Orion 9964 Telescope User Manual
Contents
1. air more than dark skies so they remain good targets for city dwelling observers The International Dark Sky Association is waging the fight against light pollution The IDSA was founded in 1988 with the mission of educating the public about the adverse impact that light pollution has on the night sky and astronomy Through educational and scien tific means the nonprofit IDA works to raise awareness about the problem and about measures that can be taken to solve it Do you need help dealing with local officials to con trol street or building lighting in your area The IDA s extensive support materials can show you how Help preserve dark skies join the IDA today For information write to IDA 3225 N First Ave Tucson AZ 85719 2103 or visit their website www darksky org The best way to avoid immediate problems with light pollution however is to take your telescope to where there are dark skies You will be amazed at how many stars you can see when you get away from the city lights Tracking Celestial Objects The Earth is constantly rotating about its polar axis com pleting one full rotation every 24 hours this is what defines a day We do not feel the Earth rotating but we see it at night from the apparent movement of stars from east to west When you observe any astronomical object you are watch ing a moving target This means the telescope s position must be continuously adjusted over time to keep an2. and automobile headlights The glare from these lights will greatly impair your dark adapted night vision Avoid viewing over rooftops and chimneys as they often have warm air currents rising from them Similarly avoid observing from indoors through an open or closed window because the temperature difference between the indoor and outdoor air will cause image blurring and distortion lf at all possible escape the light polluted city sky and head for darker country skies You ll be amazed at how many more stars and deep sky objects are visible in a dark sky Seeing and Transparency Atmospheric conditions vary significantly from night to night Seeing refers to the steadiness of the Earth s atmosphere at a given time In conditions of poor seeing atmospheric turbulence causes objects viewed through the telescope to boil If when you look up at the sky with your naked eyes the stars are twinkling noticeably the seeing is bad and you will be limited to viewing with low powers This is because bad seeing affects images at high powers more severely Planetary observing may also be poor In conditions of good seeing star twinkling is minimal and images 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 Especially important for observing faint objects
3. primary mirror is centered in the secondary mirror but the small reflection of the secondary mirror with the dot of the collimation cap is off center The tilt of the primary mirror is adjusted with three spring loaded collimation thumbscrews on the back end of the optical tube bottom of the primary mirror cell these are the wide thumbscrews The other three thin thumbscrews lock the mirror s position in place these thin thumbscrews must be loosened before any collimation adjustments can be made to the primary mirror To start turn the thin thumbscrews that lock the primary mir ror in place counterclockwise a few turns each Figure 13 _ Figure 13 The three thin thumbscrews that lock the primary mirror in place must first be loosened before any adjustments can be made Now try tightening or loosening one of the wide collimation thumbscrews with your fingers Figure 14 Look into the fo cuser and see if the secondary mirror reflection has moved closer to the center of the primary You can tell this easily with the collimation cap and mirror center mark by simply watching to see if the dot of the collimation cap is moving closer or further away from being centered in the ring of the primary mirror mark When you have the dot centered as much as is possible in the ring your primary mirror is col limated The view through the collimation cap should resem ble Figure 10e Re tighten the thin locking thu
4. 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 many bright deep sky objects Do not expect to see color as you do in NASA photos since those are taken with long exposure 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 ses sion with your telescope will be a learning experience Each time you work with your telescope it will get easier to use and stellar objects will become easier to find 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 Objects to Observe Now that you are all set up and ready to go one critical decision must be made what to look at A The Moon With its rocky surface the Moon is one of the easiest and most interesting targets to view with your telescope Lunar craters marias and even mountain ranges can all be clearly seen from a distance of 238 000 miles away With its ever changi
5. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion StarBlast 6 Astro Telescope 9964 R Customer Support 800 676 1343 _ ORIONI E mail support telescope com TELESCOPES amp S amp BINOCULARS Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 IN 330 Rev A 02 08 Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion StarBlast 6 Astro Telescope Our new StarBlast 6 is easy to use and requires very little assembly The StarBlast 6 will give you breathtaking views of the Moon planets and even deep sky objects like the Orion Nebula These instructions will help you set up and use your StarBlast 6 telescope please read them thoroughly Navigation knob Tube rings Carrying handle f WARNING Never look at the sun with your telescope or even with just your eyes without a professionally made solar filter Permanent eye damage or blindness could result Young children should use this telescope only with adult supervision Avoid using the type of solar filter that screws into an eyepiece They are susceptible to cracking under the intense heat that builds up near the focus point and could cause severe retinal damage Use only the type of solar filter that covers the front of the telescope Also be sure to leave the cover caps on the finder scope when solar observing Better yet remove the finder scope alto gether when viewing the sun Li s AN tension
6. adjustment knob i y 1 yam EZ Finder Il reflex sight uw 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece Focuser Focus wheels Optical tube y Vai Sirius Pl ssl eyepiece 11 Eyepiece rack iil Mirror cell i _ Feet Figure 1 The StarBlast 6 Altazimuth Reflector Unpacking Carefully unpack the StarBlast 6 from its shipping box We recommend keeping the original shipping boxes In the event that the telescope needs to be shipped to another location or returned to Orion for warranty repair having the proper shipping containers will help ensure that your telescope will survive the journey intact Make sure all the parts in the Parts List below are present Be sure to check boxes carefully as some parts are small If anything appears to be missing or broken immediately call Orion Customer Support 800 676 1343 for assistance 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece The eyepiece is the part of the telescope that you actually look through to see things The focal length of the eyepiece and the telescope determines the magnifying power Magnification is discussed in more detail in the Using Your Telescope section EZ Finder Il reflex sight This is a special finder that helps you aim the telescope and locate objects in the sky for viewing The EZ Finder II generates a red LED dot that shows where your telescope is aimed The use of the EZ Finder Il is discussed in the Getting Started section Optical tube This is
7. all Newtonian reflector telescopes it is not suited for daytime terrestrial usage because the image in the eyepiece is inverted rotated 180 The eyepiece will also be too low to the ground for comfortable viewing when pointed near the horizon Placing the StarBlast 6 One of the great assets of the StarBlast 6 is its extremely portable size Due to its overall short length you will find that viewing while sitting next to the telescope is the most comfortable If you wish to raise the telescope off the ground so that it can be used while standing or sitting in a chair then a platform such as a milk crate sturdy table or the hood of a car can be used Altitude and Azimuth Aiming the Telescope The StarBlast 6 altazimuth base 9 permits motion along two axes altitude up down and azimuth left right See Figure 5 Moving the telescope up down and left right is the natural way people aim objects which makes pointing the telescope intuitive and easy P aa Azimuth eee 2 Figure 5 The StarBlast 6 has two axes of motion altitude up down and azimuth left right Simply take hold of the navigation knob 7 and move it left or right so that the base rotates Move the telescope tube up or down in the same manner Both motions can be made simultaneously and in a continuous manner for easy aiming This way you can point to any position in the night sky from horizon to horizon You may fin
8. cal tube 3 in the open rings so the objective front end of the telescope points upward While grasping the optical tube 3 firmly close the rings around the tube and loosely tighten the knurled ring clamps Adjust the position of the optical tube in the tube rings so the bot tom of the mirror cell just clears the hardware of the altaz imuth base when pointed straight up In order to view through the StarBlast 6 comfortably you can adjust the orientation of the focuser 4 by rotating the opti cal tube 3 within the tube rings 5 Loosen the knurled ring clamps on the tube rings 5 by a few turns Now gently rotate the optical tube 3 within the tube rings 5 until the focuser 4 is properly oriented Figure 1 Once you have positioned the focuser appropriately tighten the knurled ring clamps to secure the telescope Attaching the EZ Finder Il Slide the base of the EZ Finder Il 2 bracket into the dove tail holder Figure 4 that is pre installed on the optical tube 3 The EZ Finder Il should be oriented so that it appears as in Figure 1 Tighten the thumbscrew on the dovetail hold er to secure the EZ Finder Il in place Attaching the eyepiece rack The eyepiece rack 11 can be installed so that it can be removed or so it is permanently attached Place the eye piece rack 11 onto the two Phillips head screws on the side of the altazimuth base using the keyhole features on the rack If you want to be able to rem
9. d it convenient to hold one hand on one of the carrying handles 10 to steady it while moving and aiming the telescope Note About the Altitude Tension Adjustment Knob When aiming the telescope in altitude you may find the optical tube 3 is either too hard to move or does not stay in place Use the altitude tension adjustment knob 6 to change the amount of tension between the base bracket 18 and the altazimuth base 9 to find the right level of tension to properly move the telescope Focusing the Telescope With the 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 1 inserted into the focuser 4 and secured with the thumbscrews aim the optical tube 3 so the front open end is pointing in the general direction of an object at least 1 4 mile away With your fingers slowly rotate one of the focus wheels 14 until the object comes into sharp focus Go a little bit beyond sharp focus until the image starts to blur again then reverse the rotation of the knob just to make sure you ve hit the exact focus point Do You Wear Eyeglasses If you wear eyeglasses you may be able to keep them on while you observe In order to do this your eyepiece must have enough eye relief to allow you to see the entire field of view with glasses on You can try looking through the eyepiece first with your glasses on and then with them off to see if the glasses restrict the view to only a portion of the full field If the glasses do restrict the field of vi
10. ets The planets don t stay put like the stars so to find them you should refer to This Month s Sky Summary in the Learning Center section of our website telescope com Venus Jupiter and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and the Moon Your StarBlast 6 is capable of showing you these planets in some detail Other planets may be visible but will likely appear star like Because plan ets are quite small in apparent size optional higher power eyepieces are recommended 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 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 edge on while at other times they are broadside and look like giant ears on each side of Saturn s disk A steady atmosphere good seeing is necessary for a good view You will prob ably 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 day light Ironica
11. ew you may be able to observe with your glasses off by just refocusing the telescope to your unaided vision If your eyes are astigmatic images will probably appear best with glasses on This is because a telescope s focuser can accommodate for nearsightedness or far sightedness but not astigmatism If you have to wear your glasses while observing and cannot see the entire field of view you may want to purchase additional eye pieces that have longer eye relief Short eye relief restricts the field of view for eyeglass wearers Long eye relief allows full field of view to be seen with or without eyeglasses Operating the EZ Finder II Reflex Sight The EZ Finder Il reflex sight 2 Figure 6 works by pro jecting a tiny red dot onto a lens mounted in the front of the unit When you look through the EZ Finder Il the red dot will appear to float in space helping you locate even the faintest of deep space objects The red dot is produced by a light emitting diode LED not a laser beam near the rear of the sight A replaceable 3 volt lithium battery provides the power for the diode To use the EZ Finder II turn the power knob clockwise until you hear a click indicating power has been turned on With your eye positioned at a comfortable distance look through the back of the reflex sight with both eyes open to see the red dot The intensity of the dot can be adjusted by turn ing the power knob For best resul
12. he 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 ser vice information contact Orion Customer Service 800 676 1343 sup port telescope com 12
13. he telescope or the image quality Aligning the Secondary Mirror With the collimation cap in place look through the hole in the cap at the secondary diagonal mirror Ignore the reflec tions for the time being The secondary mirror itself should be centered in the focuser drawtube in the direction parallel to the length of the telescope If it isn t as in Figure 10b it must be adjusted This adjustment will rarely if ever need to be done It helps to adjust the secondary mirror in a brightly lit room with the telescope pointed towards a bright surface such as white paper or wall Also placing a piece of white paper in the telescope tube opposite the focuser in other words on the other side of the secondary mirror will also be helpful in collimating the secondary mirror Using a 2mm hex key loosen the three small alignment set screws in the center hub of the 4 vaned spider several turns Now hold the sec ondary mirror holder stationary be careful not to touch the surface of the secondary mirror while turning the center screw with a Phillips head screwdriver See Figure 11 Turning the screw clockwise will move the secondary mirror toward the front opening of the optical tube while turning the screw counter clockwise will move the secondary mirror toward the primary mirror Note When making these adjustments be careful not to stress the spider vanes or they may bend When the secondary mirror is centered in the focuser d
14. io f 5 0 Mirror Coatings Aluminum with SiQ 9 overcoat Focuser Rack and pinion accepts 1 25 eyepieces Eyepieces 25mm and 10mm Sirius Pl ssl 1 25 Magnification 30x with 25mm 75x with 10mm Finder EZ Finder II reflex sight Weight 23 5lbs 23lbs 80Z Tube Length 28 Bottom end of focuser drawtube Reflection of your eye Mirror center mark not shown for clarity Edge of secondary mirror A Secon mirror r mo a Reflection of Reflection of a secondary mirror holder spider vanes Reflection of primary mirror clip primary mirror Figure 10 Collimating the optics a When the mirrors are properly aligned the view down the focuser drawtube should look like this b With the collimation cap in place if the optics are out of alignment the view might look something like this c Here the secondary mirror is centered under the focuser but it needs to be adjusted tilted so that the entire primary mirror is visible d The secondary mirror is correctly aligned but the primary mirror still needs adjustment When the primary mirror is correctly aligned the dot will be centered as in e Appendix A Collimating Aligning the Mirrors Collimating is the process of adjusting the mirrors so they are aligned with one another Your telescope s optics were aligned at the factory and should not need much adjust ment unless the telescope is handled roughly Accurate mirror alig
15. is good transparency air free of moisture smoke and dust All tend to scatter light which reduces an object s brightness Transparency is judged by the magnitude of the faintest stars you can see with the unaided eye 6th magnitude or fainter is desirable If you cannot see stars of magnitude 3 5 or dimmer then conditions are poor Magnitude is a measure of how bright 6 a star is the brighter a star is the lower its magnitude will be A good star to remember for this is Megrez mag 3 4 which is the star in the Big Dipper connecting the handle to the dipper Figure 8 If you cannot see Megrez then you have fog haze clouds smog or other conditions Such as light pollution which are hindering your viewing Big Dipper in Ursa Major MEGREZ MAGNITUDES Figure 8 Megrez connects the Big Dipper s handle to it s pan If you can not see Megrez a 3 4 mag star then viewing conditions are poor Light Pollution Most of us live where city lights interfere with our view of the heavens As our metropolitan areas have become more developed the scourge of light pollution has spread washing out many stars and nonstellar celestial objects from our sight Faint deep sky objects become difficult or impossible to see through the murk of light pollution Even bright nebulas like the Orion and Lagoon Nebulas lose much of their delicate detail The Moon and planets are not affected they require steady
16. lly 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 eve ning horizon No surface markings can be seen on Venus which is always shrouded in dense clouds 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 gorgeous two color double star Albireo in Cygnus is a favorite Defocusing a star slightly can help bring out its color E Deep Sky Objects Under dark skies you can observe a wealth of fascinating deep sky objects including gaseous nebulas open and globular star clusters and a variety of different types of gal axies Most deep sky objects are very faint so it is important to 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 smudges Our eyes are not sensitive enough to see color in deep sky objects except in a few of the brightest ones 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 To find deep sky objects in the sky it is be
17. mbscrews A simple star test will tell you whether the optics are accu rately collimated Figure 14 The tilt of the primary mirror is adjusted by turning one or more of the three wide collimation thumbscrews 11 Star Testing the Telescope When it is dark point the telescope at a bright star and accu rately center it in the eyepiece s field of view Slowly de focus the image with the focusing knob If the telescope is correctly collimated the expanding disk should be a perfect circle Figure 15 If the image is unsymmetrical the scope is out of collimation The dark shadow cast by the secondary mirror should appear in the very center of the out of focus circle like the hole in a donut If the hole appears off center the telescope is out of collimation If you try the star test and the bright star you have selected is not accurately centered in the eyepiece the optics will always appear out of collimation even though they may be perfectly aligned It is critical to keep the star centered so over time you will need to make slight corrections to the tele scope s position in order to account for the sky s apparent motion Out of collimation Collimated Figure 15 A star test will determine if the telescope s optics are properly collimated An unfocused view of a bright star through the eyepiece should appear as illustrated on the right if optics are perfectly collimated If the circle is unsymmetrical as illu
18. ng phases you ll get a new view of the Moon every night The best time to observe our one and only natu ral satellite is during a partial phase that is when the Moon is NOT full During partial phases shadows are cast on the surface which reveal more detail especially right along the border between the dark and light portions of the disk called the terminator A full Moon is too bright and devoid of surface shadows to yield a pleasing view Make sure to observe the Moon when it is well above the horizon to get the sharpest images Use an optional Moon filter to dim the Moon when it is very bright It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepieces you must first remove the eyepiece from the focuser to attach a filter You ll find that the Moon filter improves view ing comfort and also helps to bring out subtle features on 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 the StarBlast 6 The primary attraction is sunspots which change shape appearance and location daily Sunspots are directly related to magnetic activity in the Sun Many observers like to make drawings of sunspots to monitor how the Sun is changing from day to day Important Note Do not look at the Sun with any optical instrument without a professionally made solar filter or per manent eye damage could result C The Plan
19. nification yields a wide field of view which shows a larger area of sky in the eyepiece This makes finding and centering an object much easier Trying to find and center objects with a high power narrow field of view eyepiece is like trying to find a needle in a haystack Once you ve centered the object in the eyepiece you can switch to a higher magnification shorter focal length eye piece if you wish This is recommended for small and bright objects like planets and double stars The Moon also takes higher magnifications well The best rule of thumb with eyepiece selection is to start with a low power wide field eyepiece and then work your way up in magnification If the object looks better try an even higher magnification eyepiece If the object looks worse then back off the magnification a little by using a lower power eyepiece Magnification Limits Every telescope has a useful magnification limit of about 2X per millimeter of aperture This comes to 300X for the StarBlast 6 Some telescope manufacturers will use misleading claims of excess magnification such as See distant galaxies at 640X While such magnifications are technically possible the actual image at that magnifica tion would be an indistinct blur Moderate magnifications are what give the best views It is better to view a small but bright and detailed image than a dim unclear oversized image What to Expect So what will you see with your
20. nment is important to ensure the peak perfor mance of your telescope so it should be checked regularly Collimating is relatively easy to do and can be done in day light To check collimation mirror alignment remove the eye piece and look down the focuser 4 You should see the secondary mirror 17 centered in the drawtube as well as the reflection of the primary mirror 16 centered in the secondary mirror and the reflection of the secondary mirror and your eye centered in the reflection of the primary mir ror as in Figure 10a If anything is off center as in Figure 10b proceed with the following collimation procedure The Collimation Cap and Mirror Center Mark Your StarBlast 6 comes with a collimation cap 18 This is a simple cap that fits on the focuser like a dust cap but has a hole in the center and a silver bottom This helps center your eye so that collimating is easy to perform Figures 10b c d and e assume you have the collimation cap in place In addition to the collimation cap the primary mirror is marked with a ring exactly at the center of the primary mir ror This is of great help in collimating the primary mirror since you can center the dot of the collimation cap in the middle of the ring Note The center ring sticker need not ever be removed from the primary mirror Because it lies directly in the shadow of the secondary mirror its presence in no way adversely affects the optical performance of t
21. object in the field of view This is easy to do with the StarBlast 6 because of its smooth motions on both axes As the object moves off towards the edge of the field of view just lightly nudge the telescope to re center it Objects appear to move across the field of view faster at higher magnifications This is because the field of view becomes narrower Eyepiece Selection By using eyepieces of different focal lengths it is possible to attain many magnifications or powers with the StarBlast 6 Your telescope comes with two Sirius Plossl eyepieces Figure 9 a 25mm which gives a magnification of 30x and a 10mm which gives a magnification of 75x Other eyepiec es can be used to achieve higher or lower powers It is quite common for an observer to own many eyepieces to access a wide range of magnifications 25mm eyepiece l 10mm eyepiece Figure 9 The 25mm and 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepieces To calculate the magnification of a telescope eyepiece com bination simply divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece Telescope Focal Length mm Magnification Eyepiece Focal Length mm For example the StarBlast 6 which has a focal length of 750mm used in combination with the 25mm eyepiece yields a magnification of 750mm 25mm 30x Whatever you choose to view always start by inserting your lowest power longest focal length eyepiece to locate and center the object Low mag
22. ove the rack during transport or while in storage be sure the screws are loose enough so you can lift the rack and remove it from the base if Dovetail holder Thumbscrew f Figure 4 The EZ Finder Il dovetail holder through the larger portions of the keyhole features If you wish to permanently attach the rack to the base tighten the two Phillips head screws with a screwdriver Inserting the Eyepiece Loosen the eyepiece securing thumbscrews 15 Figure 2 Insert the chrome barrel of the 25mm Sirius Plossl eye piece 1 into the focuser 4 and secure it with the thumb screws You can place the 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 12 in the eyepiece rack 11 for use later Your telescope is now fully assembled Remove the dust cap from the front of the telescope when it is in use Replace it when you are finished observing Getting Started Its best to get a feel for the basic functions of the StarBlast 6 during the day before observing astronomical objects at night This way you won t have to orient yourself in the dark Find a spot outdoors where you ll have plenty of room to move the telescope and where you ll have a clear view of some object or vista that is at least 1 4 mile away It is not critical that the telescope be exactly level but it should be somewhat level to ensure smooth movement The StarBlast 6 was designed specifically for visual obser vation of astronomical objects in the night sky Like
23. piece The higher power eyepiece that comes with the StarBlast 6 Eyepieces are discussed in the Magnification section Feet Three feet provide support for the StarBlast 6 and are skid free This allows you to place the StarBlast 6 on smooth surfaces Figure 2 shows detail of the focuser Focus wheels The focus wheels are used to bring objects into focus By turning them you move the rack and pinion focuser 4 in and out Eyepiece securing thumbscrews These thumbscrews are used to keep the eyepiece 1 secure in the focuser 4 Items not shown 16 Primary mirror The parabolic mirror at the rear of the optical tube 3 gathers incoming light and focuses it with its parabolic shape The primary mirror has a small center mark that is explained in the Collimating appendix This center mark should not be removed 17 Secondary mirror The secondary mirror is located near the opening of the optical tube 3 and reflects the focused light from the primary mirror 15 into the eyepiece 1 Base bracket This bracket connects the tube rings 5 to the altazimuth base 9 3 16 Hex key This tool is used to connect the tube rings 5 to the base bracket 18 Collimation cap This small cap fits in the focuser and is used to aid in aligning of the optics This process is explained in the Collimating appendix Socket head cap screws qty 2 with flat washers and lock washers These screws and washers are used to connect the t
24. raw tube rotate the secondary mirror holder until the reflection of the primary mirror is as centered in the secondary mirror as possible It may not be perfectly centered but that is OK 10 Figure 11 To center the secondary mirror under the focuser hold the secondary mirror holder in place with your fingers while adjusting the center screw with a Phillips head screwdriver Do not touch the mirror s surface Now tighten the three small alignment screws equally to secure the secondary mirror in that position If the entire primary mirror reflection is not visible in the sec ondary mirror as in Figure 10c you will need to adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror This is done by alternately loos ening one of the three alignment set screws while tightening the other two as depicted in Figure 12 The goal is to center the primary mirror reflection in the secondary mirror as in Figure 10d Don t worry that the reflection of the secondary mirror the smallest circle with the collimation cap dot in the center is off center You will fix that in the next step Alignment set screws 3 Figure 12 Adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror by loosening or tightening the three alignment set screws with a 2mm hex key Aligning the Primary Mirror The final adjustment is made to the primary mirror It will need adjustment if as in Figure 10d the secondary mir ror is centered under the focuser and the reflection of the
25. rd silicon dioxide which prevents the aluminum from oxidizing These coatings normally last through many years of use before requiring re coating To clean the secondary mirror it must be removed from the telescope Do this by holding the secondary mirror holder stationary with your fingers don t touch the mirror itself while unthreading the Phillips head screw in the center hub of the 4 vaned spider Completely unthread the screw from the holder and the holder will come loose in your fingers Be careful not to lose the spring on the Phillips head screw Handle the mirror and its holder carefully You do not need to remove the secondary mirror from its holder for cleaning Follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror To clean the primary mirror carefully remove the mirror cell from the telescope To do this you must remove the four screws that connect the mirror cell to the steel tube These screws are located on the outer edge of the mirror cell Now remove the three mirror clips that secure the mirror in its cell Use a Phillips head screwdriver to unthread the mirror clip anchor screws Next hold the mirror by its edge and remove it from the mirror cell Be careful not to touch the aluminized surface of the mirror with your fingers Set the mirror on a clean soft towel Fill a clean sink free of abrasive cleanser with room temperature water a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent and if pos
26. sible a cap full of rubbing alcohol Submerge the mirror aluminized face up in the water and let it soak for several minutes or hours if it is a very dirty mirror Wipe the mirror underwater with clean cotton balls using extremely light pressure and strok ing in straight lines across the surface Use one ball for each wipe across the mirror Then rinse the mirror under a stream of lukewarm water Any particles on the surface can be swabbed gently with a series of clean cotton balls each used just one time Dry the mirror in a stream of air a blow er bulb works great or remove any stray drops of water with the corner of a paper towel Dry the bottom and the edges with a towel not the mirror surface Leave the entire assembly in a warm area until it is completely dry before reassembling the telescope One Year Limited Warranty The Orion StarBlast 6 Astro Telescope is warranted against defects in materials 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 Proof of pur chase such as a copy of the original receipt is required This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment t
27. st to consult astronomy software such as Starry Night star chart or Planisphere These guides will help you locate the brightest and best deep sky objects for viewing with your StarBlast 6 You can also try low power scanning of the Milky Way Use the 25mm eyepiece and just cruise through the star clouds of our galaxy You ll be amazed at the rich fields of stars and objects you ll see The Milky Way is best observed on sum mer and winter evenings 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 temperature changes and humidity Do not store the telescope outdoors although storage in a garage or shed is OK Small components like eyepieces and filters should be kept in a protective box or storage case Keep the dust caps on the front of the telescope and on the focuser when it is not in use The telescope requires very little mechanical maintenance The optical tube is made of steel 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 Refer to Appendix B for detailed instructions on how to clean the optics of the StarBlast 6 Specifications Primary mirror diameter 150mm Primary mirror Parabolic Secondary mirror minor axis 47 0mm Focal length 750mm Focal Rat
28. strated on the left the scope needs collimation Appendix B Cleaning the Optics Cleaning Lenses Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses Before cleaning with fluid and tissue 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 On larger lenses clean only a small area at a time using a fresh lens tissue on each area Never reuse tissues Cleaning Mirrors You should not have to clean the telescope s mirror very often normally once every year or so Covering the tele scope with the dust cap when it is not in use will help prevent dust from accumulating on the mirrors Improper cleaning can scratch mirror coatings so the fewer times you have to clean the mirrors the better Small specks of dust or flecks of paint have virtually no effect on the visual performance of the telescope The large primary mirror and the elliptical secondary mirror of your telescope are front surface aluminized and over coat ed with ha
29. the main component of the tele scope Focuser This is where the eyepiece is placed and it is where you focus Details of the focuser are shown in Figure 2 Figure 2 Details of the StarBlast 6 focuser Tube rings qty 2 These tube rings connect the optical tube 3 to the base bracket 18 which connects to the altazimuth base 9 Altitude tension adjustment knob By tightening and loosening this knob you can change the amount ten sion in the altitude up down motion of the telescope Navigation knob Grasping this knob allows you to aim the telescope without touching the optical tube 3 itself This allows you to point the telescope without heat from your hands affecting the quality of view o Mirror cell This contains the primary mirror 16 as well as the collimation thumbscrews that are used to optically align the primary mirror This is explained in the Collimating appendix 9 Altazimuth base This wooden base provides a stable base for the telescope It allows you to move the tele scope in altitude up down and azimuth left right Carrying handles These convenient handles are built into the base allowing you to easily carry the StarBlast 6 to your viewing location The carrying handles are also handy places to put your hand when aim ing the telescope See Using Your Telescope for more details Eyepiece rack A handy metal rack in which to store your extra eyepieces 10mm Sirius Plossl eye
30. tment knobs Figure 6 to position the red dot on the object in the eye piece When the red dot is centered on the distant object check to make sure the object is still centered in the telescope s field of view If not recenter it and adjust the EZ Finder Il s align ment again When the object is centered in the eyepiece and on the red dot the EZ Finder Il is properly aligned with the telescope Figure 7 shows how the view through the EZ Finder may look while you are aligning it Once aligned EZ Finder II will usually hold its alignment even after being removed and remounted Otherwise only minimal realignment will be needed Replacing the EZ Finder II Battery Replacement 3 volt lithium batteries for the EZ Finder II are available from many retail outlets Remove the old battery by inserting a small flat head screwdriver into the slot on the battery casing Figure 6 and gently prying open the case Then carefully pull back on the retaining clip and remove the old battery Do not overbend the retaining clip Slide the new battery under the battery lead with the positive side facing down and replace the battery casing Figure 7 The EZ Finder Il superimposes a tiny red dot on the sky showing f ight where the telescope is pointed Using your telescope Choosing an Observing Site When selecting a location for observing get as far away as possible from direct artificial light such as street lights porch lights
31. ts when stargazing use the dimmest possible setting that allows you to see the dot without difficulty Typically a dim setting is used under dark skies and a bright setting is used under light polluted skies or in daylight Azimuth adjustment knob Power knob ez Finder ll lt Battery casing Altitude oN adjustment knob Mounting bracket Figure 6 The EZ Finder II reflex sight At the end of your observing session be sure to turn the power knob counterclockwise until it clicks off When the two white dots on the EZ Finder Il s rail and power knob are lined up the EZ Finder II is turned off Aligning the EZ Finder Il When the EZ Finder Il is properly aligned with the tele scope an object that is centered on the EZ Finder Ils red dot should also appear in the center of the field of view of the telescope s eyepiece Alignment of the EZ Finder Il is easiest during daylight before observing at night Aim the telescope at a distant object at least 1 4 mile away such as a telephone pole or chimney and center it in the telescope s eyepiece Now turn the EZ Finder II on and look through it The object will appear in the field of view near the red dot Note The image in the eyepiece of the StarBlast 6 will be upside down rotated 180 This is normal for Newtonian reflector telescopes Without moving the telescope use the EZ Finder Ils azi muth left right and altitude up down adjus
32. ube rings 5 to the base brack et 18 Assembly The StarBlast 6 arrives partially assembled which makes assembly very easy To get started place the pre assembled wooden altazimuth base 9 on a table or other flat surface and locate the following accessories Tube rings 5 Base bracket 18 EZ Finder II reflex sight 2 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 1 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 12 Eyepiece rack 11 yo N Socket head cap screws w washers 21 Attaching the optical tube to the Altazimuth base To attach the optical tube 3 to the altazimuth base 9 you will first need to equip the base bracket 18 with the two tube rings 5 Rotate the base bracket so one of the two attachment holes is accessible Place a lock washer and then a flat washer onto each of the socket head cap screws Attach one of the two tube rings 5 to the base bracket 18 with a washer equipped screw using the included hex key 19 Figure 3 Rotate the base bracket 180 so the remaining attachment hole is accessible Attach the remain ing tube ring to the base bracket with the remaining washer equipped screw using the hex key Be sure to orient the tube rings so the knurled ring clamps on the rings are on the same side Tube ring Base bracket Flat washer Lock washer i 4 Socket head Figure 3 Attaching a tube ring to the base bracket Open the tube rings 5 by loosening the knurled ring clamps Place the opti
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