image-distorting.heat.currents.).For.sporting.events.and.
other.activities.where.fast.movement.is.essential,.or.where.
you.must.stand.above.a.crowd,.you.can.use.the.supplied.
over-the-shoulder.strap.with.the.Astroscan.resting.snugly.
against.your.body.to.follow.the.action..The.telescope.may.
also.be.cradled.in.your.lap.for.watching.flights.of.geese.or.
a.high-altitude.plane.(in.both.cases,.being.careful.not.to.
accidentally.run.into.the.Sun!),.or.for.tracking.satellites.or.
sweeping.across.the.beautiful.starfields.of.the.Milky.Way.
at.night..While.your.lap.is.certainly.not.as.stable.as.the.
base,.it.does.provide.great.freedom.of.movement..You.
can.also.put.the.Astroscan.on.a.camera.tripod,.using.the.
tripod. bracket. (described. in. the. “Accessories”. section).
for. looking. over. the. heads. of. a. crowd. or. for. steady.
observing.while.standing.up..
For. this. kind. of. use,. you’ll.
need. a. good. solid. tripod.
with. reliable. adjustments..
Additionally,. you. can. mount.
the. base. itself. on. top. of.
the. Scientifics. tripod. (also.
listed. in. the. “Accessories”.
section). using. the. hole. in.
its. center.. (First. remove. the.
thumbscrew. already. there,.
but. be. sure. not. to. lose. it!).
This.arrangement.gives.you.
flexibility.of.movement.as.well.
as.ample.elevation..And.you.
can.quickly.lift.the.Astroscan.
off.the.base.and.use.it.with.
the. over-the-shoulder. strap.
or.in.your.lap.
Aiming the Astroscan
The.beautifully.wide.3-degree.field.of.the.Astroscan.at.
16X.makes.the.use.of.a.traditional.optical.finder.scope.
unnecessary..But.your.telescope.is.equipped.with.what.
is.known.as.a.unit-power.(1X,.or.that.of.the.unaided.eye).
“reflex-sight”.finder.(see.photo,.at.right)..It.superimposes.
a.small.LED-powered.red.spot.of.light.focused.at.infinity.
and.shows.about.10.degrees.of.sky.as.opposed.to.the.
3.degrees.of.the.Astroscan.itself..Once.aligned.with.the.
telescope,.you.sight.through.the.finder.and.place.the.dot.
on.whatever.object.(the.Moon,.a.planet.or.star,.etc.).or.
part.of.the.sky.you.want.to.look.at.and.it.will.be.in.the.
low-power.28.mm.(16X).eyepiece..Note.that.there.are.
three.separate.thumbscrews.on.the.finder.itself.–.two.for.
adjusting.the.alignment.and.one.for.turning.the.LED.light.
source.on/off.and.adjusting.its.intensity..
The reflex sight finder.
While.aligning.the.finder.can.be.done.at.night.on.a.bright.
star. or. other. object,. it’s. easier. to. do. it. in. the. daytime.
when. you. can. see. what. you’re. doing.. First,. using. the.
small. knob. located. on. the. right. side. of. the. finder,. turn.
on.the.LED.light.and.all.the.way.up.as.indicated.by.the.
arrow..(You.may.find.that.even.with.the.light.at.maximum.
intensity.you.have.trouble.seeing.it.on.a.bright.sunny.day..
An.overcast.day,.or.the.time.just.after.sunset,.is.much.
better.for.doing.alignment..Many.observers.find.the.Moon.
seen.in.twilight.an.ideal.alignment.target.and.time.).
Next,.find.some.distant.object.–.such.as.a.transmitting.
antenna.or.an.obvious.treetop.(preferably.at.least.
¼.to.½.
.
mile.away).–.through.the.telescope.itself,.using.the.28.
mm.(16X).eyepiece..You’ll.have.to.do.some.sweeping.
back.and.forth.and.up.and.down.until.you.locate.the.
object.–.and.will.soon.see.why.a.finder.helps!.
Once. the. object. is. positioned. in. the. eyepiece,. look.
through. the. finder,. centering. your. eye. on. the. circular.
aperture.opening.at.its.front.as.seen.from.its.rear..Then.
turn.the.knob.marked.“R”.(for.Right).located.at.the.front.
of.the.finder.left.or.right.until.the.target.is.centered.on.
the.red.dot.in.that.direction..
Next,.turn.the.knob.under.the.rear.of.the.finder.marked.
“Up”.and.move.it.up.or.down.until.the.target.is.centered.
on. the. dot. in. that. direction.. Now. check. back. in. the.
telescope. to. see. if. the. object. is. still. in. the. eyepiece..
(It.may.have.moved.out.of.the.view.while.making.the.
adjustments,.and.will.have.to.be.re-centered.and.the.
process.repeated..With.a.little.practice,.and.patience,.
this. only. takes. a. minute. or. two..And. once. alignment.
of.the.finder.with.the.telescope.has.been.achieved,.it.
shouldn’t.have.to.be.done.again.unless.the.finder.has.
been.bumped.out.of.position.).
Astroscan on a tripod.
