Orion STARMAX 9826 User Manual
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
®
Orion
StarMax™ 127mm EQ
#9826 Equatorial Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
Customer Support (800) 676-1343
E-mail: support@telescope.com
Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
IN 163 Rev. E 02/09
Finder scope
Finder scope bracket
Optical tube attachment knobs
Declination lock lever
Counterweights
Counterweight
lock knobs
Counterweight shaft
“Toe saver”
Tripod leg
Accessory tray
attachment point
Eyepiece
Focus knob
(behind diagonal)
Star diagonal
Right ascension
slow motion control
Declination
slow motion control
Right ascension
lock lever
Polar axis
finder scope
Latitude adjustment
T-bolts
Accessory tray bracket
Accessory tray
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Figure 1.
Leg lock knob
StarMax 127mm EQ Parts Diagram
Welcome to a new world of adventure. Your new StarMax 127mm EQ is designed for high-resolution observing of
astronomical objects, and can also be used for terrestrial exploration. With its precision optics and equatorial mount, you’ll be
able to locate and enjoy hundreds of fascinating celestial objects, including the planets, Moon, and a variety of deep-sky galaxies, 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. 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. Unpacking........................ 3
2. Parts List......................... 3
3. Assembly ........................ 3
4. Getting Started .................... 5
5. Setting Up and Using the
Equatorial Mount................... 6
6. Using Your Telescope—
Astronomical Observing ............ 11
7. Terrestrial Viewing................. 14
8. Photography ..................... 14
9. Care and Maintenance ............. 14
10. Specifications .................... 15
1. Unpacking
The entire telescope system will arrive in one box. Be careful
unpacking the box. We recommend keeping the original shipping container. In the event that the telescope needs to be
shipped to another location, or returned to Orion for warranty
repair, having the proper shipping container will help ensure
that your telescope will survive the journey intact.
Make sure all the parts in the Parts List are present. Be
sure to check box carefully, as some parts are small. If anything appears to be missing or broken, immediately call
Orion Customer Support (800-676-1343) or email support@
telescope.com for assistance.
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.
2. Parts List
Qty. Description
1 Optical tube assembly
1 Optical tube dust cover
1 25mm (62x) Sirius Plössl eyepiece (1.25")
1 Mirror star diagonal
1 6x26 correct-image finder scope
1 Polar axis finder scope
1 Dovetail finder scope bracket with O-ring
1 Equatorial mount
3 Tripod legs
1 Counterweight shaft
1 Large Counterweight
1 Small Counterweight
1 Tripod accessory tray
1 Accessory tray bracket
2 Slow-motion control cables
1 Soft carry case
3 Assembly tools (large and small wrench,
Phillips head screwdriver)
2 Optical tube attachment knobs with lock washers
and flat washers
1 Polar axis finder scope cover
3. Assembly
Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about
30 minutes. No tools are needed other than the ones provided. All screws should be tightened securely to eliminate
flexing and wobbling, but be careful not to over-tighten or the
threads may strip. Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process.
During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), do not touch
the surface of the telescope’s meniscus lens or the lenses of
the finder scopes or eyepiece with your fingers. The optical
surfaces have delicate coatings on them that can easily be
damaged if touched inappropriately. Never remove any lens
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Figure 2. To adjust the latitude angle of the equatorial mount,
loosen one of the two latitude adjustment T-bolts, then tighten the
other.
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 the tripod legs
one at a time to the mount using the screws installed in the
tops of the tripod legs. Remove the screw from the leg, line up
the holes in the top of the leg with the holes in the base of the
mount, and reinstall the screw so it passes through the leg
and the mount. Tighten the wingnuts only finger-tight, for now.
Note that the accessory tray bracket attachment point on each
leg should face inward.
2. Tighten the leg lock knobs at the base of the tripod legs. 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. With the tripod legs now attached to the equatorial mount,
stand the tripod upright (be careful!) and spread the legs apart
enough to connect each end of the accessory tray bracket to
the attachment point on each leg. Use the screw that comes
installed in each attachment point to do this. First remove the
screw using the supplied screwdriver, then line up one of the
ends of the bracket with the attachment point and reinstall the
screw. Make sure the accessory tray bracket is oriented so
that the ribs in its plastic molding face downward.
4. Now, with the accessory tray bracket attached, spread the
tripod legs apart as far as they will go, until the bracket is taut.
Attach the accessory tray to the bracket with the three wingnut-head screws already installed in the tray. Push the screws
up through the holes in the bracket, then thread them into the
holes in the tray.
5. Next, tighten the wingnuts at the top of the tripod legs, so
the legs are securely fastened to the equatorial mount. Use
the larger wrench and your fingers to do this.
6. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 1, at a
latitude of about 40°, i.e., so the pointer next to the latitude
scale is pointing to the line at “40”. To do this, loosen one of the
latitude adjusting T-bolts and then tighten the other latitude
Finder scope
bracket
Nylon
thumbscrews
Finder scope
Tensioner
Focusing lock ring
Figure 3a. The 6x26 Correct-Image finder scope
Figure 3b.
Pull back on the
tensioner and slide
the finder scope into
its bracket until the
O-ring is seated in
the bracket ring
adjusting T-bolt until the pointer and the “40” line up (Figure 2).
The declination (Dec.) and right ascension (R.A.) axes many
need re-positioning (rotation) as well. Be sure to loosen the
R.A. and Dec. lock levers before doing this. Retighten them
once the equatorial mount is properly oriented.
7. Thread the counterweight shaft into the equatorial mount at
the base of the declination axis until tight. Make sure the casting at the top of the bar is threaded clockwise as far as it will
go before attaching the shaft.
8. Remove the knurled “toe saver” retaining screw on the bottom of the counterweight shaft and slide both counterweights
onto the shaft. Make sure the counterweight lock knobs are
adequately loosened to allow the counterweight shaft to pass
through the hole. Position the counterweights about halfway
up the shaft and tighten the lock knobs. Replace the toe saver
on the end of the bar. It prevents the counterweights from falling on your foot if the lock knobs happen to come loose.
9. Connect the optical tube to the top of the mount with the optical tube attachment knobs. Place a lock washer on the shaft of
each of the knobs, followed by a flat washer. Align the holes in
the top of the mount with the holes in the mounting plate. Push
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Pointer
Date circle
Ring with
engraved time
meridian indicator
mark
Polar scope
alignment
thumbscrew (3)
R.A. setting circle
Meridian
offset scale
Polar scope
housing
Polar axis
finder scope
Figure 4. The polar axis finder scope installed in the right
ascension (R.A.) axis of the mount.
the knobs, with washers attached, up through the holes in the
mount and thread them into the plate until finger tight.
10. Attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A. and Dec.
worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by positioning the
small screw on the end of the cable over the indented slot on
the worm gear shaft. Then tighten the screw.
11. To place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket, first
unthread the two black nylon thumbscrews until the screw
ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket. Place
the O-ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the
body of the finder scope until it seats into the groove on the
middle of the finder scope. Slide the eyepiece end (narrow
end) of the finder scope into the end of the bracket’s cylinder
opposite the alignment thumbscrews while pulling the chrome,
spring-loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers
(Figure 3b). Push the finder scope through the bracket until
the O-ring seats just inside the front opening of the brackets
cylinder. Now, release the tensioner and tighten the two black
nylon thumbscrews a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place.
12. Insert the “foot” of the finder scope bracket into its mounting base on top of the optical tube. Lock the bracket into
position by tightening the knurled thumbscrew on the base.
13. Insert the chrome barrel of the star diagonal into the eyepiece adapter and secure it with the thumbscrews.
14. Then insert the 25mm Plössl eyepiece into the star diagonal and secure it in place with the thumbscrews on the
diagonal. (Always loosen the thumbscrews before rotating or
removing the diagonal or an eyepiece.)
15. Install the polar axis finder scope into its housing inside
the R.A. axis of the equatorial mount (Figure 4). First loosen
the three thumbscrews on the housing, which is located at the
rear of the R.A. axis. Insert the front end of the polar finder
(the end without the eyeguard) into the housing so only about
1” of the polar finder extends from the back of the housing. Do
this slowly and with a twisting motion to prevent the internal
O-ring from becoming unseated. If it does become unseated,
you can remove the entire housing from the mount to locate
a.
b.
Figure 5a and 5b. Proper operation of the equatorial mount
requires balancing the telescope tube on the R.A. axis. (a) With the
R.A. lock knob released, slide the counterweight along the
counterweight shaft until it just counterbalances the tube. (b) When
you let go with both hands, the tube should not drift up or down.
the O-ring and reseat it. This is done by rotating the entire
housing counterclockwise. Once the polar axis finder scope is
in the housing, tighten the three thumbscrews. These thumbscrews will be used later to align the finder with the mount’s
R.A. axis.
The telescope system is now fully assembled. Keep the dust
cover over the front end of the telescope when it is not in
use.
4. Getting Started
Balancing the Telescope
To insure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of
motion (R.A. and Dec.) of the equatorial mount, it is imperative that the optical tube be properly balanced.
Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen the
R.A. lock lever. Make sure the Dec. lock lever is locked. 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).
Now loosen the counterweight lock knobs and slide the
weights along the shaft until it exactly counterbalances the
telescope (Figure 5a). That’s the point at which the shaft
remains horizontal even when you let go of the telescope with
both hands (Figure 5b).
Retighten the counterweight lock knob.
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