User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS STARMAX 102 EQ

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion StarMax 102mm EQTM ® #9824 Equatorial Maksutov-Cassegrain 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 158 Rev. A 0501 Finder scope Finder scope bracket Meniscus lens 1/4"-20 adapter Eyepiece Dec. setting circle Star diagonal Eyepiece adapter Focus knob Latitude lock t-bolt Latitude adjustment t-bolt Dec. [. . . ] Do so by calibrating the setting circle for the centered object before moving on to the next one. 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 downward. 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. DO NOT make any adjustment to the latitude adjustment tbolt. That will nullify the mount's polar alignment. Remember, once the mount is polar aligned, the telescope should be moved only on the R. A. To point the scope overhead, first loosen the R. A. lock knob and rotate the telescope on the R. A. axis until the counterweight shaft is horizontal (parallel to the ground). lock knob and rotate the telescope until it is pointing straight overhead. The counterweight shaft is still horizontal. Similarly, to point the telescope directly south, the counterweight shaft should again be horizontal. Then you simply rotate the scope on the Dec. axis until it points in the south direction. 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 counterweight down as pictured in Figure 1. Again, you have to rotate the scope in R. A. so the counterweight shaft is positioned horizontally. so it points to where you want it near the horizon. [. . . ] For terrestrial viewing, it's best to stick with low power eyepieces that yield a magnification under 100x. At higher powers, images rapidly lose sharpness and clarity due to "heat waves" caused by Sun-heated air. Remember to aim well clear of the Sun, unless the front of the telescope is fitted with a professionally made solar filter and the finder scope is covered with foil or some other completely opaque material. 8. Photography With an optional camera adapter, the StarMax 102mm becomes a 1300mm f/12. 7 telephoto lens for a single-lens reflex camera. [. . . ]