User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS 09039

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion SpaceProbe 3" EQ ® #9039 Newtonian Reflecting Telescope Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope. com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P. O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 IN 094 0998 Finder scope bracket Secondary mirror and three-vane spider (inside tube) Finder scope alignment screws (3) Finder scope Eyepiece Declination slow-motion control Declination lock knob (not shown) Declination setting circle Counterweight shaft Counterweight Counterweight lock knob Retaining washer and screw Right ascension setting circle Tripod leg attachment bolt Primary mirror cell Collimation screws (3) (not shown) Right ascension lock knob (not shown) Latitude lock knob (not shown) Latitude Scale Right ascension (R. A. ) slow motion control Azimuth lock knob (not shown) Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray Tripod leg Leg lock bolts Focus knob Focuser Figure 1. SpaceProbe 3" EQ Parts Diagram 2 Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope!Your new SpaceProbe 3" EQ Newtonian is designed for high-resolution viewing of astronomical objects. [. . . ] When the mirror is centered in the focuser drawtube (as in Figure 3B), rotate it slightly side to side until the reflection of the primary mirror is as centered in the secondary mirror as it will get. It still may not be perfectly centered yet, but that is OK. Now tighten the three small Phillips-head alignment screws to secure the secondary mirror in that position. If the entire primary mirror reflection still is not visible in the secondary mirror (as it is not in Figure 3B), adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror further by alternately loosening one of the three alignment screws a turn or two and tightening another one. The goal is to center the primary mirror reflection in the secondary mirror, as depicted in Figure 3C. Don't worry that the reflection of the secondary mirror (the smallest circle with your eye in it) and spider are off-center (as also is the case in Figure 3C); you will fix that in the next step. Adjusting the Primary Mirror The final adjustment is made to the primary mirror. It will need adjustment if, as in Figure 3C, the secondary mirror is centered under the focuser and the reflection of the primary mirror is centered in the secondary mirror, but the small reflection of the secondary mirror (with your eye inside) is off-center. The tilt of the primary is adjusted with the three sets of two collimation screws on the back end of the optical tube. Adjusting the tilt requires a "push-pull" technique involving adjustment of each set of collimation screws. Loosen one of the screws one full turn, and then tighten the adjacent screw until it is just tight. Then look into the focuser and see if the secondary mirror reflection has moved closer to the center of the primary mirror reflection. Repeat this process on the other two sets of collimation screws, if necessary. It will take a little trial and error to get a feel for how to tilt the mirror in this way to center the reflection. (It helps to have two people for primary mirror collimation, one to look in the focuser while the other adjusts the collimation bolts. ) When the adjustment is complete, make sure all the Phillips-head collimation screws are tight (but do not overtighten), to secure the mirror tilt. The view through the Collimating Eyepiece should now resemble Figure 3D. The secondary mirror is centered in the focuser; the reflection of the primary mirror is centered in the secondary mirror, and the reflection of the secondary mirror is centered in the reflection of the primary mirror. A simple star test will tell you whether the optics are accurately collimated. Star-Testing Your Telescope When it is dark, point the telescope at a bright star. Look into the eyepiece and slowly rack the image out of focus with the focusing knob. If the telescope is correctly collimated, the expanding disk should be a perfect circle. If it is unsymmetrical, the scope is out of collimation. [. . . ] Submerge the mirror (aluminized face up) in the water and let it soak for several minutes (or hours if it's a very dirty mirror). Wipe the mirror under water with clean cotton balls, using extremely light pressure and stroking 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. [. . . ]