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2. Loosen the latitude lock T-bolt (29). Turn the latitude

adjustment T-bolt (30) and tilt the mount until the pointer
on the latitude scale is set at the latitude of your observing
site. If you don’t know your latitude, consult a geographical
atlas to find it. For example, if your latitude is 35° North,
set the pointer to 35. Then retighten the latitude lock T-bolt.
The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again
unless you move to a different viewing location some dis-
tance away.

3. Loosen the Dec. lock knob (25) and rotate the telescope

optical tube (1) until it is parallel with the R.A. axis, as it is
in Figure 1. The pointer on the Dec. setting circle (22)
should read 90°. Retighten the Dec. lock lever.

4. Loosen the azimuth lock knob (31) at the base of the

equatorial mount (5) and rotate the mount so the tele-
scope tube (and R.A. axis) points roughly at Polaris. If you
cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site, con-
sult a compass 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 observing session, you should
not make any further adjustments in the azimuth or the
latitude of the mount, nor should you move the tripod.
Doing so will undo the polar alignment. The telescope
should be moved only about its R.A. and Dec. axes.

Use of the R.A. and Dec. 
Slow-Motion Control Cables

The R.A. and Dec. slow-motion control cables (8,9) allow fine
adjustment of the telescope’s position to center objects within
the field of view. Before you can use the cables, you must
manually “slew” the mount to point the telescope in the vicini-
ty of the desired target. Do this by loosening the R.A. and
Dec. lock knobs (23,25) and moving the telescope about the
mount’s R.A. and Dec. axes. Once the telescope is pointed
somewhere close to the object to be viewed, retighten the
mount’s R.A. and Dec. lock knobs.

The object should now be visible somewhere in the EZ Finder
II (4). If it isn’t, use the slow-motion controls to scan the sur-
rounding area of sky. When the object is visible in the EZ
Finder II, use the slow-motion controls to center it. Now, look
in the telescope’s eyepiece. If the EZ Finder II is properly
aligned, the object should be visible somewhere in the field of
view. Once the object is visible in the eyepiece, use the slow-
motion controls to center it in the field of view.

The Dec. slow-motion control cable (9) can move the tele-
scope a maximum of 25°. This is because the Dec. slow-
motion mechanism has a limited range of mechanical travel.
(The R.A. slow-motion mechanism has no limit to its amount
of travel.) If you can no longer rotate the Dec. control cable in
a desired direction, you have reached the end of travel, and
the slow-motion mechanism must be reset. This is done by
first rotating the control cable several turns in the opposite
direction from which it was originally being turned. Then, man-
ually slew the telescope closer to the object you wish to
observe (remember to first loosen the Dec. lock knob (25)).

You should now be able to use the Dec. slow-motion control
cable again to fine adjust the telescope’s position.

Tracking Celestial Objects

When you observe a celestial object through the telescope,
you’ll see it drift slowly across the field of view. To keep it in
the field, if your equatorial mount is polar aligned, just turn the
R.A. slow-motion control cable clockwise. The Dec. slow-
motion control cable is not needed for tracking. Objects will
appear to move faster at higher magnifications, because the
field of view is narrower.

Optional Electronic Drives for
Automatic Tracking

An optional DC electronic drive can be mounted on the R.A. axis
of the equatorial mount to provide hands-free tracking. Objects
will then remain stationary in the field of view without any manu-
al adjustment of the R.A. slow-motion control cable (8).

Understanding the Setting Circles

The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to
locate celestial objects by their “celestial coordinates”. Every
object resides in a specific location on the “celestial sphere”.
That location is denoted by two numbers: its right ascension
(R.A.) and declination (Dec.). In the same way, every location
on Earth can be described by its longitude and latitude. R.A.
is similar to longitude on Earth, and Dec. is similar to latitude.
The R.A. and Dec. values for celestial objects can be found in
any star atlas or star catalog.

The mount’s R.A. setting circle (24) is scaled in hours, from 1
through 24, with small marks in between representing 10-
minute 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 (22) is scaled in degrees, with each
mark representing 2.5° increments. Values of Dec. coordi-
nates range from +90° to -90°. The 0° mark indicates the
celestial equator. When the telescope is pointed north of the
celestial equator, values of the Dec. setting circle are positive,
while when the telescope is pointed south of the celestial
equator, values of the Dec. setting circle are negative.

So, the coordinates for the Orion Nebula listed in a star atlas
will look like this:

R.A. 5h 35.4m Dec. –5° 27'

That’s 5 hours and 35.4 minutes in right ascension, and -5
degrees and 27 arc-minutes in declination (there are 70 arc-
minutes in 1 degree of declination).

Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects, the
mount must be correctly polar aligned, and the R.A. setting cir-
cle must be calibrated. The Dec. setting circle has been per-
manently calibrated at the factory, and should read 90° when-
ever the telescope optical tube is parallel with the R.A. axis.

Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle

1. Identify a bright star in the sky near the celestial equator

(Dec. = 0°) and look up its coordinates in a star atlas.

Содержание Observer 70 EQ 9882

Страница 1: ... Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 Customer Support 800 676 1343 E mail support telescope com Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 P O Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 Orion Observer 70 EQ 9882 Equatorial Refractor Telescope ...

Страница 2: ...2 ...

Страница 3: ... 9 3 Tripod legs 10 with attached accessory tray bracket 11 1 Accessory tray 11 with attachment screws 1 Counterweight shaft 26 1 Counterweight 7 1 EZ Finder II reflex sight 4 1 EZ Finder II mounting bracket 17 3 Tripod attachment screws with wingnuts and washers 32 3 Leg lock knobs 13 1 Latitude adjustment T bolt 30 1 25mm Explorer II eyepiece 3 1 10mm Explorer II eyepiece 1 Dust cover 1 90 Mirro...

Страница 4: ...4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 Observer 70 Refractor 9 11 12 10 13 Figure 1 Observer 70 EQ Components ...

Страница 5: ...al mount 5 and hold the optical tube 1 Counterweight This counterweight will balance the optical tube 1 when it is being aimed at celestial objects Right ascension slow motion control cable This cable along with the declination slow motion con trol cable 9 is used to make small movements in right ascension when aiming the telescope Right ascension is explained in the Aligning the Equatorial Mount ...

Страница 6: ...Figure 2a Optical tube components 6 14 15 17 Observer 70 Telescope Tube Figure 2b Observer 70 focuser detail 16 6 19 20 3 21 2 18 1 4 3 2 18 ...

Страница 7: ...eel 19 which adjusts a rack and pinion system to bring objects into focus Focus wheels These wheels when turned move the focuser draw tube 18 in or out Use it to bring things into focus when you are looking in the eyepiece 3 Diagonal holder thumbscrews These two thumbscrews secure the 90 mirror star diagonal 2 into the focuser drawtube 18 These should only be loosened to remove or rotate the star ...

Страница 8: ...Equatorial mount detail 8 Figure 3b Observer 70 EQ tripod leg and mount attachment detail 22 23 24 Observer 70 Tripod and Mount 25 26 27 7 28 9 30 32 32 29 31 Right Ascension Axis D e c l i n a t i o n A x i s 8 ...

Страница 9: ...atitude scale This scale gives a general indication of the latitude set ting of the equatorial mount 5 Latitude lock T bolt This bolt must be loosened to make adjustments in the latitude of the telescope Latitude adjustment T bolt This bolt use used to make adjustments in the latitude setting of the equatorial mount 5 Azimuth lock knob Loosening this knob will allow the equatorial mount 5 to be ad...

Страница 10: ...ing to the mark at 40 To do this loosen the latitude lock T bolt 29 and turn the latitude adjust ment T bolt 30 until the pointer and the 40 line up Then retighten the latitude lock T bolt The declination Dec and right ascension R A axes may need re positioning rotation as well Be sure to loosen the R A and Dec lock knobs 23 25 before doing this Retighten the R A and Dec lock knobs once the equato...

Страница 11: ...5 is locked The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the R A axis Rotate it until the counterweight shaft 26 is parallel to the ground i e horizontal 2 Now loosen the counterweight lock knob 27 and slide the weight along the shaft until it exactly counterbalances the telescope Figure 4a That s the point at which the shaft remains horizontal even when you let go of the telescope with...

Страница 12: ...EZ Finder II When the EZ Finder II is properly aligned with the telescope an object that is centered on the EZ Finder II s red dot should also appear in the center of the field of view of the telescope s eyepiece Alignment of the EZ Finder II is easiest during day light before observing at night Aim the telescope at a distant object at least 1 4 mile away such as a telephone pole or chimney and ce...

Страница 13: ...r Alignment For Northern Hemisphere observers approximate polar alignment is achieved by pointing the mount s R A axis at Polaris also called the North Star It lies within 1 of the north celestial pole NCP which is an extension of the Earth s rota tional axis out into space Stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear to revolve around the NCP To find Polaris in the sky look north and locate the patter...

Страница 14: ...everal turns in the opposite direction from which it was originally being turned Then man ually slew the telescope closer to the object you wish to observe remember to first loosen the Dec lock knob 25 You should now be able to use the Dec slow motion control cable again to fine adjust the telescope s position Tracking Celestial Objects When you observe a celestial object through the telescope you...

Страница 15: ...ake any adjustment to the lat itude adjustment T bolt 30 That will nullify the mount s polar alignment Remember once the mount is polar aligned the telescope should be moved only on the R A and Dec axes To point the scope overhead first loosen the R A lock knob 23 and rotate the telescope on the R A axis until the coun terweight shaft is horizontal parallel to the ground Then loosen the Dec lock k...

Страница 16: ... higher or lower powers It is quite common for an observer to own five or more eyepieces to access a wide range of magnifications To calculate the magnification or power of a telescope eye piece combination simply divide the focal length of the tele scope by the focal length of the eyepiece Telescope Focal Length mm Magnification Eyepiece Focal Length mm For example the Observer 70 EQ which has a ...

Страница 17: ...ll get a new view of the Moon every night The best time to observe our one and only natural satellite is dur ing a partial phase that is when the Moon is NOT full During partial phases shadows are cast on the surface which reveal more detail especially right along the border between the dark and light portions of the disk called the terminator A full Moon is too bright and devoid of surface shadow...

Страница 18: ...ou see in books and magazines most will look like dim gray smudges Our eyes are not sensitive enough to see color in deep sky objects except in a few of the brightest ones But as you become more experienced and your observing skills get sharper you will be able to ferret out more and more subtle details and structure To find deep sky objects in the sky it is best to consult a star chart and planis...

Страница 19: ...19 ...

Страница 20: ...y Watsonville CA 95076 If the product is not registered proof of purchase such as a copy of the original invoice is required This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment the instrument has been abused mishan dled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state For further wa...

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