Celestron FIRSTSCOPE 60 EQ REFRACTORS, FIRSTSCOPE 80 EQ REFRACTORS, FIRSTSCOPE 70 EQ REFRACTORS User Manual

FFIIRRSSTTSSCCOOPPEE 6600 EEQQ RREEFFRRAACCTTOORRSS

MODELS #21067

FFIIRRSSTTSSCCOOPPEE 7700 EEQQ RREEFFRRAACCTTOOR

MODEL #21076

FFIIRRSSTTSSCCOOPPEE 8800 EEQQ RREEFFRRAACCTTOORRS

MODELS #21086

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FIRSTSCOPE EQ REFRACTORS

FIGURE 1

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LIST OF PARTS: FIRSTSCOPE EQ REFRACTORS

1. Telescope Objective (inside) 19. Tripod tray bracket (Collapsible leg
brace on some models)

2. Diagonal 20. Tripod leg

3. Star Pointer Finderscope 21. Finderscope bracket mounting screws

4. Star Pointer adjustment knob (Altitude) 22. Declination tightening knob

5. Star Pointer bracket 23. Right ascension setting circle

6. Star Pointer adjustment knob (Azimuth) 24. Right ascension tightening knob

7. Eyepiece 25. Declination setting circle

8. Tripod leg adjusting screw 26. Front lens cover

9. Focusing knob 27. Right ascension cable holder

10. Rack and pinion focuser 28. Horizontal adjustment knob

11. Telescope optical tube 29. Counterweight shaft

12. Tube mounting plate and bolts 30. Counterweight

13. Declination cable holder 31. Right ascension cable

14. Safety washer for counterweight 32. Tripod accessory tray & hardware

15. Tripod head (part of mount) 33. Equatorial mount

16. Polar axis knob 34. Tripod leg mounting hardware

17. Latitude scale 35. Tripod leg tips

18. Declination cable

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Optical Tube with Mounting Rings for 70mm/80mm Telescopes

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Congratulations on your purchase of a Celestron equatorial refractor telescope. This telescope is a precision
scientific instrument that will allow you to enjoy viewing numerous objects in the night sky — planets, nebulae, star
clusters, galaxies and more.

Before embarking upon an exploration of the sky, please take time to read this manual and familiarize yourself with
both the parts and operation of your telescope.

WARNING

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 OR
OBJECTIVE LENS, SUCH AS CELESTRON’S ASTROSOLAR FILTER.

ALWAYS COVER THE FINDERSCOPE 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.

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The Firstscope comes packed in one box, with all the parts you need to assemble it. Unpack and lay out all of the
telescope parts in a large, clear area where you’ll have room to work. Use the parts list and the telescope diagram to
confirm you have, and can identify each part. The parts you’ll unpack include:

ALL TELESCOPES INCLUDE 

• Telescope Optical Tube

• German Equatorial Mount

• Adjustable Tripod

• Star Pointer Finderscope and Bracket

• Counterweight and Shaft

• Tripod Accessory Tray

• Declination Cable

• Right Ascension Cable

• Star Diagonal

• The Sky® CD-ROM

• 20mm 1¼" eyepiece

• 10mm 1¼" eyepiece

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Setting Up the Tripod

To set up the tripod, locate the German equatorial mount, the tripod legs, the tripod mounting hardware and the
tripod accessory tray.

1. Extend the center portion (35) of each of the three tripod legs down 6-8".

2. Use the three tightening screws (8) to secure each of the extended legs by threading these screws through the

holes in the brackets at the bottom of each leg. It is important that you extend the legs before the equatorial
mount is attached, otherwise the inner legs may become difficult to slide down. Fine tuning of the tripod height
can be done later, and the tightening screws can be adjusted to secure the telescope at the desired height

NOTE: Some of the following steps may have been pre-assembled at the factory for certain models.

3. Orient the three tripod legs so the brackets that hold the accessory tray are on the inside (19).

4. Slide the two top portions of each tripod leg around the sides of each flange on the tripod head (15) of the

equatorial mount, so the flange is secured between them.

5. Slide the screw through the tripod leg and flange, until the screw extends out the other side.

6. Slide the washer and the nut over the screw and tighten. This can be left slightly loose, to allow for positioning

the legs later, when attaching the accessory tray.

7. Repeat this process for the remaining two legs. Now the tripod will stand by itself.

Attaching the Accessory Tray:

1. Set the tripod with the equatorial mount attached in the standing position by spreading the legs apart far enough

for the tripod accessory tray to fit.

2. You are now ready to install the tripod accessory tray. The tripod tray fits over the holes in the tripod leg brace.

Insert the winged bolts through the holes in the bottom of the tripod leg brace and thread them into the holes in
the accessory tray. Tighten all bolts to ensure proper stability to the mount. (For the Firstscope 60 model, the
accessory tray will attach to the holes in each of the hinge brackets on the inside of each tripod leg).

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Orienting the Telescope

1. Begin by identifying and loosening knobs #16, 22, 24 and 28, using the

diagram in Figure 1 to guide you.

2. Next, loosen the Right Ascension and declination knobs #24 and #22 on the

upper portion of the mount.

3. Rotate the mount head so that it is in the same orientation as shown in

Figure 1.

4. Lock down the Right Ascension and declination knobs before attaching the

optical tube.

Attaching the Declination and Right Ascension Cables

1. Locate the declination cable holder (13) and the declination cable, which is

the shorter of the two cables provided.

2. Insert the declination cable (18) into the cable holder such that the cable is about ¼" short of being fully

engaged in the cable holder. Tighten the thumb screw on the end of the cable down completely. This method
helps ensure there’s no slippage when using the cable. Please note that the orientation of the declination cable
can be adjusted to the position that suits you best.

3. Locate the right ascension cable holder (27) and the right ascension cable (31) and assemble the cable to the

holder in the same manner described for the declination cable.

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