Orion StarBlast, 9814 Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Orion®

™

StarBlast

#9814 4.5" Altazimuth Reflector Tabletop Telescope

Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

Customer Support (800)-676-1343
E-mail: [e-mail]

Corporate Offices (831)-763-7000

89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076

IN 201 Rev. B 02/09

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Figure 1.

The StarBlast.

Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion StarBlast telescope. Your new StarBlast is easy to use

and requires very little assembly. The StarBlast will give you breathtaking views of the Moon, planets,
and even deep sky objects like the Orion Nebula. These instructions will help you set up and use your
StarBlast telescope, please read them thoroughly.

StarBlast parts:

1

17mm Explorer II eyepiece

The eyepiece is the part of the telescope that you actu-

ally look through to see things. The focal length of the
eyepiece and the telescope determines the magnifying
power. Magnification is discussed in more detail in the
Using Your Telescope section.

2

EZ Finder II reflex sight

This is a special “finder” that helps you aim the telescope

and locate objects in the sky for viewing. The EZ
Finder II generates a red LED “dot” that shows where
your telescope is aimed. The use of the EZ Finder II is
discussed in the Getting Started section.

3

Optical tube

This is the main component of the telescope.

4

Focuser

This is where the eyepiece is placed, and it is where you

focus. Details of the focuser are shown in Figure 2.

5

Tube clamp

This clamp connects the optical tube to the wood base.

6

Altitude tension adjustment knob

By tightening or loosening this knob, you can change the

amount tension in the altitude (up/down) motion of the
telescope.

7

Mirror cell

This contains the primary mirror as well as the collima-

tion thumbscrews that are used to optically align the
primary mirror. This is explained in Appendix A: Aligning
the Mirrors.

8

Altazimuth base

This wooden base provides a stable mount for the tele-

scope. It allows you to move the telescope in altitude
(up/down) and azimuth (left/right).

9

Carrying handle

This convenient handle built into the base allows you to

easily carry the StarBlast to your viewing location.
The carrying handle is also a handy place to put your
other hand when aiming the telescope. See Using Your
Telescope for more details.

10

Eyepiece rack

A handy metal rack in which to store your extra eyepieces.

11

6mm Explorer II eyepiece

The higher-power eyepiece that comes with the StarBlast

Eyepieces are discussed in the Magnification section.

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Rubber feet

Three feet provide support for the StarBlast and are skid

free. This allows you to place the StarBlast on smooth
surfaces.

Figure 2 shows detail of the focuser

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Focus Wheels

The focus wheels are used to bring objects into focus. By

turning them, you move the rack-and-pinion focuser
(4) in and out.

14

Eyepiece securing thumbscrews

These thumbscrews are used to keep the eyepiece (1)

secure in the focuser (4).

Items not shown

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Primary Mirror

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The parabolic mirror at the rear of the optical tube (3)

gathers incoming light and focuses it with its parabolic
shape. The primary mirror has a small center-mark that
is explained in Appendix A. This center-mark should
not be removed.

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Secondary Mirror

The secondary mirror is located near the opening of the

optical tube (3) and reflects the focused light from the
primary mirror into the eyepiece (1).

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Collimation cap

This small cap fits in the focuser and is used to aid in align-

ing of the optics. This process is explained in Appendix
A.

Figure 2.

Details of the

focuser.

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Table of Contents

Assembly ..........................4

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

Using Your Telescope ................. 6

Care and Maintenance ................ 9

Specifications .......................9

Appendix A: Aligning the Mirrors............. 9

Appendix B: Cleaning the Optics.......... 11

Assembly

Assembly of the StarBlast is very easy. You just remove it from
its packaging, place the telescope on a table or other flat sur­face and locate the following accessories:

1 EZ Finder II reflex sight (2)

1 17mm Explorer II eyepiece (1)

1 6mm Explorer II eyepiece (11)

Attaching the EZ Finder II

Remove the two metal thumbnuts from the optical tube (Figure

3). Place the bracket of the EZ Finder II (2) on the tube so that
the holes in the bracket slide over the two threaded posts on
the tube. The EZ Finder should be oriented so that it appears
as in Figure 1. Thread the thumbnuts back onto the posts to
secure the EZ Finder II in place.

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. Young children should use this
telescope only with adult supervision.

Getting Started

It’s best to get a feel for the basic functions of the StarBlast dur­ing the day, before observing astronomical objects at night. This
way you won’t have to orient yourself in the dark! Find a spot out­doors where you’ll have plenty of room to move the telescope,
and where you’ll have a clear view of some object or vista that
is at least 1/4 mile away. It is not critical that the telescope be
exactly level, but it should be placed on something relatively flat
to ensure smooth movement.

The StarBlast was designed specifically for visual observation of
astronomical objects in the night sky. Like all Newtonian reflec­tor telescopes, it is not well suited for daytime terrestrial usage
because the image in the eyepiece is inverted (upside-down).

Placing the StarBlast

One of the great assets of the StarBlast is its extremely portable
size. Due to its overall short height, you will find that viewing
while sitting down on the ground next to the telescope is the
most comfortable. If you wish to raise the telescope off the
ground so that it can be used while standing or sitting in a chair,
then a platform, such as a milk crate or table, can be used.

Figure 3. The EZ Finder II securing thumbnuts.

Inserting the Eyepiece

Loosen the eyepiece securing thumbscrews (14). Insert the
chrome barrel of the 17mm Explorer II eyepiece (1) into the
focuser (4) and secure it with the thumbscrews. You can place
the 6mm Explorer II eyepiece (11) in the eyepiece rack (10)
for use later.

Your telescope is now fully assembled and should resemble
Figure 1. Remove the dust cap from the front of the telescope
when it is in use. Replace it when you are finished observing.

Altitude and Azimuth (Aiming the Telescope)

The StarBlast altazimuth base (5) permits motion along two
axes: altitude (up/down) and azimuth (left/right). See Figure 4.
Moving the telescope up/down and right/left is the “natural” way
people aim objects which makes pointing the telescope intuitive
and easy.

Simply take hold of the telescope tube (Figure 5) and move it left
or right so that the base rotates. Move it up or down in the same
manner. Both motions can be made simultaneously and in a
continuous manner for easy aiming. This way you can point to
any position in the night sky, from horizon to horizon.

You may find it convenient to hold one hand near the carrying
handle (9) to steady it while moving and aiming the telescope.

If you find that it is too hard to put your eye up to the eyepiece

(1), you can rotate the tube by loosening the knob on the tube
clamp (5) and rotating the optical tube (3) until the focuser (4)

is in a convenient position.

When aiming the telescope in altitude, you may find that the
optical tube (3) is either too hard to move or does not stay in
place. Use the altitude adjustment tension knob (6) to change
the amount of tension between the tube clamp (5) and the alt-
azimuth base (8) to find the right level of tension to properly
move and balance the telescope.

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