Orion SkyView 90mm Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Orion® SkyView

™

90mm

Equatorial Refractor Telescope

P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061

SkyView™ 90
Equatorial Refractor Telescope

Congratulations! Your new Orion SkyView™ 90 Refractor Telescope is a preci-
sion astronomical instrument, ideal for amateur astronomy. It has many features
normally available only on more expensive telescopes.

With the SkyView 90’s high-quality equatorial mount and sharp optics, you’ll
easily be able to locate hundreds of fascinating celestial objects and enjoy detailed
views of the planets which comprise our solar system. Saturn’s rings will inspire
your imagination; Jupiter’s cloud bands will dazzle and amaze you. Hundreds of
mountains, craters and other lunar phenomena will jump out at you while
exploring our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon.

The SkyView 90 is also well suited to view objects beyond our Solar System. From
a dark sky location, you can observe glowing nebulae, such as the Great Orion
Nebula, incredibly distant galaxies, such as the Andromeda Galaxy, globular star
clusters like the dazzling Hercules Cluster, and radiant planetary nebulae like the
famous Ring Nebula.

If you have never used a telescope before, we would like to welcome you to the
enjoyable hobby of amateur astronomy. Take some time to learn your way around
the sky. You’ll find your telescope to be a never-ending source of wonder,
exploration, and relaxation.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction .................................. 3

2. Terminology .................................. 4

3. Parts List ..................................... 4

4. Getting Started ................................ 6

5. Using Your Telescope ............................ 8

6. Observing Tips and Techniques ....................10

7. Astronomical Viewing ...........................11

8. Care and Maintenance ...........................15

9. Specifications .................................17

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2

1. Introduction

Important Points About Your New Telescope

Take the time to read this instruction manual thoroughly, so that you may gain
the maximum benefits from your new telescope!

1. Never look at the sun without the proper, professionally made full aperture
filtration system. You can be permanently blinded by concentrated sun­light. Never use a dark-glass screw-in eyepiece filter; it may crack under
intense heat.

2. Like all telescopes, performance is best after the telescope has cooled to out­side temperatures for at least 30 minutes (longer in colder climates). Better yet,
store it cold. Use only low powers until your scope has equalized.

3. Observe from a dark location, away from street and porch lights. Your eyes
take 10 to 30 minutes to reach maximum sensitivity. Use a red filtered flash­light; a white light can seriously reduce your low-light sensitivity.

4. Keep your telescope’s optics in good condition for maximum performance.
You should use a blower bulb (not canned air) to remove dust and other bits
of debris prior to and after each use.

5. You should not have to lubricate the gears on the mount; this has been done
at the factory. However, after long periods of storage, or a visit to a particu­larly dusty observing site, you may want to put a light coating of automotive
bearing grease on the gears.

DANGER

Do Not Look At the Sun

With Your Telescope!

Never, ever, look directly at the
sun with your telescope without a
professional solar filter which
completely covers the front of the
telescope! Permanent eye dam­age may result from looking at
the sun for even an instant. Young
children should only use this
telescope with adult supervision.

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2. Terminology

Optical Tube The main body of the telescope, holding the optics.

Objective Lens Gathers light and brings it to a focus.

Rack and Pinion Focuser The mechanical holder for the eyepiece, which

allows the eyepiece to be moved in and out to
adjust the focus of the telescope.

Eyepiece The part into which you look. It has a number of

lenses which magnify and allow your eye to focus
on the image formed by the telescope. Two eyepiec­es are supplied with the telescope. You can buy
additional eyepieces; eyepieces of different focal
lengths will produce different magnification factors.

Equatorial Mount The equatorial mount allows for the telescope's

axes of rotation to be adjusted to the user's
latitude. The overall effect is that the observer
can track the heavens along the path of the
Earth’s rotation.

Finder Scope Aids in pointing the telescope. It is a small, low-

power telescope with ”cross hairs“ that attach to
the optical tube. Its wide field of view greatly
reduces the work of finding a faint object in the
main eyepiece of the telescope.

3. Parts List

1 Optical Tube Assembly(OTA)

1 Tripod and Equatorial Head Assembly

2 Slow-Motion Cables

2 RA/DEC Locking Tool

1 Counterweight Bar

1 Counterweight

1 Accessory Tray with knob

2 Tube Mounting Rings

2 Eyepieces: 9mm Kellner

25mm Kellner

1 Star Diagonal 1.25"

1 6x30 Finder Scope with bracket

Orion SkyView™ 90mm

Optical Tube Assembly

Tube Mounting Rings

Eyepiece &
Star Diagonal

Focusing Knob

Slow-Motion
Cables

Latitude
Adjustment

Accessory
Tray

Tripod

Height
Adjustment
Knob

RA & DEC Locking Tool

Counterweight

Counterweight Bar

Equatorial Head
Assembly

Finder Scope