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instruction Manual
®
orion
™
skyView Pro 8 EQ
#9738 Equatorial Reflecting Telescope
customer support (800)‑676‑1343
E‑mail: support@telescope.com
corporate offices (831)‑763‑7000
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, ca 95076
oriont elescopes.com
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
IN 175 Rev. C 04/09
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Finder scope Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Declination lock lever Tube rings (not shown) Right ascension lock Optical tube lever (not shown) Declination slow-motion control Mirror cell knob Safety thumbscrew Mounting plate securing knob Right ascension slow-motion Counterweight shaft control knob Counterweights Latitude scale Counterweight lock knobs Latitude adjustment L-bolts Center support shaft Tripod support tray Tripod leg Leg lock knobs Figure 1. The SkyView Pro 8 EQ. 2
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Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy! Your new SkyView Pro 8 EQ is designed for high- resolution viewing of astronomical objects. With its precision optics and equatorial mount, you’ll be able to locate and enjoy hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens, including the planets, Moon, and a variety of deep-sky galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. These instructions will help you set up, properly use, and care for your telescope. Please read them thor- oughly before getting start
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of the central support shaft until the three tray arms are of the mounting plate and rethread into the tube rings. Note touching the legs of the tripod. The flat side of the acces- that the side of the mounting plate with the central “groove” sory tray should be facing up. Make sure the “V” of each will be facing up. Use the small wrench to secure the tube tray arm is against a tripod leg. Place the washer back on rings to the mounting plate. the center support shaft against the tray, and thr
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4. Balancing the t elescope To ensure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of the equatorial mount, it is imperative that the optical tube is properly balanced. We will first balance the telescope with respect to the right ascension (R.A.) axis, then the declination (Dec.) axis. 1. Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen the R.A. lock lever. Make sure the Dec. lock lever is locked, for now. The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the right ascensio
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nification and the 40 indicates a 40mm diameter front lens. The 5. using Your t elescope finder scope makes it easier to locate the subject you want to observe in the telescope, because the finder scope has a much Focusing the t elescope wider field-of-view. With the 25mm eyepiece inserted in the focuser, move the The SkyView Pro 8 EQ’s finder scope uses a spring-loaded telescope so the front (open) end is pointing in the general bracket that makes alignment of the finderscope very easy. A
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The SkyView Pro 8 EQ has a focal length of 1000mm, which using 2" eyepieces when used with the supplied 25mm eyepiece yields: The SkyView Pro 8 EQ’s focuser is capable of accepting optional 2" eyepieces. To use 2" eyepieces you must remove 1000mm = 40x the 1.25" adapter from the focuser by loosneing the two thumb- 25mm screws that hold it in place. Once this adapter is removed, insert a 2" eyepiece into the focuser and use the same thumb- screws to secure the larger eyepiece. The magnificati
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directly from your observing site, consult a compass and rotate the tripod so the telescope points north. There is a label bearing a large “N” at the base of the equatorial Little Dipper (in Ursa Minor) mount (Figure 9). It should be facing north. The equatorial mount is now polar aligned for casual observ- N.C.P. Big Dipper ing. More precise polar alignment is recommended for (in Ursa Major) astrophotography. For this we suggest using the optional polar Polaris axis finder scope. From
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The reticle of the polar axis finder scope has a tiny star map of the reticle). Rotate the reticle so the constellations depict- printed on it that makes precise polar alignment quick and ed match their current orientation in they sky when viewed easy. If you do not have a clear view of Polaris from your with the naked eye. To do this, release the R.A. lock lever and rotate the main telescope around the R.A. axis until the reticle is oriented with sky. For larger optical tubes, you may need t
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Note: If you have an optional motor drive attached, you calibrating the Declination setting circle will need to loosen the clutch on the R.A. (and Dec. for 1. Loosen the Dec. lock lever and position the telescope as dual-axis drives) gear shaft before using the slow-motion accurately as possible in declination so it is parallel to the control knob. R.A. axis as shown in Figure 1. Re-tighten the lock lever. 2. Loosen one of the thumbscrews on the Dec. setting circle t racking celestial objec
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a. b. c. d. Figure 13. This illustration show the telescope pointed in the the four cardinal directions (a) north, (b) south, (c) east, (d) west. Note that the tripod and moutn have ot been moved; only the telescope tube has been moved on the R.A. and Dec. axes. Most setting circles are not accurate enough to put an object What if you need to aim the telescope directly north, but at dead-center in the telescope’s eyepiece, but they should an object that is nearer to the horizon than Polaris? Y
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To check collimation, remove the eyepiece and look down the while turning the center screw with a Phillips head screwdriver focuser drawtube. You should see the secondary mirror cen- (See Figure 15). Turning the screw clockwise will move the tered in the drawtube, as well as the reflection of the primary secondary mirror toward the front opening of the optical tube, mirror centered in the secondary mirror, and the reflection of while turning the screw counter-clockwise will move the sec- the
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adjusting the Primary Mirror focuser and see if the secondary mirror reflection has moved closer to the center of the primary. You can tell this easily with The final adjustment is made to the primary mirror. It will need the collimation cap and mirror center mark by simply watching adjustment if, as in Figure 14d, the secondary mirror is cen- to see if the “dot” of the collimation cap is moving closer or tered under the focuser and the reflection of the primary mirror further away from th
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8. astronomical observing For many users, the SkyView Pro 8 EQ telescope will be a major leap into the world of amateur astronomy. This section is intended to get you ready for your voyages through the night sky. site selection Pick a location away from street lights and bright yard lighting. Avoid viewing over rooftops and chimneys, as they often have warm air currents rising from them, which distort the image seen in the eyepiece. Similarly, you should not observe through Figure 20. Meg
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used to achieve higher or lower powers. It is quite common for A. The Moon an observer to own five or more eyepieces to access a wide With is rocky and cratered surface, the moon is one of the range of magnifications. This allows the observer to choose most interesting and easy subjects for your scope. The best the best eyepiece to use depending on the object being time to view it is during its partial phases when shadows fall viewed. At least to begin with, the two supplied eyepieces wil
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Because it is so close to the Sun, it never wanders too Determine in which constellation the object lies. Now, find the far from the morning or evening horizon. No surface constellation in the sky. If you do not recognize the constella- markings can be seen on Venus, which is always shrouded tions on sight, consult a planisphere. The planisphere gives an in dense clouds. all-sky view and shows which constellations are visible on a given night at a given time. MARS The Red Planet makes its cl
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must be inserted and locked into the body of the universal 9. astrophotography camera adapter. Start by using a medium-low power eye- piece (about 25mm); you can increase the magnification later When coupled to a 35mm single-lens reflex camera, the with a high-power eyepiece. Then connect the entire camera SkyView Pro becomes a telephoto lens. To attach a camera, adapter, with eyepiece inside, to the T-Ring. Insert the whole you need only a T-ring for your specific camera model and the sy
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Aim the telescope at a deep-sky object. It should be a fairly cleaning lenses large deep-sky object, as the camera lens will likely have a Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean- wide field of view. Check to make sure that the object is also ing fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be centered in the camera’s viewfinder. Turn the motor drive on. used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or find- Now, look into the telescope’s eyepiece and
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under a stream of lukewarm water. Any particles on the sur- face can be swabbed gently with a series of cotton balls, each used just one time. Dry the mirror in a stream of air (a “blower bulb” works great), or remove any stray drops of water with the corner of a paper towel. Water will run off a clean surface. Cover the mirror surface with Kleenex, and leave the mirror in a warm area until it is completely dry before reassembling the telescope. 11. specifications Primary mirror diameter:
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one‑Year limited Warranty This Orion SkyView Pro 8 EQ is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076. If t
