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6.7 How to use a telescope
• To track a celestial object in the sky, simply loosen the right ascension
and declination lock knobs and move the telescope manually so it is
pointing at the object roughly, then re-lock the lock knobs.
• Use the two slow-motion control cables to center the object.
• Keep in mind that the telescope does not need to be re-aligned if it
is not moved to another observing site.
7. THE RED DOT VIEWFINDER
An eyepiece has a narrow field of view. The red dot viewfinder has a wider field
of view, which makes it easier to locate objects. Once the red dot viewfinder
is aligned to the optical tube, the red dot can be used to locate and place
objects more easily in the eyepiece of the telescope.
The viewfinder is powered by a 3V Lithium Coin battery (type CR2032) which
is included. Before using the viewfinder for the first time, remember to remove
the plastic insulator that is blocking the battery from connecting.
When it is time to replace the battery, push the left side of the viewfinder
housing. The battery compartment will slide out on the right side of the
device. Take out the battery and slide a new battery in place with the positive
side up. Then push the battery compartment back into the viewfinder and
power on the device.
To preserve battery life, don’t forget to turn off the viewfinder after use.
8. HANDLING OR TRANSPORTING YOUR TELESCOPE
Handling the telescope around or transporting it to the observing site requires
careful handling.
The telescope can be transported in 2 main parts: The telescope tube and
the mount.
We suggest removing the accessories from the optical tube. Cover the
telescope tube and the eyepiece with their caps. It is also convenient to
remove the fine-adjustment control cables and counterweights.
• Balancing the Declination axis.
a) Move the optical tube back and forth till the telescope is
balanced in the declination axis.
• Note that, without a proper balance, an EQ telescope may experience
unsmooth motion which leads to jerky view while viewing.
6.6 Polar Alignment
• To align an EQ telescope with the celestial pole, loosen the azimuth
lock knob and rotate the entire telescope mount till the telescope is
pointing at true north.
• Reset the position of the OTA by loosening the right ascension and
declination lock knobs and rotating the OTA so that the telescope
is pointing forward and up and the counterweight shaft is pointing
toward the ground.
• Make sure the declination circle is at 90 degrees.
• Loosen the latitude adjustment knob and adjust the latitude to the
latitude of the observing sites
a) For example, Los Angeles’s latitude is roughly 34 degrees: The
latitude of the mount should be set to 34 degrees.
• The telescope should be pointing at Polaris at this point.
• Center Polaris in the eyepiece by only using the latitude adjustment
knob.
• Once complete, tighten the latitude adjustment and the azimuth lock
knob to complete the setup.
Battery
Compartment
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