Orion StarSeeker Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

IN 237 Rev. A 05/03

Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

Customer Support [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Corporate Offices [phone]
P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061

Orion

®

StarSeeker

™

60mm

Altazimuth Refractor

#9891

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Table of Contents

Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

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

The Basic Components

of Your Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Using your Telescope

Astronomical Observing . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Terrestrial Observing . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

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

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Unpacking

The entire telescope system will arrive in one box. Be careful
unpacking the box since some of the contents are small and
easy to overlook.We recommend keeping the original shipping
container.In the event you need to ship the telescope to another
location, or return it to Orion for warranty repair, ha ving 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. Familiarize
yourself with their features and compare them to the callouts on
Figures 1, 2, and 3 when possible. If anything appears to be
missing or broken, immediately call Orion Customer Support
(1-800-676-1343) for assistance.

Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy. Your new StarSeeker 60 Altazimuth Refractor is a
quality optical instrument that will deliver countless hours of exciting stargazing, from magnified views of
the Moon, star clusters, and nebulas to glimpses of Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings. The StarSeeker
60 includes everything you need to go from box to backyard in less than half an hour.

These instructions will help you set up, use, and care for your new telescope.

Parts List

Qty. Description
1 Optical tube assembly (1)
1 Yoke altazimuth mount (5)
1 Altitude micro-motion control rod and thumbwheel (13)
3 Tripod legs (6) with attached accessory tray bracket (22)
1 Accessory tray (7)
1 5x finder scope (4) with finder scope bracket (11)
3 Tripod attachment screws (21) with wingnuts and washers
3 Accessory tray attachment wing screws
3 Leg lock knobs (23)
2 Yoke knobs (18)
1 90˚ mirror star diagonal (2)
1 25mm Kellner eyepiece (3)
1 10mm Kellner eyepiece (24)
1 Dust cover (25)

®

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.

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Figure 1.

StarSeeker 60mm AZ Components

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4

3

2

6

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5

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The Basic Components of Your Telescope

Figure 1 shows the fully assembled StarSeeker 60.All the major components of the telescope are described and numbered to
help you identify each part and understand its use. Refer back to this figure when assembling the telescope.

Optical tube:

This is the main optical component of the telescope. The
glass lens at the front of the tube gathers incoming light
and focuses it by bending (or refracting) the light rays.
The tube assembly has sev eral parts built into it, which
are shown and discussed in detail in the next section.

90° Mirror star diagonal:

The diagonal contains a mirror that reflects the light gath­ered through the optical tube to the eyepiece. The diago­nal is angled to allow for viewing objects that are high in
the sky from a comfortable position.

Eyepiece:

The eyepiece is the part of the telescope that you actually
look through to see things.The focal length of the eye­piece and the telescope determine the magnifying
power of the telescope. Magnification is discussed in
more detail in the Using Your Telescope section.

5x finder scope:

This finder scope is a small telescope with a wide field of
view that helps you aim the telescope and locate objects
in the night sky. The use of the 5x finder scope is dis­cussed in the Getting Started section.

“Yoke” altazimuth mount:

The mount couples the telescope to the tripod and allows
you to move the optical tube easily both up and down and
right and left.

Tripod legs:

These aluminum tripod legs support the telescope and
can extend from 27" to 50" long.

Accessory tray:

This tray is a conv enient place f or holding extra eyepieces
and other small pieces of equipment.

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6

5

4

3

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1

b. StarSeeker 60 focuser detail

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2

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15

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a. Detail of the optical tube

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8

Figure 2. StarSeeker60 optical tube detail

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Details of the Optical Tube and Components

Figure 2a shows the details of the Optical Tube (1) and its various parts. The optical tube is shown attached to the mount for
clarity. Figure 2b is a close-up of the focuser with even more detail.

Objective lens:

This is the main optical component of the telescope. It

is an achromatic, fully coated 60mm lens.

Glare/Dew shield:

This is a simple “hood” for the objective lens (8) that

prevents dew formation and stray light from hitting the
lens.

Altitude castings:

These castings are built into the optical tube (1). The

yoke knobs (18) thread into these castings through the
holes in the top of the Yoke mount (5) to secure the two
parts together.

5x finder scope mounting bracket:

The 5x finder scope (4) comes inserted in this bracket

that will be attached to the optical tube (1).

Micro-motion rod attachment post:

This post is where the micro-motion rod (13) will be

attached to the optical tube (1).

Altitude micro-motion control rod and
thumbwheel:

This allows fine adjustment of the telescope in the alti­tude (up-down) direction. For more details, see the
Getting Started section.

Focuser drawtube:

This is where the 90˚ mirror star diagonal (2), or other
optional diagonal, is inserted.The drawtube is adjusted
by the turning the focus wheel (15), which adjusts a
rack-an-pinion system to bring objects into focus.

Focus wheels:

These wheels, when turned, move the focuser draw­tube (14) in or out. Use it to bring things into focus
when you are looking in the eyepiece (3).

Diagonal holder thumbscrews:

Diagonal holder thumbscrews:These two thumbscrews
secure the 90˚ mirror star diagonal (2) into the focuser
drawtube (14). These should only be loosened to
remove or rotate the star diagonal.

Eyepiece holder thumbscrew:

This thumbscrew holds the eyepiece in position.
Tighten it after inserting an eyepiece (3); loosen it
before removing or changing eyepieces.

“Yoke” knobs:

These knobs secure the optical tube to the yoke mount.
They should always be securely tightened.

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20

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b. StarSeeker 60 tripod leg and mount attachment detail

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a. Detail of the altizimuth mount

Figure 3. Detail of the tripod and altazimuth mount

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Details of the Tripod and Mount

Figure 3a shows a close up of the telescope’s mount and tripod.Important features are pointed out f or greater clarity and detail.
Figure 3b shows close-up detail of the tripod legs (6) attached to the yoke altazimuth mount (5).

Altitude lock knob:

This locks the telescope in the altitude (up/down) direc-

tion. Keep this knob tightened unless you are moving
the telescope a significant distance in the altitude
direction. For smaller altitude adjustments, use the alti­tude micro-motion control rod and thumbwheel (13).

Azimuth lock knob:

This locks the telescope in the azimuth (left/right) direc-

tion. Keep this knob tightened unless you are adjusting
the telescope in the azimuth direction.

Tripod leg attachment screws:

These screws attach the tripod legs (6) to the yoke

altazimuth mount (5). Each screw has a wingnut and
two washers.

Accessory tray bracket:

This bracket holds the accessory tray (7).

Leg lock knobs:

These knobs lock the tripod legs into place. Loosen

them to lengthen or shorten the tripod legs. Tighten
them once you have the legs at the desired length. Be
certain that all three tripod legs are equally extended to
assure your telescope is level.

Items not shown.These items are included with
your telescope, but are not shown in Figure 1, 2, or 3.

10mm Kellner eyepiece:

This is a second, high-powered eyepiece, providing

70x magnification. For more details see the Using Your
Telescope section.

Dust cover:

Use this to cover the objective lens (8) when the tele-

scope is not in use. It will prevent dust from collecting
on the objective lens.

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24

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20

19

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Assembly

Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about
30 minutes.The only tools you will need are a Phillips head
screwdriver and a flat head screwdriver. As a general note,
tighten all screws securely to eliminate flexing and wobbling,
but be careful not to over-tighten and thereby strip the
threads. Refer to Figures 1 through 4 during the assembly
process.

During assembly (and any other time, for that matter), do not
touch the surfaces of the telescope objective lens or the lens­es of the finder scope and eyepiece with your fingers.These
optical surfaces have delicate coatings that can easily be
damaged if touched. Never remove any lens assembly from
its housing for any reason, or the product warranty will be
voided.

Begin set-up of the telescope by assembling the tripod and
mount first:

1. Lay the “Yoke” altazimuth mount (5) on its side.Attach the
tripod legs (6), one at a time, to the base of the mount by
sliding a tripod leg attachment screw (21) through the top of
a leg and through the holes in the base of the mount.The
washers should be on the outside of the tripod legs.Secure
the wing nuts finger-tight. Figure 3b shows a closeup detail
of the screws attaching the tripod legs to the altazimuth
mount.

2. Install and tighten the leg lock knobs (23) on the bottom
braces of the tripod legs (6). For now, keep the legs at their
shortest (fully retracted) length; you can extend them to a
more desirable length later, once the tripod is completely
assembled.

3. Stand the tripod and mount upright and spread the tripod
legs (6) apart as far as they will go, until the accessory tray
bracket (22) is taut.Connect the accessory tray (7) to the
accessory tray bracket (22) with the three wing screws
already installed in the tray. Push the wing screws up
through the holes in the accessory tray bracket and thread
them into the holes in the accessory tray.

4.Tighten the tripod leg attachment screws (21) at the tops of
the tripod legs so the legs are securely fastened to the
mount. Use the Phillips head screwdriver and/or your fin
gers to do this.

5. Attach the altitude micro-motion rod and thumbwheel (13)
to the optical tube (1) by first removing the flat-head screw
from the micro-motion rod attachment post (12) on the side
of the optical tube.Slide the screw through the hole at the
end of the micro-motion rod and rethread the screw into the
attachment post. Make sure the screw is tightened.

The tripod is now completely assembled and the yoke mount
is ready for the installation of the optical tube.

6. To install the optical tube (1) in the yoke mount (5), first

slide the altitude micro-motion control rod into its receptacle,
at the same location as the altitude lock knob (19) on the side
of the yoke (Figure 4).Then, with the rod in place in the recep­tacle, gently drop the optical tube into the yoke so that the
holes on the altitude castings (10) on the side of the optical
tube line up with the holes on the top of the yoke altazimuth
mount (5). Slide the yoke knobs (18) through the holes on top
of the mount and thread them into the altitude castings on the
optical tube.Tighten the altitude lock knob (19) securely.

7. Remove the two metal 5x finder scope bracket (11) thumb­screws from the optical tube.Place the bracket on the tube
so that the holes in the bracket slide over the two threaded
posts on the tube.The 5x finder scope (4) should be orient­ed so that it appears as in Figure 1.Thread the thumb­screws back onto the posts to secure the bracket in place.

8. Insert the chrome barrel of the 90˚ mirror star diagonal (2)
into the focuser drawtube (14).See Figure 3. Secure the
star diagonal with the diagonal holder thumbscrews (16).

9. Insert the chrome barrel of the 25mm Kellner eyepiece (3)
into the 90˚ mirror star diagonal (2). Secure the eyepiece in
the diagonal with the eyepiece holder thumbscrew (17).The
eyepiece and diagonal properly installed should resemble
Figure 2b.

Your telescope is now fully assembled and should resemble
Figures 1-3.

Figure 4. Installing the optical tube in the “yoke”altazimuth mount

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Getting Started

Now that your StarSeeker 60 is assembled, you’re ready to
begin observing. This section will instruct you on using your
telescope effectively.

Altitude and Azimuth (Aiming the Telescope)

The StarSeeker 60 altazimuth mount (5) permits motion along
two axes: altitude (up/down) and azimuth (left/right). See
Figure 5. Moving the telescope up/down and right/left is the
“natural” way people aim objects and this makes pointing the
telescope intuitive and easy.

To move the telescope in the azimuth direction, loosen the
azimuth lock knob, take hold of the telescope by the yoke and
gently rotate the telescope to the desired position. Then
retighten the azimuth lock knob.To move the telescope in the
altitude direction, loosen the altitude lock knob, take hold of
the end of the optical tube and move the tube up or down to
the desired position.Then retighten the altitude lock knob.

Note about the Altitude Micro-Motion Rod and
Thumbwheel

Since making fine adjustments to the altitude of the telescope
can be tricky, the StarSeeker 60 comes with an altitude micro­motion rod and thumbwheel (13). By turning the thumbwheel,
the telescope will move very slightly either up or down,
depending on which direction you turn the thumbwheel.Since
there is a limit to how far the thumbwheel can turn in either
direction, if you need to make any large altitude movements
to the telescope it is best to simply loosen the altitude lock
knob (20) and move the scope by hand.

Focusing the Telescope

With the 25mm Kellner eyepiece (3) inserted into the 90˚ mir­ror star diagonal (2) and secured with the thumbscrews, aim
the optical tube (1) so the front (open) end is pointing in the
general direction of an object at least 1/4-mile awa y. Now, with
your fingers, slowly rotate one of the focus wheels (15) until
the object comes into sharp focus.Go a little bit beyond sharp
focus until the image starts to blur again, then reverse the
rotation of the knob, just to make sure you’ve hit the exact
focus point.

®

Azimuth

Altitude

Figure 5. The StarSeeker 60 has two axes of motion:altitude

and azimuth.

Do You Wear Eyeglasses?

If you wear eyeglasses, you may be able to keep them on
while you observe.In order to do this, your eyepiece must
have enough “ey e relief” to allow you to see the entire field
of view with glasses on.You can try looking through the
eyepiece first with your glasses on and then with them off ,
to see if the glasses restrict the view to only a portion of
the full field. If the glasses do restrict the field of view, you
may be able to observe with your glasses off by just refo­cusing the telescope to your unaided vision.

If your eyes are astigmatic, images will probably appear
best with glasses on. This is because a telescope’s
focuser can accommodate for nearsightedness or far­sightedness, but not astigmatism.If you have to wear your
glasses while observing and cannot see the entire field of
view, you may want to purchase additional eyepieces that
have longer eye relief.

Short
eye relief
restricts
the field
of view
for
eyeglass
wearers.

Long eye
relief allows
full field
of view to
be seen with
or without
eyeglasses.

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Using the 5X Finder Scope

Your StarSeeker comes with a 5x finder scope (Figure 6) that will
aid in aiming the telescope and finding objects in the night sky.
The finder scope must be aligned accurately with the tele­scope for proper use.To align it, aim the main telescope in the
general direction of an object at least 1/4-mile away, such as
the top of a telephone pole, a chimney, etc. Center the object
in the telescope’s eyepiece. Now, look in the finder scope.Is
the object visible? Ideally, it will be somewhere in the finder’s
field of view. If it is not, some coarse adjustments of the three
black nylon finder scope alignment thumbscrews will be need­ed to get the finder scope roughly parallel to the main tube.If
this does not work, loosen the two thumbnuts that secure the
finder scope bracket to the optical tube and slide the bracket
left or right to get the object in the finder’s field of view.
Retighten the thumbnuts.

NOTE:The image in the telescope will appear reversed
left-to-right. This is normal for astronomical telescopes
that utilize a star diagonal.The finder scope view will be
rotated 180˚ (See Figure 7).

By loosening one alignment thumbscrew and tightening the oth­ers, you change the line of sight of the finder scope. Use the
three alignment thumbscrews to center the object on the
crosshairs of the finder scope. Look again into the telescope’s
eyepiece and see if the object 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 finderscope.

The finder scope alignment needs to be checked before every
observing session.This can easily be done at night, before view­ing through the telescope. Choose any bright star or planet,
center the object in the telescope eyepiece, and then adjust the
finder scope’s alignment thumbscrews until the star or planet is
also centered on the finder’s crosshairs.The finder scope is an
invaluable tool for locating objects in the night sky since it has a
much wider field of view than the main telescope tube.

Focusing the Finder Scope

If, when looking through the finder scope, the images appear
somewhat out of focus, you will need to refocus the finder
scope for your eyes.Tur n the viewing end of the finder scope
clockwise or counter-clockwise as needed to focus the finder
scope on a distant object (1/4 mile away or more).

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 street lights, 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!

“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. ”

Figure 6. The 5x Finder Scope

Objective end

Alignment thumb­screws (3)

Focuser

Eyepiece
end

Finder scope bracket

View through the StarSeeker 60mm AZ

Figure 7. Images through the finder scope will appear

upside-down and backwards (rotated 180°).Images through the
StarSeeker 60mm AZ with its diagonal in place will be reversed from
left to right.

View through finder scope

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If, when you look up at the sky with your naked 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 sev erely).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.

Especially , important for observing faint objects is good “trans-
parency”— air free of moisture, smoke, and dust. All tend to
scatter light, which reduces an object’s brightness.Tr ansparency
is judged by the magnitude of the faintest stars you can see with
the unaided eye (6th magnitude or fainter is desir ab le).

If you cannot see stars of magnitude 3.5 or dimmer then con­ditions are poor.Magnitude is a measure of how bright a star
is — the brighter a star is, the lower its magnitude will be. A
good star to remember for this is Megrez (mag.3.4), which is
the star in the “Big Dipper”connecting the handle to the “pan.”
If you cannot see Megrez, then you have fog, haze, clouds,
smog, or other conditions that are hindering your viewing.
(See Figure 8).

Tracking Celestial Objects

The Earth is constantly rotating about its polar axis, completing
one full rotation every 24 hours;this is what defines a “day”.We
do not feel the Earth rotating, but we can still tell that it is at night

by seeing the apparent movement of stars from east to west.
When you observe any astronomical object, you are watching

a moving target.This means the telescope’s position must be
continuously adjusted over time to keep an object in the field
of view. When viewing the with the StarSeeker 60, you will
need to give the optical tube (1) a light tug or push in azimuth
(left or right) as well as an occasional turn of the altitude
micro-motion thumbwheel (13) to keep the object in the field
of view. (Make certain the azimuth lock knob (20) is slightly
loosened before moving the scope in the azimuth position.)
Objects will appear to move faster at higher magnifications
because the field of view is narrower.

Remember that objects are reversed left to right in refractor
telescopes, so when you move the telescope in one direction
in the azimuth, the object will move in the opposite direction
in the eyepiece. This takes some getting used to, but
becomes second nature after a few nights out with the tele­scope.

Eyepiece Selection

By using eyepieces of different focal lengths, it is possible to
attain many magnifications or powers with the StarSeeker 60.
Your telescope comes with two Kellner eyepieces (Figure 9):
a 25mm, which gives a magnification of 28x, and a 10mm,
which gives a magnification of 70x. Other eyepieces can be
used to achieve higher or low er powers .It is quite common for
an observer to own five or more eyepieces to access a wide
range of magnifications.

To calculate the magnification, or power, of a telescope-eye­piece combination, simply divide the focal length of the
telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece.

Light Pollution

Most of us live where city lights interfere with our view of
the heavens. As our metropolitan areas have become
more developed, the scourge of light pollution has spread,
washing out many stars and nonstellar celestial objects
from our sight. Faint deep sky objects become difficult or
impossible to see through the murk of light pollution.Even
bright nebulas like the Orion and Lagoon Nebulas lose
much of their delicate detail. The Moon and planets are
not affected;they require steady air more than dark skies,
so they remain good targets for city-dwelling observers.

The International Dark-Sky Association is waging the fight
against light pollution.The IDSA was founded in 1988 with
the mission of educating the public about the adverse
impact that light pollution has on the night sky and astron­omy. Through educational and scientific means, the
nonprofit IDA works to raise aw areness about the problem
and about measures that can be taken to solve it.

Do you need help dealing with local officials to control street
or building lighting in your area? The IDA’s extensive sup-
port materials can show you how. Help preserve dark skies,
join the IDA today! For information, write to IDA, 3225 N.
First Ave., Tuscon, AZ 85719-2103 or visit their website:
www.darksky.org.

The best way to avoid immediate problems with light pol­lution, however, is to take you telescope to where there
are dark skies.You will be amazed at how many stars you
can see when you get away from the city lights.

Figure 8. Megrez connects the Big Dipper’s handle to it's “pan”.It

is a good guide to how conditions are. If you can not see Megrez (a

3.4 magnitude star) then conditions are poor.

1.9

4.9

2.4

1.9

2.4

1.7

3.4

2.5

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Telescope Focal Length (mm) ÷ Eyepiece Focal

Length(mm) = Magnification

For example, the StarSeeker 60, which has a focal length of
700mm, used in combination with the 25mm eyepiece, yields
a magnification of

700 ÷ 25 = 28x

Whatever you choose to view, always start by inserting your
lowest-power (longest focal length) eyepiece to locate and
center the object. Low magnification yields a wide field of
view, which shows a larger area of sky in the eyepiece.This
makes finding and centering an object much easier.Trying to
find and center objects with a high power (narrow field of
view) eyepiece is like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

Once you’ve centered the object in the eyepiece, you can
switch to a higher magnification (shorter focal length) eye­piece, if you wish.This is recommended for small and bright
objects, like planets and double stars.The Moon also takes
higher magnifications well.

The best rule of thumb with eyepiece selection is to start with
a low power, wide-field eyepiece, and then work your way up
in magnification. If the object looks better, try an even higher
magnification eyepiece. If the object looks worse, then back
off the magnification a little by using a lower-power eyepiece.

What to Expect

So what will you see with your telescope? You should be able
to see bands on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, craters on the
Moon, the waxing and waning of Venus, and many bright
deep-sky objects. Do not expect to see color as you do in
NASA photos, since those are taken with long-exposure cam­eras and have “false color” added. Our eyes are not sensitive
enough to see color in deep-sky objects except in a fe w of the
brightest ones.

Remember that you are seeing these objects using your own
telescope with your own eyes! The object you see in your eye­piece is in real-time, and not some conveniently provided
image from an expensive space probe. Each session with
your telescope will be a learning experience. Each time you
work with your telescope it will get easier to use, and stellar
objects will become easier to find.Take it from us, there is big
difference between looking at a well-made full-color NASA

image of a deep-sky object in a lit room during the daytime,
and seeing that same object in your telescope at night. One
can merely be a pretty image someone gave to you.The other
is an experience you will never forget!

Objects to Observe

Now that you are all set up and ready to go, one critical deci­sion must be made: what to look at?

A. The Moon

With its rocky surface, the Moon is one of the easiest and most
interesting targets to view with your telescope. Lunar craters,
marias, and even mountain ranges can all be clearly seen from a
distance of 238,000 miles away! With its ever-changing phases,
you’ll get a new view of the Moon every night.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 are cast on the surface, which re veal 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 surf ace shadows to yield a pleasing vie w. Make sure to
observe the Moon when it is well above the horizon to get the
sharpest images.

Use an optional Moon filter to dim the Moon when it is very
bright. It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepieces (you
must first remove the ey epiece from the f ocuser to attach a filter).
You’ll find that the Moon filter improves viewing comfort, and also
helps to bring out subtle features on the lunar surface.

B. The Sun

You can change your nighttime telescope into a daytime Sun
viewer by installing an optional full-aperture solar filter over the
front opening of the StarSeeker 60. The primary attraction is
sunspots, which change shape, appearance, and location daily.
Sunspots are directly related to magnetic activity in the Sun.

Figure 9. The 25mm and 10mm Kellner eyepieces.

25mm

10mm

Magnification Limits

Every telescope has a useful magnification limit of about 2X
per millimeter of aperture. This comes to 120X for the
StarSeeker 60.Some telescope manufacturers will use mis­leading claims of excess magnification, such as “See
distant galaxies at 640X!”. While such magnifications are
technically possible, the actual image at that magnification
would be an indistinct blur .

Moderate magnifications are what give the best views.It
is better to view a small, but bright and detailed image
than a dim, unclear, oversized image.

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Many observers like to make drawings of sunspots to monitor
how the Sun is changing from day to da y.

Important Note: Do not look at the Sun with any optical instru­ment without a professionally made solar filter , or permanent eye
damage could result.

C. The Planets

The planets don’t stay put like the stars, so to find them you
should refer to Sky Calendar at our website (telescope.com), or
to charts published monthly in Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, or
other astronomy magazines.Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn
are the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and the Moon.
Your StarSeeker 60 is capable of showing you these planets in
some detail. Other planets may be visible but will likely appear
star-like. Because planets are quite small in apparent size,
optional higher-power eyepieces are recommended and often
needed for detailed observations.Not all the planets are general­ly visible at any one time.

JUPITER:The largest planet, Jupiter, is a great subject f or obser­vation.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.

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 will probably see a bright “star” close by,
which is 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,
V enus 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: The Red Planet makes its closest approach to Earth
every two years.During close approaches you’ll see a red disk,
and may be able to see the polar ice cap .

D. The Stars

Stars will appear like twinkling points of light.Even powerful tele­scopes cannot magnify stars to appear as more than a point 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 two­color double star Albireo in Cygnus are favorites. Defocusing a
star slightly can help bring out its color.

E. Deep-Sky Objects

Under dark skies, you can observe a wealth of fascinating deep­sky objects, including gaseous nebulas, open and globular star
clusters, and a variety of different types of galaxies.Most deep­sky 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.Do not expect these sub­jects to appear like the photographs you see in books and
magazines; most will look like dim gray smudges.Our eyes are
not sensitive enough to see color in deep-sky objects except in a
few of the brightest ones.But as you become more experienced
and your observing skills get sharper, you will be able to f erret out
more and more subtle details and structure.

T o find deep sky objects in the sky, it is best to consult a star chart
or Planisphere.These guides will help you locate the brightest
and best deep-sky objects for viewing with your StarSeek er 60.

Terrestrial Observing

The StarSeeker 60 can be used for long-distance viewing over
land.We recommend using an optional 45˚ correct-image prism
diagonal (#7216) instead of the included 90˚ mirror star diagonal.
The correct-image diagonal will yield upright, non-reversed
images and provide a more comfortable viewing angle.

For terrestrial viewing, it’s best to stick with low-powered eye-
pieces that yield a magnification under 80x. At higher powers,
images rapidly lose sharpness and clarity due to “heat waves”
caused by Sun-heated air.

Remember to aim well clear of the Sun, unless the front of the
telescope is fitted with a professionally made solar filter .

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. Small
components like eyepieces and other accessories should be
kept in a protective box or storage case. Keep the caps on the
front of the telescope and on the focuser drawtube when not in
use.

Your StarSeeker 60 telescope 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, it will not harm the telescope.

Cleaning Lenses

Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean­ing fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be
used to clean the StarSeeker 60’s objective lens exposed
lenses of your eyepieces.Never use regular glass cleaner or
cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses

Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles
off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air.Then apply
some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics.
Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any
excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and
smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution ­rubbing too hard may scratch the lens.For the larger surface
of the objective lenses, clean only a small area at a time,
using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tissues.

One-Year Limited Warranty

This Orion StarSeeker 60 Altazimuth Reffractor 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, mishan-
dled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear.This warranty gives you specific
legal rights, and you may also ha ve 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; [phone].

Orion Telescopes & Binoculars

Post Office Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061

Customer Support Help Line [phone] • Day or Evening

www.telescope.com

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Specifications

Optical tube: Aluminum
Objective lens diameter: 60mm
Objective lens:Achromatic, coated
Focal length:700mm
Focal ratio:f/11.6
Focuser: Rack and pinion, accepts 1.25" eyepieces
Eyepieces:25mm and 10mm Kellner eyepieces, 1.25", fully coated
Magnification: 28x (with 25mm) and 70x (with 10mm)
Tripod: Aluminum
Mount: Altazimuth yoke, with altitude micro-motion arm
Star diagonal: Mirror, 1.25"
Finder: 5x finder scope
Weight: 5.7 lbs.