instruction Manual Orion SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ ® ™ Equatorial Apochromatic Refractor Telescope #9977 Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.
Finder scope Finder scope bracket Tube rings Tube ring mounting plate Declination slow-motion control knob Eyepiece Declination lock lever Right ascension 1.25" Adapter lock lever Right ascension slow2" Star diagonal Focus knob motion control knob Counterweight shaft Counterweight Latitude adjustment L-bolts Counterweight lock knob “Toe saver” Tripod support tray Figure 1.
Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope. Your new SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ is an exceptional instrument for observing and imaging astronomical objects. The ED glass of the objective lens ensures you’ll enjoy star, Moon, and planetary images with far less color distortion than seen in standard refractors. Other features, such as the smooth Crayford focuser, precision machined lens cell, and deluxe aluminum focusing knobs also attest to the overall high quality of the telescope.
1. Stand the tripod legs upright and spread the legs out as far as they will go. Keep the tripod legs at their shortest (fully retracted) length, for now; you can extend them to a more desirable length later, after the scope is fully assembled. 2. Place the base of the equatorial mount into the tripod head. Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up with the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount (Figure 2).
Finder scope bracket Nylon alignment thumbscrews Focuser drawtube Thumb screws Finder scope Camera adapter Tensioner Focus lock ring Figure 4. Before installing the 2" star diagonal, you must remove the camera adapter that comes attached to the telescope. 1.25" Barrel diameter eyepiece 1.25" Adapter Figure 3a. The 8x40 finder scope. a. 2" Star diagonal 2" Barrel diameter eyepiece (optional) b. Figure 5a. and 5b. (a.)To use 1.25" barrel diameter eyepieces, the 1.
a b c d Figure 6a - 6d. Proper operation of the equatorial mount requires that the telescope tube be balanced on both the R.A. and Dec. axes. (a) With the R.A. lock lever released, slide the 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 lever released, loosen the tube ring lock clamps a few turns and slide the telescope forward or back in the tube rings.
ing 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 re-focusing the telescope the needed amount. If you suffer from severe astigmatism, however, you may find images noticeably sharper with your glasses on. Aligning the Finder Scope The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ comes with a 8x40 achromatic finder scope (Figure 3a).
tions, 2" eyepieces can give a wider field of view than standard 1.25" eyepieces. This is especially desirable for observing deep-sky objects, as many of them appear quite large, but faint. Many observers own at least one 2" eyepiece in order to achieve the widest field of view possible for deep sky-observing. The expansive view will make you feel like you’re floating in space! To use 2" eyepieces, simply loosen the thumb screw on the star diagonal that secures the 1.25" adapter, and remove the adapter.
Little Dipper (in Ursa Minor) Big Dipper (in Ursa Major) ter Poin Stars N.C.P. Polaris Cassiopeia Figure 9. 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). To find Polaris in the sky, look north and locate the pattern of the Big Dipper (Figure 9).
Alignment of the Polar Axis Finder Scope 1. Look through the polar finder at a distant object (during the day) and center it in the crosshairs. You may need to adjust the latitude adjustment L-bolts and the tripod position to do this. 2. Rotate the mount 180° about the R.A. axis. Again, it may be convenient to remove the counterweights and optical tube first. 3. Look through the polar finder again.
the polar axis finder from the mount. Look through the polar axis finder at a star (at night) or distant object at least 1/4 mile away (during daylight). Use the eyepiece focus ring to bring the reticle into sharp focus. Now, loosen the focus lock ring (Figure 11a) and thread the entire objective end of the finder inwards or outwards until images appear sharp. Re-tighten the focus lock ring. Once the polar axis finder’s objective lens is focused, it should not need to be adjusted again.
Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle 1. Identify a bright star in the sky near the celestial equator (declination = 0°) and look up its coordinates in a star atlas. 2. Loosen the R.A. and Dec. lock levers on the equatorial mount, so the telescope optical tube can move freely. 3. Point the telescope at the bright star whose coordinates you know. Center the star in the telescope’s field of view. Lock the R.A. and Dec. lock levers. 4. Loosen one of the R.A.
have warm air currents rising from them which distort the image seen in the eyepiece. Similarly, you should not observe through an open or closed window from indoors. Better yet, choose a site out-of-town, away from any “light pollution”. You’ll be stunned at how many more stars you’ll see! Most importantly, make sure that any chosen site has a clear view of a large portion of the sky. Cooling the Telescope All optical instruments need time to reach “thermal equilibrium” to achieve peak performance.
Once you’ve centered the object in the eyepiece, you can switch to higher magnification (shorter focal length eyepiece), if you wish. This is especially recommended for small and bright objects, like planets and double stars. The Moon also takes higher magnifications well. Deep-sky objects, however, typically look better at medium or low magnifications. This is because many of them are quite faint, yet have some extent (apparent width).
special about seeing an astronomical object in real time, with your own eyes — “live,” if not in living color. How to Find Deep-sky Objects: Starhopping Starhopping, as it is called by astronomers, is perhaps the simplest way to hunt down objects to view in the night sky. It entails first pointing the telescope at a star close to the object you wish to observe, and then progressing to other stars closer and closer to the object until it is in the field of view of the eyepiece.
powers, images rapidly lose sharpness and clarity due to “heat waves” caused by Sun-heated air. Remember to aim well clear of the Sun, unless the front of the telescope is fitted with a professionally made solar filter and the finder scope is covered by an opaque material or removed altogether. 9. Astrophotography With the included camera adapter, the SkyView Pro 100mm ED becomes a 900mm f/9 telephoto lens for a single-lens reflex camera.
guide star on the illuminated eyepiece’s crosshairs. Once the object is centered in the camera and a guide star is centered in the reticle eyepiece, you’re ready to shoot. Deep-sky objects are quite faint, and typically require exposures on the order of 10 minutes. To hold the camera’s shutter open this long, you will need a locking shutter release cable. Set the camera’s shutter to the “B” (bulb) setting. Depress the locking shutter release cable and lock it.
One-Year Limited Warranty This Orion SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076.
