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2. Start with Low Power
The 25mm low power eyepiece means the images you see will
be
brighter and you get a WIDE field of view, so it is much
easier to find objects with your StarBlast at low power. The big-
ger the number on the eyepiece the sharper and brighter the
view will be. After you locate an object in low power, switch to
the high power eyepiece to see if the view is better.
3. Don’t View Through Windows
The optics in your StarBlast refractor have been polished to
an accuracy of a millionth of an inch. Window glass is thou-
sands of times less accurate; by looking through a window,
you are effectively putting a “distorting warp filter” in front of
your telescope, and views will never be sharp. That said, you
can accomplish some casual daytime or lunar viewing through
a window at low power, but the view will never be sharp.
4. Take the Proper Tools with You
a)
Dress warmly, if you go out in wintertime; Orion’s view
is that you can never overdress in winter – hats, gloves,
insulated shoes, many layers, etc.
b) Take
binoculars – they are the perfect complement to
a telescope and will help you find larger objects in the
nighttime sky or terrestrial targets on the ground. A good
general binocular for astronomy is a 10x50 size – 10
power and with 50mm diameter lenses.
c) Bring a
star chart – this will help you find your way
around the night sky. Better ones, and astronomy
guidebooks will show you how to “star hop” to find faint
objects outside the solar system like star clusters and
nebula.
5. Attend a
“Star Party”
It’s always fun to share astronomy. Larger cities have local
astronomy clubs that will tell you the best places to observe
and will hold public observing events that can give you great
tips on using a telescope and what’s good to look at during the
night (this varies during the year!!!).
Optional accessories For StarBlast Telescopes
1. Additional Eyepieces – use any 1.25" standard eyepiece
with the StarBlast 70 or StarBlast 90. Different Powers
can be reached by attaching different eyepieces. To
calculate the power, divide the focal length of the
telescope (in mm) or 500 (for the StarBlast 70) by the
mm focal length of the eyepiece used. For the 10mm
eyepiece the power is 500/10 = 50X. For the 25mm
eyepiece the power is 500/25 = 20X.
The Orion Sirius Plössls or the Telescope Accessory Kits
are great additions to the Orion StarBlast. The Plossl
design eyepiece is a very high performance eyepiece
design and will give you sharper views than the standard
eyepieces included with most telescopes.
2. V-block 1.25" filter – When viewing planets at high
powers (above 100x) the color fidelity can be improved
with an Orion v-block filter – 1.25". Simply thread it into
the bottom of the eyepiece and observe. Colors are more
natural with this filter at high powers. Works for terrestrial
applications at high power as well.
3. Orion Jupiter Filter – The dark cloud bands and the
“Great Red Spot” of the gas giant planet Jupiter will
be easier to spot with the 1.25" Jupiter Filter. Like the
v-block, simple thread it into the bottom of the eyepiece
and observe.
4. Moon filter 1.25" – The Moon can be overpowering! Drop
the glare & brightness and see more detail with an Orion
1.25" Moon filter.
5. O-III Filter 1.25" – Got a desire to track down planetary
nebula or large emission nebula like the North
American Nebula? The O-III filter greatly enhances
viewing of “Emission Nebulae” – the colorful gas clouds
photographed in our galaxy which are formed by stars
that are dying or giving birth. Note: nighttime views
through any telescope are in black and white, the eye
can’t respond to color at low light levels.
What can You See in the Sky?
Use your StarBlast 70/90 to explore the moon and plan-
ets. Bright comets are a special treat, with the wide field of
view at low power. Under a dark sky (away from city lights)
you will be amazed what you can see outside the solar
system – most of the brighter messier objects are visible
through these telescopes from a dark sky location. That
means this telescope can be used to locate and see plan-
etary nebula, supernova remnants, double stars, open
& globular star clusters, emission nebula (like the Orion
Nebula, M42) and even other galaxies!
Go to the Orion Community Center to learn how to find
deep sky objects!
Solar Warnings!!!
a) Do not point the telescope at the sun without using a
proper solar filter (optional) that fits over the front end
(objective) of the telescope.
b) If using a solar filter (that fits over the front or objective of
the telescope) cover the front of the finder scope so that
the finder does not get damaged by exposure to solar
radiation/solar energy.
c) Do NOT use eyepiece type solar filters – they may crack
with the intense heat from concentrated solar energy.
d) Do not use the telescope to project an image of the sun
onto a flat object – the concentrated solar energy will
damage the telescope and may cause a fire.
e) Always keep the optics of an unattended telescope
covered during the daytime – if accidentally left pointing
at the sun, the telescope may be damaged by the
concentrated solar radiation.
care and Maintenance
1. Keep the dust caps on when not in use – if you always
keep the optics of the telescopes and accessories
covered, you may never need to clean them.