6
scope (Figure 6a). That’s the point at which the shaft
remains horizontal even when you let go with both hands
(Figure 6b).
3. Retighten the counterweight lock knob. The telescope is
now balanced on the right ascension axis.
Now when you loosen the lock lever on one or both axes
and manually point the telescope, it should move with-
out resistance and should not drift from where you point it.
5. using Your telescope
This section will get you used to the functions and features of
your new telescope.
Focusing the telescope
With the 25mm eyepiece inserted in the diagonal, move the
telescope so the front (open) end is pointing in the general
direction of an object at least 1/4-mile away. Now, with your
fingers, slowly rotate one of the focus knobs until the object
comes into sharp focus. Go a little bit beyond sharp focus until
the image just starts to blur again, then reverse the rotation of
the knob, just to make sure you’ve hit the exact focus point.
Note: The image in the telescope will appear reversed
left-to-right.. This is normal for astronomical telescopes
that utilize a star diagonal. The finder scope view will be
rotated 180°. (Figure 7)
If you have trouble focusing, rotate the focus knob so the draw-
tube is in as far as it will go. Now look through the eyepiece
while slowly rotating the focus knob in the opposite direction.
You should soon see the point at which focus is reached.
note about the crayford Focuser
The SkyView Pro 80mm ED EQ comes equipped with a
Crayford focuser. The Crayford design allows for smooth,
precise focusing without any image shift that typical rack-and-
pinion designs experience. If you find that the focus knobs
are too tight or too loose, you can make adjustments to the
focuser tension by using the focuser tension thumb screw
located on the bottom of the optical tube. Make adjustments
to this thumb screw until the focuser motion feels comfort-
able, but you must have at least some tension applied to the
focuser drawtube, or else it will not move when you turn the
focus knobs.
Viewing with Eyeglasses
If you wear eyeglasses, you may able to keep them on while
you observe, if the eyepiece has enough "eye relief" to allow
you to see the whole field of view. You can try this by looking
through the eyepiece first with your glasses on, and then with
them off, and see if the glasses restrict the view to only a
portion of the full field. If they do, you can easily observe with
your glasses off by just re-focusing the telescope the needed
amount. If you suffer from severe astigmatism, however, you
may find images noticeably sharper with your glasses on.
Figure 6a, 6b.
Proper operation of the equatorial mount
requires that the telescope tube be balanced on the R.A. axis. (a)
With the R.A. lock lever released, slide the counterweights along the
counterweight shaft until it just counterbalances the tube. (b) When
you let go with both hands, the tube should not drift up or down.
The-telescope tube should already be balanced in the Dec. axis if
you have properly centered the 1/4
"
mounting block between the
tube rings.
6a.
6b.
Naked-eye view
Figure 7.
The view through a standard finder scope and reflector
telescope is rotated 180°. This is true for the SkyView Pro 80mm
ED EQ and its finder scope as well.
View through finder scope and telescope
