2
1. Parts
Part Quantity
A – Tripod legs
3
B – Hex-head tripod mounting bolts
3
C – Washers
3
D – Wing nuts
3
E – Leg lock thumbscrew
3
F – Accessory tray
1
G – Altazimuth yoke mount
1
H – Azimuth lock knob
1*
I – Telescope optical tube
1
J – Altitude lock knob (same as H and E)
1
K – Tripod leg brace
1
L – Red dot finder scope
1
M – Dust cover
1
N – 25mm Kellner eyepiece
1
O – 10mm Kellner eyepiece
1
P – Yoke knobs
2
* May come pre-installed.
C
ongratulations on your purchase of an Orion telescope. Your new SpaceProbe II 76mm Altazimuth
Reflector is a terrific starter instrument for exploring the exotic wonders of the night sky. Designed to be
lightweight and easy to use, it will provide many hours of enjoyment for the whole family.
If you have never owned a telescope before, we would like to welcome you to amateur astronomy. Take
some time to familiarize yourself with the night sky. Learn to recognize the patterns of stars in the major
constellations. With a little practice, a little patience, and a reasonably dark sky away from city lights, you’ll
find your telescope to be a never-ending source of wonder, exploration, and relaxation.
These instructions will help you set up, properly use, and care for your telescope. Please read them over
thoroughly before getting started.
WARNING:
Never look directly at the Sun through
your telescope—even for an instant—without a
professionally made solar filter that completely
covers the front of the instrument, or permanent eye
damage could result. Young children should use this
telescope only with adult supervision.
Table of Contents
1. Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. Preparing the Telescope for Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4. Astronomical Observing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5. Aligning the Mirrors (Collimation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6. Telescope Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
7. Worthwhile Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
8. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2. Assembly
Refer to
Figures 1 and 2 and the parts list at left for identifica-
tion of specific parts during assembly.
1. Thread a leg lock thumbscrew (E) into each tripod leg (A)
as shown in
Figure 3, and tighten. Do not over-tighten
the leg lock thumbscrews or you may damage the col-
lar they are attached to.
2. Now attach the tripod leg brace (K) to the three aluminum
tripod legs (A) using the screws in the brace attachment
brackets
(Figure 4). Remove the nut and the screw from
the bracket, then insert one of the brace struts into the
bracket, lining up the holes to allow the screw to be insert-
ed through the bracket and strut. Make sure the leg brace
is oriented so that the threaded hole in the center is facing
up. Then thread the nut on the exposed end of the screw
and tighten – finger tight should be good enough.
3. With the leg brace attached to all three tripod legs, attach
the tripod legs to the altazimuth yoke mount (G). Three
hex-head bolts (B) with washers (C) and wing nuts (D) are
provided for this purpose. Note that the bolts should be
inserted from the side of the leg that has the hex-shaped
hole, so that the bolt head seats in the hex-shaped hole
(Figure 5a). The washer, then the wing nut are placed on
the opposite side on the exposed end of the bolt
(5b).
4. Now stand the tripod upright, spreading the legs apart so
the accessory tray can be installed.
5. Attach the accessory tray (F) to the tripod leg brace (K)
(Figure 6). Rotate the tray clockwise to thread the screw
on the underside of the tray into the threaded socket in the
center of the tripod leg brace.
The tripod and mount are now fully assembled
(Figure 7).
Next you will attach the telescope optical tube to the altaz-
imuth yoke mount.
6. With the optical tube (I) oriented relative to the yoke mount
(G) as shown in
Figure 8, slide the altitude micro-motion
rod into its receptacle on the side of the yoke
(Figure 8a).
Then place the optical tube into the yoke so that the alti-
tude castings on the side of the optical tube slide into the
grooves of the yoke
(8b). To secure the optical tube to the
mount, insert the yoke knobs (P) through the holes on
each side of the yoke and thread them into the altitude