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INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Orion®
Observer
#9032 Equatorial Refracting Telescope
™
60mm EQ
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
Customer Support (800) 676-1343
E-mail: support@telescope.com
Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000
P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061
IN 084 Rev. A 0998
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Objective lens
Optical tube
Tube cradle
Dew cap
Declination
lock knob
Right ascension
slow-motion control
Declination (Dec.)
setting circle
Equatorial mount
Right ascension lock
knob (not shown)
Counterweight
Counterweight shaft
Retaining washer and screw
Counterweight lock knob
Right ascension (R.A.)
setting circle
Azimuth lock knob
Finder scope
Finder scope
alignment screws
Finder scope
bracket
Eyepiece
Star diagonal
Focuser drawtube
Focus knob
Declination slow-motion control
Latitude adjustment knob
and scale (not shown)
Tripod leg bolt
Accessory tray bracket
Rubber foot
Accessory tray
Tripod leg
Leg lock knob
Figure 1. Observer 60 EQ Parts Diagram
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Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope. Your new Observer 60 EQ Refractor 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 nebulas and star clusters.
If you have never owned a telescope before, we would like to welcome you to amateur astronomy. Take
some time to familiarize yourself with the night sky. Learn to recognize the patterns of stars in the major
constellations; a star wheel, or planisphere, available from Orion or your local telescope shop, will
greatly help. With a little practice, a little patience, and a reasonably dark sky away from city lights, you’ll
find your telescope to be a never-ending source of wonder, exploration, and relaxation.
These instructions will help you set up, properly use and care for your telescope. Please read them over
thoroughly before getting started.
Table of Contents
1. Parts List ................................................................................................................................ 3
2. Assembly ............................................................................................................................... 4
3. Balancing the Telescope ........................................................................................................ 4
4. Aligning the Finder Scope ..................................................................................................... 5
5. Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount ......................................................................... 5
6. Using your Telescope—Astronomical Viewing ....................................................................... 6
7. Terrestrial Viewing .................................................................................................................. 8
8. Care and Maintenance .......................................................................................................... 9
9. Specifications ......................................................................................................................... 9
1. PARTS LIST
Qty. Description
1 Optical tube assembly
1 German-type equatorial mount
2 Slow-motion control cables
2 Knobs for slow-motion cables
1 5x crosshair finder scope
1 Finder scope bracket
1 Counterweight
1 Counterweight shaft
1 20mm (45x) eyepiece (.965")
1 90° prism star diagonal (.965")
1 Tripod accessory tray
3 Tripod legs
3 2-1/4" tripod leg bolts with washers and wing nuts
3 Tripod leg lock knobs
3 Accessory tray screws with wing nuts and washers
1 Objective lens cap
WARNING: Never look directly at the
Sun through your telescope or its finder
scope—even for an instant—without
a professionally made solar filter that
completely covers the front of the
instrument, or permanent eye damage could
result. Be sure to also cover
the front of the finder scope with aluminum
foil or another opaque material to prevent
physical damage to the internal
components of the scope itself as well as to
your eye. Young children should use this
telescope only with adult supervision.
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2. Assembly
Carefully open all of the boxes in the shipping container. Make
sure all the parts listed in Section 1 are present. Save the
boxes and packaging material. In the unlikely event that you
need to return the telescope, you must use the original packaging.
Assembling the telescope should take only about 15 minutes.
Be careful not to overtighten screws and bolts or the threads
may strip.
During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), DO NOT
touch any of the lenses of the telescope, finder scope, or
eyepieces, or the prism of the diagonal, with your fingers. The
optical surfaces have delicate coatings on them that can easily be damaged if touched inappropriately. NEVER remove
any lens assembly from its housing for any reason, or the
product warranty and return policy will be voided.
1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side. Attach a tripod leg to
each of the three flanges by aligning the hole in the leg
with the holes in the flange and inserting the long bolt
(with a washer next to the head) through the aligned holes.
Then put a second washer on the protruding end of the
bolt and screw on the large wing nut. (Use a flat-blade or
Phillips screwdriver on the head of the bolt while tightening the wing nut.) The hinged accessory tray bracket on
each leg should face inward.
2. Screw a lock bolt (with knob) into each tripod leg in the
threaded hole of the lower metal cuff. For now, keep the
legs at their shortest (fully retracted) length; you can
extend them to a more desirable length later, after the
scope is completely assembled.
3. Stand the tripod with the equatorial mount attached
upright, and spread the legs apart enough to attach the
accessory tray to the three hinged tray brackets on the
legs. The brackets should be positioned underneath the
tray. Use the three small accessory tray screws and wing
nuts provided. Do not tighten the wing nuts yet.
4. Now, with the accessory tray attached but not tightened,
spread the tripod legs apart as far as they will go, until the
accessory tray brackets are taut. Then tighten the wing
nuts of the accessory tray screws.
5. Next, tighten the wing nuts of the tripod leg bolts at the
base of the equatorial mount.
6. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 1, with
the latitude scale set at about a 40° angle. Tighten the
latitude adjustment knob, the declination (Dec.) and right
ascension (R.A.) lock knobs, and the azimuth lock knob all
finger-tight.
7. Slide the counterweight on to the counterweight shaft.
Make sure the screw that holds the retaining washer at the
bottom end of the shaft is tightened. This washer will prevent the counterweight from slipping off the shaft and
possibly onto your foot if the counterweight lock knob
should come loose! Now, with the counterweight lock knob
loose, hold the counterweight in one hand and thread the
shaft into the equatorial mount (base of declination axis)
with the other hand. When it is threaded all the way in,
position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and
tighten the counterweight lock knob.
8. Attach the telescope optical tube to the cradle of the equatorial head and tighten the two wing nuts. (Note that the
Dec. slow-motion shaft, where the Dec. slow-motion control cable attaches, should be pointing back toward the
eyepiece end of the telescope. If it isn’t, remove the telescope optical tube, loosen the Dec. lock knob, and rotate
the equatorial head 180° on the Dec. axis.)
9. Attach a knob to each of the slow-motion cables by first
removing the Phillips-head screw from the cuff of the
cable. Then insert the knob over the cuff and secure it in
place with the screw.
10. Now attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A. and
Dec. slow-motion shafts of the equatorial mount by positioning the setscrew on the end of the cable over the
indented slot on the shaft, then tightening the knurled
setscrew.
11. Attach the finder scope bracket to the optical tube over the
two pre-installed bolts located near the focuser. The
bracket should be oriented so the larger objective lens of
the finder scope faces the same direction as the objective
lens of the main telescope. Secure the bracket in place
with the two round thumbscrews. Do not loosen the two
small hex nuts at the base of the bolts, as they keep them
from falling into the optical tube.
12. Insert the chrome barrel of the star diagonal into the end
of the focuser drawtube and secure with the thumbscrew
on the focuser drawtube.
13. Then insert the eyepiece into the star diagonal and secure
it in place with the thumbscrew on the diagonal. (Always
loosen the thumbscrews before rotating or removing the
diagonal or an eyepiece.)
3. Balancing the Telescope
To insure smooth movement of the telescope, it is imperative
that the optical tube be properly balanced.
1. Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen
the R.A. lock knob. The telescope should now be able to
rotate freely about the R.A. axis. Rotate it until the counterweight shaft is parallel to the ground (i.e., horizontal).
2. Now loosen the counterweight lock knob and slide the
weight along the shaft until it exactly counterbalances the
telescope. That’s the point at which the shaft remains
horizontal even when you let go with both hands.
3. Retighten the counterweight lock knob.
The telescope is now balanced. Now when you loosen the
lock knobs on either or both of the axes and manually point
the telescope, it should move without resistance and not drift
from where you point it.
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4. Aligning the Finder Scope
A finder scope has a wide field of view to facilitate the location
of objects for subsequent viewing through the main telescope, which has a much narrower field of view. The finder
scope and the main telescope must be aligned so they point
to exactly the same spot in the sky.
Alignment is easiest to do in daylight hours. First, insert the
lowest-power eyepiece (longest focal length) you have into
the star diagonal. Then loosen the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs
so the telescope can be moved freely.
Point the main telescope at a discrete object such as the top
of a telephone pole or a streetsign that is at least 200 yards
away. Move the telescope so the target object appears in the
very center of the field of view when you look into the eyepiece. Now tighten the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs. Use the
slow-motion control knobs to re-center the object in the field of
view, if it moved off-center when you tightened the lock knobs.
Now look through the finder scope. Is the object centered in
the finder scope’s field of view, i.e., on the crosshairs? If not,
hopefully it will be visible somewhere in the field of view, so
that only fine adjustment of the finder scope alignment
screws will be needed to center it on the crosshairs.
Otherwise you’ll have to make coarser adjustments to the
alignment screws to redirect the aim of the finder scope.
By loosening one alignment screw and tightening another,
you change the line of sight of the finder scope.
Once the target object is centered on the crosshairs of the
finder scope, look again in the main telescope’s eyepiece and
see if it is still centered there as well. If it isn’t, repeat the
entire process, making sure not to move the main telescope
while adjusting the alignment of the finder scope.
Check the alignment by pointing the main telescope at another object and centering it in the finder scope. Then look
through the main telescope eyepiece and see if the object is
centered. If it is, your job is done. If it isn’t, make the necessary adjustments to the finder scope’s alignment screws until
the object is centered in both instruments.
Note that the image seen through the finder scope appears
upside down. This is normal for astronomical finder scopes.
You can focus the image in the finder scope by turning the
knurled eyepiece housing.
5. Setting Up and Using the
Equatorial Mount
When you look at the night sky, you have no doubt noticed
that the stars appear to move slowly from east to west over
time. That apparent motion is caused by the Earth’s rotation
(from west to east). An equatorial mount is designed to compensate for that motion, allowing you to easily keep
astronomical objects from drifting out of the telescope’s field
of view when you’re observing them.
The equatorial mount enables you to follow, or track, objects
by slowly rotating the telescope on its right ascension axis,
using only the R.A. slow-motion cable. But first the mount
must be aligned with the Earth’s rotational axis.
For Northern Hemisphere observers, this is achieved by simply pointing the mount’s R.A. axis at the North Star, or Polaris.
It lies within 1° of the north celestial pole (NCP), which is an
extension of the Earth’s rotational axis out into space. Stars in
the Northern Hemisphere appear to revolve around Polaris.
To find Polaris in the sky, look north and locate the pattern of
the Big Dipper (Figure 2, page 10). The two stars at the end
of the “bowl” of the Big Dipper point right to Polaris.
Observers in the Southern Hemisphere aren’t so fortunate to
have a bright star so near the south celestial pole (SCP). The
star Sigma Octantis lies about 1° from the SCP, but it is
barely visible with the naked eye (magnitude 5.5). Consult a
star atlas or other reference book for instructions on polaraligning your telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.
Polar Alignment
For general visual observation, an approximate polar alignment
is sufficient. This must be done at night, when Polaris is visible.
The first step is to adjust the latitude (altitude) angle of the
mount’s R.A. axis to the latitude of your observing site.
1. Level the equatorial mount by adjusting the length of the
three tripod legs accordingly.
2. Loosen the latitude lock knob and tilt the mount until the
pointer on the latitude scale is set at the latitude of your
observing site. For example, if your latitude is 40° North,
set the pointer to 40. Then retighten the latitude lock knob.
If you don’t know your latitude, consult a geographical
atlas to find it.
The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again
unless you move to a different viewing location some distance away.
3. Loosen the Dec. lock knob and rotate the telescope optical tube until it is parallel with the R.A. axis. The pointer on
the Dec. setting circle should read 90°. Retighten the Dec.
lock knob.
4. Next, loosen the azimuth lock knob at the base of the
equatorial mount. Rotate the entire equatorial mount in
the horizontal direction until the R.A. axis points roughly at
Polaris. Retighten the lock knob.
The equatorial mount is now polar-aligned for casual observing. Note that 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.
Doing so will ruin the polar alignment. The telescope should
only be moved about its R.A. and Dec. axes.
Tracking Celestial Objects
When you observe a celestial object through the telescope,
you’ll see it drift slowly across the field of view. To keep it in
the field, if your equatorial mount is polar-aligned, just turn
the R.A. slow-motion control. The Dec. slow-motion control is
not needed for tracking. Objects will appear to move faster at
higher magnifications, because the field of view is narrower.
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Understanding the Setting Circles
The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to
locate astronomical objects by their “celestial coordinates.”
Every object resides in a specific location on the “celestial
sphere”; its location is denoted by two numbers: right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.). In the same way, every
location on Earth can be described by its longitude and latitude. R.A. is similar to longitude on Earth, and Dec. is similar
to latitude. The R.A. and Dec. values for celestial objects can
be found in any star atlas or star catalog.
The R.A. setting circle is scaled in hours, from 1 through 24,
with small hash marks in between representing 10-minute
increments (there are 60 minutes in 1 hour of R.A.). The numbers closest to the R.A. gear apply to viewing in the Northern
Hemisphere, while the numbers above them apply to viewing
in the Southern Hemisphere. The Dec. setting circle is scaled
in degrees (there are 60 minutes in 1 degree of declination).
So, the coordinates for the Orion Nebula listed in a star atlas
will look like this:
R.A. 5h 35.4m Dec. –5° 27'
That’s 5 hours and 35.4 minutes in right ascension, and –5
degrees (5 degrees south of the celestial equator) and 27
minutes in declination.
Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects, they
must first be calibrated. The declination setting circle was
calibrated at the factory, and should read 90° when the telescope optical tube is pointing exactly along the polar axis. If it
does not read 90°, it may have to be reset.
Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle
1. Identify a bright star near the celestial equator and look up
its coordinates in a star atlas.
2. Loosen the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs on the equatorial
mount (not the azimuth lock knob or latitude adjustment
knob), so the telescope optical tube can move freely.
3. Point the telescope at the bright star near the celestial
equator whose coordinates you know. Center the star in
the telescope’s field of view. Lock the R.A. and Dec. lock
knobs.
4. Rotate the R.A. setting circle so the pointer indicates the
R.A. listed for that object in the star atlas.
Finding Objects With the Setting Circles
Now that both setting circles are calibrated, look up in a star
atlas the coordinates of an object you wish to view.
1. Loosen the Dec. lock knob and rotate the telescope until
the Dec. value from the star atlas matches the reading on
the Dec. setting circle. Retighten the lock knob.
2. Loosen the R.A. lock knob and rotate the telescope until
the R.A. value from the star atlas matches the reading on
the R.A. setting circle. Retighten the lock knob.
Most setting circles are not accurate enough to put an object
dead-center in your finder scope’s field of view, but they’ll get
you close, assuming the equatorial mount is accurately polar-
aligned. The R.A. setting circle must be recalibrated every
time you wish to locate a new object. Do so by calibrating the
setting circle for the centered object before moving on to the
next one.
6. Using your Telescope—
Astronomical Observing
Choosing an Observing Site
When selecting a location for observing, get as far away as
possible from direct artificial light such as streetlights, porch
lights, and automobile headlights. The glare from these lights
will greatly impair your dark-adapted night vision. Set up on a
grass or dirt surface, not asphalt, because asphalt radiates
more heat, which disturbs the surrounding air and degrades
the images seen through the telescope. Avoid viewing over
rooftops and chimneys, as they often have warm air currents
rising from them. Similarly, avoid observing from indoors
through an open (or closed) window, because the temperature difference between the indoor and outdoor air will cause
image blurring and distortion.
If at all possible, escape the light-polluted city sky and head
for darker country skies. You’ll be amazed at how many more
stars and deep-sky objects are visible in a dark sky!
Cooling the Telescope
All optical instruments need time to reach “thermal equilibrium.” The bigger the instrument and the larger the temperature
change, the more time is needed. Allow at least a half-hour for
your telescope to cool to the temperature outdoors. In very
cold climates (below freezing), it is essential to store the telescope as cold as possible. If it has to adjust to more than a
40° temperature change, allow at least one hour.
Aiming the Telescope
To view an object in the main telescope, first loosen both the
R.A. and Dec. lock knobs. Aim the telescope at the object you
wish to observe by “eyeballing” along the length of the telescope tube (or use the setting circles to “dial in” the object’s
coordinates). Then look through the (aligned) finder scope and
move the telescope tube until the object is centered on the
crosshairs. Retighten the R.A. and Dec. lock bolts. Then center
the object on the finder’s crosshairs using the R.A. and Dec.
slow-motion controls. The object should now be visible in the
main telescope with a low-power (long focal length) eyepiece.
Focusing the Telescope
Practice focusing the telescope in the daytime before using it
for the first time at night. Start by positioning the focuser near
the center of its adjustment range. Insert an eyepiece into the
focuser and secure with the thumbscrew. Point the telescope
at a distant subject and get it in the field of view. Now, slowly
rotate one of the focusing knobs until the object comes into
sharp focus. Go a little bit beyond sharp focus until the image
just starts to blur again, then reverse the rotation of the knob,
just to make sure you hit the exact focus point. The telescope
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can only focus on objects at least 50 to 100 feet away. It will
not focus without the star diagonal in place.
As with all refractor telescopes used with a standard 90° star
diagonal, the image you see will be right-side up, but reversed
left-to-right. (Correct-image diagonals are available, and may
be purchased separately, though the image quality is slightly
reduced.)
Do You Wear Eyeglasses?
If you wear eyeglasses, you may be able to keep them on
while you observe, if your eyepieces have enough
“
eye relief”
to allow you to see the whole field of view. You can try this by
looking through the eyepiece first with your glasses on and
then with them off, and see if the glasses restrict the view to
only a portion of the full field. If they do, you can easily
observe with your glasses off by just refocusing the telescope
the needed amount.
Calculating the Magnification
It is desirable to have a range of eyepieces of different focal
lengths, to allow viewing over a range of magnifications. To
calculate the magnification, or power, of a telescope, simply
divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of
the eyepiece:
Telescope focal length ÷ Eyepiece focal length = Magnification
For example, the Observer 60 EQ, which has a focal length of
900mm, used in combination with the 20mm eyepiece, yields
a power of
900 ÷ 20 = 45x.
Every telescope has a maximum power of about 45x–60x per
inch of aperture (diameter of objective lens). Claims of higher
power by some telescope manufacturers are a misleading advertising gimmick and should be dismissed. Keep in mind that at
higher powers, an image will always be dimmer and less sharp
(this is a fundamental law of optics). The steadiness of the air (the
“seeing”) will limit how much magnification an image can tolerate.
Always start viewing with your lowest-power (longest focal
length) eyepiece in the telescope. After you’ve located and
looked at the object with it, you can try switching to a higherpower eyepiece to ferret out more detail, if atmospheric
conditions permit. If the image you see is not crisp and
steady, reduce the magnification by switching to a longerfocal-length eyepiece. As a general rule, a small but
well-resolved image will show more detail and provide a more
enjoyable view than a dim and fuzzy, overmagnified image.
Let Your Eyes Dark-Adapt
Don’t expect to go from a lighted house into the darkness of
the outdoors at night and immediately see faint nebulas, galaxies, and star clusters—or even very many stars, for that
matter. Your eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps
80% of their full dark-adapted sensitivity. Many observers
notice improvements after several hours of total darkness. As
your eyes become dark-adapted, more stars will glimmer into
view and you’ll be able to see fainter details in objects you
view in your telescope. Exposing your eyes to very bright
daylight for extended periods of time can adversely affect your
night vision for days. So give yourself at least a little while to
get used to the dark before you begin observing.
To see what you’re doing in the darkness, use a red-filtered
flashlight rather than a white light. Red light does not spoil
your eyes’ dark adaptation like white light does. A flashlight
with a red LED light is ideal, or you can cover the front of a
regular incandescent flashlight with red cellophane or paper.
Beware, too, that nearby porch light, streetlights and car
headlights will hinder your night vision.
“Seeing” and Transparency
Atmospheric conditions vary significantly from night to night.
“Seeing” refers to the steadiness of the Earth’s atmosphere at
a given time. In conditions of poor seeing, atmospheric turbulence causes objects viewed through the telescope to “boil.”
If, when you look up at the sky with just your eyes, the stars
are twinkling noticeably, the seeing is bad and you will be
limited to viewing with low powers (bad seeing affects images
at high powers more severely). Planetary observing may also
be poor.
In conditions of good seeing, star twinkling is minimal and
images appear steady in the eyepiece. Seeing is best overhead, worst at the horizon. Also, seeing generally gets better
after midnight, when much of the heat absorbed by the Earth
during the day has radiated off into space.
Avoid looking over buildings, pavement, or any other source
of heat, as they will cause “heat wave” disturbances that will
distort the image you see through the telescope.
Especially important for observing faint objects is good “transparency”—air free of moisture, smoke, and dust. All tend to
scatter light, which reduces an object’s brightness.
Transparency is judged by the magnitude of the faintest stars
you can see with the unaided eye (6th magnitude or fainter is
desirable).
How to Find Interesting Celestial Objects
To locate celestial objects with your telescope, you first need
to become reasonably familiar with the night sky. Unless you
know how to recognize the constellation Orion, for instance,
you won’t have much luck locating the Orion Nebula, unless,
or course, you look up its celestial coordinates and use the
telescope’s setting circles. Even then, it would be good to
know in advance whether that constellation will be above the
horizon at the time you plan to observe. A simple planisphere,
or star wheel, can be a valuable tool both for learning the
constellations and for determining which ones are visible on
a given night at a given time.
A good star chart or atlas will come in very handy for helping
find objects among the dizzying multitude of stars overhead.
Except for the Moon and the brighter planets, it’s pretty timeconsuming and frustrating to hunt for objects randomly,
without knowing where to look. You should have specific targets in mind before you begin observing.
Start with a basic star atlas, one that shows stars no fainter
than 5th or 6th magnitude. In addition to stars, the atlas will
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show the positions of a number of interesting deep-sky
objects, with different symbols representing the different
types of objects, such as galaxies, open star clusters, globular clusters, diffuse nebulas, and planetary nebulas. So, for
example, your atlas might show a globular cluster sitting just
above the lid of the “Teapot” pattern of stars in Sagittarius. You
then know to point your telescope in that direction to home in
on the cluster, which happens to be 6.9-magnitude Messier
28 (M28).
You can see a great number and variety of astronomical
objects with your Observer 60 EQ, including:
The Moon
With its rocky, cratered surface, the Moon is one of the easiest
and most interesting targets to view with your telescope. The
best time to observe our one and only natural satellite is during
a partial phase, that is, when the Moon is NOT full. During
partial phases, shadows on the surface reveal more detail,
especially right along the border between the dark and light
portions of the disk (called the “terminator”). A full Moon is too
bright and devoid of surface shadows to yield a pleasing view.
The Planets
The planets don’t stay put like the stars (they don’t have fixed
R.A. and Dec. coordinates), so you’ll have to refer to charts
published monthly in Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, or other
astronomy magazines to locate them. Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun
and the Moon. Not all four of these planets are normally visible at any one time.
JUPITER The largest planet, Jupiter, is a great subject to
observe. You can see the disk of the giant planet and watch
the ever-changing positions of its four largest moons, Io,
Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede. If atmospheric conditions
are good, you may be able to resolve thin cloud bands of
varying hues on the planet’s disk.
SATURN The ringed planet is a breathtaking sight when it is
well positioned. The tilt angle of the rings varies over a period
of many years; sometimes they are seen edge-on, while at
other times they are broadside and look like giant “ears” on
each side of Saturn’s disk. A steady atmosphere (good seeing) is necessary for a good view. You may probably see a tiny,
bright “star” close by; that’s Saturn’s brightest moon, Titan.
VENUS At its brightest, Venus is the most luminous object in
the sky, excluding the Sun and the Moon. It is so bright that
sometimes it is visible to the naked eye during full daylight!
Ironically, Venus appears as a thin crescent, not a full disk,
when at its peak brightness. Because it is so close to the Sun,
it never wanders too far from the morning or evening horizon.
No surface markings can be seen on Venus, which is always
shrouded in dense clouds.
MARS You probably won’t be able to see any surface detail
on the Red Planet, but you will notice its ruddy color.
Stars
Stars will appear like twinkling points of light in the telescope.
Even powerful telescopes cannot magnify stars to appear as
more than points of light! You can, however, enjoy the different
colors of the stars and locate many pretty double and multiple
stars. The famous “Double-Double” in the constellation Lyra
and the gorgeous two-color double star Albireo in Cygnus are
favorites. Defocusing the image of a star slightly can help
bring out its color.
Deep-Sky Objects
Under dark skies, you can observe a wealth of fascinating
deep-sky objects, including gaseous nebulas, open and
globular star clusters, and different types of galaxies. Most
deep-sky objects are very faint, so it is important that you find
an observing site well away from light pollution. Take plenty of
time to let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Don’t expect
these subjects to appear like the photographs you see in
books and magazines; most will look like dim gray smudges.
(Our eyes, unlike photographic film, are not sensitive enough
to see color in such faint objects.) But as you become more
experienced and your observing skills get sharper, you will be
able to discern more subtle details.
Remember that the higher the magnification you use, the dimmer the image will appear. So stick with low power when
observing deep-sky objects, because they’re already very
faint.
Consult a star atlas or observing guide for information on finding and identifying deep-sky objects. Some good sources to
start with are the Orion DeepMap 600, Edmund Mag 6 Star
Atlas, Turn Left at Orion, and The Universe From Your
Backyard.
7. Terrestrial Viewing
The Observer 60 EQ may also be used for long-distance
viewing over land. For this application we recommend substitution of an Orion 45° Correct-Image Diagonal (#8790) for the
90° star diagonal that comes standard with the telescope. The
correct-image diagonal will yield an upright, nonreversed
image and also provides a more comfortable viewing angle,
since the telescope will be aimed more horizontally for terrestrial subjects.
For terrestrial viewing, it’s best to stick with low powers of 50x
or less. At higher powers the image loses sharpness and clarity. That’s because when the scope is pointed near the
horizon, it is peering through the thickest and most turbulent
part of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Remember to aim well clear of the Sun, unless the front
of the telescope is fitted with a professionally made solar
filter and the finder scope is covered with foil or some
other completely opaque material.
8. Care and Maintenance
If you give your telescope reasonable care, it will last a lifetime. Store it in a clean, dry, dust-free place, safe from rapid
changes in temperature and humidity. Do not store the telescope outdoors, although storage in a garage or shed is OK.
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Small components like eyepieces and other accessories
should be kept in a protective box or storage case. Keep the
objective lens cap on the front of the telescope when it is not
in use.
Your Observer 60 EQ requires very little mechanical maintenance. The optical tube is aluminum and has a smooth
painted finish that is fairly scratch-resistant. If a scratch does
appear on the tube, it will not harm the telescope. If you wish,
you may apply some auto touch-up paint to the scratch.
Smudges on the tube can be wiped off with a soft cloth and a
household cleaner such as Windex or Formula 409.
additives like silicone, which don’t work well on precision
optics. Place a few drops of fluid on the tissue (not directly on
the lens), wipe gently, then remove the fluid with a dry tissue
or two. Do not “polish” or rub hard when cleaning the lens, as
this will scratch it. The tissue may leave fibers on the lens, but
this is not a problem; they can be blown off with a blower bulb.
Never disassemble the telescope or eyepieces to clean
optical surfaces!
9. Specifications
Cleaning the Optics
A small amount of dust or a few specks on the glass objective
(main) lens will not affect the performance of the telescope. If
dust builds up, however, simply blow it off with a blower bulb,
or lightly brush it off with a soft camel-hair brush. Avoid touching optical surfaces with your fingers, as skin oil may etch
optical coatings.
To remove fingerprints or smudges from a lens, use photographic-type lens cleaning fluid and lint-free optical lens
cleaning tissue. Don’t use household cleaners or eyeglasstype cleaning cloth or wipes, as they often contain undesirable
Big Dipper
(in Ursa Major)
N.C.P.
Objective lens: 60mm-diameter (2.4") achromat, magnesium
fluoride-coated
Focal length: 900mm
Focal ratio: f/15
Eyepieces: 20mm, antireflection coated, .965" barrel diameter
Magnification: 45x (with 20mm eyepiece)
Finder scope: 5x magnification
Diagonal: 90° star diagonal, prism type, .965"
Mount: German-type equatorial
Little Dipper
(in Ursa Minor)
Pointer Stars
To find Polaris in the night sky, look north and find the Big Dipper. Extend an imaginary line from the two “Pointer Stars” in
the bowl of the Big Dipper. Go about 5 times the distance between those stars and you’ll reach Polaris, which lies within 1°
of the north celestial pole (NCP).
Polaris
Cassiopeia
Figure 2
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One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion Observer 60mm Equatorial Refractor 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 the product is not registered, proof
of purchase (such as a copy of the original invoice) is required.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or
modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you
may also have other rights, which vary from state to state. For further warranty service information, contact: Customer Service Department, Orion Telescopes & Binoculars, P. O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA
95061; (800) 676-1343.
Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
Post Office Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061
Customer Support Help Line (800) 676-1343 • Day or Evening
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