele scope for proper use To align it first aim the main telescope at an object at least a 1 4 mile away the top of a telephone pole a chimney etc First loosen the R A and Dec lock levers and move the telescope until it is pointing towards the desired object sight along the tube to aim the telescope Turn the focus knob until the object is properly focused Make sure to position the object in the center of the telescope s eyepiece by turning the R A and Dec slow motion control knobs The R A and Dec lock levers must be tightened to use the slow motion control knobs Now look in the finder scope Is the object visible Ideally it will be somewhere in the field of view If not some coarse adjust ment to the finder scope bracket s alignment thumbscrews will be needed until the object comes into the finder scope s field of view With the image in the fin
31. ials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only During this warranty period Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars will repair or replace at Orion s option any warranted instrument that proves to be defective provided it is returned postage paid to Orion Warranty Repair 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 If the product is not regis tered proof of purchase such as a copy of the original invoice is required This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment the instrument has been abused mishandled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state For further warranty service information contact Customer Service Department Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars P O Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 800 676 1343 Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars Post Office Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 Customer Support Help Line 800 676 1343 Day or Evening
32. ield of view If it is not recenter it by repositioning the camera on the piggyback adapter or by moving the main telescope If you move the main telescope then you will need to recenter another guide star on the illu minated eyepiece s crosshairs Once the object is centered in the camera and a guide star is centered in the reticle eye piece you re ready to shoot Deep sky objects are quite faint and typically require expo sures on the order of 10 minutes To hold the camera s shut ter open this long you will need a lock shutter release cable Set the camera s shutter to the B bulb setting Depress the locking shutter release cable and lock it You are now exposing your first deep sky object While exposing through the camera lens you will need to mon itor the accuracy of the mount s tracking by looking through the illuminated reticle eyepiece in the main telescope If the guide star drifts from its initial position then use the hand con troller of the motor drive to move the guide star back to the center of the crosshairs Any drifting along the Dec axis is a result of improper polar alignment so if the guide star drifts greatly in Dec the mount may need to be polar aligned more accurately When the exposure is complete unlock the shutter release cable and close the camera s shutter Astrophotography can be enjoyable and rewarding as well as frustrating and time consuming Start slowly and consul
33. ights will spoil your night vision Eyepiece Selection By using eyepieces of varying focal lengths it is possible to attain many magnifications with the SkyView Pro 120 EQ The telescope comes with two high quality Sirius Ploss eyepiec es a 25mm which gives a magnification of 40x and a 10mm which gives a magnification of 100x Other eyepieces can be used to achieve higher or lower powers It is quite common for an observer to own five or more eyepieces to access a wide range of magnifications This allows the observer to choose the best eyepiece to use depending on the object being viewed At least to begin with the two supplied eyepieces will suffice nicely Whatever you choose to view always start by inserting your lowest power longest focal length eyepiece to locate and center the object Low magnification yields a wide field of view which shows a larger area of sky in the eyepiece This makes acquiring and centering an object much easier If you try to find and center objects with high power narrow field of view it s like trying to find a needle in a haystack Once you ve centered the object in the eyepiece you can switch to higher magnification shorter focal length eyepiece if you wish This is especially recommended for small and bright objects like planets and double stars The Moon also takes higher magnifications well Deep sky objects however typically look better at medium or low magnifications This is b
34. in the focuser Secure the collimating tool in the focuser with the thumbscrew on the 1 25 adapter Look into the viewing hole of the collimating tool You are now looking straight down the interior of the telescope tube at the objective lens Loosen the securing thumbscrew and rotate the collimating tool until you can see the reflection of the of the tool s reflec tive ring in the objective lens To do this you will need to point the wide hole in the collimating tool s body toward a source of light Ignoring the tiny central reflection you should see two separate reflections of the ring in the objective lens If you see only one reflection then your telescope is already collimated Use the collimating screws in the lens cell to center the reflec tions on top of one another Figure 16 There are three pairs of screws each pair works together to tilt the lens Using your 2 5mm hex key and Phillips head screwdriver loosen one of the screws and then tighten the other in the pair Look into the viewing hole of the collimating tool to see if the reflections have moved closer together or further apart Once you get the reflections as close together as you can get with one pair of screws move on to another pair Continue making adjustments to each pair of screws until the reflections are precisely centered on each other which will give the appearance of one ring Once only one circular ring is visible no further collimation adjustmen
35. ith a focal length between 35mm and 400mm is appropriate On the top of one of the tube rings is a piggyback camera adapter This is the black knob with the threaded shaft protrud ing through it The tube ring with the piggyback adapter should be closest to the open end of the telescope tube Remove the tube rings from the equatorial mount and swap their position if necessary Now connect the camera to the piggyback adapter There should be a 1 4 20 mounting hole in the bottom of the camera s body Thread the protruding shaft of the piggyback adapter into the 1 4 20 mounting hole in the camera a few turns Position the camera so it is parallel with the telescope tube and turn the knurled black knob of the piggyback adapter counter clockwise until the camera is locked into position Aim the telescope at a deep sky object It should be a fairly large deep sky object as the camera lens will likely have a wide field of view Check to make sure that the object is also centered in the camera s viewfinder Turn the motor drive on Now look into the telescope s eyepiece and center the bright 15 est star within the field of view Remove the eyepiece and insert the illuminated reticle eyepiece into the diagonal Turn the eyepiece s illuminator on dimly Recenter the bright star guide star on the crosshairs of the reticle eyepiece Check again to make sure that the object to be photographed is still centered within the camera s f
36. ll not move when you let go the 25mm eyepiece into the focuser and secure it with the thumbscrews Your telescope is now completely assembled and should appear as shown in Figure 1 4 Balancing the Telescope To ensure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of the equatorial mount it is imperative that the optical tube is properly balanced We will first balance the telescope with respect to the right ascension R A axis then the declination Dec axis 1 Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the R A lock lever Make sure the Dec lock lever is locked for now The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the right ascension axis Rotate it until the counter weight shaft is parallel to the ground i e horizontal 2 Now loosen both counterweight lock knobs and slide the weights along the shaft until they exactly counterbalance the telescope Figure 4a That s the point at which the shaft remains horizontal even when you let go with both hands Figure 4b 3 Retighten the counterweight lock knobs The telescope is now balanced on the right ascension axis 4 To balance the telescope on the declination axis first tight en the R A lock lever with the counterweight shaft still in the horizontal position 5 With one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the Dec lock lever The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the Dec axis Loosen the tube ring clamps a
37. m eyepiece Then you may want to increase the magnification to get a closer view if you wish If the object is off center i e it is near the edge of the field of view you will lose it when you increase magnification since the field of view will be narrower with the higher powered eyepiece To change eyepieces first loosen the securing thumbscrews on the diagonal Then care fully lift the eyepiece out of the diagonal Do not tug or pull the eyepiece to the sides as this will knock the telescope off its target Replace the eyepiece with the new one by sliding it gently into the diagonal Re tighten the thumbscrew and refo cus for your new magnification Use of 2 Eyepieces A feature of the SkyView Pro 120 EQ is its ability to use either 1 25 or 2 barrel diameter eyepieces At low magnifications 2 eyepieces can give a wider field of view than standard 1 25 eyepieces This is especially desirable for observing deep sky objects as many of them appear quite large but faint If you want to use 2 eyepieces you will also need to use a 2 star diagonal for refractors or a 2 extension tube so that the tele scope will properly come to focus 22 ORION To use 2 eyepieces simply loosen the two large thumbscrews on the 2 adapter that are just in front of the thumbscrew that holds the provided 1 25 star diagonal in place Once these thumbscrews are loosened the entire back end of the focus er including any 1 25 diagonal and e
38. ond sharp focus until the image just starts to blur again then reverse the rotation of the knob just to make sure you ve hit the exact focus point NOTE The image in the telescope will appear reversed left to right This is normal for astronomical telescopes that utilize a star diagonal The finder scope view will be rotated 180 see Figure 5 If you have trouble focusing rotate the focusing knob so the drawtube is in as far as it will go Now look through the eye piece while slowly rotating the focusing knob in the opposite direction You should soon see the point at which focus is reached The metal thumbscrew on the top of the body of the focuser will lock the focuser drawtube in place once the telescope is properly focused Before focusing remember to first loosen this thumbscrew Viewing with Eyeglasses If you wear eyeglasses you may able to keep them on while you observe if the eyepiece has enough eye relief to allow you to see the whole field of view You can try this by look ing through the eyepiece first with your glasses on and then with them off and see if the glasses restrict the view to only a portion of the full field If they do you can easily observe with your glasses off by just re focusing the telescope the needed amount If you suffer from severe astigmatism however you may find images noticeably sharper with your glasses on Aligning the Finder Scope The SkyView Pro 120 EQ comes with a 8x40 ac
39. ons will be possible Also seeing conditions are typically poor during the day This is because the heat from the Sun warms the air and causes turbulence Good transparency is especially important for observing faint objects It simply means the air is free of moisture smoke and dust All tend to scatter light which reduces an object s bright ness One good way to tell if conditions are good is by how many stars you can see with your naked eye If you cannot see stars of magnitude 3 5 or dimmer then conditions are poor Magnitude is a measure of how bright a star is the brighter a star is the lower its magnitude will be A good star to remem ber for this is Megrez mag 3 4 which is the star in the Big Dipper connecting the handle to the dipper If you cannot see Megrez then you have fog haze clouds smog light pol lution or other conditions that are hindering your viewing See Figure 13 C Cooling the Telescope All optical instruments need time to reach thermal equilibrium to achieve maximum stability of the lenses which is essential for peak performance When moved from a warm indoor loca tion outside to cooler air or vice versa a telescope needs time to cool to the outdoor temperature The bigger the instru ment and the larger the temperature change the more time will be needed Allow at least 30 minutes for your SkyView Pro 120 EQ to equilibrate If the scope has more than a 40 temp
40. rs like to make drawings of sunspots to monitor how the Sun is changing from day to day 13 Important Note Do not look at the Sun with any optical instrument without a professionally made solar filter or permanent eye damage could result Also be sure to cover the finder scope or better yet remove it altogeth er C The Planets The planets don t stay put like the stars so to find them you should refer to Sky Calendar at our website telescope com or to charts published monthly in Astronomy Sky amp Telescope or other astronomy magazines Venus Mars Jupiter and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and the Moon Your SkyView Pro 120 EQ is capable of showing you these planets in some detail Other planets may be visible but will likely appear starlike Because planets are quite small in apparent size optional higher power eyepieces are recom mended and often needed for detailed observations Not all the planets are generally visible at any one time JUPITER The largest planet Jupiter is a great subject for observation You can see the disk of the giant planet and watch the ever changing positions of its four largest moons lo Callisto Europa and Ganymede Higher power eyepieces should bring out the cloud bands on the planet s disk SATURN The ringed planet is a breathtaking sight when it is well positioned The tilt angle of the rings varies over a period of many years sometimes they are seen e
41. shortest fully retracted length for now you can extend them to a more desirable length later after the scope is fully assembled Place the base of the equatorial mount onto the tripod head Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up between the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount Figure 2 You may need to loosen the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount in order to fit the mount into the tripod head Thread the central support shaft into the equatorial mount until tight This will secure the equatorial mount to the tri pod head Remove the knob and washer from the bottom of the center support shaft Slide the tripod support tray up the bottom of the central support shaft until the three tray arms are touching the legs of the tripod The flat side of the acces sory tray should be facing up Make sure the V of each tray arm is against a tripod leg Place the washer back on the center support shaft against the tray and thread the securing knob all the way up the center support shaft until it is tight against the tray The tripod support tray provides additional stability for the tripod and holds five 1 25 eye pieces and two 2 eyepieces Thread the latitude adjustment L bolt into the rear of the equatorial mount casing as shown in Figure 1 Thread the counterweight shaft into the equatorial mount at the base of the declination axis until tight Make sure the casting
42. stellar objects will become easier to find Take it from us there is big difference between looking at a well made full color NASA image of a deep sky object in a lit room during the daytime and seeing that same object in your telescope at night One can merely be a pretty image someone gave to you The other is an experience you will never forget A The Moon With is rocky and cratered surface the moon is one of the most interesting and easy subjects for your scope The best time to view it is during its partial phases when shadows fall on the craters and canyon walls to give its features definition While the full moon may look like a tempting target it is actu ally the worst time for viewing The light of a full moon is too bright and lacks any decent surface definition Use an optional Moon filter to dim the Moon when it is very bright It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepiece from the focuser you must first remove the eyepiece from the diag onal to attach the filter You ll find the Moon filter improves viewing comfort and helps bring out the subtle features if the lunar surface B The Sun You can change your nighttime telescope into a daytime Sun viewer by installing an optional full aperture solar filter over the front opening of a SkyView Pro 120 EQ The primary attrac tion is sunspots which change shape appearance and loca tion daily Sunspots are directly related to magnetic activity in the Sun Many observe
43. stem into the focuser without diagonal and secure firmly with the thumbscrew Aim the telescope at the planet or Moon you wish to shoot The image will be highly magnified so you may need to use the finder scope to center it within the camera s viewfinder Turn the motor drive on Adjust the telescope s focuser so that the image appears sharp in the camera s viewfinder The camera s shutter is now ready to be opened A remote shut ter release must be used or the image will be blurred beyond recognition Try exposure times between 1 and 10 seconds depending upon the brightness of the planet to be photo graphed and the ISO of the film being used Piggyback Photography The Moon and planets are interesting targets for the bud ding astrophotographer but what next Literally thousands of deep sky objects can be captured on film with a type of astrophotography called piggybacking The basic idea is that the camera with its own camera lens attached rides on top of the main telescope The telescope and camera both move with the rotation of the Earth when the mount is polar aligned and the motor drive is engaged This allows for a long expo sure through the camera without having the object or back ground stars blurred In addition to the motor drive dual axis an illuminated reticle eyepiece is also needed The T ring and camera adapter are not needed since the camera is expos ing through its own lens Any camera lens w
44. t outside resources such as books and magazines for more details about astrophotography Remember have fun 9 Collimating Aligning the Optics The SkyView Pro 120 EQ telescope has objective lens cell which incorporates an optical alignment adjustment this helps to ensure peak optical performance Collimating is the process of aligning the telescope s optics In the case of the SkyView Pro 120 EQ collimating entails tilting the objective lens assembly so that the optical axis is precisely parallel to the telescope s focuser The telescope has been collimated at the factory so no adjustments to the lens cell are likely to be necessary If you are unsure or uncomfortable about making optical alignment adjustments we strongly recommend that you just leave it alone Your SkyView Pro 120 EQ comes with a collimating tool Figure 15 shows the collimating tool in place Use of the collimating tool is best done during the day either outdoors or in a well lit room Point the telescope at a dark tar get of uniform brightness like a painted wall or a black piece of construction paper The distance of the target is unimport ant You will also need a 2 5mm hex key and a Phillips head screwdriver Reflective ring 1 25 adapter Viewing hole Figure 15 The collimating tool in the SkyView Pro 120 focuser Insert the collimating tool into the telescope s focuser You will need to use the telescope s 1 25 adapter
45. to adjust the latitude adjustment L bolts and the tripod position to do this 2 Rotate the mount 180 about the R A axis Again it may be convenient to remove the counterweights and optical tube first 3 Look through the polar finder again Is the object being viewed still centered on the crosshairs If it is then no fur ther adjustment is necessary If not then look through the polar finder while rotating the mount about the R A axis You will notice that the object you have previously centered moves in a circular path Use the three alignment set screws on the polar axis finder to redirect the crosshairs of the polar finder to the apparent center of this circular path Figure 10 The optical tube must be at a 90 angle to the right ascension axis in order to view through the polar axis finder Repeat this procedure until the position that the crosshairs point to does not rotate off center when the mount is rotat ed in R A Once this is accomplished retighten the thumb screws The polar axis finder scope is now ready to be used When not in use replace the plastic protective cover to prevent the polar finder from getting bumped which could knock it out of alignment Using the Polar Axis Finder Scope The reticle of the polar axis finder scope for the SkyView Pro has a tiny star map printed on it that makes precise polar alignment quick and easy If you do not have a clear view of Polaris from your observing site you
46. ts are needed Your SkyView Pro 120 EQ is now collimated You should not need to align the optics again unless the telescope is roughly handled 10 Care and Maintenance If you give your telescope reasonable care it will last a lifetime Store it in a clean dry dust free place safe from rapid chang 16 Pair of collimating screws 3 Figure 16 The lens cell of the SkyView Pro 120 There are three pairs of collimating screws each pair of screws work together to adjust the tilt of the lens es in temperature and humidity Do not store the telescope outdoors although storage in a garage or shed is OK Small components like eyepieces and other accessories should be kept in a protective box or storage case Keep the dust cover on the front of the telescope when not in use Your SkyView Pro 120 EQ requires very little mechanical maintenance The optical tube is aluminum and has a smooth painted finish that is fairly scratch resistant If a scratch does appear on the tube it will not harm the telescope Smudges on the tube can be wiped off with a soft cloth and a household cleaner such as Windex or Formula 409 Cleaning Lenses Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean ing fluid specifically designed for multi coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your telescope s objec tive lens eyepieces or finder scope Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyegl
47. tube rings The screws should go through the holes on the outer ends of the mounting plate and rethread into the tube rings Note that the side of the mounting plate with the central groove will be facing up Use the small wrench to secure the tube rings to the mounting plate 10 Loosen the black mounting plate securing knob as well as the metal safety thumbscrew on the top of the equatorial mount Place the mounting plate with tube rings attached in the dovetail slot on top of the equatorial mount Position the mounting plate so that it is centered on the dovetail slot Re tighten the mounting plate securing knob until the mounting plate is secure Then tighten the safety thumb screw The safety thumbscrew will ensure that the mount ing plate and telescope tube will not fall off the EQ mount if the mounting plate securing knob should come loose 11 Open the tube rings and lay the telescope optical tube in the rings at about the midpoint of the tube s length Rotate the tube so that the focuser is at a convenient position for viewing Close the tube rings and tighten them Installing the Finder Scope To place the finder scope Figure 3a in the finder scope brack et unthread the two black nylon screws until the screw ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket Place the O ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot on the middle of the finder scope
48. yepiece that may be attached comes off exposing the 2 diameter focuser draw tube Now insert your 2 star diagonal into the drawtube and secure with the two thumbscrews loosened previously Insert a 2 eyepiece into the diagonal secure it in place with the thumbscrew on the diagonal and you re ready to observe Note About Chromatic Aberration Chromatic aberration literally means color distortion When ever light passes through one material to another light of dif ferent wavelengths color is bent by different amounts This is a problem that plagues refractor type telescopes since light passes through both air and glass to form an image Most astronomical objects emit a spectrum comprised of many dif ferent wavelengths of light so each wavelength will be bent by a slightly different amount when passing through a lens This results in each color of light reaching precise focus at a slightly different point which will provide unacceptable images Achromatic refractors like the SkyView Pro 120 EQ are designed to minimize chromatic aberration to acceptable lev els The objective lens is actually comprised of two individual lenses called elements made of different materials which bend light in slightly different ways By precisely spacing and shaping the elements the chromatic aberration incurred when light passes through air and the first glass element is reduced by the way the second element bends the light The result is an im
49. you can observe a wealth of fascinating deep sky objects including gaseous nebulas open and glob ular star clusters and a variety of different types of galaxies Most deep sky objects are very faint so it is important that you find an observing site well away from light pollution Take plenty of time to let your eyes adjust to the darkness Do not expect these subjects to appear like the photographs you see in books and magazines most will look like dim gray smudg es But as you become more experienced and your observing skills get sharper you will be able to ferret out more and more subtle details and structure How to Find Deep sky Objects Starhopping Starhopping as it is called by astronomers is perhaps the simplest way to hunt down objects to view in the night sky It entails first pointing the telescope at a star close to the object you wish to observe and then progressing to other stars closer and closer to the object until it is in the field of view of the eyepiece It is a very intuitive technique that has been employed for hundreds of years by professional and amateur astronomers alike Keep in mind as with any new task that starhopping may seem challenging at first but will become easier over time and with practice To starhop only a minimal amount of additional equipment is necessary A star chart or atlas that shows stars to at least magnitude 5 is required Select one that shows the positions of many deep sky objects
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search