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instruction Manual
®
orion
™
astroView 100 EQ
#9862 100mm Equatorial Refracting Telescope
customer support (800)‑676‑1343
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corporate offices (831)‑763‑7000
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, ca 95076
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
IN 191 Rev. B 02/09
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Finder scope Tube mounting rings Finder scope bracket Objective lens Eyepiece Star diagonal Tube ring Focus knob attachment knobs Declination slow-motion control cable Counterweight shaft Right Ascension (R.A.) Counterweight slow-motion control cable Counterweight lock knob Polar axis finder scope “Toe saver” Latitude scale Tripod leg Latitude adjustment T-bolts Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray Leg lock knob Figure 1. The AstroView 100 EQ Reflector. 2
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Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy! Your new AstroView 100 EQ Reflector 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 get
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Finder scope bracket Nylon thumbscrews Finder scope Tensioner Focusing lock ring Figure 2b. Pull-back on the tensioner and slide the finder scope into its bracket until the O-ring is seated in the bracket ring Figure 2a. The 6x30 finder scope Focus lock thumbscrew 5. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 1, at a latitude of about 40°, i.e., so the pointer next to the lati- tude scale is pointing to the line at “40”. To do this, loosen one of the latitude adjusting T-bolts and
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Figure 4a. Figure 4b. 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 counterweight 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 should be balanced in the Dec. axis already if you have properly centered the 1/4"-20 mounting block on the optical tube relative to the tube rings.
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cation and the 30 indicates a 30mm diameter front lens. The finder scope makes it easier to locate the subject you want to observe in the telescope, because the finder scope has a much wider field of view. The AstroView 100 EQ’s finder scope uses a spring-loaded bracket that makes alignment of the finderscope very easy. As you turn either of the thumbscrews, the spring in the bracket’s View through finder scope tensioner moves in and out to keep the finder scope secure in the bracket. The
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Right Ascension axis Right Ascension lock lever Declination setting circle Declination lock lever Front opening in R.A. axis Latitude scale Right Ascension setting circle lock thumbscrew Latitude adjustment T-bolts Azimuth fine adjustment knobs Polar axis finder scope Right Ascension setting circle Figure 6. The equaltorial mount of the AstroView 100 EQ. movement of astronomical objects, thereby keeping them from drifting out of the telescope’s field of view while you’re Little Dipper obser
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R.A. setting circle lock thumbscrew Pointer R.A. setting circle Date circle Meridian offset scale Ring with engraved time meridian indicator mark Polar scope Azimuth housing fine adjustment Polar scope Tripod alignment Polar axis knobs attachment thumbscrew (3) finder scope knob Figure 8. For polar alignment, position the tripod so that the “N” Figure 9. The polar axis finder scope installed in the right label at the base of the mount faces north. The two azimuth fine ascension (R.A.
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7. Rotate the mount 180° about the R.A. axis. Again, it may of the “0” on the meridian offset scale lines up with the time be convenient to remove the counterweights and optical meridian indicator mark. tube first. Make sure that the “0” mark on the R.A. setting circle lines up 8. Look through the polar finder again. Is the object being with the pointed indicator cast into the mount, and that the viewed still centered on the crosshairs? If it is, then no fur- large thumbscrew just above it is
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understanding the setting circles Finding objects With the setting circles The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to Now that both setting circles are calibrated, look up in a star locate celestial objects by their “celestial coordinates”. Every atlas the coordinates of an object you wish to view. object resides in a specific location on the “celestial sphere”. 1. Loosen the Dec. lock lever and rotate the telescope until That location is denoted by two numbers: its right ascens
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a. b. c. d. Figure 10 This illustration shows the telescope pointed in the four cardinal directions (a) North, (b) South, (c) East, (d) West. Note that the tripod and mount have not been moved; only the telescope tube has moved on the R.A. and Dec. axes Depending on the altitude of the object you want to observe, “twinkle”, the atmosphere is significantly distorting the incom- the counterweight shaft will be oriented somewhere between ing light, and views at high magnifications will not appear
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use of 2" Eyepieces A feature of the AstroView 100 EQ is its ability to use either 1.25" or 2" barrel-diameter eyepieces. At low magnifications, 2" eyepieces can give a wider field of view than standard 1.25" eyepieces. This is especially desirable for observing deep-sky objects, as many of them appear quite large, but faint. If you want to use 2" eyepieces, you will need to use a 2" star diago- nal for refractors, or a 2" extension tube, so that the telescope will properly come to focus.
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What to Expect VENUS At its brightest, Venus is the most luminous object in the sky, excluding the Sun and the Moon. It is so bright that So what will you see with your telescope? You should be able sometimes it is visible to the naked eye during full daylight! to see bands on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, craters on the Ironically, Venus appears as a thin crescent, not a full disk, moon, the waxing and waning of Venus, and possibly hun- when at its peak brightness. Because it is so close
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as with any new task, that starhopping may seem challenging at first, but will become easier over time and with practice. To starhop, only a minimal amount of additional equipment is necessary. A star chart or atlas that shows stars to at least mag- nitude 5 is required. Select one that shows the positions of many deep-sky objects, so you will have lots of options to choose from. If you do not know the positions of the constellations in the night sky, you will need to get a planisphere to i
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Pair of collimating screws Reflective ring 1.25" adapter Viewing hole Figure 13. The collimating tool in the AstroView 100 focuser. Figure 14. The lens cell of the AstroView 100. There are three pairs of collimating screws; each pair of screws work together to adjust the tilt of the lens. 8. collimation The AstroView 100 EQ telescope has objective lens cell 2.5mm hex key and Phillips-head screwdriver, loosen one of which incorporates a collimation adjustment; this helps to the screws and
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Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles 10. specifications off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Optical tube: Seamless aluminum Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any Objective lens: Achromatic, air-spaced excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and Objective lens coating: Fully multi-coated smudges may be removed using this method. Use cautio
