INSTRUCTION MANUAL
IN 604 10/17
Orion
®
70mm White-Light Solar Refractor Telescope
#10381
Figure 1.
The 70mm White-Light Solar Refractor
Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion 70mm
White-Light Solar Refractor Telescope. Your solar
scope has been designed with high quality optics
and excellent mechanical construction. The built in
white-light solar filter has been designed to provide
you with safe, high contrast views of the solar surface
and sunspots. These instructions will help you set up
and use your telescope tube.
Getting Started
IMPORTANT! This telescope comes with a white light filter built
over the front of the objective lens. It is attached tightly to the front
and provides a more secure attachment compared with add-on
solar filters. Do not attempt to remove the filter, and always inspect
the front glass for damage. The filter can be cracked with rough
handling, and NEVER attempt to use the telescope to look at the
sun if the filter is damaged.
The 70mm comes nearly fully assembled from the factory. The
telescope’s optics and filter have been installed and collimated, so
you should not have to make any adjustments to them.
Please keep the original shipping box! In the unlikely event you
should need to ship the telescope back to Orion for warranty
repair service, you should use the original packaging. The box also
makes a very good container for storing the telescope when it is
not in use.
Attaching the Solar Scope to a Tripod or Mount
The 70mm can be attached to a tripod or mount by way of the
Vixen dovetail bar. Any mount that accepts a Vixen dovetail bar is
compatible with this optical tube. In addition, the ¼"-20 shaft of a
sturdy camera tripod will thread into the ¼"-20 holes drilled into
the bottom of the Vixen dovetail bar.
Included optical accessories
The 70mm comes standard with a 1.25" 90-deg star diagonal and
two 1.25" eyepieces (20mm and 10mm).
The 70mm Solar Refractor can use almost any 1.25" diagonal or
eyepiece. Please note that the telescope will not come to focus
without the use of a diagonal or extension tube. To install a diag-
onal, unthread the thumbscrews on the 1.25" focuser (
Figure 1)
until they are flush with the interior of the adapter. Insert the diag-
onal or extension tube and secure it with the thumbscrew. Then
insert the eyepiece into the diagonal or extension tube and secure
it with the thumbscrew(s).
Do not attempt to install a finderscope on this telescope, unless it
is properly fitted with a solar filter of its own. The easiest way to
locate the sun with the 70mm Solar telescope is not with a finder,
but using the “shadow method.” When the scope is pointing at the
sun, the shadow of the scope that is cast on the ground will be at
its smallest profile. Simply look at the shadow cast on the ground
while you aim the telescope up towards the sun. When the scope
produces a round, thin shadow profile on the ground, the scope is
pointed very near the sun. Use a low power eyepiece in the scope
and center the sun before moving to a higher power.
Calculating Magnification (Power)
It is desirable to have a range of eyepieces of different focal
lengths, to allow viewing over a range of magnifications. To calcu-
late the magnification, or power, of a telescope, simply divide the
focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece:
Telescope F.L. ÷ Eyepiece F.L. = Magnification
For example, the 70mm White-Light Solar Refractor, which has a
focal length of 500mm, used in combination with a 20mm eye-
piece, yields a power of:
500 ÷ 20 = 25x
Every telescope has a useful limit of power of about 45x-60x per
inch of aperture. Claims of higher power by some telescope manu-
facturers are a misleading advertising gimmick and should be dis-
missed. Keep in mind that at higher powers, an image will always
be dimmer and less sharp (this is a fundamental law of optics).
Built-in
solar
filter
1.25"
focuser
Eyepiece
Vixen dovetail bar
Focus knob
Diagonal
Corporate Offices:
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076 - USA
Toll Free USA & Canada:
(800) 447-1001
International:
+1(831) 763-7000
Customer Support:
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may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes & Binoculars.
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