User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS OBSERVER 70EQ

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion Observer 70 EQ TM ® #9882 Equatorial Refractor Telescope Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope. com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P. O. A 10/02 2 ® Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy. Your new Observer 70 EQ Refractor is a quality optical instrument that will deliver countless hours of exciting stargazing, from magnified views of the Moon, star clusters, and nebulas to glimpses of Jupiter's moons and Saturn's rings. The Observer 70 includes everything you need to go from box to backyard in less than half an hour. These instructions will help you set up, use, and care for your new telescope. Table of Contents 1. [. . . ] Your EQ mount's latitude should match this angle. ce ns io n Ax is N E Figure 8. Polar alignment of the Observer 70 EQ is easily done by pointing the telescope's right ascension axis at Polaris (The North Star). with the Earth's rotational (polar) axis--a process called polar alignment. Understanding Polar Alignment To understand what you will be doing when polar aligning, look at Figures 7 and 8. The exaggerated telescope mount in Figure 7 shows how you will be aligning the Right Ascension axis (shown in Figure 3a) so that it is parallel to the Earth's axis and pointing towards the North Star (Polaris). Figure 8 shows what the polar alignment will mean in terms of your location on the Earth and other reference points. 13 2. 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. The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again unless you move to a different viewing location some distance away. lock knob (25) and rotate the telescope optical tube (1) until it is parallel with the R. A. Loosen the azimuth lock knob (31) at the base of the equatorial mount (5) and rotate the mount so the telescope tube (and R. A. If you cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site, consult a compass and rotate the mount so the telescope points North. 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. 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 vicinity of the desired target. lock knobs (23, 25) and moving the telescope about the mount's R. A. Once the telescope is pointed somewhere close to the object to be viewed, retighten the mount's R. A. If it isn't, use the slow-motion controls to scan the surrounding area of sky. When the object is visible in the EZ Finder II, use the slow-motion controls to center it. 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 slowmotion controls to center it in the field of view. slow-motion control cable (9) can move the telescope a maximum of 25°. [. . . ] Keep the caps on the front of the telescope and on the focuser drawtube when not in use. Your Observer 70 telescope requires very little mechanical maintenance. The optical tube is aluminum and has a smooth painted finish that is fairly scratch resistant. Cleaning Lenses Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the Observer 70's objective lens (14) and the exposed lenses of your eyepieces. [. . . ]