INSTRUCTION MANUAL
IN 188 Rev. A 09/02
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
Orion
®
SkyView
™
Pro 6 EQ
#9866 Equatorial Reflector Telescope
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Figure 1. The SkyView Pro 6 EQ.
Declination slow-motion
control knob
Safety thumbscrew
Mounting plate securing knob
Counterweight shaft
Counterweight lock knobs
Counterweights
Finder scope
Finder scope bracket
Eyepiece
Tube rings
Mirror cell
Tube ring mounting plate
Right Ascension
slow-motion control knob
Latitude scale
Latitude adjustment L-bolts
Center support shaft
Tripod support tray
Tripod leg
Leg lock knobs
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Table of Contents
1. Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Parts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3. Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4. Balancing the Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5. Using Your Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6. Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount . . 7
7. Collimating (Aligning the Mirrors) . . . . . . . . . 11
8. Astronomical Observing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
9. Astrophotography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
10. Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1. Unpacking
The entire telescope will arrive in one box.Be careful unpacking the box.We recommend keeping the box and all original
packaging. In the event that the telescope needs to be
shipped to another location, or returned to Orion for warranty
repair, having the proper box and packaging will help ensure
that your mount will survive the journey intact.
Make sure all the parts in the Parts List are present. Be sure
to check each interior box carefully, as some parts are small.
If anything appears to be missing or broken, immediately
call Orion Customer Support (800-676-1343) or email
support@telescope.com for assistance.
2. Parts List
1 Tripod
1 Equatorial mount
1 Tripod support tray
1 Tube ring mounting plate
1 Counterweight shaft
1 Large counterweight
1 Small counterweight
2 Slow-motion control knobs
1 R.A. axis rear cover
1 Optical tube assembly
2 Tube rings
1 Tube ring mounting plate
1 Latitude adjustment L-bolt
1 25mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece
1 10mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece
1 Finder scope
1 Finder scope bracket with O-ring
1 Dust cover
1 Collimation cap
3. Assembly
Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about
30 minutes. No tools are needed other than the ones provided.All screws should be tightened securely, but be careful not
to over-tighten or the threads may strip. Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process.
During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), do not touch
the surfaces of the telescope mirrors or lenses of the finder
scope 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 warranty and
return policy will be voided.
1. Stand the tripod legs upright and spread the legs out as far
as they will go.Keep the tripod legs at their shortest (fully
retracted) length, for now;you can extend them to a more
desirable length later, after the scope is fully assembled.
Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion telescope. Your new SkyView Pro 6 EQ is designed for
high-resolution viewing and astrophotography of astronomical objects.With its precision optics and sturdy equatorial mount, you’ll be able to enjoy hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens.
These instructions will help you set up, properly use, and care f or your telescope.Please read them over
thoroughly before getting started.
Warning: Never look directly at the Sun through
your telescope or its finder scope—even for an
instant—without a professionally made solar
filter that completely covers the front of the
instrument, or permanent eye damage could
result.Young children should use this telescope
only with adult supervision.
®
2. Place the base of the equatorial mount onto the tripod
head. Orient the equator ial mount so that the post on the
tripod head lines up between the azimuth adjustment
knobs on the equatorial mount (Figure 2).You may need to
loosen the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial
mount in order to fit the mount into the tripod head.
3. Thread the central support shaft into the equatorial mount
until tight.This will secure the equatorial mount to the tripod head.
4. Remove the knob and washer from the bottom of the center support shaft. Slide the tripod support tray up the bottom of the central support shaft until the three tray arms
are touching the legs of the tripod. The flat side of the
accessory tray should be facing up.Make sure the “V” of
each tray arm is against a tripod leg. Place the washer
back on the center support shaft against the tray, and
thread the securing knob all the way up the center support
shaft until it is tight against the tray. The tripod support tray
provides additional stability for the tripod, and holds five
1.25" eyepieces and two 2" eyepieces.
5. Thread the latitude adjustment L-bolt into the rear of the
equatorial mount as show in Figure 1
6. Thread the counterweight shaft into the equatorial mount
at the base of the declination axis until tight.Make sure the
casting at the top is threaded clockwise as far as it will go
before attaching the shaft.Once the shaft is installed, turn
the casting counter-clockwise until the top of the casting is
flush with the mount.
7. Remove the knurled “toe sa v er”retaining screw on the bottom of the counterweight shaft and slide both counterweights onto the shaft. Make sure the counterweight lock
knobs are adequately loosened to allow the counterweight
shaft to pass through the hole.Position the counterweights
about halfway up the shaft and tighten the lock knobs.
Replace the toe saver at the end of the bar.The toe saver
prevents the counterweights from falling on your foot if the
lock knobs happen to come loose.
8. Attach the slow-motion control knobs to the right ascension and declination worm gear shafts of the equatorial
mount by sliding them onto the shafts.Line up the flat on
the end of the shaft with the corresponding feature on the
interior of the knob to attach them properly.The knobs can
be attached to either end of the shafts; use whichever end
is most convenient.
9. Loosen the black mounting plate securing knob as well as
the metal safety screw on the top of the equatorial mount.
Place the tube ring mounting plate, with the tube rings
attached, in the dovetail slot on top of the equatorial
mount.Position the mounting plate so that it is centered on
the dovetail slot. Re-tighten the mounting plate secur ing
knob until the mounting plate is secure.Then, tighten the
safety screw.The safety screw will ensure that the mounting plate (and telescope tube) will not fall off the EQ mount
if the mounting plate securing knob should come loose.
10.Open the tube r ings and lay the telescope optical tube in
the rings at about the midpoint of the tube’s length.Rotate
Figure 2. Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the
tripod head lines up between the azimuth adjustment knobs on the
equatorial mount.
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Post
Azimuth
adjustment
knobs
Finder scope
Finder scope bracket Nylon
alignment
thumbscrews
Focus lock ring
Figure 3b. Pull back on
the tensioner and slide the
finder scope into its bracket
until the O-ring is seated in
the bracket ring.
Figure 3a. The 6x30 finder scope.
Tensioner
the tube so that the focuser is at a convenient height for
viewing.Close the tube rings and tighten them.
Installing the Finder Scope
To place the finder scope (Figure 3a) in the finder scope
bracket, unthread the two black nylon screws until the screw
ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket.Place
the O-ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the
body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot on the middle of the finder scope.Slide the eyepiece end (narrow end) of
the finder scope into the end of the bracket’s cylinder opposite
the adjustment screws while pulling the chrome, springloaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers (Figure 3b).
Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O-ring
seats just inside the front opening of the bracket cylinder.
Release the tensioner and tighten the two black nylon screws
a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place.
Insert the base of the finder scope bracket into the dovetail
holder on the top of the focuser. Lock the bracket into position
by tightening the knurled thumbscrew on the dovetail holder.
Inserting the Eyepiece
Loosen the thumbscrews on the focuser and remov e the small
dust cap. Insert the 25mm eyepiece into the focuser and
secure it with the thumbscrews.
Your telescope is now completely assembled and should
appear as shown in Figure 1.
4. Balancing the Telescope
To ensure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of
the equatorial mount, it is imperative that the optical tube is
properly balanced. We will first balance the telescope with
respect to the right ascension axis, then the declination axis.
1. Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen
the R.A.lock lever.Make sure the Dec.lock lever is locked,
for now.The telescope should now be able to rotate freely
about the right ascension 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 4a). That’s the point at which the
shaft remains horizontal even when you let go with both
hands (Figure 4b).
3. Retighten the counterweight lock knobs.The telescope is
now balanced on the right ascension axis.
4. To balance the telescope on the declination 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 lev er.The telescope should now be able to rotate
freely about the Dec. axis. Loosen the tube ring 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 4c).
6. To check the declination balance of the telescope, position
the telescope so that the optical tube is horizontal. Let go
with both hands.If the optical tube does not move then y ou
have properly balanced the telescope with respect to the
declination axis (Figure 4d). If the optical tube does move,
then you must adjust the position of the optical tube in the
tube rings until it does balance in the declination axis.
The telescope is now balanced on both axes. 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. Using Your Telescope
Focusing the Telescope
With the 25mm eyepiece inserted in the focuser , 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.
NOTE: The image in the telescope will appear rotated
180° (upside down and reversed left-to-right).This is normal for astronomical reflector telescopes. The finder
scope view will also be rotated 180° (see Figure 5).
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Figure 4a-d. 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 it just counterbalances the tube. (b) When you let
go with both hands, the tube should not drift up or down. (c) With the Dec.lock knob released, loosen the tube ring lock clamps a few turns
ands 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.
abcd
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If you have trouble focusing, rotate the focusing knob so the
drawtube is in as far as it will go. Now look through the eyepiece while slowly rotating the focusing knob in the opposite
direction. You should soon see the point at which focus is
reached.
The metal thumb screw on the top of the body of the focuser
will lock the focuser drawtube in place once the telescope is
properly focused. Before focusing, remember to first loosen
this thumb screw.
Viewing with Eyeglasses
If you wear eyeglasses, you may able to keep them on while
you observe, if the eyepiece has 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, y ou can easily observe with your
glasses off by just re-focusing the telescope the needed
amount. If you suffer from severe astigmatism, however, you
may find images noticeably sharper with your glasses on.
Aligning the Finder Scope
The SkyView Pro 6 EQ Deluxe comes with a 6x30 achromatic
finder scope (Figure 3a).The number 6 means six-times magnification and the 30 indicates a 30mm diameter front lens.
The finder scope makes it easier to locate the subject you
want to observe in the telescope, because the finder scope
has a much wider field-of-view.
The SkyView Pro 6 EQ’s finder scope uses a spring-loaded
bracket that makes alignment of the finderscope v ery easy. As
you turn either of the thumbscrews, the spring in the bracket’s
tensioner moves in and out to keep the finder scope secure in
the bracket.
The finder scope must be aligned accurately with the telescope for proper use.To align it, first aim the main telescope
at an object at least a 1/4 mile away—the top of a telephone
pole, a chimney, etc.First, loosen the R.A. and Dec. lock levers
and move it until the telescope is pointing towards the desired
object. Then sight along the tube to aim the telescope. Turn
the focus knob until the object is properly focused. Make sure
to position the object in the center of the telescope’s eyepiece
by turning the R.A. and declination slow-motion control knobs
(the R.A. and Dec. lock levers must be tightened to use the
slow-motion control knobs).
Now look in the finder scope.Is the object visible? Ideally it will
be somewhere in the field of view. If not, some coarse adjustment to the finder scope bracket’s alignment thumbscrews will
be needed until the object comes into the finder scope’s field
of view.
With the image in the finder scope’s field of view, you now
need to fine-adjust the alignment thumbscrews to center the
object on the intersection of the crosshairs. Adjust the aim of
the finder scope by turning the thumbscrews, one at a time,
until the object is centered.
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 telescope eyepiece, and then adjust
the finder scope bracket’s alignment thumbscrews until the
star or planet is centered on the finder’s crosshairs.
Focusing the finder scope
If, when you look through the finder scope, the images appear
somewhat out of focus, you will need to refocus the finder
scope for your eyes. Loosen the lock ring located behind the
objective lens cell on the body of the finder scope (see Figure
3a). Back the lock ring off by a few turns, for now.Refocus the
finder scope on a distant object by threading the objective
lens cell in or out of the finderscope body .Precise focusing will
be achieved by focusing the finder scope on a bright star.
Once the image appears sharp, retighten the locking ring
behind the objective lens cell.The finder scope’s focus should
not need to be adjusted again.
Magnification & Eyepieces
Magnification, or power, is determined by the focal length of
the telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece.Therefore,
by using eyepieces of different focal lengths, the resultant
magnification can be varied.
Magnification is calculated as follows:
Telescope Focal Length (mm)
Magnification =
Eyepiece Focal Length (mm)
The SkyView Pro 6 EQ has a focal length of 750mm, which
when used with the supplied 25mm eyepiece yields:
750mm÷25mm= 30x
The magnification provided by the 10mm eyepiece is:
750mm÷10mm=75x
The maximum attainable magnification for a telescope is
directly related to how much light it can gather.The larger the
aperture, the more magnification is possible. In general a figure of 50x per inch of aperture is the maximum attainable for
most telescopes.Your SkyView Pro 6 EQ has an aperture of 6
inches, so the maximum magnification would be about 300x.
This level of magnification assumes you have ideal conditions
for viewing.
Naked-eye view
View through finder scope and telescope
Figure 5. The view through a standard finder scope and reflector
telescope is rotated 180°.This is true for the SkyView Pro 8 EQ and
its finder scope as well.
Keep in mind that as you increase magnification, the brightness of the object viewed will decrease; this is an inherent
principle of the laws of physics and cannot be av oided.If magnification is doubled, an image appears four times dimmer. If
magnification is tripled, image brightness is reduced by a factor of nine!
Always start with your lowest power eyepiece and work your
way up. Start by centering the object being viewed in the
25mm eyepiece.Then you may want to increase the magnification to get a closer view. If the object is off-center (i.e., it is
near the edge of the field of view) you will lose it when you
increase magnification, since the field of view will be narrower
with the higher-powered eyepiece. To change eyepieces, first
loosen the securing thumbscrews on the focuser.Then carefully lift the eyepiece out of the holder. Do not tug or pull the
eyepiece to the sides, as this will knock the telescope off its
target. Replace the eyepiece with the new one by sliding it
gently into the holder. Re-tighten the thumbscrews, and refocus for your new magnification.
6. 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 over
time.That apparent motion is caused by the Earth’s rotation
(from west to east). An equatorial mount (Figure 6) is
designed to compensate for that motion, allowing you to easily “tr ack”the movement of astronomical objects, thereby k eeping them from drifting out of your telescope’s field of view
while you’re observing.
This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its
right ascension (R.A.) axis, using only the R.A. slow-motion
knob.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 right ascension 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 Norther n Hemisphere appear
to revolve around the NCP.
To find Polaris in the sky, look nor th and locate the patter n of
the Big Dipper (Figure 7). 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.
Figure 7. 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).
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Figure 6. The SkyView Pro Equatorial Mount, shown from both sides.
Dec. slow-motion
control knob
Dec. setting circle
Front opening
R.A. slow-motion
control knob
a. b.
R.A.
setting circle
Polar axis
finder scope
(optional)
Dec. lock lever
R.A. lock lever
Latitude scale
Latitude
adjustment
L-bolts
Big Dipper
(in Ursa Major)
Little Dipper
(in Ursa Minor)
Cassiopeia
N.C.P.
P
oin
ter
S
ta
rs
Polaris
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2. There are two latitude adjustment L-bolts (see Figure 6);
loosen one while tightening the other.By doing this you will
adjust the latitude of the mount. Continue adjusting 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.The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again unless you mo v e
to a different viewing location some distance away.
3. Loosen the Dec. lock lever and rotate the telescope’s opti-
cal tube until it is parallel with the right ascension axis, as
it is in Figure 6.
4. Move the tripod so the telescope tube and right ascension
axis point 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. There is a
label bearing a large “N” at the base of the equatorial
mount (Figure 8). It should be facing north.
The equatorial mount is now polar aligned for casual observing. More precise polar alignment is recommended for astrophotography. For this we suggest using the optional polar axis
finder scope
From this point on in your observing session, you should not
make any further adjustments to 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.
Polar Alignment Using an Optional Polar Axis
Finder Scope
The SkyView Pro 6 EQ mount can be equipped with an
optional polar axis finder scope (Figure 9a) which goes inside
the right ascension axis of the mount. When properly aligned
and used, it makes accurate polar alignment quick and easy
to do.
To install the polar axis finder scope, remove the cover at the
rear of the mount’s right ascension axis (Figure 9b) and
thread the polar axis finder scope into the equatorial mount
until tight.
Alignment of the Polar Axis Finder Scope
1. Look through the polar finder at a distant object (during the
day) and center it in the crosshairs.Y ou ma y need to adjust
the latitude adjustment L-bolts and the tripod position to do
this.
2. Rotate the mount 180° about the R.A.axis. Again, it may
be convenient to remove the counterweights and optical
tube first.
3. Look through the polar finder again. Is the object being
viewed still centered on the crosshairs? If it is, then no further adjustment is necessary.If not, then look through the
polar finder while rotating the mount about the R.A. axis.
You will notice that the object you have previously centered
moves in a circular path. Use the three alignment
setscrews on the polar axis finder to redirect the
crosshairs of the polar finder to the apparent center of this
circular path. Repeat this procedure until the position that
the crosshairs point to does not rotate off-center when the
mount is rotated in R.A.Once this is accomplished, retighten the thumbscrews.
Figure 8. For polar alignment, position the tripod so that the "N"
label at the base of the mount faces north.The azimuth fine
adjustment knobs above it are used to make small adjustments to the
mount’s azimuth position.Be certain to loosen the tripod attachment
knob on the central support shaft before adjusting these knobs.
Azimuth
adjustment
knobs
Figure 9a. The optional polar axis finder scope.
Eyepiece
focus ring
Alighment
set screws (3)
Focus
lock ring
Objective
lens
Figure 9b. Installing the optional polar axis finder scope.
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The polar axis finder scope is now ready to be used. When
not in use, replace the plastic protective cover to prevent the
polar finder from getting bumped, which could knock it out of
alignment.
Using the Polar Axis Finder Scope
The reticle of the polar axis finder scope for the SkyView Pro
has a tiny star map printed on it that makes precise polar
alignment quick and easy. If you do not have a clear view of
Polaris from your observing site, you will not be able to use
the polar-axis finder to precisely polar align the telescope.To
align the mount using the polar axis finder scope, follow these
instructions:
1. Approximately polar-align the mount as outlined in the procedure above.
2. Loosen the Dec. lock lever and rotate the optical tube on
the declination axis so that the tube is at a 90° to the right
ascension axis (Figure 10).Tighten the Dec.lock lever.
3. Remove the cap on the front opening of the equatorial
mount (Figure 6). Focus the polar finder by rotating the
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 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.
4. 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 constellation Cassiopeia and the Big
Dipper in the reticle.They do not appear in scale, but they
indicate the general positions of Cassiopeia and the Big
Dipper relative to the north celestial pole (which is indicated by the cross at the center of the reticle).Rotate the reti-
cle so the constellations depicted match their current orientation in they sky when viewed with the naked e y e.To do
this, release the R.A. lock lever and rotate the main telescope around the R.A. axis until the reticle is oriented with
sky. For larger optical tubes, you may need to remove the
tube from the mount to prevent it from bumping into the
mount. Once the reticle is correctly oriented, use the r ight
ascension lock lever to secure the mount’s position.
5. Now use the azimuth adjustment knobs (Figure 8) and the
latitude adjustment L-bolts (Figure 6) on the mount to position the star Polaris inside the tiny circle marked “Polaris”
on the finder’s reticle.You must first loosen the knob underneath the equatorial mount on the center support shaft to
use the azimuth adjustment knobs.Once Polaris is properly positioned within the reticle, you are precisely polar
aligned.
Note: From this point on in your 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 right ascension
and declination axes.
Additional Note Regarding Focusing the Polar
Axis Finder Scope
The polar axis finder scope is normally focused by simply
rotating the eyepiece focus ring.However , if after adjusting the
focus ring you find that the image of the reticle is sharp, but
the stars are out of focus, then you must adjust the focus of
the polar axis finder’s objective lens. To do this, first remove
the polar axis finder from the mount. Look through the polar
axis finder at a star (at night) or distant object at least 1/4 mile
away (during daylight). Use the eyepiece focus ring to bring
the reticle into sharp focus. Now, loosen the focus lock ring
(Figure 9a) and thread the entire objective end of the finder
inwards or outwards until images appear sharp.Re-tighten the
focus lock ring. Once the polar axis finder’s objective lens is
focused, it should not need to be adjusted again.
Use of the Right Ascension and Declination
Slow-Motion Control Knobs
The right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.) slow-motion
control knobs allow fine adjustment of the telescope’s position
to center objects within the field of view. Before you can use
the knobs, you must manually “slew” the mount to point the
telescope in the vicinity of the desired target. Do this by loosening the R.A. and Dec. lock levers and moving the telescope
about the mount’s right ascension and declination axes. Once
the telescope is pointed close to the object to be viewed,
retighten both lock levers.
Note: If you have an optional motor drive attached, you
will need to loosen the manual clutch on the R.A. (and
Dec. for dual-axis drives) worm gear shaft before using
the slow-motion control knob.
The object should now be visible somewhere in the telescope’s finder scope.If it isn’t, use the slow-motion knobs to
Figure 10. The optical tube must be at a 90° angle to the right
ascension axis in order to view through the polar axis finder
scan the surrounding area of sky.When the object is visible in
the finder scope, use the slow-motion knobs to center it.Now,
look in the telescope’s eyepiece. If the finder scope is properly aligned, the object should be visible somewhere in the field
of view. Once the object is visible in the eyepiece, use the
slow-motion knobs to center it in the field of view.
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 knob clockwise. The Dec. slowmotion control knob 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 can be mounted on the R.A. axis
of the equatorial mount to provide hands-free tracking.
Objects will then remain stationary in the field of view without
any manual adjustment of the right ascension slow-motion
control knob.
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. Right
ascension is similar to longitude on Earth, and declination 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 marks in between representing 10-minute increments (there are 60 minutes in 1 hour of right ascension).The
lower set of numbers apply to viewing in the Northern
Hemisphere, while the numbers above them apply to viewing
in the Southern Hemisphere.The location of the right ascension coordinate indicator arrow is shown in Figure 11.
The Dec. setting circle is scaled in degrees, with each mark
representing 2° increments.Values of declination coordinates
range from +90° to -90°. The 0° mark indicates the celestial
equator.When the telescope is pointed north of the celestial
equator, values of the declination setting circle are positive;
when the telescope is pointed south of the celestial equator,
values of the declination setting circle are negative.
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 (there are 60 arcminutes in 1 degree of declination).
Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects, the
mount must be accurately polar aligned, and the setting circles must be calibrated.
Calibrating the Declination Setting Circle
Loosen the Dec. lock lever and position the telescope as
accurately as possible in declination so it is parallel to the R.A.
axis as shown in Figure 1.Re-tighten the lock lever.
Loosen one of the thumbscrews on the Dec.setting circle, this
will allow the setting circle to rotate freely.Rotate the Dec.setting circle until the pointer reads exactly 90°. Re-tighten the
setting circle thumbscrew.
Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle
1. Identify a bright star in the sky near the celestial equator
(declination = 0°) 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 whose coordinates
you know. Lock the R.A. and Dec. lock levers.Center the
star in the telescope’s field of view with the slow-motion
control knobs.
4. Loosen one of the R.A. setting circle thumbscrews (see
Figure 11); this will allow the setting circle to rotate freely.
Figure 11. The R.A. and Dec. setting circles.
10
Dec.
setting circle
Dec.
setting circle
thumbscrew
(2)
Dec.
indicator
arrow
R.A.
indicator
arrow
R.A. setting circle
thumbscrew (2)
R.A.
setting circle
11
Rotate the setting circle until the R.A. pointer arrow indicates the R.A. coordinate listed in the star atlas for the
object. Re-tighten the setting circle thumbscrew.
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.
Loosen the Dec. lock lever and rotate the telescope until the
declination value from the star atlas matches the reading on
the Dec. setting circle. Remember that values of the Dec. setting circle are positive when the telescope is pointing north of
the celestial equator (Dec. = 0°), and negative when the telescope is pointing south of the celestial equator.Retighten the
lock lever.
Loosen the R.A. lock lever and rotate the telescope until the
right ascension value from the star atlas matches the reading
on the R.A. setting circle. Remember to use the upper set of
numbers on the R.A.setting circle. Retighten the lock lever.
Most setting circles are not accurate enough to put an object
dead-center in the telescope’s eyepiece, but they should
place the object somewhere within the field of view of the finder scope, assuming the equatorial mount is accurately polar
aligned. Use the slow-motion controls to center the object in
the finder scope, and it should appear in the telescope’s field
of view.
The setting circles must be re-calibrated every time you wish
to locate a new object. Do so by calibrating the setting circles
for the centered object before mo ving 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 sa y y ou want to vie w an object that
is directly overhead, at the zenith.How do you do it?
DO NOT make any adjustment to the latitude adjustment
L-bolts. That will spoil 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 right ascension 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.
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 counterweights down as pictured in Figure 1.Again,
you have to rotate the scope in right ascension so that the
counterweight shaft is positioned horizontally.Then rotate the
scope in declination so it points to where you want it near the
horizon.
To point the telescope directly south, the counterweight shaft
should again be horizontal.Then you simply rotate the scope
on the declination axis until it points in the south direction.
To point the telescope to the east or west, or in other directions, you rotate the telescope on its right ascension and declination axes.Depending on the altitude of the object you want
to observe, the counterweight shaft will be oriented somewhere between vertical and horizontal.
Figure 12 illustrates how the telescope will look when pointed
at the four cardinal directions:north, south, east and west.
7. Collimating
(Aligning The Mirrors)
Collimating is the process of adjusting the mirrors so they are
aligned with one another.Y our telescope’s optics were aligned
at the factory, and should not need much adjustment unless
the telescope is handled roughly. Accurate mirror alignment is
important to ensure the peak performance of your telescope,
so it should be checked regularly. Collimating is relatively easy
to do and can be done in daylight.
To check collimation, remove the eyepiece and look down the
focuser drawtube. You should see the secondary mirror centered in the drawtube, as well as 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 13a. If anything is off-center, as in Figure 13b, proceed with the following collimating
procedure.
Figure 12a-d. 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 been moved;only the telescope tube has been moved on the R.A. and Dec. axes.
abcd
12
The Collimation Cap and Mirror Center Mark
Your SkyView Pro 6 EQ comes with a collimation cap.This is
a simple cap that fits on the focuser drawtube like a dust cap,
but has a hole in the center and a silver bottom.This helps
center your eye so that collimation is easy to perform. Figures
13b through 13e assume you have the collimation cap in
place.
In addition to the collimation cap, the primary mirror is marked
with a circle at its exact center. This “center mark” allows you
to achieve a precise collimation of the primary mirror; you
don’t have to guess where the center of the mirror is.Y ou simply adjust the mirror position (described below) until the reflection of the hole in the collimation cap is centered in the ring.
The center mark is also required for best results when using
other collimating devices, such as Orion’s LaserMate Laser
Collimator, obviating the need to remove the primary mirror
and mark it yourself.
Note:The center ring sticker need not ever be removed
from the primary mirror. Because it lies directly in the
shadow of the secondary mirror, its presence in no way
adversely affects the optical performance of the telescope or the image quality.That might seem counterintuitive, but its true!
Aligning the Secondary Mirror
With the collimation cap in place, look through the hole in the
cap at the secondary (diagonal) mirror. Ignore the reflections
for the time being.The secondary mirror itself should be centered in the focuser drawtube, in the direction parallel to the
length of the telescope. If it isn’t, as in Figure 13b, it must be
adjusted.This adjustment will rarely, if ever need to be done.
It helps to adjust the secondary mirror in a brightly lit room
with the telescope pointed towards a bright surface, such as
white paper or wall. Also placing a piece of white paper in the
telescope tube opposite the focuser (in other words, on the
other side of the secondary mirror) will also be helpful in collimating the secondary mirror. Using a 2mm Allen wrench,
loosen the three small alignment set screws in the center hub
of the 4-vaned spider several turns. Now keep the mirror’s
holder stationary (be careful not to touch the surface of the
mirrors), while turning the center screw with a Phillips head
screwdriver (See Figure 14).Tur ning the screw clockwise will
move the secondary mirror toward the front opening of the
optical tube, while turning the screw counter-clockwise will
move the secondary mirror toward the primary mirror.
Note:When making these adjustments, be careful not to
stress the spider vanes or they may bend.
When the secondary mirror is centered in the focuser drawtube, rotate the secondary mirror holder until the reflection of
the primary mirror is as centered in the secondar y mirror as
possible.It may not be perfectly centered, but that is OK. Now
tighten the three small alignment screws equally to secure the
secondary mirror in that position.
If the entire primary mirror reflection is not visible in the secondary mirror, as in Figure 13c; you will need to adjust the tilt
of the secondary mirror.This is done by alternately loosening
one of the three alignment set screws while tightening the
other two, as depicted in Figure 15.The goal is to center the
primary mirror reflection in the secondar y mirror, as in Figure
13d. Don’t worry that the reflection of the secondary mirror
(the smallest circle, with the collimation cap “dot” in the center) is off-center.You will fix that in the next step.
Figure 13. Collimating the optics.(a) When the mirrors are
properly aligned, the view down the focuser drawtube should look like
this (b) With the collimation cap in place, 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
secondary mirror is correctly aligned, but the primary mirror still needs
adjustment.When the primary mirror is correctly aligned, the “dot” will
be centered, as in (e).
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Adjusting the Primary Mirror
The final adjustment is made to the primary mirror.It will need
adjustment if, as in Figure 13d, 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 the “dot” of the collimation cap)
is off-center.
The tilt of the primary mirror is adjusted with three springloaded collimation thumbscrews on the back end of the optical tube (bottom of the primary mirror cell); these are the larger thumbscrews. The other three smaller thumbscrews lock
the mirror’s position in place; these thumbscrews must be
loosened before any collimation adjustments can be made to
the primary mirror.
To start, turn the smaller thumbscrews that lock the primary
mirror in place a few turns each (Figure 16).Use a screwdriver in the slots, if necessary.
Now, try tightening or loosening one of the larger collimation
thumbscrews with your fingers (Figure 17). Look into the
focuser and see if the secondary mirror reflection has moved
closer to the center of the primary. You can tell this easily with
the collimation cap and mirror center mark by simply watching
to see if the “dot”of the collimation cap is moving closer or further away from the “ring” on the center of the pr imary mirror
mark.When you hav e the dot centered as much as is possib le
in the ring, your primary mirror is collimated.The view through
the collimation cap should resemble Figure 13e. Re-tighten
the locking thumbscrews.
A simple star test will tell you whether the optics are accurately collimated.
Star-Testing the Telescope
When it is dark, point the telescope at a bright star and accurately center it in the eyepiece’s field-of-view. Slowly defocus
the image with the focusing knob.If the telescope is correctly
collimated, the expanding disk should be a perfect circle
(Figure 18). If the image 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
13
Figure 14. 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 15. Adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror by loosening or
tightening the three alignment set screws with a 2mm hex key.
Figure 16. The three small thumbscrews that lock the primary
mirror in place must first be loosened before any adjustments can
be made.
Figure 17. The tilt of the primary mirror is adjusted by turning
one or more of the three larger thumbscrews.
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.
8. Astronomical Observing
For many users, the SkyView Pro 6 EQ telescope will be a
major leap into the world of amateur astronomy.This section
is intended to get you ready for your v o yages through the night
sky.
Observing Tips
A. Site Selection
Pick a location awa y from street lights and bright yard lighting.
Avoid viewing over rooftops and chimneys, as the y often have
warm air currents rising from them, which distort the image
seen in the eyepiece. Similarly, you should not observe
through an open window from indoors. Better yet, choose a
site out-of-town, away from any “light pollution”.You’ll be
stunned at how many more stars you’ll see! Most importantly,
make sure that any chosen site has a clear view of a large
portion of the sky.
B. Seeing and Transparency
Atmospheric conditions play a huge part in quality of viewing.
In conditions of good “seeing”, star twinkling is minimal and
objects 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.Typically, seeing
conditions will be better at sites that have an altitude over
about 3000 feet. Altitude helps because it decreases the
amount of distortion causing atmosphere you are looking
through.
A good way to judge if the seeing is good or not is to look at
bright stars about 40° abo v e the horizon.If the stars appear to
“twinkle”, the atmosphere is significantly distorting the incoming light, and views at high magnifications will not appear
sharp. If the stars appear steady and do not twinkle, seeing
conditions are probably good and higher magnifications will
be possible.Also, seeing conditions are typically poor during
the day. This is because the heat from the Sun war ms the air
and causes turbulence.
Good “transparency” is especially important for observing
faint objects. It simply means the air is free of moisture,
smoke, and dust. All tend to scatter light, which reduces an
object’s brightness.
One good way to tell if conditions are good is by how many
stars you can see with your naked e ye .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 “dipper”. If you cannot
see Megrez, then you have fog, haze, clouds, smog, light pollution or other conditions that are hindering your viewing (See
Figure 19).
C. Cooling the Telescope
All optical instruments need time to reach “thermal equilibrium” to achieve maximum stability of the lenses and mirrors,
which is essential for peak performance.When moved from a
warm indoor location outside to cooler air (or vice-versa), a
telescope needs time to cool to the outdoor temperature.The
bigger the instrument and the larger the temperature change,
the more time will be needed.
Allow at least 30 minutes for your SkyView Pro 6 EQ to equilibrate. If the scope has more than a 40° temperature adjustment, allow an hour or more. In the winter, storing the telescope outdoors in a shed or garage greatly reduces the
amount of time needed for the optics to stabilize.It also is a
good idea to keep the scope covered until the Sun sets so the
tube does not heat greatly above the temperature of the outside air.
D. Let Your Eyes Dark-Adapt
Do not 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 even very many stars, for that
matter. Your eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps
80% of their full dark-adapted sensitivity. Many observers
notice improvements after several hours of total darkness. As
your eyes become dark-adapted, more stars will glimmer into
Figure 19. 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 mag star) then conditions are poor.
14
Figure 18.
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 the right if the optics are
perfectly collimated. If the circle is unsymmetrical, as in the
illustration on the left, the scope needs collimation.
Out of collimation Collimated
1.9
4.9
2.4
1.9
2.4
1.7
3.4
2.5
15
view and you will be able to see fainter details in objects you
view in your telescope.Exposing your eyes to very bright daylight for extended periods of time can adversely affect your
night vision for days.So give yourself at least a little while to
get used to the dark before you begin observing.
To see what you are 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 automobile headlights will spoil your night vision.
Eyepiece Selection
By using eyepieces of varying focal lengths, it is possible to
attain many magnifications with the SkyView Pro 6 EQ.The
telescope comes with two high-quality SiriusPlossl eyepieces:
a 25mm, which gives a magnification of 30x, and a 10mm,
which gives a magnification of 75x. Other eyepieces can be
used to achieve higher or low er po w ers .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 ma y
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.
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 possibly hundreds of deep sky objects.Do not expect to see as much color
as you in NASA photos, since those are taken with long-e xpo-
sure cameras and have “false color” added. Our eyes are not
sensitive enough to see color in deep-sky objects except in a
few 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 e y epiece 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!
A.The Moon
With is rocky and cratered surface, the moon is one of the
most interesting and easy subjects for your scope. The best
time to view it is during its partial phases when shadows fall
on the craters and canyon walls to give its features definition.
While the full moon may look like a tempting target, it is actually the worst time for viewing! The light of a full moon is too
bright and lacks any decent surface definition.
Use an optional Moon filter to dim the Moon when it is very
bright. It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepiece from
the focuser (you must first remove the eyepiece from the
focuser to attach the filter).You’ll find the Moon filter improves
viewing comfort, and helps bring out the subtle features if 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 Pro 6 EQ.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 dra wings 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. Also, be sure to
cover the finder scope, or better yet, remove it altogether.
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 SkyView Pro 6 EQ 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 moons—
Io, 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 eye 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 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.To see surface
detail on Mars, you will need a high power eyepiece and very
steady air!
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 two-color double star Albireo in Cygnus are
fav orites.Defocusing a star slightly can help bring out its color.
E. 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 you see
in books and magazines; most will look like dim gray
smudges. 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: Starhopping
Starhopping, 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
starhopping 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 br ightness of an
object is measured by its visual magnitude; the brighter an
object, the lower its magnitude.Choose an object with a visual magnitude of 9 or lower. Many beginners star t 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 you do not recognize 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 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 approximately 7°, so you should choose
another star that is no more that 7° 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 20). Look in the telescope’s eyepiece, and the object
should be somewhere within the field of view.If it’s not, sw eep
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
starhopping from star to star.
9. Astrophotography
Several different types of astrophotography can be successfully attempted with the SkyView Pro 6 EQ. All that is needed
is a T-ring for your specific camera model.Attach the T-ring to
your camera body and thread the T-ring directly onto the
focuser drawtube.
Moon Photography
This is perhaps the simplest form of astrophotography, as no
motor drive is required. Point the telescope toward the Moon,
and center it within the camera’s viewfinder. Focus the image
with the telescope’s focuser. Try several exposure times, all
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less than 1 second, depending on the phase of the moon and
the ISO (film speed) of the film being used. A remote shutter
release is recommended, as touching the camera’s shutter
release can vibrate the camera enough to ruin the exposure.
Planetary Photography
Once basic Moon photography has been mastered, it’s time to
get images of the planets.This type of astrophotography also
works to get highly magnified shots of the Moon. In addition
to the T-ring, you will need a Universal 1.25" Camera Adapter.
The TrueT rac k Motor Drive System (single or dual axis) is also
required. This is because a longer exposure is necessary,
which would cause the image to blur if no motor drive was
used for tracking.The equatorial mount must be accurately
polar aligned, too.
As before, connect the T-r ing to your camera. Before connecting the universal camera adapter to the T-r ing, an eyepiece
must be inserted and locked into the body of the universal
camera adapter.Start by using a medium-low power e y epiece
(about 25mm); you can increase the magnification later with a
high-power eyepiece. Then connect the entire camera
adapter, with eyepiece inside, to the T-Ring. Inser t the whole
system into the focuser and secure firmly with the thumbscrews.
Aim the telescope at the planet (or Moon) you wish to shoot.
The image will be highly magnified, so you may need to use
the finder scope to center it within the camera’s viewfinder.
Turn the motor drive on.Adjust the telescope’s f ocuser so that
the image appears sharp in the camera’s viewfinder .The camera’s shutter is now ready to be opened. A remote shutter
release must be used or the image will be blurred beyond
recognition. Try exposure times between 1 and 10 seconds,
depending upon the brightness of the planet to be photographed and the ISO of the film being used.
“Piggyback Photography”
The Moon and planets are interesting targets for the budding
astrophotographer, but what next? Literally thousands of
deep-sky objects can be captured on film with a type of
astrophotography called “piggybacking”.The basic idea is that
the camera with its own camera lens attached rides on top of
the main telescope. The telescope and camera both move
with the rotation of the Earth when the mount is polar aligned
and the motor drive is engaged.This allows for a long exposure through the camera without having the object or background stars blurred.In addition to the motor drive (dual-axis),
an illuminated reticle eyepiece is also needed.The T-r ing and
camera adapter are not needed, since the camera is exposing
through its own lens. Any camera lens with a focal length
between 35mm and 400mm is appropriate.
On the top of one of the tube rings is a piggyback camera
adapter.This is the black knob with the threaded shaft protruding through it. The tube ring with the piggyback adapter
should be closest to the open end of the telescope tube.
Remove the tube rings from the equatorial mount and swap
their position if necessary. Now, connect the camera to the
piggyback adapter.There should be a 1/4"-20 mounting hole
in the bottom of the camera’s body. Thread the protruding
shaft of the piggyback adapter into the 1/4"-20 mounting hole
in the camera a few turns.Position the camera so it is parallel
with the telescope tube and turn the knurled black knob of the
piggyback adapter counter-clockwise until the camera is
locked into position.
Aim the telescope at a deep-sky object. It should be a fairly
large deep-sky object, as the camera lens will likely have a
wide field of view. Check to make sure that the object is also
centered in the camera’s viewfinder. Turn the motor drive on.
Now, look into the telescope’s eyepiece and center the brightest star within the field of view. Remove the eyepiece and
insert the illuminated reticle eyepiece into the focuser drawtube.Tur n the eyepiece’s illuminator on (dimly!). Recenter the
bright star (guide star) on the crosshairs of the reticle eyepiece. Check again to make sure that the object to be photographed is still centered within the camera’s field of view.If it
is not, recenter it by repositioning the camera on the piggyback adapter, or by moving the main telescope. If you move
the main telescope, then you will need to recenter another
guide star on the illuminated eyepiece’s crosshairs. Once the
object is centered in the camera and a guide star is centered
in the reticle eyepiece, you’re ready to shoot.
Deep-sky objects are quite faint, and typically require exposures on the order of 10 minutes.T o hold the camer a’s shutter
open this long, you will need a lock shutter release cable.Set
the camera’s shutter to the “B” (bulb) setting. Depress the
Figure 20. Starhopping 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.
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locking shutter release cable and lock it. You are now exposing your first deep-sky object.
While exposing through the camera lens, you will need to
monitor the accuracy of the mount’s tracking by looking
through the illuminated reticle eyepiece in the main telescope.
If the guide star drifts from its initial position, then use the
hand controller of the motor drive to “move” the guide star
back to the center of the crosshairs. Any drifting along the
Dec. axis is a result of improper polar alignment, so if the
guide star drifts greatly in Dec., the mount may need to be
polar aligned more accurately.
When the exposure is complete, unlock the shutter release
cable and close the camera’s shutter.
Astrophotography can be enjoyable and rewarding, as well as
frustrating and time-consuming. Star t slowly and consult outside resources, such as books and magazines, for more
details about astrophotography. Remember … have fun!
10. 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
dust cover on the front of the telescope when not in use.
Your SkyView Pro 6 EQ 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. 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 fingerpr ints 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 the telescope’s mirrors very
often; normally once every year or so. Covering the telescope
with the dust cover 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 secondar y mirror of
your telescope are front-surface aluminized and over-coated
with hard silicon dioxide, which prevents the aluminum from
oxidizing.These coatings normally last through many years of
use before requiring re-coating (which is easily done).
To clean the secondary mirror, first remove it from the telescope.Do this by holding the secondary mirror holder stationary while turning the center Phillips-head screw. Be careful,
there is a spring between the secondary mirror holder and the
Philips-head screw. Be sure that it will not fall into the optical
tube and hit the primary mirror. Handle the mirror by its holder; do not touch the mirror surface.Then follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror.You
do not need to remove the secondary mirror from its holder
when cleaning.
To clean the primary mirror, carefully remove the mirror cell
from the telescope.For the SkyView Pro 6 EQ, this means you
must loosen the four screws on the side of the tube near the
primary mirror. You do not need to remove the collimation
screws on the bottom of the mirror cell.Remove the mirror cell
from the tube.You will notice the primary mirror is held down
with three clips held by two screws each.Loosen the screws
and remove the clips.
You may now remove the mirror from the mirror cell. Do not
touch the surface of the mirror with your fingers.Lift the mirror
carefully by the edges.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 capfull of rubbing alcohol. Submerge the mirror (aluminized face up) in the water and let it soak for a few 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 line across the mirror.Use one ball for each
wipe across the mirror.Then rinse the mirror under a stream
of lukewarm water. Any particles on the surface can be
swabbed gently with a series of cotton balls, each used just
one time. Dry the mirror in a stream of air (a “blower bul b”
works great), or remove any stray drops of water with the corner of a paper towel.Water will run off a clean surface. Cover
the mirror surface with Kleenex, and leave the mirror in a
warm area until it is completely dry before reassembling the
telescope.
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11. Specifications
Primary mirror diameter : 150mm (5.9")
Primary mirror coating: Aluminized, SiO2overcoat
Focal Length: 750mm
Focal Ratio: f/5.0
Secondary mirror: 52mm minor axis
Secondary mirror holder: Four-vaned spider, .4mm thick
vanes
Eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm Sirius Plössls, fully coated,
1.25"
Magnification: 30x (with 25mm) and 75x (with 10mm)
Finder Scope: 6x30 achromatic, 7° field of view
Focuser: Rack and pinion, accepts 1.25" eyepieces
Mount: SkyView Pro, German equatorial
Tripod: Steel
Tripod support tray: Aluminum, provides additional stability,
holds five 1.25" eyepiece and two 2" eyepieces
Weight: 52 lbs. (Mount 41 lbs., optical tube 11 lbs.)
Polar axis latitude adjustment:8° to 70°
Polar axis finder: Optional
Motor Drives: Optional
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One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion SkyView Pro 6 EQ 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 Wa y, 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; (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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