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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
®
SpaceProbe 130mm EQ
Equatorial Newtonian Reflector Telescope
#9027
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Figure 1. SkyView Deluxe 8" parts diagram
Dovetail slot
Finder scope
Alignment thumb screws(2)
Spring -loaded
tensioner
Finder scope
bracket
Piggyback adapter
Tube mounting
rings
Tube ring clamps
Primary mirror cell
Collimation
screws(6)
R.A. setting
circle
Latitude
adjustment t-bolt
Azimuth lock knob
Leg lock knob
Accessory tray
Accessory tray
bracket
Eyepiece
Focuser
Dec. slow-motion
control cable
Dec. setting circle
R.A. lock knob
Counterweight
Counterweight
lock knob
Counterweight
shaft
R.A. slow motion
control cable
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1. Unpacking
The entire telescope system will arrive 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
Qty. Description
1 Optical Tube Assembly
1 Optical tube dust cap
2 Optical tube mounting rings
1 25mm (36x) Explorer II eyepiece (1.25")
1 10mm (90x) Explorer II eyepiece (1.25")
1 6x30 crosshair finder scope
1 Dovetail finder scope bracket with O-ring
1 Equatorial mount
3 Tripod legs with attachment bolts
3 Leg lock knobs (may already be on tripod legs)
1 Counterweight shaft
1 Counterweight
1 Tripod accessory tray
3 Accessory tray wing screws (may be attached to
accessory tray)
2 Slow-motion control cables
4 Assembly tools (2 wrenches, Phillips head screw
driver, flat head screwdriver key)
C
ongratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope
.Your new SpaceProbe 130mm 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.
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.
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. Astrophotography ................................................................................................................ 14
9. Care and Maintenance ........................................................................................................ 15
10. Specifications ...................................................................................................................... 16
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3. Assembly
Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about
30 minutes.No tools are needed other than the ones provided. All bolts should be tightened securely to eliminate flexing
and wobbling, but be careful not to o v er-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 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 warranty and return policy will be voided.
1. Lay the equatorial mount on its side.Attach the tripod legs
one at a time to the mount by sliding the bolts installed in
the tops of the tripod legs into the slots at the base of the
mount and tightening the wing nuts finger-tight.Note that
the accessory tray bracket attachment point on each leg
should face inward.
2. Install and tighten the leg lock knobs on the bottom braces
of the tripod legs. For now, keep the legs at their shortest
(fully retracted) length; you can extend them to a more
desirable length later, after the scope is completely
assembled.
3. With the tripod legs now attached to the equatorial mount,
stand the tripod upright (be careful!) and spread the legs
apart enough to connect the accessory tray to the bracket
on each leg. Use the accessory tray wing screws to do
this; insert each wing screw up through the slot in the
bracket, and thread it into a corner of the accessory tray.
Do not fully tighten the wing screws yet.
4. Now, with the accessory tray attached, spread the tripod
legs apart as far as they will go, until the brac kets are taut.
Tighten the bolts at the tops of the tripod legs, so the legs
are securely fastened to the equatorial mount. Use the
provided large wrench to do this.Also tighten the accessory tray wing screws.
5. Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 2, at a
latitude of about 40°, i.e., so the pointer next to the latitude scale (located directly above the latitude lock t-bolt)
is pointing to the hash mark at “40.”To do this, loosen the
latitude lock t-bolt, and turn the latitude adjustment t-bolt
until the pointer and the “40” line up.Then retighten the
latitude lock t-bolt.The declination (Dec.) and right ascension (R.A.) axes may need re-positioning (rotation) as
well.Be sure to loosen the RA and Dec.lock knobs before
doing this.Retighten the R.A.and Dec. lock knobs once
the equatorial mount is properly oriented.
6. Slide the counterweight onto the counterweight shaft.
Make sure the counterweight lock knob is adequately
loosened to allow the counterweight shaft to pass through
the hole in the counterweight.
7. Now, with the counterweight lock knob still loose, grip the
counterweight 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,
position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and
tighten the counterweight lock knob.The retaining screw
and washer on the bottom of the shaft prevent the counterweight from falling off (and onto your foot!) if the
counterweight lock knob becomes loose.
8. Attach the two tube rings to the equatorial head using the
bolts that come installed in the bottom of the rings. First
remove the bolts, then push the bolts, with the washers
still attached, up through the holes in the tube ring mounting plate (on the top of the equatorial mount) and rethread
them into the bottom of the tube rings.Tighten the bolts
securely with the smaller wrench. Open the tube rings by
first loosening the knurled ring clamps. One of the tube
rings has a piggyback camera adapter on top (the knurled
black ring);ignore it for now, it’s purpose will be discussed
later in detail.
9. Lay the telescope optical tube in the 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.
10.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 over the
indented slot on the worm gear shaft and then tightening
the thumb screw. We recommend that the shorter cable
be used on the R.A. worm gear shaft and the longer cable
on the Dec. worm gear shaft.The Dec. worm gear shaft
and cable should extend tow ard the front (open) end of the
telescope optical tube. If it does not, you will need to
remove the tube from the mounting rings, rotate the mount
RIGHT ASCENSION
AXIS
Azimuth lock knob
R.A. setting
circle lock
thumbscrew
DECLINATION AXIS
Figure 2. The Space Probe’s equatorial mount.
Dec. slow-
motion control
cable
Dec. lock knob
Dec. setting
circle
R.A. slow-
motion
control cable
R.A. setting
circle
Latitude scale
Latitude lock
t-bolt
Latitude adjustment t-bolt
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180° about the Dec. axis (first loosen the Dec.lock knob!),
and then replace the tube.
11.To place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket, first
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 that does not have the alignment screws while
pulling the chrome, spring-loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers. Push the finder scope through the
bracket until the O-ring seats just inside the front opening
of the bracket’s cylinder.Now, release the tensioner and
tighten the two black nylon screws a couple of turns each
to secure the finder scope in place.
12.Insert the base of the finder scope bracket into the dovetail slot near the focuser. Lock the bracket into position by
tightening the knurled thumb screw on the dovetail slot.
13.Remove the cap from the focuser and insert the chrome
barrel of one of the eyepieces into the drawtube. Secure
the eyepiece with the thumb screws on the drawtube.
Remember to always loosen the thumb screws before
rotating or removing the eyepiece.
The telescope system is now fully assembled.Keep the dust
cap over the front end of the telescope when it is not in use.
4. Getting Started
Balancing the Telescope
To insure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of
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 lever.Make sure the Dec. lock lever is locked,
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 the counterweight lock knob and slide the
weight along the shaft until it exactly counterbalances the
telescope (Figure 3a).That’s the point at which the shaft
remains horizontal even when you let go of the telescope
with both hands (Figure 3b).
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Figure 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D. 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 knob released, slide the counterweight along the counterweight shaft until it just counterbalances the tube. (b) When you
let go with both hands, the tube should not drift up or down. (c) With the Dec. lock knob released, loosen the tube ring lock 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.
b.
d.
c.a.
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3. Retighten the counterweight lock knob.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 knob, with the counterweight shaft still in the horizontal position.
5. With one hand on the telescope optical tube, loosen the
Dec.lock knob.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 3c).
6. Position the telescope so it remains horizontal when you
carefully let go with both hands.This is the balance point
(Figure 3d). 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 knob on one or both axes and manually point
the telescope, it should move without resistance and should
not drift from where you point it.
Focusing the Telescope
Insert the low-power 25mm eyepiece into the focuser and
secure with the thumb screws. 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 f ocus knob so the dra wtube 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.
Do You Wear Eyeglasses?
If you wear eyeglasses, you may be able to keep them on
while you observe, if your e yepieces 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, aim the main telescope in the
general direction of an object at least 1/4-mile away, such as
the top of a telephone pole, a chimney, etc. Do this by first
loosening the R.A.and Dec. lock knobs.Position the telescope
so the object appears in the eyepiece’s field of view and then
retighten the R.A. and Dec.lock knobs. Use the slow-motion
control cables to center the object in the eyepiece .
Now, look in the finder scope. Is the object visible? Ideally, it
will be somewhere in the finder’ s field of view. If it is not, some
coarse adjustments of the two black nylon 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 4).
By loosening or tightening the alignment thumb screws, you
change the line of sight of the finder scope.Continue making
adjustments to the alignment thumb screws until the image in
both the finder scope and the telescope’s e yepiece 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 e yepiece 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.
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 scre ws 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.
When transporting the telescope, we recommend removing the
finder scope and bracket from the tube.This is done by simply
loosening the thumb screw on the dovetail slot.Store the finder
scope and bracket in an appropriate ey epiece/accessory case.
Naked-eye view
View through finder scope and telescope
Figure 4. The view through a standard finder scope and reflector
telescope is upside down.This is true for the SpaceProbe 130mm
and its finder scope as well.
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Focusing the Finder Scope
If, when looking through the finder scope, the images
appear somewhat out of focus, you will need to refocus the
finder scope for your eyes. Loosen the lock ring located
behind the objective lens cell on the body of the finder
scope (see Figure 5). 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 on the finder scope
body. Precise focusing will be achieved by focusing the finder scope on a bright star.Once the image appears sharp,
retighten the lock ring behind the objective lens cell.The
finder scope’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 2) is designed to compensate
for that motion, allowing you to easily “track” the mov ement 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 nor th 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 t-bolt.Turn the latitude adjustment
t-bolt 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 t-bolt.The
latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again unless
you move to a different viewing location some distance
away.
3. Loosen the Dec.lock knob and rotate the telescope optical tube until it is parallel with the R.A. axis, as it is in
Figure 1.The pointer on the Dec.setting circle should read
90°, Retighten the Dec. lock lever.
4. Loosen the azimuth lock knob at the base of the equatorial mount and rotate the mount 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 mount so the telescope points North.
Retighten the azimuth lock knob.
The equatorial mount is now polar-aligned for casual observing. More precise polar alignment is required for
astrophotography.
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
ointer S
tars
Polaris
Cassiopeia
Focus
lock ring
Figure 5. The 6x30 finder scope and bracket.
Objective lens
Alignment
thumb screws
Spring-loaded
tensioner
Eyepiece
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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 R.A.and Dec. axes.
Use of the R.A. and Dec. Slow-Motion Control
Cables
The R.A. and Dec. slow-motion control cables allow fine
adjustment of the telescope’s position to center objects within the field of view. Before you can use the cables, 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 knobs and moving the telescope about the mount’s
R.A. and Dec. axes. Once the telescope is pointed somewhere close to the object to be viewed, retighten the mount’s
R.A. and Dec.lock knobs.
The object should now be visible somewhere in the telescope’s finder scope.If it isn’t, use the slow-motion controls
to scan the surrounding area of sky.When the object is visible in the finder scope, use the slow-motion controls to center
it. Now, look in the telescope with a long focal length (low
magnification) 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 telescope’ s eyepiece, use the
slow-motion controls to center it in the field of view.You can
now switch to a higher magnification eyepiece, if you wish.
After switching eyepieces, you can use the slow-motion control cables to re-center the image, if necessary.
The Dec. slow-motion control cable can move the telescope
a maximum of 25°, This is because the Dec. slow-motion
mechanism has a limited range of mechanical travel.(The
R.A. slow-motion mechanism has no limit to its amount of
travel.) If you can no longer rotate the Dec. control cable in a
desired direction, you have reached the end of tr avel, and the
slow-motion mechanism should be reset.This is done by first
rotating the control cable several turns in the opposite direction from which it was originally being turned.Then, manually
slew the telescope closer to the object you wish to observe
(remember to first loosen the Dec.lock knob).You should now
be able to use the Dec. slow-motion control cable again to
fine adjust the telescope’s position.
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 cable. The Dec. slow-motion
control cable 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 EQ-2M Motor Drive,
#7827) 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 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 lower
set of numbers (closest to the plastic R.A.gear cover) apply
to viewing in the Northern Hemisphere, while the numbers
above them apply to viewing in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Dec. setting circle is scaled in degrees, with each hash
mark representing 1° increments.Values of Dec. coordinates
range from +90° to -90°, For Northern Hemisphere
observers, use the numbers on the setting circle that are closest to the eastern horizon.The 0° mark indicates the celestial
equator; values north of the Dec.= 0° mark are positiv e, while
values south of the Dec.= 0° mark 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 well polar aligned, and the R.A.setting circle
must be calibrated.The Dec. setting circle has been calibrated at the factory, and should read 90° when the telescope
optical tube is parallel with the R.A.axis.
Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle
1. Identify a bright star near the celestial equator (Dec. = 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 near the celestial
equator whose coordinates you know. Lock the R.A.and
Dec. lock knobs.Center the star in the telescope’s field of
view with the slow-motion control cables
4. Loosen the R.A.setting circle lock thumb screw located
just above the R.A.setting circle pointer;this will allow the
setting circle to rotate freely. Rotate the setting circle until
the pointer indicates the R.A. coordinate listed in the star
atlas for the object.Retighten the thumb screw.
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.
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1. Loosen the Dec.lock knob and rotate the telescope until
the Dec. value from the star atlas matches the reading on
the Dec. setting circle.Retighten the Dec. lock knob.
2. Loosen the R.A.lock knob 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 knob.
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.
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 vie w 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 t-bolt. 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 knob
and rotate the telescope on the R.A. axis until the counterweight shaft is horizontal (parallel to the ground).Then loosen
the Dec. lock knob and rotate the telescope until it is pointing
straight overhead.The counterweight shaft is still horizontal.
Then retighten both lock levers.
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b. d.
Figure 7. This illustration shows the telescope pointed in the four cardinal directions:(a) nor th, (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.
a.
c.
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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
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 directions, 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
To point the telescope to the east or west, or in other directions, 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.
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 f act, it almost never will!
6.Collimating the Optics
(Aligning the Mirrors)
Collimation is the process of adjusting the mirrors so they are
precisely aligned with each other.Your 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.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 y our line of sight down the focuser drawtube, and in centering the mirror reflections during collimation,
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 primar y mirror is correctly aligned, the eye will be centered, as in (a).
a.
b.
c.
d.
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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 removed, look straight down the open
focuser 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 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 set screws in the center hub of the secondary mirror holder several turns.You will need a 3mm Allen
wrench to do this.Now hold the secondary mirror stationary
(be careful not to touch the surface of the secondary mirror!),
while turning the central Phillips head screw (as in Figure 9).
Tur ning the bolt clockwise will move 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 side-to-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 set 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 set
screws a turn 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 is adjusted with the three pairs of collimation screws on the back end of the optical tube (bottom of
the mirror cell, see Figure 11).The collimation screws can be
turned with a Phillips head screwdriver.
Each pair of collimation screws work together to adjust the
tilt. One screw pushes the mirror cell forward, while the other
screw pulls the mirror cell back.One must be loosened and
the other tightened by the same amount in order to adjust the
tilt.Try tightening and loosening one of the pairs of Phillipsheaded collimation screws one turn. 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 pairs of collimation screws, if necessary. It will take a little trial and error to get a feel for how
to tilt the mirror in this way to center the reflection.(It helps to
11
Figure 10. Adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror by loosening or
tightening the three alignment setscrews 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 pairs of collimation screws adjust the tilt of the
primary mirror.
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12
have two people for primary mirror collimation, one to look in
the focuser while the other adjusts the collimation screws.)
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 vie w 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.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 (Figure 12).
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 eyes, the
stars are twinkling noticeably, the seeing is bad and you will
be limited to viewing with low powers (bad seeing affects
images at high powers more severely). 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 “transparency” - 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 f ainter is desirab 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 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 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.Y our e yes tak e 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 vie w 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.
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
Figure 12. 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.
Out of collimation Collimated
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divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of
the eyepiece:
For example, the SpaceProbe 130mm EQ, which has a focal
length of 900mm, 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 pow er 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.
Eyepiece Selection
By using eyepieces of varying focal lengths, it is possible to
attain a great many magnifications with the SpaceProbe
130mm EQ. The telescope comes with two high-quality
Explorer II eyepieces:a 25mm, which gives a magnification
of 36x, and a 10mm, which gives a magnification of 90x.
Other eyepieces can be used to achie ve 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, howe ver, 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, how ever.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
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 an optional Moon filter to dim the Moon when it is very
bright. It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepieces (you
must first remove the e yepiece 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 the SpaceProbe 130mm 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 drawings of
sunspots to monitor how the Sun is changing from day to da y.
Important Note: Do not look at the Sun with any optical instrument without a professionally made solar filter , or permanent eye
damage could result.
C. The Planets
The planets don’t stay put like the stars, so to find them you
should refer to Sky Calendar at our website (telescope.com),
or to charts published monthly in
Astronomy, Sky & Telescope
,
or other astronomy magazines. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and
Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and
the Moon.Your SpaceProbe 130mm EQ is capable of showing you these planets in some detail. Other planets may be
visible but will likely appear star-lik e.Because planets are quite
small in apparent size, optional higher-power e yepieces 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
Telescope f ocal length
Eyepiece focal length
= Magnification
900mm
25mm
= 36x
Page 14
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. Dur ing close approaches you’ll see a red
disk, and may be able to see the polar ice cap.T o see surface
detail on Mars, you will need a high-power eyepiece and very
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 photogr aphs 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 deep-sky 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 brighter 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 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 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 13). Look in the telescope’s eyepiece, and the object
should be somewhere within the field of view.If it’s not, sweep
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
14
Figure 13. 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.
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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. Astrophotography
There are several diff erent types of astrophotogr aphy that can
be successfully attempted with the SpaceProbe 130mm EQ.
Moon Photography
This is perhaps the simplest form of astrophotography, as no
motor drive is required.All that is needed is a t-ring for your
specific camera.Connect the t-ring to your camera body, and
then thread the entire assembly directly onto the end of the
telescope’s focuser drawtube.
Now you’re ready to shoot. 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 less than 1 second, depending on the phase of the
moon and the ASA (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.
“Piggybacking Photography”
Literally thousands of deep-sky objects can be captured on
film with a type of astrophotography called “piggybacking”.
The basic idea is that a 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 accurately polar aligned and an optional motor
drive (Orion EQ-2M Motor Drive, #7827) 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, an illuminated reticle eyepiece is also needed.A
t-ring is not needed, since the camera is exposing through its
own lens.Any camera lens with a focal length between 50mm
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 its middle.The tube ring with the piggyback
adapter on it should be closest to the front of the telescope.
If necessary , remov e the tube rings from the equatorial mount
and swap their positions.Now, connect the camer a 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 that 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 ey epiece and insert
the illuminated reticle eyepiece into the telescope’s star diagonal.Turn the eyepiece’s illuminator on (dimly!).Re-center 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-vie w. If it is not, recenter it either by re-positioning the camera on the piggyback
adapter, or b y moving the main telescope .If you move the main
telescope, then you will need to re-center another guide star on
the illuminated reticle eyepiece’s crosshairs.Once the object is
centered in the camera, and a guide star is centered in the reticle eyepiece, y ou’re ready to shoot.
Deep-sky objects are quite faint, and typically require exposures on the order of 10 minutes.To hold the camera’s shutter
open this long, you will need to have a loc king shutter release
cable; you will need to set the camera’s shutter to the “B”
(bulb) setting in order for the locking shutter release to work
properly. Depress the 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 “bump”the guide star
back to the center of the crosshairs.The hand controller only
moves the telescope along the R.A.axis, which is where most
of the corrections will be made.If the guide star appears to
be drifting significantly along the Dec. axis, then the mount’s
Dec.slow-motion control cab le can be carefully used to move
the guide star back onto the crosshairs.Any drifting along the
Dec. axis is due to 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. Start slowly and consult
outside resources, such as books and magazines, for more
details about astrophotography. Remember...have fun!
9. Care and Maintenance
If you give your telescope reasonable care, it will last a lifetime.Store it in a clean, dry, dust-free place, safe from rapid
changes in temperature and humidity. Do not store the telescope outdoors, although storage in a garage or shed is OK.
Small components like eyepieces and other accessories
should be kept in a protective box or storage case. Keep the
caps on the front of the telescope and on the focuser drawtube when it is not in use.
Your SpaceProbe 130mm EQ 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.
Page 16
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 excess fluid with
a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and smudges may be
removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard
may scratch the lens. 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; nor mally 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 over-coated
with hard silicon monoxide, which pre v ents 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 the mirror in its holder
from the 4-vaned spider in the tube.Do this by grasping the
secondary mirror holder with your fingertips while turning the
central bolt on the spider’s central hub counterclockwise.
Handle the mirror holder only;do not touch the mirror surface.
Then follow the same procedure described below for cleaning
the primary mirror.The secondary mirror is glued into its holder, and should not be removed from the holder for cleaning.
To clean the primary mirror, carefully remove the mirror cell
from the telescope.This is done by first removing the three primary mirror collimation screws indicated in Figure 14. 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 dishwash-
ing 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 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” 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 leav e the entire assembly in a warm area until it
is completely dry before reassembling the telescope.
10. Specifications
Optical tube: Steel
Primary mirror diameter:130mm
Primary mirror coating: Aluminized, silicon monoxide overcoat
Secondary mirror minor axis: 34mm
Focal length:900mm
Focal ratio:f/7
Eyepieces:25mm and 10mm Explorer II, fully coated, 1.25"
Magnification: 36x (with 25mm), 90x (with 10mm)
Focuser: Rack and pinion
Finder scope: 6x magnification, 30mm aperture, achromatic,
crosshairs
Mount: German-type equatorial
Tripod:Hardwood
Motor drives: Optional
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion SpaceProbe 130mm 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 w arranted 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, mishandled, 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.
Figure 14. Remove the three
collimation screws indicated
to remove the mirror cell from
the tube.
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