User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS SPACEPROBE3 EQ

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion® SpaceProbeTM 3 EQ #9844 Equatorial Reflector 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 208 Rev. A 10/02 EZ Finder II EZ Finder II bracket Eyepiece Focuser Optical tube assembly Declination slow-motion control cable Declination lock knob Declination setting circle Counterweight shaft Counterweight Counterweight lock knob Right Ascension lock knob (not shown) Right Ascension slow-motion control cable Latitude adjustment T-bolt Right Ascension setting circle Tripod leg Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray Leg lock knob Figure 1. The SpaceProbe 3 EQ. 2 ® Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy! [. . . ] Set up on a grass or dirt surface, not asphalt, because asphalt radiates more heat. Heat disturbs the surrounding air and degrades the images seen through the telescope. 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. If 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 just your eyes, the stars are twinkling noticeably, the seeing is bad and you will be limited to viewing with low powers (bad seeing affects images at high powers more severely). Planetary observing may also be poor. 8 regular incandescent flashlight with red cellophane or paper. Beware, too, that nearby porch and streetlights and car headlights will ruin your night vision. 1. 9 4. 9 2. 4 1. 9 1. 7 3. 4 2. 5 2. 4 Figure 7. 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. In conditions of good seeing, star twinkling is minimal and images appear steady in the eyepiece. Seeing is best overhead, worst at the horizon. Also, seeing generally gets better 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 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). One good way to tell if conditions are good is by how many stars you can see with your naked eye. [. . . ] Be careful not to touch the aluminized surface of the mirror with your fingers. Fill a clean sink, free of abrasive cleanser, with roomtemperature water, a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent, and if possible, a capful 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 stroking in straight lines across the surface. [. . . ]