ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS SpaceProbe 3 Altaz 9845, SpaceProbe 3 Altaz 9841 Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

IN 172 Rev. A 0801

Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

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

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

Orion

®

SpaceProbe 3 Altaz

#9845 and #9841

Finder scope

Finder scope bracket

Eyepiece

Focuser

Altitude micro-motion

control thumbwheel

Yoke knobs

Altitude lock knob

Altitude micro-motion

control rod

Accessory tray bracket

attachment point

Leg lock knob

2

Figure 1.

Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy! Your SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth Reflector is a

high-quality optical instrument designed for nighttime stargazing.With its precision optics and intuitive
altazimuth mount, you’ll be able to locate and enjoy fascinating denizens of the night sky, including the
planets, Moon, and a variety of deep-sky objects. Lightweight and easy to use, this scope will provide
many hours of enjoyment for the whole family.

These instructions will help you set up, properly use, and care f or your telescope.Please read them over
thoroughly before getting started.

Micro-motion rod attachment post

“Yoke”

Azimuth lock knob

Tripod leg

Accessory tray bracket

Accessory tray

3

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.

Table of Contents

1. Unpacking............................................................................................................................. 3

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

3. Assembly.............................................................................................................................. 4

4. Getting Started...................................................................................................................... 5

5. Using your Telescope–Astronomical Observing ..................................................................... 6

6. Care and Maintenance............................................................................................................ 8

7. Specifications.......................................................................................................................... 8

Appendix A: Collimation (Aligning the Mirrors)............................................................................ 9

Appendix B: Cleaning the Optics............................................................................................... 11

1. Unpacking

The entire telescope system will arrive in one box.
Be careful unpacking the box.We recommend
keeping the original shipping container.In the
event that the telescope needs to be shipped to
another location, or returned to Orion for warranty
repair, having the proper shipping container will
help ensure that your telescope will survive the
journey intact.

Make sure all the parts in the Parts List are pres­ent. Be sure to check the box 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 Altazimuth mount
1 Altitude micro-motion rod with thumbwheel
3 Tripod legs
1 Accessory tray bracket
1 Finder scope
1 Finder scope bracket
1 Accessory tray
3 Tripod attachment screws with wing nuts and washers
3 Accessory tray attachment screws with

lock nuts and washers
3 Leg lock knobs
2 Yoke knobs
1 25mm Explorer II eyepiece
1 10mm Explorer II eyepiece
1 Dust cover
1 Collimation cap
2 Assembly tools (Philips head screwdriver,

triangular assembly tool)

4

3. Assembly

Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about
30 minutes.No tools are needed other than the ones provided.
All screws should be tightened securely to eliminate flexing
and wobbling, but be careful not to over-tighten or the threads
may strip.Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process.

During assembly (and anytime, for that matter), DO NOT
touch the surfaces of the telescope mirrors or the 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. Lay the altazim uth mount on its side.Attach the tripod legs,
one at a time, to the base of the mount by sliding a tripod
attachment screw through the top of a leg and through the
holes in the base of the mount.The washers should be on
the outside of the tripod legs. Secure the wing nuts finger­tight. 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 shor test
(fully retracted) length;you can extend them to a more desir­able length later, after the tripod is completely assembled.

3. With the tripod legs now attached to the mount, stand the
tripod upright (be careful!) and spread the legs apart
enough to connect each end of the accessory tray bracket
to the attachment point on each leg. Use the screw and
lock nut that come installed in each attachment point to do
this.First remove the screw using the supplied screwdriver
and triangular assembly tool; hold the lock nut with the tri­angular assembly tool while turning the screw with the
screwdriver. Then, line up one of the ends of the bracket
with the attachment point and reinstall the screw. Make
sure the end of the accessory tray bracket is oriented so
that its flat side is facing up.

4. Stand the tripod and mount upright and spread the tripod
legs apart as far as they will go, until the bracket is taut.
Connect the accessory tray to the accessory tray bracket
with the three wing screws already installed in the tray. Do
this by pushing the wing screws up through the holes in the
accessory tray bracket and threading them into the holes in
the accessory tray.

5. Tighten the screws at the tops of the tripod legs, so the legs
are securely fastened to the mount. Use the Phillips head
screwdriver and your fingers to do this.

6. Attach the altitude micro-motion rod to the optical tube
assembly by first removing the flat head screw from the
micro-motion rod attachment post on the side of the optical
tube Use the flattened corner of the triangular assembly tool
to do this.Slide the screw through the hole at the end of the
micro-motion rod and rethread the screw into the attachment
post.Make sure the screw is securely tightened.

7. To install the optical tube in the “yoke” of the altazimuth
mount, first slide the altitude micro-motion rod into its recep­tacle on the side of the yoke. Make sure the altitude lock
knob is adequetely loosened.Then, with the rod in place in
the receptacle, place the optical tube assembly into the yoke
so that the metal altitude castings on the side of the optical
tube slide into the grooves in the top of the yoke. (Figure 2).
To secure the optical tube to the mount, slide the yoke knobs
through the holes in the top of the mount and thread them
into the altitude castings on the optical tube.Tighten the alti­tude lock knob.

8. Place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket.Do this by
loosening the three alignment thumbscrews until the are
flush with the inside of the bracket.Then insert the small end
(the eyepiece end) of the finder scope into the end of the
bracket that does not have the alignment thumbscrews next
to it. Bring the finder scope through the bracket until an inch
of finder scope's tube is through the bracket.Secure the find­er scope in the finder scope bracket by tightening the three
finder scope alignment thumbscrews evenly until it is secure .

Micro-motion
rod attachment
post

“Yoke”

Altitude
casting

Altitude lock knob

Altitude
micro-motion rod

Altitude

Azimuth

Figure 3.

Figure 2.