Celestron 10600, 10800, 10110, 10112 User Manual
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 3
GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................................. 5
UNPACKING THE TELESCOPE / BASE................................................................................................ 6
ASSEMBLING THE BASE FOR THE STARHOPPER ......................................................................................... 8
THE OPTICAL TUBE ............................................................................................................................ 10
INSTALLING THE VARIABLE TENSION HANDLES........................................................................................... 10
THE FINDERSCOPE................................................................................................................................... 10
ATTACHING THE FINDERSCOPE BRACKET TO THE TELESCOPE TUBE ............................................................ 11
INSTALLING THE EYEPIECES...................................................................................................................... 12
USING THE COOLING FANS (STARHOPPER 10” AND 12” ONLY) .................................................................. 12
COLLIMATION ........................................................................................................................................... 13
ALIGNING THE SECONDARY MIRROR ................................................................................................... 13
ALIGNING THE PRIMARY MIRROR............................................................................................................... 13
NIGHT TIME STAR COLLIMATION.......................................................................................................... 14
TELESCOPE BASICS........................................................................................................................... 16
FOCUSING THE TELESCOPE ...................................................................................................................... 16
CALCULATING MAGNIFICATION.................................................................................................................. 16
DETERMINING FIELD OF VIEW ................................................................................................................... 16
CELESTIAL OBSERVING..................................................................................................................... 17
OBSERVING THE MOON ............................................................................................................................ 17
LUNAR OBSERVING HINT .......................................................................................................................... 17
OBSERVING THE PLANETS ........................................................................................................................ 17
OBSERVING DEEP-SKY OBJECTS.............................................................................................................. 18
STAR HOPPING ........................................................................................................................................ 18
“SEEING” CONDITIONS ...................................................................................................................... 20
TRANSPARENCY ....................................................................................................................................... 20
SKY ILLUMINATION.................................................................................................................................... 20
"SEEING" ............................................................................................................................................... 21
CLEANING THE OPTICS...................................................................................................................... 22
CARE AND CLEANING OF THE OPTICS........................................................................................................ 22
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................... 23
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES.................................................................................................................. 24
2
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations and welcome to the Celestron world of astronomy. If you’re a newcomer to the hobby of
astronomy, some of the terms and telescope components described in this instruction manual may be new to
you. To assist you in assembling and operating your telescope, the next few pages will explain some
commonly used terms and show diagrams of your new telescope and its components. If you’re already wellversed in the language of astronomy and telescopes, you might want to review these sections, then move on
to unpacking and assembling your new Celestron telescope.
This manual is designed to instruct you in the proper use of your Celestron telescope. You’ll also find this
instruction manual contains a wealth of useful information on celestial observing, commonly used terms in
astronomy, instruction on the care of your telescope, and optional accessories to enhance your viewing
experience. There are five major sections to the manual. The first section covers the proper procedure for
setting up your Celestron Star Hopper
and mount, attaching the telescope to the mount and installing the finderscope.
The second section deals with the proper procedure for collimating the telescope. Daytime and nighttime
collimation techniques are included to insure that your telescope images are their sharpest. The third section
discusses the basics of operating your telescope. Topics include focusing and pointing the telescope as well
as calculating the eyepiece magnification and field of view. In the fourth section, visual observing of both solar
system and deep sky objects is covered, along with the techniques for finding these objects. Finally, the fifth
sections covers cleaning and care of the telescope’s optics.
In addition to the major sections mentioned previously, there is a list of optional accessories for your
Celestron Star Hopper
consult when you’ve mastered the basics and ready for new, more challenging observations. The final part of
this manual contains the technical specifications for each of the Star Hoppers
CAUTION: READ THIS SECTION BEFORE USING YOUR TELESCOPE
Your Celestron Star Hopper
However, there are a few things to be aware of before using your telescope that will ensure your safety and
protect your equipment.
NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITH THE NAKED EYE OR WITH A TELESCOPE. NEVER POINT
YOUR TELESCOPE AT THE SUN UNLESS YOU ARE USING THE PROPER SOLAR FILTER.
PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE MAY RESULT.
NEVER USE YOUR TELESCOPE TO PROJECT AN IMAGE OF THE SUN ONTO ANY SURFACE.
INTERNAL HEAT BUILD-UP CAN DAMAGE THE TELESCOPE AND/OR ANY ACCESSORIES THAT MAY
BE ATTACHED TO IT.
NEVER LEAVE YOUR TELESCOPE UNSUPERVISED, ESPECIALLY WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT.
THIS ALSO HOLDS TRUE FOR ADULTS WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE CORRECT
OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR YOUR TELESCOPE.
NEVER USE AN EYEPIECE SOLAR FILTER OR A HERSCHEL WEDGE. INTERNAL HEAT BUILD-UP
WITHIN THE TELESCOPE CAN CAUSE THESE DEVICES TO CRACK, BREAK OR DAMAGE YOUR
TELESCOPE. ANY SOLAR FILTER USED SHOULD BE A FILTER FOR THE PRIMARY LENS.
ALWAYS COVER A FINDERSCOPE (IF INSTALLED) WHEN USING YOUR TELESCOPE WITH THE
CORRECT SOLAR FILTER. ALTHOUGH SMALL IN APERTURE, THIS INSTRUMENT HAS ENOUGH
LIGHT GATHERING POWER TO CAUSE PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE. THE IMAGE
PROJECTED BY THE FINDERSCOPE IS HOT ENOUGH TO BURN SKIN OR CLOTHING.
® telescope that include a brief description of its purpose. This is the section to
® telescope is designed to give you hours of fun and rewarding observations.
® telescope. This includes unpacking and assembling the telescope
®.
3
®
Finderscope
ocuse
ocuse
Finderscope
FinderscopeFinderscope
Quick
Quick----Release Bracket
QuickQuick
Release Bracket
Release BracketRelease Bracket
Eyepiece
Eyepiece
EyepieceEyepiece
Focuser
Focuser
F
Optical Tube
Optical Tube
Optical TubeOptical Tube
rF
r
Variable Tension Altitu
Variable Tension Altitude
Variable Tension AltituVariable Tension Altitu
Clutch and Handle
Clutch and Handle
Clutch and HandleClutch and Handle
de
de de
Alta
Altazimuth Base
zimuth Base
AltaAlta
zimuth Basezimuth Base
StarHopper
(StarHopper 8” Shown)
Telescope
Collimation Screws
Collimation Screws
Collimation Screws Collimation Screws
(not shown)
(not shown)
(not shown)(not shown)
4
GLOSSARY
Altazimuth mount - the simplest type of mount, with two motions: altitude (up and down) and azimuth (side-
to-side). “Mount” refers to the parts of the telescope supporting the tube, which carries all the telescope’s
optics. The mount is made up of the ground plate, or base, and the rocker box.
Altitude bearings - used on the Star Hopper
Aperture - the diameter of the main optical element of the telescope; either the primary mirror or objective
lens. The larger the aperture, the more light the telescope collects. More light creates a brighter, sharper
image.
Barlow lens - these lenses are optional accessories that double the magnifying power of your eyepieces by
increasing their effective focal length. For example, an 18mm eyepiece mounted on a 2x Barlow lens would
have the magnifying power of a 9mm eyepiece. It’s like having two eyepieces in one - an economical way to
increase your range of magnifications without buying new eyepieces.
Collimation - the proper alignment of the optical elements in a telescope, which is critical to achieving
optimum results. Poor collimation results in visual aberrations and distorted images. For a full description of
how to collimate your telescope see the Collimation section of this manual.
Deep-sky objects - celestial objects outside the boundaries of our solar system.
Extended objects - large celestial objects, other than stars, such as nebulae and galaxies.
Field of view - the size, in degrees, of the area you can see through the eyepiece of your telescope.
Finderscope - a low power telescope with cross hairs mounted to the side of a higher powered telescope,
used to locate objects more easily.
Focal length - the distance from the optical center of the lens to the point where the incoming light rays
converge, creating a clear, focused image.
Newtonian reflecting telescope - generally use a concave parabolic primary mirror to collect and focus
incoming light into a flat secondary mirror, which reflects the image into the eyepiece.
Primary mirror - gathers incoming light and forms a sharply focused image of the object being viewed.
Secondary mirror - reflects light from the primary mirror to the eyepiece. It’s also know as a diagonal mirror
because it is at 45° with respect to the optical axis.
“Seeing” or “seeing conditions” - refer to the stability of the atmosphere, transparency and sky illumination.
See the section of the manual entitled "Seeing Conditions".
Thermal turbulence - turbulence caused by temperature variations. Some sources of turbulence are
differences in temperature between the telescope tube and the air within it, or viewing near a heat source,
such as a roof top or parking lot releasing stored daytime heat.
®
to provide an axis of rotation for altitude adjustments.
5
UNPACKING THE TELESCOPE / BASE
The Star Hopper
other containing the unassembled mount with hardware.
Eyepieces
Finderscope
Focuser
Cooling
Mirror Cell
Handle
Other Accessories
Before the telescope can be used the mount must be assembled. The box with the mount contains the parts
necessary for assembly, including:
• Two side panels
• Front panel
• Base plate (with the four pre-drilled holes)
• Ground plate
• Azimuth Roller Bearing
• Two Azimuth Bearing Plates
• Azimuth tension bolt
• Metal sleeve
• Tension spring washer
• Two altitude tension handles w/ washers and bearing
• Four nylon altitude cylinders w/ four 1¼” Allen head bolts
• Carrying Handle w/ two 1¼” Allen head bolts
• Eyepieces Accessory Tray w/ two ½” wood screws
• Eight 2” Allen head wood screws
• Three rubber feet w/ 1” wood screws
• Plastic screw head caps
®
telescope comes in two boxes, one containing the telescope tube and accessories, the
Star Hopper® 6
#10600
25mm Plossl - 1¼” 25mm Plossl - 1¼” 32mm e-lux - 2" 32mm e-lux - 2"
6x30 9x50 9x50 9x50
1.25" 2" 2" 2"
N/A N/A Fan w/ battery pack Fan w/ battery pack
3-point 3-point 9-point 9-point
Base Base
Eyepiece Tray Eyepiece Tray
Collimation Cap Collimation Cap
Star Hopper® 8
#10800
Star Hopper® 10
#10110
Base Base
Eyepiece Tray Eyepiece Tray
Collimation Cap Collimation Cap
Star Hopper® 12
#10112
6
r
Side Panels
Front Panel
Handle
Tension Bolt
Tension Spring
Metal Sleeve
Azimuth Roller
Eyepiece
Accessory Tray
Base Plate
Azimuth
Washe
Azimuth
Bearing Plates
Bearing
Ground Plate
(Triangular on 10”
and 12” models)
Rubber Feet
Figure 1 – Assembling the Base
7
Assembling The Base For The StarHopper
1. Locate the front panel and the two side panels of the base (refer to Figure 1 to identify all the parts
referred to in these instructions).
2. Align the predrilled holes of the side panels with the holes on the edge of the front panel and
attach using four of the 2” Allen head wood screws. (The StarHopper
outside of the base).
3. Lay the base plate/side panel assembly on its side and align the predrilled holes on the base plate
with the holes on the bottom of the side panels.
4. Use the remaining 2” wood screws to fasten the base plate to the side panels by inserting the
screws through the holes and tightening until the head of the screw is below the surface of the
base plate.
5. Locate the ground plate. Use the three 1” wood screws to attach the rubber feet into the bottom of
the ground plate.
6. Place the azimuth roller bearing with one bearing plate on either side on top of the ground plate so
that the center holes line up.
7. Insert the metal sleeve through the holes in the plates, bearing and ground plate.
8. Gently place the base plate assembly over the metal sleeve and on to the ground plate.
9. Place the azimuth tension washer over the center hole of the base plate (with the curved side
facing down), and insert the azimuth tension bolt through the top of the base plate and the metal
sleeve.
10. Thread the azimuth tension bolt into the T-nut at the bottom of the ground plate and tighten.
(Note: If the center bolt is over-tightened it will make the base difficult to rotate in azimuth).
®
logo should be facing the
8
r
Now that the base is fully assembled you can attach the eyepiece accessory tray, handle and altitude
nylon bearing cylinders:
• Align the eyepiece accessory tray with the holes in the side panel and attach with two ½” wood
screws.
Figure 2
Figure 2
• Align the base handle with the thread holes in the front panel. Insert a bolt through the handle and
thread into the front panel.
Figure 3
• Align each altitude nylon cylinder with the holes on the inside of the side panels of the base. From
the outside of the side panels, insert a 1 ¼” Allen head bolt through the hole and thread it into each
nylon cylinder.
Nylon
Cylinde
1¼” Allen
head bolt
Figure 4
9
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