ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS SpaceProbe 3 EQ 9847, SpaceProbe 3 EQ 9842 Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

IN 173 Rev. A 0801

Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

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P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061

Orion

®

SpaceProbe 3 EQ

#9847 and #9842

2

Declination
slow-motion control cable

Declination setting circle

Declination lock knob
Right Ascension

slow motion cable
Counterweight shaft
Counterweight
Counterweight lock knob
Right Ascension lock knob

Tripod leg

Accessory tray bracket

Leg lock knob

Finder scope

Finder scope bracket

Eyepiece

Focuser

Optical tube assembly

Right Ascension setting circle

Latitude adjustment

T-Bolt

Accessory tray

Accessory tray bracket

attachment point

Figure 1.

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. Setting up and Using the Equatorial Mount.......................................................................... 7

6. Using your Telescope–Astronomical Observing ................................................................... 9

7. Care and Maintenance..........................................................................................................11

8. Specifications........................................................................................................................ 12

Appendix A: Collimation (Aligning the Mirrors)........................................................................ 12

Appendix B: Cleaning the Optics............................................................................................. 14

Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy!Your SpaceProbe 3 EQ is a high-quality optical

instrument designed for nighttime stargazing.With its precision optics and equatorial 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.

2. Parts List

1 Optical tube assembly
1 Equatorial mount
3 Tripod legs
1 Accessory tray bracket
2 Slow-motion control cables
1 Counterweight
1 Counterweight shaft
1 Finder scope
1 Finder scope bracket
1 Accessory tray with attachment wing screws
3 Tripod attachment screws with wing nuts and washers
3 Leg lock 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)

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 Part List are present. Be sure to
check the box carefully, as some par ts are small. If anything
appears to be missing or broken, immediately call Orion
Customer Support (800-676-1343) for assistance.

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 eyepiece 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 base of the mount by sliding a tripod
leg 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 fin­ger-tight. Note that the accessor y tray bracket attachment
point on each leg must 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 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 attach-

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ment 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. Next, 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. 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 is pointing to the 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 R.A. and Dec. lock knobs before doing
this. Retighten the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs once the
equatorial mount is properly oriented.

R.A. setting circle

Latitude scale

Latitude adjustment

T-bolt

Azimuth lock knob

Declination lock knob (not shown)

Declination setting circle

R.A. lock knob

Right Ascension axis

Declination axis

Latitude
lock T-bolt

Figure 2.

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7. Thread the counterweight shaft into the equatorial mount
at the base of the declination axis until tight.

8. Remove the screw and washer on the bottom of the coun­terweight shaft and slide the counterweight onto the shaft.
Make sure the counterweight lock knob is adequately loos­ened to allow the counterweight shaft to pass through the
hole.Position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft
and tighten the lock knob.Replace the screw and washer
on the end of the shaft.

9. Remove the two wingnuts from the threaded shafts on the
mounting plate that is on the optical tube assembly.Then
place the optical tube assembly onto the equatorial mount
so that the threaded shafts on the mounting plate go
through the holes at the top of the mount. Thread the
wingnuts back onto the threaded shafts to secure the opti­cal tube to the mount. Refer to Figure 1 for the orientation
of the tube.

10.Attach the two slow-motion cables to the R.A. and Dec.
worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by positioning
the thumbscrew on the end of the cable over the indented
slot on the worm gear shaft and then tightening the thumb­screw. 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 as shown in Figure 1.

11.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 inser t 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 into 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.

12.Loosen and remove the two finder scope bracket securing
thumbnuts from the optical tube assembly. Place the holes
on the bottom of the finder scope bracket over the two
threaded shafts coming out of the optical tube. Replace
the thumbnuts to secure the finder scope bracket to the
optical tube. Refer to Figure 1 for the orientation of the
finder scope and finder scope bracket.

13.Insert the 25mm Explorer II eyepiece into the focuser
drawtube and secure it in place with the thumbscrew.

Your telescope is now fully assembled and should appear as
it does in Figure 1.

4. Getting Started

Balancing the Telescope

T o insure smooth mo vement of the telescope , it should be prop­erly balanced.This is done by positioning the counterweight on
its shaft at a point where it is balanced on the R.A.axis.

1. Keeping one hand on the optical tube, loosen the R.A.lock
knob. Make sure the declination lock knob is locked.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).

3. Retighten the counterweight lock knob.

The telescope is now balanced in the R.A.axis.The telescope
is already balanced in the Declination axis. 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.

Figure 3. Proper operation of the equatorial
mount requires balancing the telescope tube on
the R.A. axis. (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.

a.

b.

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Focusing the Telescope

Insert the 25mm Explorer II eyepiece into the focuser and
secure with the thumbscrew. 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 starts to blur
again, then reverse the rotation of the knob, just to make sure
you've hit the exact focus point.

Do You Wear Eyeglasses?

If you wear eyeglasses, you may be able to keep them on
while you observe. In order to do this, your eyepiece must
have enough “eye relief” to allow you to see the entire field of
view with glasses on.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 the glasses do restrict the field of view, you may be
able to observe with your glasses off by just ref ocusing the tel­escope the needed amount.

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

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 slow­motion 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 three black nylon finder scope
alignment thumbscrews will be needed to get the finder scope
roughly parallel to the main tube.If this does not work, loosen
the two thumbnuts that secure the finder scope bracket to the
optical tube and slide the bracket left or right to get the object
in the finder’s field of view. Retighten the thumbnuts.

Note:The image in both the finder scope and the main tele­scope will appear upside-down (rotated 180°).This is nor mal
for finderscopes and reflector telescopes (see Figure 4).

By loosening one alignment thumbscrew and tightening the oth­ers, you change the line of sight of the finder scope. Use the
three alignment thumbscrews to center the object on the
crosshairs of the finder scope. Look again into the telescope's
eyepiece and see if the object is still centered there as well.If it
isn’t, repeat the entire process, making sure not to move the
main telescope while adjusting the alignment of the finderscope.

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

Figure 5. To find Polaris in the
night sky, look north and find the
Big Dipper. Extend an imaginary
line from the two “Pointer Stars” in
the bowl of the Big Dipper. Go
about five times the distance
between those stars and you’ll
reach Polaris, which lies within 1°
of the north celestial pole (NCP).

Big Dipper

(in Ursa Major)

Little Dipper

(in Ursa Minor)

N.C.P.

P

o

i

n

t

e

r

S

t

a

r

s

Polaris

Cassiopeia

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 3 and its finder
scope as well.

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.
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'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 controls to center it in the field of view.

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 travel, and the slow­motion mechanism must 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 clockwise. The Dec. slow­motion control cable is not needed for tracking. Objects will
appear to move faster at higher magnifications, because the
field of view is narrower.

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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.Turn the viewing end of the finder scope
clockwise or counter-clockwise as needed to focus the finder
scope on a distant object (1/4 mile away or more).

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 over
time.That apparent motion is caused by the Ear th's rotation
(from west to east). An equatorial mount (Figure 2) is
designed to compensate for that motion, allowing you to easi­ly “track” the movement of astronomical objects, thereby
keeping them from drifting out of the telescope's field of 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
cable. But first the R.A. axis of the mount must be aligned
with the Earth's rotational (polar) axis - a process called
polar alignment.

Polar Alignment

For Northern Hemisphere observers, approximate polar align­ment is achieved by pointing the mount's R.A. axis at the
North Star, or Polaris.It lies within 1° of the north celestial pole
(NCP), which is an extension of the Earth's rotational axis out
into space. Stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear to
revolve around the NCP.

To find Polaris in the sky, look nor th and locate the patter n of
the Big Dipper (Figure 5). 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).

To Polar-Align the SpaceProbe 3 EQ

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 y our 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.

8

Figure 6. This illus­tration shows the
telescope pointed in
the four cardinal
directions: (a) north,
(b) south, (c) east,
(d) west. Note that
the tripod and mount
have not been
moved; only the tele­scope tube has been
moved on the R.A.
and Dec. axes.

a. b.

c. d.

Optional Electronic Drives for Automatic Tracking

An optional DC electronic 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 R.A.slow-motion control cable.

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 mount’s R.A. setting circle is scaled in hours, from 1
through 24, with small marks in between representing 10­minute increments.The numbers closest to the R.A. axis gear
apply to viewing in the Southern Hemisphere, while the num­bers above them apply to viewing in the Northern
Hemisphere.

The Dec. setting circle is scaled in degrees, with each mark
representing 2.5° increments. Values of Dec. coordinates

range from +90° to -90°. The 0° mark indicates the celestial
equator.When the telescope is pointed nor th of the celestial
equator, values of the Dec. setting circle are positive, while
when the telescope is pointed south of the celestial equator,
values of the Dec.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 correctly polar aligned, and the R.A.setting circle
must be calibrated.The Dec. setting circle has been permanent­ly calibrated at the factory, and should read 90° whenever the
telescope optical tube is parallel with the R.A.axis.

Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle

1. Identify a bright star in the sky near the celestial equator
(Dec. = 0°) and look up its coordinates in a star atlas.

2. Loosen the R.A. and Dec. lock knobs on the equatorial
mount, so the telescope optical tube can move freely.

9

3. Point the telescope at the bright star 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. Rotate the setting circle until the metal arrow indicates the
R.A. coordinate listed in the star atlas for the object.

Finding Objects With the Setting Circles

Now that both setting circles are calibrated, look up in a star
atlas the coordinates of an object you wish to view.

1. Loosen the Dec. lock knob and rotate the telescope until
the Dec. 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 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. Remember to use the upper set of
numbers 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.

The R.A. setting circle must be re-calibrated every time you
wish to locate a new object.Do so by calibrating the setting cir­cle for the centered object before moving on to the next one.

Confused About Pointing the Telescope?

Beginners occasionally experience some confusion about
how to point the telescope overhead or in other directions.In
Figure 1 the telescope is pointed north, as it would be during
polar alignment. The counterweight shaft is oriented down­ward.But it will not look like that when the telescope is pointed
in other directions.Let's say you want to view an object that is
directly overhead, at the zenith.How do you do it?

One thing you DO NOT do is make any adjustment to the lati­tude adjustment 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 knobs.

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 6 illustrates how the telescope will look pointed at the
four cardinal directions - north, south, east, and west

The key things to remember when pointing the telescope is that
a) you only move it in R.A.and Dec., not in azimuth or latitude
(altitude), and b) the counterweight and shaft will not always
appear as it does in Figure 1.In fact, it almost never will!

6. 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 sev erely).Planetary observing may also be poor.

In conditions of good seeing, star twinkling is minimal and
images appear steady in the eyepiece. Seeing is best over­head, worst at the horizon. Also, seeing generally gets better
after midnight, when much of the heat absorbed by the Earth
during the day has radiated off into space.

Especially important for observing faint objects is good
“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

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.

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

Magnification = (focal length of telescope)

÷ (focal length of eyepiece)

For example, the SpaceProbe 3 EQ, which has a focal length
of 700mm, used in combination with the 25mm eyepiece,
yields a power of:

700mm ÷ 25mm = 28x

Every telescope has a useful limit of power of about 2x per
mm of aperture (about 152x for the SpaceProbe 3 EQ).
Claims of higher power by some telescope manufacturers are
a misleading advertising gimmick and should be dismissed.
Keep in mind that at higher powers, an image will always be
dimmer and less sharp (this is a fundamental law of optics).
The steadiness of the air (the “seeing”) will also limit how
much magnification an image can tolerate.

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.

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

What to Expect

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

Remember that you are seeing these objects using your own
telescope with your own eyes! The object you see in your 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

stars you can see with the unaided eye (6th magnitude or
fainter is desirable).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, haz e, clouds, smog, or other conditions that are hin­dering your viewing (See Figure 7).

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.

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 even v ery many stars, f or that
matter.Your eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps
80% of their full dark-adapted sensitivity. As your eyes
become dark-adapted, more stars will glimmer into view and
you'll be able to see fainter details in objects you view in
your telescope.

To see what you're doing in the darkness, use a red-filtered
flashlight rather than a white light. Red light does not spoil
your eyes' dark adaptation like white light does. A flashlight
with a red LED light is ideal, or you can cover the front of a
regular incandescent flashlight with red cellophane or paper.
Beware, too, that nearby porch and streetlights and car head­lights will ruin your night vision.

Eyepiece Selection

By using eyepieces of varying focal lengths, it is possible to
attain many magnifications with the SpaceProbe 3 EQ. The
SpaceProbe 3 EQ comes with two Explorer II eyepieces, a
25mm and a 10mm.These give magnifications of 28x and 70x
respectively. Other eyepieces can be used to achieve higher
or lower powers.It is quite common for an observer to own five

10

1.9

Figure 7. 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.

4.9

2.4

1.9

2.4

1.7

3.4

2.5

objects will become easier to find.Take it from us, there is big
difference between looking at a well-made full-color NASA
image of a deep-sky object in a lit room during the daytime,
and seeing that same object in your telescope at night. One
can merely be a pretty image someone gave to you.The other
is an experience you will never forget!

Objects to Observe

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

A.The Moon

With its rocky surface, the Moon is one of the easiest and
most interesting targets to view with your telescope. Lunar
craters, marias, and even mountain ranges can all be clearly
seen from a distance of 238,000 miles away! With its ever­changing phases, you’ll get a new view of the Moon every
night.The best time to observe our one and only natural satel­lite is during a partial phase, that is, when the Moon is NOT
full. During partial phases, shadows are cast on the surface,
which 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 eyepiece from the focuser to
attach a filter).You'll find that the Moon filter improves viewing
comfort, and also helps to bring out subtle features on the
lunar surface.

B.The Sun

You can change your nighttime telescope into a daytime Sun
viewer by installing an optional full-aperture solar filter over
the front opening of the SpaceProbe 3 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 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. Remove or
cover the finder scope when solar viewing.

C.The Planets

The planets don’t stay put like the stars, so to find them you
should refer to the Sky Calendar at our website
(telescope.com), or to charts published monthly in Astronomy,
Sky & Telescope, or other astronomy magazines.Ven us, Mars ,
Jupiter, and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after the
Sun and the Moon.Your SpaceProbe 3 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 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.

SATURN:The r inged 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.

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. 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.

To find deep sky objects in the sky, it is best to consult a star
chart or planisphere, such as the Orion DeepMap 600 or the
Orion Star Target planisphere. These guides will help you
locate the brightest and best deep-sky objects for viewing with
your SpaceProbe 3 EQ.

7. 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.

11

12

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

Your SpaceProbe 3 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, it will not harm the telescope.Refer to Appendix B at
the end of this manual for details of how to clean your tele­scope’s optics.

8. Specifications

Optical tube: Steel
Primary mirror diameter:76mm
Primary mirror coating: Aluminum with silicon dioxide (SiO2)

overcoat
Secondary mirror minor axis: 19.9mm
Focal length:700mm
Focal ratio:f/9.2
Focuser: Rack and pinion, accepts 1.25" eyepieces
Eyepieces:25mm and 10mm Explorer II eyepieces, 1.25"
Magnification: 28x (with 25mm) and 70x (with 10mm)
Mount: German Equatorial, EQ-1
Tripod: Aluminum
Weight:16 lbs.

Appendix A:

Collimation - Aligning the Mirrors

Collimation is the process of adjusting the mirrors so they are
perfectly aligned with one another. Your 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. Collimation
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 8a. If anything is off-center,
proceed with the following collimation procedure.

The Collimation Cap and Mirror Center Mark

Your SpaceProbe 3 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
8b through 8e assume you have the collimation cap in place.

a.

b.

c.

e.

Figure 8. 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).

d.

13

In addition to providing the collimation cap, you'll notice a tiny
ring (sticker) in the exact center of the primary mirror. This
“center mark” allows you to achieve a very precise collimation
of the primary mirror ; you don't have to guess where the cen­ter of the mirror is. You simply adjust the mirror position
(described below) until the reflection of the hole in the collima­tion cap is centered inside the ring. This center mark is also
required for best results with 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 ev er be removed from
the primary mirror. Because it lies directly in the shadow of
the secondary mirror, its presence in no way adv ersely aff ects
the optical performance of the telescope or the image quality.
That might seem counterintuitive, but it’s 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 8b, it must be
adjusted. It helps to adjust the secondar y mirror in a brightly
lit room with the telescope pointed toward a bright surface,
such as white paper or wall. Placing a piece of white paper in
the telescope tube opposite the focuser (i.e., on the other side
of the secondary mirror) will also be helpful in collimating the
secondary mirror. Use a small Phillips head screwdriver to
loosen the three small alignment screws in the center hub of
the 3-vaned spider several turns. Now hold the mirror holder
stationary (be careful not to touch the surface of the mirrors),
while turning the center screw with a larger Phillips head
screwdriver (see Figure 9).Turning 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.
When the secondary mirror is centered in the focuser draw-

tube, 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.This adjustment will rarely, if
ever need to be done.

If the entire primary mirror reflection is not visible in the sec­ondary mirror, as in Figure 8c, you will need to adjust the tilt of
the secondary mirror. This is done by alter nately loosening

one of the three alignment screws while tightening the other
two, as depicted in Figure 10.The goal is to center the primary
mirror reflection in the secondary mirror, as in Figure 8d.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.

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 the “dot” of the collimation cap) is
off-center.

The tilt of the primary mirror is adjusted using the three sets of
two collimation screws on the back end of the optical tube.
Adjusting the tilt of the mirror requires a “push-pull” technique
involving adjustment of each set of collimation screws .Loosen
one of the screws one full turn, and then tighten the adjacent
screw until it is tight as in Figure 11 (do not overtighten).Look
into the focuser and see if the secondary mirror reflection has
moved closer to the center of the primary .Y ou 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 farther away from the ring on the center of the pri-

Figure 9. To center the secondary mirror under
the focuser, hold the secondary in place with
your fingers while adjusting the primary screw
with a Phillips head screwdriver. Do not touch
the mirror’s surface.

Figure 10. Adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror
by loosening or tightening the three alignment
screws with a small Phillips head screwdriver.

not accurately centered in the eyepiece, the optics will always
appear out of collimation, even though they may be perfectly
aligned.It is critical to keep the star centered, so o ver time y ou
will need to turn the R.A. slow motion control cable clockwise
in order to account for the sky’s apparent motion.

Appendix B:

Cleaning the Optics

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 finder­scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid
designed for eyeglasses

Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, blow any loose particles
off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air.Then apply
some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics.
Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any
excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and
smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution;
rubbing too hard may scratch the lens.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 mirror very often;
normally once every year or so.Covering the telescope with
the dust cap when it is not in use will help 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 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, it must be removed from the
telescope.Do this by holding the secondary mirror holder sta­tionary with your fingers (don’t touch the mirror itself) while
unthreading the Phillips head screw in the center hub of the 3­vaned spider .Completely unthread the screw from the holder,
and the holder will come loose in your fingers.Be careful not
to lose the spring on the Phillips head cap screw.

Handle the mirror and its holder carefully.You do not need to
remove the secondary mirror from its holder for cleaning.
Follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the
primary mirror.

To clean the primary mirror, carefully remove the mirror cell
from the telescope. To do this, you must loosen the three
screws from the rear of the mirror cell that are flush with the
end of the tube. Completely loosen all three of the flush
screws (do not loosen the other three screws) until the mirror
cell comes out of the telescope.

14

mary mirror.Repeat this process on the other two sets 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.When you have
the dot centered as much as possible in the ring, your primary
mirror is collimated.The view through the collimation cap should
resemble Figure 8e. Make sure all the collimation screws are
tight (but do not overtighten), to secure the mirror tilt.

A simple star test will tell you whether the optics are accurate­ly collimated.

Star-Testing theTelescope

When it is dark, point the telescope at a bright star and accu­rately center it in the eyepiece's field of view. Slowly de-focus
the image with the focusing knob.If the telescope is correctly
collimated, the expanding disk should be a perfect circle
(Figure 12). 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 donut. 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

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
the optics are perfectly collimated. If the circle
is unsymmetrical, as in illustration on left, the
scope needs collimation.

Figure 11. Loosen one screw of one of the sets of

screws one full turn and tighten the adjacent

screw until tight to adjust the primary mirror.

Out of collimation Collimated

15

Now, remove the mirror from the mirror cell by removing the
three mirror clips that secure the mirror in its cell. Use a
Phillips head screwdriver to unthread the mirror clip anchor
screws.Next, hold the mirror by its edge, and remove it from
the mirror cell. Be careful not to touch the aluminized surface
of the mirror with your fingers.Set the mirror on a clean, soft
towel. Fill a clean sink, free of abrasive cleanser, with room­temperature water, a few drops of liquid dishwashing
detergent, and if possible, a capful of rubbing alcohol.
Submerge the mirror (aluminized face up) in the water and let
it soak for several minutes (or hours if it is a very dirty mirror).
Wipe the mirror underwater 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.Dry the bottom and the edges with
a towel (not the mirror surface!).Cover the mirror surface with
Kleenex, and leave the entire assembly in a warm area until it
is completely dry before reassembling the telescope.

16

One-Year Limited Warranty

This Orion SpaceProbe 3 EQ telescope is warranted against defects in materials or workman­ship for a period of one year from the date of purchase.This warranty is for the benefit of the
original retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will
repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, pro­vided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA

95076.If the product is not registered, proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original invoice)
is required.

This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishan-
dled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear.This warranty gives you specific
legal rights, and you may also ha ve other rights, which vary from state to state.For further war­ranty service information, contact: Customer Service Department, Orion Telescopes &
Binoculars, P. O.Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061; [phone].

Orion Telescopes & Binoculars

Post Office Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061

Customer Support Help Line [phone] • Day or Evening