3
D a n g E r
Do not look at the sun
With Your telescope!
Never look at or near the Sun with your
telescope, without a professionally
made solar filter that completely covers
the front of the telescope! Eyepiece-
type dark glass Sun filters are
dangerous and should not be used.
Permanent eye damage or blindness
may result from looking at the Sun for
even an instant. Young children should
use this telescope only with adult
supervision.
2
1. Introduction
Important Points about Your new telescope
Take the time to read this instruction manual thoroughly, so that you may gain the
maximum benefits from your new telescope!
1. Never look at the sun without the proper, professionally made full aperture
filtration system. You can be permanently blinded by concentrated sun-
light. Never use a dark-glass screw-in eyepiece filter; it may crack under
intense heat.
2. Like all reflector telescopes, performance is best after the telescope has cooled
to outside temperatures for at least 30 minutes (longer in colder climates). Bet-
ter yet, store it cold. Use only low powers until your scope has equalized.
3. Observe from a dark location, away from street and porch lights. Your eyes take
10 to 30 minutes to reach maximum sensitivity. Use a red filtered flashlight; a
white light can seriously reduce your low-light sensitivity.
4. Keep your telescope’s mirrors in good optical alignment (collimation). This is
much easier than it sounds and is easily learned. Although adjustment is
required only occasionally, performance is noticeably affected and it is well
worth your time to be sure your telescope is working at its full capability.
5. You should not have to lubricate the gears on the mount; this has been done at
the factory. However, after long periods of storage, or a visit to a particularly
dusty observing site, you may want to put a light coating of automotive bearing
grease on the gears.
skyView
™
4.5" Equatorial refractor
telescope
Congratulations! Your new SkyView
™
4.5" Reflector Telescope is a precision
astronomical instrument, ideal for amateur astronomy. It has many features nor-
mally available only on more expensive telescopes.
With the SkyView 4.5’s high quality equatorial mount and sharp optics, you’ll eas-
ily be able to locate hundreds of fascinating celestial objects and enjoy detailed
views of the planets which comprise our solar system. Saturn’s rings will inspire
your imagination; Jupiter’s cloud bands will dazzle and amaze you. Hundreds of
mountains, craters and other lunar phenomena will jump out at you while explor-
ing our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon.
The SkyView 4.5 is also well suited to view objects beyond our Solar System.
From a dark sky location, you can observe glowing nebulae, such as the Great
Orion Nebula, incredibly distant galaxies, such as the Andromeda Galaxy,
globular star clusters like the dazzling Hercules Cluster, and radiant planetary
nebulae like the famous Ring Nebula.
If you have never used a telescope before, we would like to welcome you to the
enjoyable hobby of amateur astronomy. Take some time to learn your way around
the sky. You’ll find your telescope to be a never-ending source of wonder,
exploration, and relaxation.
table of contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................. 3
2. terminology ............................................................................. 4
3. Parts list .................................................................................. 5
4. getting started ........................................................................ 6
5. using Your telescope .............................................................. 7
6. observing tips and techniques .............................................. 9
7. astronomical Viewing ........................................................... 11
8. collimation (aligning the Mirrors) .......................................... 14
9. care and Maintenance .......................................................... 17
10. specifications ....................................................................... 19