IN 092 Rev. C 0500
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
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Orion
®
SkyView
™
Deluxe 6" EQ
Equatorial Reflecting Telescope
#9403
2
Figure 1. SkyView Deluxe 6" parts diagram
Eyepiece
Focuser
Focus knob
Tube ring clamps
Tube ring
Tube ring mount bolt
Primary mirror cell
Right Ascension lock lever
Right ascension setting circle
Polar axis finder scope
Right ascension slow-motion control
Latitude adjustment knob
Tripod leg attachment bolt
Latitude scale
Tripod leg
Leg lock knob
Rubber foot
Finder scope
alignment screws (6)
Finder scope
Finder scope bracket
Secondary mirror holder
Declination slow-
motion control
Declination
setting circle
Declination lock lever
(not pictured)
Latitude lock lever
(not pictured)
Counterweight shaft
Counterweights
Counterweight
lock knobs
Retaining washer
and knob
Azimuth adjustment
knobs (2)
Accessory tray bracket
Accessory tray
3
1. Unpacking
The entire telescope system, including tripod, equatorial
mount, and all accessories, are packaged in one box.. Be
careful unpacking the box.We recommend keeping the original shipping containers.In the event that the telescope needs
to be shipped to another location, or returned to Orion for
warranty repair, having the proper shipping containers 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 boxes carefully, as some parts are small. If anything
appears to be missing or broken, immediately call Orion
Customer Support (800)676-1343 for assistance.
2. Parts List
Box 1: Optical Tube Assembly
Qty. Description
1 Optical Tube Assembly
1 Optical tube dust cap
2 Optical tube mounting rings
1 25mm (30x) Plössl eyepiece (1.25”)
1 9mm (83x) Plössl eyepiece (1.25”)
1 6x30 crosshair finder scope
1 Dual-ring finder scope bracket
6 Finder scope alignment screws and round, knurled nuts
1 Moon Filter
Box 2: SkyView Deluxe EQ Mount
Qty. Description
1 Equatorial mount
3 Tripod legs
1 Counterweight shaft
1 Large counterweight
1 Small counterweight
1 Tripod accessory tray
3 Accessory tray screws and wing nuts
2 Slow-motion control cables
1 Polar axis finder scope
Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope.Your new SkyView Deluxe 6" EQ 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 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............................................................................................................................. 4
4. Getting Started.................................................................................................................... 5
5. Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount........................................................................ 7
6. Collimating the Optics....................................................................................................... 10
7. Using Y our T elescope–Astronomical Observing................................................................ 12
8. Care and Maintenance........................................................................................................ 15
9. Specifications...................................................................................................................... 16
10. Suggested Accessories....................................................................................................... 16
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.
4
3. Assembly
Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about 30
minutes. No tools are needed. All bolts should be tightened
securely to eliminate flexing and wobbling, b ut only tighten them
“finger tight.” Be careful not to ov er-tighten so as not to strip the
threads.Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process.
During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), DO NOT
touch the surfaces of the telescope mirrors or the lenses of
the finder scopes or eyepieces 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 w arranty and return policy will be voided.
1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side.Attach the tripod legs,
one at a time, to the base of the mount by sliding the tripod
leg attachment bolt into the slot in the mount and lightly
tightening it finger-tight. Note that the hinged accessor y
tray bracket on each leg should face inward.
2. Tighten the leg lock knobs at the base of the 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 attach the accessory tray to the three
hinged tray brackets on the legs. Position the brackets
underneath the tray and use the three small accessory tray
screws and wing nuts to attach the tray to the br ackets.Do
not tighten the wing nuts yet.
4. Now, with the accessory tray attached loosely, spread the
tripod legs apart as far as they will go, until the accessory
tray brackets are taut.Then tighten the wing nuts.
5. Ne xt, tighten the tripod leg attachment bolts at the base of
the equatorial mount, so the legs are securely fastened.The
assembled tripod should now be stable and solid.If it is
not, a bolt or screw may need further tightening.
6. Remov e the retaining nut from the bottom end of the counterweight shaft.Slide both counterweights onto the shaft,
then replace the retaining nut.The retaining nut will prevent the counterweights from slipping off the shaft and
possibly onto your foot if the counterweight lock knobs
should come loose
7. At the top end of the counterweight shaft, note the cast
metal shaft collar. Rotate the collar so as much of the
threaded end of the shaft as possible is visible.Now, with
the counterweight lock knobs loose, grip the counterweights
with one hand and thread the shaft into the equatorial
mount (at the base of the declination axis) with the other
hand. When it is threaded as far in as it will go, twist the
shaft collar clockwise to secure the shaft.Position the counterweights about halfway up the shaft and tighten the
counterweight lock knobs.
8. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 1, at a
latitude of about 40°, i.e., so the pointer next to the gold-
colored latitude scale is pointing to the hash mark at “40.”
To do this, loosen the latitude lock lever (on the side of the
mount opposite the gold latitude scale), and turn the latitude adjustment knob until the pointer and the “40”line up.
Then tighten the latitude lock leve r. Also tighten the declination (Dec.) and right ascension (R.A.) lock levers.
9. Remove the caps from the narrow end of the polar scope and
the polar scope port in the equatorial mount (behind the R.A.
setting circle).Insert the narrow end of the polar scope into
the open port.While gripping the wide end of the polar scope
(but not the eyepiece at the v ery end), thread it clockwise into
the port until it is secure.
10.Attach the two tube rings to the equatorial head, using the
captive tube ring bolts preinstalled in the equatorial head.
Open the tube rings.
11.Lay the telescope optical tube in the felt-lined tube rings
at about the midpoint of the tube’s length.Rotate the tube
in the rings so the focuser is angled somewhere between
horizontal and straight up.Close the rings over the tube
and tighten the knurled ring clamps finger-tight to secure
the telescope in position.
12.Now attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A.and Dec.
worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by positioning the
thumb screw on the end of the cable ov er the indented slot
on the worm gear shaft, then tightening the thumb screw.
The cables can be attached to either end of the shafts,
whichever is most convenient for you. But we recommend
that the Dec.cable extend toward the front end of the telescope (as in Figure 1), since that’s where you’ll be standing.
13.To install the finder scope bracket on the optical tube
(adjacent to the focuser), first remove the round nuts on
the two mounting screws.Do not loosen the small hex nuts
on the mounting screws.Place the finder scope bracket
over the two screws. Replace the round nuts and tighten
finger-tight.
14.Thread each of the six round, knurled nuts onto each of
the six finder scope alignment screws, then thread each
alignment screw into a hole in the finder scope bracket’s
rings.There are three holes on each of the bracket’s rings.
15.Place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket by first
backing off all six alignment screws until the screw tips are
flush with the inside diameter of the bracket.Slide the finder scope through the bracket’s rings with the larger
(objective) end pointing in the same direction as the open
end of the main telescope.Line up the groove on the eyepiece end of the finder scope with the rear ring of the
bracket.Tighten the six alignment screws equally to secure
the finder scope in place; you may need to loosen the
round, knurled nuts on the alignment screws to do this.
16.Remove the cap on the focuser drawtube and insert the
25mm Plössl eyepiece;secure it in place with the thumb
screw on the drawtube.
4. Getting Started
Balancing the Telescope
To insure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of
the equatorial mount, it is imperative that the optical tube be
properly balanced. We will first balance the telescope with
respect to the R.A. axis, then the Dec. axis.
1. Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen
the R.A.lock lev er .Make sure the Dec.lock lev er is lock ed,
for now. 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 both counterweight lock knobs and slide the
weights along the shaft until they exactly counterbalance the
telescope (Figure 2a). That’s the point at which the shaft
remains horizontal even when you let go of the telescope with
both hands (Figure 2b).
3. Retighten the counterweight lock knobs.The telescope is
now balanced on the R.A.axis.
4. To balance the telescope on the Dec.axis, first tighten the
R.A.lock lever, with the counterweight shaft still in the horizontal position.
5. With one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen the
Dec. lock lever. The telescope should now be able to
rotate freely about the Dec. axis. Loosen the tube r ing
clamps a few turns, until you can slide the telescope tube
forward and back inside the rings (this can be aided by
using a slight twisting motion on the optical tube while you
push or pull on it) (Figure 2c).
6. Position the telescope so it remains horizontal when you
carefully let go with both hands.This is the balance point
(Figure 2d). Before clamping the rings tight again, rotate
the telescope so the eyepiece is at a convenient angle for
viewing.When you are actually observing with the telescope, you can adjust the eyepiece position by loosening
the tube rings and rotating the optical tube.
7. Retighten the tube ring clamps.
The telescope is now balanced on both axes.Now when you
loosen the lock lever on one or both axes and manually point
the telescope, it should move without resistance and should
not drift from where you point it.
5
b.
d.
c.a.
Figure 2. Proper operation of the equatorial mount requires that the telescope tube be balanced on both the R.A. and Dec. axes. (a) With the
R.A. lock lever released, slide the counterweights along the counterweight shaft until they just counterbalance the tube. (b) When you let go
with both hands, the tube should not drift up or down. (c) With the Dec. lock lever released, loosen the tube ring clamps a few turns and slide
the telescope forward or back in the tube rings.(d) When the tube is balanced about the Dec. axis, it will not move when you let go.
(Model shown is SkyView Deluxe 8".)
6
Focusing the Telescope
Insert the low-power 25mm eyepiece into the focuser and
secure with the thumb screw .Move the telescope so the front
(open) end is pointing in the general direction of an object at
least 1/4-mile away. Now, with your fingers, 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’ve hit the exact focus point.
If you have troub le focusing, rotate the focus knob so the drawtube is in as far as it will go.Now look through the eyepiece
while slowly rotating the focus knob in the opposite direction.
You should soon see the point at which focus is reached.
The black nylon thumb screw on the top of the body of the
focuser is to lock the focuser drawtube in place once the telescope is properly focused.Before refocusing, remember to
first loosen the thumb screw.
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.
Aligning the Finder Scope
The finder scope must be aligned accurately with the telescope for proper use.To align it, first aim the main telescope
in the general direction of an object at least 1/4-mile away —
the top of a telephone pole, a chimney, etc. Position that
object in the center of the telescope’s eyepiece.
Now , look in the finder scope.Is the object visible? Ideally , it will
be somewhere in the field of view .If it is not, some coarse adjust-
ments of the six finder scope alignment thumb screws will be
needed to get the finder scope roughly parallel to the main tube.
NOTE: The image in both the finder scope and the main telescope will appear upside-down (rotated 180°).This is normal for
finder scopes and reflector telescopes (see Figure 3).
By loosening one alignment screw and tightening another, y ou
change the line of sight of the finder scope.The round, knurled
lock nuts installed on the alignment screws must be adequately
loosened to allow the screws to be threaded in or out.Continue
making adjustments to the alignment screws until the image in
both the finder scope and the telescope’s eyepiece is exactly
centered. Check the alignment by moving the telescope to
another object and fixing the finder scope’s crosshairs on the
exact point you want to look at.Then look through the telescope’s ey epiece to see if that point is centered in the field of
view .If it is, the job is done. If not, make the necessary adjustments until the two images match up.Once the finder scope is
aligned, turn the lock nuts clockwise until finger-tight to secure
the adjustment screws in place.
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 screws until the star or planet is
also centered on the finder’s crosshairs.The finder scope is
an invaluable tool f or locating objects in the night sky;its usage
for this purpose will be discussed later, in detail.
Focusing the Finder Scope
If, when looking through the finder scope, the images appear
somewhat out of focus, y ou will need to ref ocus the finder scope
for your ey es .Loosen the lock ring located behind the objective
lens cell on the body of the finder scope (see Figure 4).Back the
lock ring off by a few turns, f or no w. Refocus the finder scope on
a distant object by threading the objective lens cell in or out on
the finder scope body .Precise focusing will be achieved b y focusing the finder scope on a bright star.Once the image appears
Naked-eye view
View through finder scope and telescope
Figure 3. The view through a standard finder scope and reflector
telescope is upside down.This is tr ue for the SkyView Deluxe 6" and
its finder scope as well.
Lock
ring
Figure 4. Finder scope and bracket for the SkyView Deluxe 6" EQ.
7
sharp, retighten the lock ring behind the objective lens cell.The
finderscope’s focus should not need to be adjusted again.
5. Setting Up and Using
the Equatorial Mount
When you look at the night sky, you no doubt have noticed that
the stars appear to move slowly from east to west o ver time.That
apparent motion is caused by the Earth’s rotation (from west to
east).An equatorial mount (Figure 5) is designed to compensate
for that motion, allowing you to easily “track” the movement of
astronomical objects, thereby keeping them from drifting out of
the telescope’s field of vie w while y ou’re observing.
This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its right
ascension axis, using only the R.A.slow-motion cable.But first
the R.A.axis of the mount must be aligned with the Earth’s rotational (polar) axis—a process called polar alignment.
Polar Alignment
For Northern Hemisphere observers, approximate polar
alignment is achieved by 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 the NCP.
To find Polaris in the sky, look north and locate the pattern of
the Big Dipper (Figure 6). 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).
For general visual observation, an approximate polar alignment is sufficient.
1. Level the equatorial mount by adjusting the length of the
three tripod legs.
2. Loosen the latitude lock lever. Turn the latitude adjustment
knob and tilt the mount until the pointer on the latitude scale
is set at the latitude of your observing site.If you don’t know
your latitude, consult a geographical atlas to find it. For
example, if your latitude is 35°North, set the pointer to +35.
Then retighten the latitude lock lever.The latitude setting
should not have to be adjusted again unless you mo ve to a
different viewing location some distance aw ay.
3. Loosen the Dec. lock lever and rotate the telescope optical
tube until it is parallel with the R.A.axis, as it is in Figure1.
Retighten the Dec. lock lever.
4. Lift and rotate the tripod so the telescope tube (and R.A.
axis) points roughly at Polaris.If you cannot see Polaris
directly from your observing site, consult a compass and
rotate the tripod so the telescope points North.
The equatorial mount is now polar-aligned for casual observing. More precise polar alignment is required for
astrophotography.
Polar Aligning Using the Polar Axis Finder
One of the unique features of your new SkyView Deluxe
mount is the polar axis finder scope.It fits conveniently inside
the equatorial mount, and contains a tiny star map that makes
precise polar alignment quick and easy. To use the polar axis
finder scope, follow these instructions:
1. Approximately polar-align the mount as outlined in the
procedure above.
2. Remove the caps that cover the polar finder (one on the
polar finder’s eyepiece and one on the front of the equa-
R
I
G
H
T
A
S
C
E
N
S
I
O
N
A
X
I
S
Declination (Dec.)
setting circle
Polar axis finder scope
port (front), with cap
Azimuth
adjustment
knob
Right
ascension
(R.A.)
setting circle
Polar axis
finder scope
Latitude scale
Latitude
adjustment
knob
D
E
C
L
I
N
A
T
I
O
N
A
X
I
S
Figure 6. 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 five times the distance between those
stars and you’ll reach Polaris, which lies
within 1° of the north celestial pole (NCP).
Big Dipper
(in Ursa Major)
Little Dipper
(in Ursa Minor)
N.C.P.
P
o
i
n
t
e
r
S
t
a
r
s
Polaris
Cassiopeia
Figure 5. SkyView Deluxe equatorial mount.
8
torial mount). Focus the polar finder by rotating its eyepiece.Now, sight Polaris in the polar axis finder scope. If
you have followed the approximate polar alignment procedure accurately, Polaris will probably be within the field
of view. If it is not, move the tripod left-to-right, and adjust
the latitude up-and-down until Polaris is somewhere within the field of view of the polar axis finder scope.
3. Shine a red flashlight down the front end of the polar finder to illuminate the reticle within the field of view. Make
sure the flashlight shines in at an angle, so as not to block
the polar finder’s field of view. It may be helpful to have a
friend hold the flashlight while you look through the polar
finder.Note the constellations Cassiopeia and Ursa Major
(the Big Dipper) in the reticle (ignore the constellation
Octans, as this is provided for Southern Hemisphere
observers).They do not appear to scale, but they indicate
the general positions of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major relative to Polaris and the north celestial pole (which is
indicated by the cross at the center of the reticle).Next,
the reticle must be rotated so the constellations depicted
match their current orientation in the sky when viewed
with the naked eye.To do this, release the R.A. lock lever
and rotate the main telescope about the R.A.axis until the
reticle is oriented with the sky.You may need to reposition
the telescope about the declination axis so the telescope
does not bump the mount.Once the reticle is correctly oriented, use the R.A. lock lever to secure the main
telescope’s position.
4. Now, use the azimuth and latitude adjustment knobs on
the mount to position the star Polaris inside the tiny circle
marked “Polaris” in the polar finder’s reticle.You must first
release the latitude lock lever and loosen the bolt that connects the equatorial head to the tripod (underneath the
equatorial mount). Once Polaris is properly positioned
within the reticle, lock the latitude lock lever and retighten
the bolt that connects the equatorial head to the tripod.
You are now precisely polar-aligned.
If you do not have a clear view of Polaris from your observing site, then you will not be able to use the polar axis finder
scope to precisely polar-align the telescope.
Note : From this point on in y our 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 undo the polar alignment.The telescope
should be moved only 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.
Optional Motor Drives for Automatic Tracking
An optional DC motor drive (Orion AccuTrack SVD, #7825)
can be mounted on the R.A. axis of the SkyView Deluxe
equatorial mount to provide hands-free tracking.Objects will
then remain stationary in the field of view without any manual adjustment of the R.A. slow-motion control.
Understanding the Setting Circles
The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to
locate celestial objects by their “celestial coordinates.” Every
object resides in a specific location on the “celestial sphere.”
That location is denoted by two numbers:its 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 Dec.
setting circle is scaled in degrees (there are 60 arc-minutes
in 1 degree of declination),with hash marks representing 2
degree increments.
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 and 27 arc-minutes in declination (the negative sign
denotes south of the celestial equator).
Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects, the
mount must be precisely polar aligned, and the setting circles
must be calibrated.
Calibrating the Declination Setting Circle
1. Loosen the Dec. lock lever and position the telescope as
accurately as possible in declination so it is parallel to the
R.A.axis of the equatorial mount. Re-tighten the lock lever.
2. Rotate the Dec.setting circle until the pointer reads exactly 90°.
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 levers on the equatorial
mount, so the telescope optical tube can move freely.
3. Point the telescope at the bright star near the celestial
equator whose coordinates you know. This information can
be taken from any star chart. Center the star in the telescope’s field of vie w. Lock the R.A. and Dec. lock levers.
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 lever and rotate the telescope until
the Dec. value from the star atlas matches the reading on
the Dec. setting circle. Retighten the lock lever.
2. Loosen the R.A.lock lever 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 lever.
Most setting circles are not accurate enough to put an object
dead-center in your finder scope’s field of vie w, but they’ll get
you close, assuming the equatorial mount is accurately polaraligned.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.
Confused About Pointing the Telescope?
Beginners occasionally experience some confusion about
how to point the telescope overhead or in other directions.In
Figure 1 the telescope is pointed north, as it would be during
polar-alignment.The counterweight shaft is oriented downward.But it will not look like that when the telescope is pointed
in other directions.Let’s say you want to view an object that is
directly overhead, at the zenith.How do you do it?
One thing you DO NOT do is make any adjustment to the latitude adjustment knob. That will nullify the mount’s polar
alignment. Remember, once the mount is polar-aligned, the
telescope should be moved only on the R.A.and Dec.axes.
To point the scope overhead, first loosen the R.A. lock lever
and rotate the telescope on the R.A. axis until the counterweight shaft is horizontal (parallel to the ground).Then loosen
the Dec. lock lever and rotate the telescope until it is pointing
straight overhead.The counterweight shaft is still horizontal.
Then retighten both lock levers.
Similarly, to point the telescope directly south, the counterweight shaft should again be horizontal.Then you simply rotate
the scope on the Dec.axis until it points in the south direction.
What if you need to aim the telescope directly north, but at
an object that is nearer to the horizon than Polaris? You can’t
do it with the counterweight down as pictured in Figure 1.
Again, you have to rotate the scope in R.A.so the counterweight shaft is positioned horizontally. Then rotate the scope
9
b. d.
Figure 7. This illustration shows the telescope pointed in the four cardinal directions: (a) north, (b) south, (c) east, (d) west.
Note that the tripod and mount have not been moved;only the telescope tube has been moved on the R.A.and Dec. axes.
(Model shown is SkyView Deluxe 8".)
a.
c.
10
in Dec. so it points to where you want it near the horizon.
To point the telescope to the east or west, or in other direc-
tions, you rotate the telescope on its R.A. and Dec. axes.
Depending on the altitude of the object you want to observe,
the counterweight shaft will be oriented somewhere between
vertical and horizontal.
Figure 7 illustrates how the telescope will look pointed at the
four cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west
The key things to remember when pointing the telescope is that
a) you only move it in R.A.and Dec., not in azimuth or latitude
(altitude), and b) the counterweight and shaft will not always
appear as it does in Figure 1.In fact, it almost nev er will!
6. Collimating the Optics
(Aligning the Mirrors)
Collimation is the process of adjusting the mirrors so they are
precisely aligned with each other.Y our telescope’s optics were
aligned at the factory, and should not need much adjustment
unless the telescope was roughly handled during shipment.
Accurate collimation is important to insuring the peak performance of your telescope, so it should be checked before each
observing session. Proper collimation of the 6" SkyView
Deluxe’s optics is especially critical due the telescope’s short
focal length;even slight alignment errors will cause images at
high magnifications to be significantly degraded.Collimation
is easy to do, and should be done in daylight.
To check the collimation, remove the eyepiece and look down
the focuser drawtube.You should see the secondary mirror
centered under the drawtube, the reflection of the primary
mirror centered in the secondary mirror, and the reflection of
the secondary mirror (and your eye) centered in the reflection of the primary mirror, as in Figure 8a. If anything is
off-center, follow the collimation procedure below.
It helps to put a piece of white paper on the inside of the optical tube opposite the focuser.The white paper forms a bright
background behind the secondary mirror, making it easier to
distinguish the mirror holder from the background.
Use a Collimation Tool
To aid in centering your line of sight down the focuser drawtube, and in centering the mirror reflections during collimation,
it is very helpful to use a precision collimating tool containing
crosshairs, such as the Orion Collimating Eyepiece #3640.We
highly recommend that you purchase one.
Aligning the Secondary Mirror
With the eyepiece remov ed, look straight do wn the open f ocuser
drawtube at the secondary (diagonal) mirror.Ignore the reflections for the time being.The secondary mirror should be centered
in the field of view .If it isn’t, as in Figure 8b, it must be adjusted.
(It helps to adjust the secondary mirror in a brightly lit room with
Figure 8. Collimating the optics. (a) When the mirrors are properly aligned, the view down the focuser drawtube should look like this.(b) If
the optics are out of alignment, the view might look something like this.(c) Here, the secondary mirror is centered under the focuser, but it
needs to be adjusted (tilted) so that the entire primary mirror is visible. (d) The secondar y mirror is correctly aligned, but the primar y mirror
still needs adjustment.When the primary mirror is correctly aligned, the eye will be centered, as in (a).
a.
b.
c.
d.
the telescope pointed toward a bright surface, such as white
paper or a wall.)
If the secondary mirror is not centered in the focuser drawtube (in the direction parallel to the length of the telescope),
loosen the three small alignment screws in the center hub of
the secondary mirror holder several turns.Now hold the secondary mirror stationary (be careful not to touch the surface
of the secondary mirror!), while turning the central Phillipshead bolt (as in Figure 9).T urning the bolt clockwise will mov e
the secondary mirror toward the front opening of the optical
tube, while turning the bolt counterclockwise will move the
secondary mirror toward the primary mirror.When the secondary mirror is centered in the focuser drawtube (as in
Figure 8c), rotate the secondary mirror holder slightly sideto-side until the reflection of the primary mirror is as centered
in the secondary mirror as it will get. It still may not be perfectly centered yet, but that is OK.Now tighten the three small
alignment screws to secure the secondary mirror in that position.This adjustment will rarely need to be done, if ever.
If the entire primary mirror reflection is not visible in the secondary mirror (as it is not in Figure 8c), adjust the tilt of the
secondary mirror by alternately loosening one of the three
alignment screws a turn or two and tightening the other two
(Figure 10).The goal is to center the primary mirror reflection
in the secondary mirror, as depicted in Figure 8d.Don’t worry
that the reflection of the secondary mirror (the smallest circle, with your eye reflected in it) is off-center (as also is the
case in Figure 8d); you will fix that in the next step.
Adjusting the Primary Mirror
The final adjustment is made to the primary mirror.It will need
adjustment if, as in Figure 8d, the secondary mirror is centered under the focuser and the reflection of the primary mirror
is centered in the secondary mirror, but the small reflection of
the secondary mirror (with your eye inside) is off-center .
The tilt of the primary mirror is adjusted with the three springloaded collimation screws on the back end of the optical tube
(bottom of the primary mirror cell); these are the knurled thumb
screws with the larger diameter heads.The three
smaller-headed thumb screws lock the primary mirror’s position
in place;these screws must be loosened before any collimation
adjustments can be made to the primary mirror (Figure 11).
To start, unthread the three smaller thumb screws a few turns
each with your fingers (Figure 12).If the screws are too tight
to turn with your fingers, use a flat-head screwdriver in the
thumb screws’slotted heads.
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Figure 10. Adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror by loosening or
tightening the three alignment screws with a Phillips screwdriver.
Figure 9. To center the secondary mirror under the focuser, hold the
secondary mirror holder in place with one hand while adjusting the
center bolt with a Phillips screwdriver.Do not touch the mirror’s surface!
Figure 11. The back end of the optical tube (bottom of the primary
mirror cell).The three spring-loaded collimation thumb screws adjust
the tilt of the primary mirror.The three smaller thumb screws lock
the mirror’s tilt in place.
Figure 12. Before collimation
adjustments can be made to
the primary mirror, the three
smaller thumb screws must first
be loosened.
Spring-loaded
collimation thumb
screws
Locking
thumb screws
12
Now , try tightening or loosening one of the spring-loaded collimation thumb screws one turn (Figure 13). Look into the
focuser and see if the secondary mirror reflection has moved
closer to the center of the primary mirror reflection. Repeat
this process on the other two collimation thumb screws, if
necessary.It will take a little trial and error to get a feel for how
to tilt the primary mirror in this way to center the secondary
mirror reflection. Do not loosen (rotate counter-clockwise)
each collimation thumb screw too much, or the screw will
completely unthread from the mirror cell casting. Rather, try
tightening the other two collimation thumb screws.Once the
secondary mirror reflection is centered in the primary mirror
reflection, retighten the smaller thumb screws with your fingers to lock the primary mirror in place.
The view down the focuser should now resemble Figure 8a.
The secondary mirror is centered under the focuser; the
reflection of the primary mirror is centered in the secondary
mirror, and the reflection of the secondary mirror is centered
in the reflection of the primary mirror.
A simple star test will tell you whether the optics are accurately collimated.
Star-Testing Your Telescope
When it is dark, point the telescope at a bright star and center it
in the eyepiece’s field of view with the R.A. and Dec. slow-
motion controls. Slowly rack the image out of focus with the
focusing knob. If the telescope is correctly collimated, the
expanding disk should be a circle (Figure 14).If it is unsymmetrical, the scope is out of collimation.The dark shadow cast by
the secondary mirror should appear in the very center of the
out-of-focus circle, like the hole in a doughnut. If the “hole”
appears off-center, the telescope is out of collimation.
If you try the star test and the bright star you have selected is
not accurately centered in the eyepiece, then the optics will
always appear out of collimation, even though they may be
perfectly aligned.It is critical to keep the star centered, so over
time you will need to make slight corrections to the telescope’s
position in order to account for the sky’s apparent motion.
7. 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. Heat 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.” If,
when you look up at the sky with just your ey es, 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.Transparency
is judged by the magnitude of the faintest stars you can see with
the unaided eye (6th magnitude or fainter is desir ab le).
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 30 minutes 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
Figure 14. A star test will determine if a telescope’s optics are properly
collimated. An unfocused view of a bright star through the eyepiece
should appear as illustrated on right if optics are perfectly collimated.If
circle is unsymmetrical, as in illustration on left, scope needs collimation.
Figure 13. Use the three
spring-loaded primary mirror
collimation screws to adjust
the tilt of the primary mirror.
Out of collimation Collimated
13
adjust to more than a 40° temperature change, allow at least
one hour.
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 ev en very many stars, for that matter.
Your eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps 80% of their
full dark-adapted sensitivity .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.
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 and streetlights and car headlights will ruin your night vision.
Aiming the Telescope
To view an object in the main telescope, first loosen both the
R.A.and Dec. lock levers.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 in the finder’s field
of view .Retighten the R.A. and Dec. lock levers.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.
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:
For example , the SkyView Delux e 6", which has a f ocal length
of 750mm, used in combination with a 25mm eyepiece, yields
a power of
Every telescope has a useful limit of power of about 45x–60x
per inch of aperture.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 also limit how much magnification an image can tolerate.
Always start viewing with your lowest-power (longest-focallength) eyepiece in the telescope.After you have 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, over-magnified image.
Eyepiece Selection
By using eyepieces of varying focal lengths, it is possible to
attain a great many magnifications with the SkyView Deluxe
6". The telescopes come with two high-quality Plössl eyepieces: a 25mm, which gives a magnification of 30x, and a
9mm, which gives a magnification of 83x. Other eyepieces
can be used to achieve higher or lower powers. It is quite
common for an observer to own five or more eyepieces to
access a wide range of magnifications. This allows the
observer to choose the best eyepiece to use depending on
the object being viewed.At least to begin with, the two supplied eyepieces will suffice nicely.
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 acquiring and centering an object much easier.If you
try to find and center objects with high power (narrow field of
view), it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack!
Once you’ve centered the object in the eyepiece, you can
switch to higher magnification (shorter focal length eyepiece),
if you wish. This is especially recommended for small and
bright objects, like planets and double stars.The Moon also
takes higher magnifications well.
Deep-sky objects, however, typically look better at medium or
low magnifications.This is because many of them are quite
faint, yet have some extent (apparent width). Deep-sky
objects will often disappear at higher magnifications, since
greater magnification inherently yields dimmer images.This
is not the case for all deep-sky objects, however.Many galaxies are quite small, yet are somewhat bright, so higher power
may show more detail.
The best rule of thumb with eyepiece selection is to start with
a low power, wide field, and then work your way up in magnification. If the object looks better, try an even higher
magnification. If the object looks worse, then back off the
magnification a little by using a lower-power eyepiece.
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 vie w 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 reveal
more detail, especially right along the border between the dark
Telescope f ocal length
Eyepiece focal length
= Magnification
750mm
25mm
= 30x
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 .Make sure to observe the Moon when it is well
above the horizon to get the sharpest images.
Use the included 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 eyepiece from the focuser 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 a SkyView Deluxe 6".The primary attraction is sunspots, which change shape, appearance, and
location daily. Sunspots are directly related to magnetic activity in the Sun. Many observers like to make drawings of
sunspots to monitor how the Sun is changing from day to day.
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 (www .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 SkyView Deluxe 6" is capable of showing you
these planets in some detail.Other planets may be visible but
will likely appear starlike.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 for
observation. You can see the disk of the giant planet and
watch the ever-changing positions of its four largest moonsIo, Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede.Higher-power eyepieces
should bring out the cloud bands 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 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 ey e 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 nev er wanders too f ar
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 .To see surface detail on
Mars, you will need a high-power e yepiece and v ery steady air!
E. 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 two-color double star Albireo in Cygnus are
fav orites.Defocusing a star slightly can help bring out its color.
F. 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 a variety of 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.Do not
expect these subjects to appear like the photographs y ou 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 ferret out more and more subtle details and structure.
How to Find Deep-Sky Objects: Star Hopping
Star hopping, as it is called by astronomers, is perhaps the
simplest way to hunt down objects to view in the night sky. It
entails first pointing the telescope at a star close to the object
you wish to observe, and then progressing to other stars closer and closer to the object until it is in the field of view of the
eyepiece. It is a very intuitive technique that has been
employed for hundreds of years by professional and amateur
astronomers alike.Keep in mind, as with any new task, that
star hopping may seem challenging at first, but will become
easier over time and with practice.
To starhop, only a minimal amount of additional equipment is
necessary.A star chart or atlas that shows stars to at least magnitude 5 is required.Select one that shows the positions of many
deep-sky objects, so you will have a lot of options to choose
from.If you do not know the positions of the constellations in the
night sky, you will need to get a planisphere to identify them.
Start by choosing bright objects to view.The brightness of an
object is measured by its visual magnitude; the br ighter an
object, the lower its magnitude.Choose an object with a visual magnitude of 9 or lower. Many beginners start with the
Messier objects, which represent some of the best and brightest deep-sky objects, first catalogued about 200 years ago by
the French astronomer Charles Messier .
Determine in which constellation the object lies. Now, find the
constellation in the sky. If y ou do not recogniz e the constellations on sight, consult a planisphere.The planisphere gives an
all-sky view and shows which constellations are visible on a
given night at a given time.
Now , look at your star chart and find the brightest star in the
constellation that is near the object you are trying to find.Using
the finder scope, point the telescope at this star and center it
on the crosshairs.Next, look again at the star chart and find
14
15
another suitably bright star near the bright star currently centered in the finder.Keep in mind that the field of view of the
finder scope is 6°, so you should choose another star that is
no more that 6° from the first star, if possible.Move the telescope slightly, until the telescope is centered on the new star.
Continue using stars as guideposts in this way until you are at the
approximate position of the object you are trying to find (Figure
15).Look in the telescope’s e yepiece , and the object should be
somewhere within the field of view .If it’s not, s weep the telescope
carefully around the immediate vicinity until the object is found.
If you have trouble finding the object, start the starhop again
from the brightest star near the object you wish to view.This
time, be sure the stars indicated on the star chart are in fact
the stars you are centering in the eyepiece.Remember, the
finder scope (and main telescope eyepiece, for that matter)
gives an inverted image, so you must keep this in mind when
star hopping from star to star.
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.
Small components like eyepieces and other accessories
should be kept in a protective box or storage case. Keep the
cap on the front of the telescope when it is not in use.
Your SkyView Deluxe telescope requires very little mechanical maintenance.The optical tube is steel 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.
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 exposed lenses of your eyepieces or finder
scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid
designed for eyeglasses .Before cleaning with fluid and tissue,
however, 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 e xcess 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.On larger lenses, clean only a small area at a time, using
a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tissues.
Cleaning Mirrors
You should not have to clean your telescope’s mirrors very
often; normally once every year or so. Covering your telescope when it is not in use will prevent dust from
accumulating on the mirrors.Improper cleaning can scratch
mirror coatings, so the fewer times you have to clean the mirrors, the better.Small specks of dust or flecks of paint have
virtually no effect on the visual performance of the telescope.
The large primary mirror and the elliptical secondary mirror of
your telescope are front-surface aluminized and o ver-coated
with hard silicon monoxide, which prevents the aluminum from
oxidizing.These coatings normally last through many, many
years of use before requiring re-coating (which is easily done).
To clean the secondary mirror, remove it from the secondary
mirror holder.Do this by holding the secondary mirror stationary while turning the central bolt on the secondar y mirror
holder counterclockwise. Handle it carefully by the edges
only; do not touch the mirror surface.Then follow the same
procedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror.
To clean the primary mirror, carefully remove the mirror cell
from the telescope.This is done by first removing the three
spring-loaded collimation thumb screws from the bottom of
the mirror cell. Be careful not to lose the small nylon washers
or springs.You do not need to remove the smaller-headed
lock screws.Next, remove the primary mirror from the mirror
cell; you will need to remove the three mirror clips to do this.
Completely unthread the two Phillips-head screws in each
clip, and carefully lift the mirror from its cell.Be careful not to
touch the front surface of the mirror with your fingers! Set the
mirror on a clean, soft towel.Fill a clean sink, free of abrasive
cleanser, with room-temperature water, a few drops of liquid
dishwashing detergent, and if possible, a cap-full of rubbing
alcohol. Submerge the mirror (aluminized face up) in the
water and let it soak for several minutes (or hours if it’s a very
dirty mirror). Wipe the mirror under water with clean cotton
balls, using extremely light pressure and stroking in straight
lines across the surface.Use one ball for each wipe across
the mirror.Then rinse the mirror under a stream of lukewarm
Figure 15. Star hopping is a good way to locate hard-to-find objects.
Refer to a star chart to map a route to the object that uses bright stars
as guideposts. Center the first star you’ve chosen in the finder scope
and telescope eyepiece (1).Now move the scope carefully in the
direction of the next bright star (2), until it is centered. Repeat (3 and
4).The last hop (5) should place the desired object in the eyepiece.
16
water.Any particles on the surface can be swabbed gently
with a series of clean cotton balls, each used just one time.
Dry the mirror in a stream of air (a “blower bulb” wor ks
great), or remove any stray drops of water with the cor ner
of a paper towel.Water will run off a clean surface. Cover
the mirror surface with Kleenex, and lea v e the entire assembly in a warm area until it is completely dry before
reassembling the telescope.
9. Specifications
Optical tube: Steel
Primary mirror diameter:6" (152mm)
Primary mirror coating: aluminized, silicon monoxide overcoat
Minor axis of secondary mirror: 31mm
Focal length:750mm
Focal ratio:f/5
Eyepieces:25mm and 9mm Plössls, fully coated, 1.25"
Magnification: 30x (with 25mm), 83x (with 9mm)
Focuser: Rack and pinion
Finder scope: 6x magnification, 30mm aperture, achromatic,
crosshairs
Mount: German-type equatorial
Tripod: Aluminum
Motor drives: Optional
10. Suggested Accessories
AccuTrack SVD DC Motor Drive (#7825)
Single-axis motor mounts on right ascension axis of SkyView
Deluxe EQ mount to provide automatic star tracking.Runs on
one 9-volt alkaline battery (included) inside motor housing.
Padded Case (#15164)
Rugged, water-resistant, fully padded nylon case protects the
tube and mount of the SkyView Deluxe 6" and keeps them
clean and dry. Strap handles for carrying in hand or over
shoulder.Zipper closure.
Orion Collimating Eyepiece (#3640)
This combination Cheshire eyepiece and sight tube allows
quick, precise collimation of Newtonian optics, which is especially critical for short focal-length telescopes such as the
SkyView Deluxe 6".
Shorty 2x Barlow (#8711)
A practical accessory for achieving higher power with the
SVD 6. Doubles the power of any eyepiece it’s used with. For
use with 1.25” eyepieces.
DeepMap 600 Folding Star Chart (#4150)
Terrific deep-sky observing companion, showing the locations
of the 600 best celestial objects for viewing with backyard telescopes. Folds up to slip in a back pocket. Printed on
waterproof plastic, not paper.
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion SkyView Deluxe 6" Equatorial Reflector 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 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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