INSTRUCTION MANUAL 6”, 8”, 10”, & 12.
WARNING! Never use the Starfinder Dobsonian telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point the telescope or its viewfinder at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or its viewfinder as it is 1 2 3 4 5 11 10 6 7 9 8 Fig. 1: The Meade Starfinder Dobsonian Telescope.
-3- Captions for Fig. 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Focuser assembly Eyepiece Viewfinder bracket Viewfinder Optical tube assembly Mirror cell Side board Ground plate Base plate Front board Altitude bearing ® The name ‘Meade’ and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent Office and in principal countries throughout the world. © 1999 Meade Instruments Corporation Contents 6", 8" 10", and 12.5 Starfinder Dobsonian Telescopes Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-4- INTRODUCTION The Starfinder Dobsonian telescope will open up the skies for a breathtaking array of visual observations. Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters — in all their variations of form, color, and extent — as well as the Moon, planets, comets and other objects within the solar system, may be studied in great detail. This manual is designed for the 6", 8", 10", and 12.5" Starfinder Dobsonian Telescopes.
-5- Optical Tube Assembly BALANCING THE TELESCOPE The optical tube has been pre-drilled at the Meade factory to accept all standard accessories. 1. 2. Attaching the Focuser: Lay the tube flat on the floor. Align the holes in the focuser assembly (1, Fig. 1) with the four pre-drilled holes in the optical tube. From the provided hardware, place the four Phillips-head screws through the holes. Then, carefully reach into the optical tube and attach a nut and washer to each screw.
-6- 2 1 3 4 6 5 Fig. 4: Newtonian Reflecting Telescope. (1) Spider Vanes; (2) Secondary Mirror; (3) Parabolic Primary Mirror; (4) Primary Mirror Hex Screws; (5) Focuser Drawtube; (6) Focused Image. Face-on view (3, Fig. 4) and secondary mirror (2, Fig. 4) are tilted so that the focused image (6, Fig. 4) falls directly through the center of the focuser drawtube (5, Fig. 4). Edge-on view 1 3 2 Fig. 5: Secondary Mirror Assembly. (1) Spider Vanes; (2) Tilt Screws; (3)Secondary Mirror Holder.
-7Fig. 8. (Note that the secondary mirror is misaligned.) cleaning solutions as this may damage the bearings or the painted surfaces of the telescope. Secondary Mirror Adjustments If the secondary mirror (1, Fig. 8) is centered in the drawtube (2, Fig. 8) but the primary mirror is only partially visible in the reflection (3, Fig. 8) the 3 hex screws located on the secondary mirror assembly (2, Fig.
-8detail than a dimmer, poorly resolved, larger image. Because of certain characteristics of the human eye (in particular, eye pupil diameter) and because of optical considerations inherent in the design of the telescope, there exist minimum practical power levels also. Generally speaking the lowest usable power is approximately 4X per inch of telescope aperture.
-9Eyepiece 6" f/8 Power 8" f/6 Power 10" f/4.5 Power 12.5" f/4.8 Power SP 6.4mm SP 9.7mm SP 12.4mm SP 15mm SP 20mm SP 26mm SP 32mm SP 40mm 191X 126X 98X 81X 61X 47X 38X 31X 191X 126X 98X 81X 61X 47X 38X 31X 178X 118X 92X 76X 57X 44X 36X * 238X 157X 123X 102X 76X 59X 48X * SWA 13.8mm SWA 18mm SWA 24.5mm SWA 32mm SWA 40mm 88X 68X 50X 38X 31X 88X 68X 50X 38X 31X 83X 63X 47X 36X * 111X 85X 62X 48X * UWA 4.7mm UWA 6.7mm UWA 8.
- 10 - Specifications and Features: Meade Starfinder™ Dobsonian Telescopes TELESCOPE: Starfinder Dobsonian 6 Starfinder Dobsonian 8 Starfinder Dobsonian 10 Starfinder Dobsonian 12.5 Optical Design Newtonian Reflector Newtonian Reflector Newtonian Reflector Newtonian Reflector 152mm (6") 203mm (8") 254mm (10") 318mm (12.
- 11 - MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (“Meade”) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase.
Meade Instruments Corporation World’s leading manufacturer of astronomical telescopes for the serious amateur. 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, California 92620 (949) 451-1450 Fax: (949) 451-1460 www.meade.com Ver. 0499 Part no.
