background image

5

(To remove the finder scope, press the small tab at the 
back of the base and slide the bracket out.) 

14. Insert the 25mm eyepiece (W) into the focuser and secure 

it by lightly tightening the thumbscrew (

Figure 17).

The telescope is now completely assembled! Before it can be 
effectively used, however, there are a couple of things to do to 
prepare the telescope for operation.

3. Preparing the Telescope 

for Operation

Aligning and Using the Red Dot Finder Scope

The included red dot finder scope (

Figure 18) makes pointing 

your telescope almost as easy as pointing your finger! It’s a 
non-magnifying aiming device that superimposes a tiny LED 
red dot on the sky, showing exactly where the telescope is 
pointed. It permits easy object targeting prior to observation in 
the higher-power main telescope. 
Before you can use the red dot finder scope, you must remove 
the small plastic tab sticking out from the battery compart-
ment (

Figure 18). Doing so will allow the pre-installed 3V 

CR-2032 button cell battery to make contact with the finder 
scope’s electronic circuitry to power the finder’s red LED illu-
minator. The tab can then be discarded.
To use the red dot finder scope properly, it must be aligned 
with the main telescope. This is easiest to do during daylight 
hours, before observing at night. Follow this procedure:

1.  First, remove the dust cap (Y) from the front of the tele-

scope. 

2.  With the 25mm eyepiece already in place from step 14 

above, point the telescope at a well-defined land target 
(e.g., the top of a telephone pole) that’s at least a quarter 
mile away. Center the target in the eyepiece by turning the 
slow-motion cables as needed to point the telescope. For 
larger telescope movement, release the RA and Dec axis 
lock knobs (

Figure 19) and move the telescope tube by 

hand to the approximate location, then retighten the lock 
knobs and make finer pointing adjustments with the slow 
motion cables.

Note:

 The image in the telescope will appear rotated, often 

upside down. This is normal for reflector telescopes and is 
why reflectors are not recommended for daytime terrestrial 
viewing.

3.  Now that a distant target is centered in the main tele-

scope’s eyepiece, turn on the red dot finder scope by slid-

Figure 6.

 The fully assembled tripod.

Figure 7.

 

a)

 Install the equatorial mount onto the tripod mount 

platform, then 

b)

 secure it from the underside with azimuth lock knob.

Azimuth 

lock  knob   

Washer

Figure 8

.

 Screw in the latitude adjustment bolt.

Latitude adjustment 

bolt

b.

a.

Summary of Contents for 10274

Page 1: ...rate Offices 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 USA Copyright 2017 Orion Telescopes Binoculars All Rights Reserved No part of this product instruction or any of its contents may be reproduced copied modified or adapted without the prior written consent of Orion Telescopes Binoculars Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 ...

Page 2: ... 2 Assembly 2 3 Preparing the Telescope for Operation 5 4 Understanding and Using the Equatorial Mount 8 5 Astronomical Observing 12 6 Useful Optional Accessories 14 7 Aligning the Mirrors Collimation 14 8 Telescope Care and Maintenance 15 9 Specifications 16 N Counterweight lock knob 1 O Counterweight 1 P Slow motion cables 2 Q Mounting platform 1 R Tube ring 1 S Tube ring mounting hardware 6 T S...

Page 3: ... E E E F O N W P L R B C U D W X J K S V U G H I D e c A x i s R A Axis M T Y Q Figure 1 The parts of the SpaceProbe II 76mm EQ telescope Figure 2 The SpaceProbe II 76 EQ telescope fully assembled with key parts identified V J L ...

Page 4: ... as shown in Figure 11 The longer cable should be attached to the declination gear shaft the shorter cable to the right ascension gear shaft Orient the cable so that the thumb screw seats in the groove of the gear shaft as shown in Figure 12 then firmly tighten the thumbscrew If there is a small rubber ball on the end of the shaft you will have to remove it in order to attach the cable Also note t...

Page 5: ...To use the red dot finder scope properly it must be aligned with the main telescope This is easiest to do during daylight hours before observing at night Follow this procedure 1 First remove the dust cap Y from the front of the tele scope 2 With the 25mm eyepiece already in place from step 14 above point the telescope at a well defined land target e g the top of a telephone pole that s at least a ...

Page 6: ...make sure the object is still centered in the telescope s eyepiece If it isn t re center it then adjust the finder scope s alignment again When the object is centered in the telescope eyepiece and on the finder scope s red dot the finder scope is properly aligned with the telescope The red dot finder scope s alignment should be checked before every observing session At the end of your observing se...

Page 7: ...is now balanced on the R A axis 4 To balance the telescope on the Dec axis first tighten the R A lock knob with the counterweight shaft still in the horizontal position 5 With one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the Dec lock knob The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the Dec axis Figure 20b Loosen the tube Figure 16 Insert the red dot finder scope s bracket foot into th...

Page 8: ...h s rotation from west to east An equatorial mount is designed to compensate for that motion allowing you to easily track the movement of astronomical objects thereby keeping them from drifting out of the telescope s field of view while you re observing This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its right ascension R A axis using only the R A slow motion cable But first the R A axis ...

Page 9: ...lock knob 4 Loosen the azimuth lock knob at the base of the equatorial mount Figure 7b a half turn or so and rotate the mount so the R A axis points roughly at Polaris If you cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site consult a com pass and rotate the mount so the telescope points North Retighten the azimuth lock knob The equatorial mount is now polar aligned From this point on in your o...

Page 10: ...all marks in between representing 10 min ute increments The numbers closest to the R A axis gear apply to viewing in the Southern Hemisphere while the num bers above them apply to viewing in the Northern Hemisphere The Dec setting circle is scaled in degrees with each mark representing 2 5 increments Values of Dec coordinates range from 90 to 90 The 0 mark indicates the celestial equator When the ...

Page 11: ...t 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 5th or 6th magnitude is desirable Cooling the Telescope All optical instruments need time to reach thermal equilibri um The bigger the instrument and the larger the temperature change the more time is needed Allow at least 30 minutes for yo...

Page 12: ...nto the bottom of the eyepieces you must first remove the eyepiece from the focuser to attach a filter You ll find that the Moon filter improves viewing comfort and helps to bring out subtle features on the lunar surface B The Planets The planets don t stay put like the stars so to find them you should refer to the monthly star charts at OrionTelescopes com or to charts published monthly in Astron...

Page 13: ... optics were aligned at the factory and should not need much or any adjustment unless the telescope is handled roughly Accurate mirror alignment is important to ensure the peak performance of your telescope so it should be checked occasionally With practice collimating is relatively easy to do and can be done in daylight It helps to perform the collimation procedure in a brightly lit room with the...

Page 14: ...atient and you ll get it Aligning the Primary Mirror The final adjustment is made to the primary mirror It will need adjustment if as in Figure 22c the reflection of the primary mirror is centered in the secondary mirror but the small reflec tion of the secondary mirror is off center The tilt of the primary mirror is adjusted using the three pairs of collimation screws on the back end of the optic...

Page 15: ...enses any quality optical lens clean ing tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi coated optics can be used Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses Before clean ing remove any loose particles or dust from the lens with a blower bulb or soft brush Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue never directly on the optics Wipe the lens gen...

Page 16: ... instrument has been abused mishandled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific legal rights It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable For further warranty information please visit www ...

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