User manual CELESTRON FIRSTSCOPE 80 AZ REFRACTORS

[. . . ] Altitude lock - allows the telescope tube to be locked into place once a focused image has been set up, by tightening the two screws on the outside of the altazimuth mount. Focal length - the distance from the optical center of the lens to the point where the incoming light rays converge, creating a clear, focused image. Objective lens - the front lens of the telescope. It gathers incoming light to create a sharply focused image. [. . . ] This is a simple process using the azimuth and altitude control knobs located on 5 the side and bottom of the Star Pointer. The alignment procedure is best done at night since the LED dot will be difficult to see during the day. To turn on the Star Pointer, rotate the variable brightness control clockwise until you here a "click". To increase the brightness level of the red dot, continue rotating the control knob about 180º until it stops. Locate a bright star or planet and center it in a low power eyepiece in the main telescope. With both eyes open, look through the glass window at the alignment star. If the Star Pointer is perfectly aligned, you will see the red LED dot overlap the alignment star. If the Star Pointer is not aligned, take notice of where the red dot is relative to the bright star. Without moving the main telescope, turn the Star Pointer's azimuth and altitude alignment controls until the red dot is directly over the alignment star. If the LED dot is brighter than the alignment star, it may make it difficult to see the star. Turn the variable brightness control counterclockwise, until the red dot is the same brightness as the alignment star. This will make it easier to get an accurate alignment. The maximum usable power (with sharp images) is equal to 60 times the aperture of the telescope (in inches). So, with a 60mm telescope it has a maximum useful power of 144x (2. 4" x 60) and with the 70mm the maximum is 165x (2. 7559 x 60). Most of your viewing will be done in the range of 30x to 120x. Higher powers are used mainly for lunar and sometimes planetary observing where you can greatly enlarge the image. The images at extremely high powers like 675x magnify the image bur remember that the contrast will be very low and the image somewhat blurred due to the super power. For the brightest images with the most contrast, use the lower powers with a smaller image scale. TELESCOPE OPERATION -- ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVING Now that your telescope is set up, you're ready to use it for observing. Observing the Moon In the night sky, the moon is a prime target for your first look because it is extremely bright and easy to find. Although the beauty of the full moon may make it seem a perfect viewing object, in fact, the light reflected from its fully illuminated face can be overpowering. In addition, little or no contrast can be seen during this phase. One of the best times to observe the moon is during its partial phases, such as a crescent or quarter moon. At these times, long shadows reveal a great amount of detail on the lunar surface. [. . . ] This useful guide also includes beautiful constellation paintings, photographs, and clear, concise descriptions of stars, the planets, the sun, the moon, comets, black holes, galaxies and more. Planisphere (#93720) - A colorful rotating star map that indicates when specific constellations are visible, with removable markers for tracking the movement of planets. Available in three different latitudes: 30°, 40°, and 50° all ±10°. A full description of all Celestron accessories can be found in the Celestron Accessory Catalog (#93685). [. . . ]