FIRSTSCOPE 70 & 90 EQ TELESCOPE INSTRUCTION MANUAL Firstscope 70 EQ - #21076 Firstscope 90 EQ - #21085 17 1 2 16 15 3 14 4 5 13 6 12 7 11 8 10 9 Firstscope Refractor 70mm EQ shown 2 IDENTIFYING PARTS OF YOUR FIRSTSCOPE 1. Telescope Tube 2. Tube Ring 3. Star Pointer Finderscope 4. Eyepiece 5. Star Diagonal 6. Focuser 7. Declination Slow Motion Cable 8. Latitude Adjustment Screws 9. Eyepiece Accessory Tray 10. Tripod 11. Counterweight 12. Counterweight Bar 13. Right Ascension Slow Motion Cable 14. Right Ascension Setting Circle 15. Equatorial Mount 16. Declination Circle 17. Objective Lens INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing this Celestron Refractor Telescope. This telescope is a precision scientific instrument. With it you will enjoy numerous objects in the sky--planets, nebulae, star clusters, galaxies and other astronomical objects. This manual covers both the 70mm equatorial model and the 90mm model. The equatorial mount contains setting circles and slow motion cables to make it easier to locate and track astronomical objects. But, before your journey begins take time to read this manual to familiarize yourself with the operation and parts of your telescope. WARNING--NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN WITH YOUR TELESCOPE OR ITS FINDERSCOPE. PERMANENT AND IRREVERSIBLE EYE DAMAGE MAY RESULT AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO YOUR TELESCOPE. HOWEVER, YOU MAY ENJOY LOOKING AT THE SUN IF YOU HAVE A SAFE METHOD OF DOING SO, SUCH AS A CELESTRON SOLAR FILTER. 3 Assembling Your Telescope 1) Your Firstscope telescope should include all of the following: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. 2) Tripod with center support bracket Telescope tube with tube ring attached Equatorial mount head Two 1 ¼" eyepieces 90° star diagonal StarPointer Finderscope 2# Counterweight (Firstscope 70) 5# Counterweight (Firstscope 90) Counterweight bar Two slow motion cables Eyepiece accessory tray The Sky CD rom To set up the tripod, spread the legs outward until they are fully extended. Extend the center portion of each of the three tripod legs down 6-8". Use the three tightening screws located at the bottom of each leg to secure the extended legs in place. Place the accessory tray on top of tripod's center leg brace. Thread the tray's threaded post into the threaded hole in the center of the leg brace. Locate the equatorial mount and place the base of the mount through the hole in the center of the tripod mounting platform. From underneath the tripod mounting platform, thread the mounting bolt with washer into the threaded hole on the bottom of the equatorial mount. Thread the latitude adjustment screws into the equatorial mount until both screws are touching the inside of the mount and the mount can no longer pivot up and down. Locate the counterweight bar and counterweight. Thread the threaded end of the counterweight bar into the Dec axis of the equatorial mount. Remove the safety screw and washer from the other end of the counterweight bar. Loosen the counterweight locking bolt so that the screw is no longer obstructing the center hole of the counterweight. Slide the counterweight half way up the counterweight bar and tighten the locking screw to secure the counterweight in place. Thread the safety screw and washer on to the end of the counterweight bar. Slide the chrome end of the slow motion control cables onto the equatorial mount gear shaft. See Figure A. The longer cable should attach to the Right Ascension axis and the shorter cable attaches to the Declination axis. Remove the wing nuts from the threaded post at the bottom of the tube ring. Place the telescope tube on top of the equatorial mount so that the threaded posts slide through the holes on the equatorial mount. The declination slow motion cable should extend towards the focuser end of the telescope tube. Replace the wing nut and tighten to hold the telescope in place. Remove the plastic cap covering the end of the focuser. Loosen the set screw on the focuser so that it does not obstruct the inner diameter of the focuser. Insert the chrome barrel of the star diagonal into the focuser and tighten the set screw. 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) Figure A 4 10) Loosen the set screw on the star diagonal so that it does not obstruct the inner diameter of the barrel. Insert the chrome barrel of the 20mm eyepiece into the diagonal and tighten the set screw. See Figure B Locate the StarPointer finderscope. Remove the knurled nuts on the threaded posts at the focuser end of the telescope tube. Mount the Star Pointer bracket by placing the bracket over the posts protruding from the tube and tightening it down with the knurled nuts. Orient the Star Pointer so that the glass window is facing towards the front of the tube. Remove the lens cap from the front of the telescope. Figure B 11) 12) TELESCOPE OPERATION USING YOUR TELESCOPE Star Pointer Finderscope The Star Pointer is the quickest and easiest way to point your telescope exactly at a desired object in the sky. It's like having a laser pointer that you can shine directly onto the night sky. The Star Pointer is a zero magnification pointing tool that uses a coated glass window to superimpose the image of a small red dot onto the night sky. While keeping both eyes open when looking through the Star Pointer, simply move your telescope until the red dot, seen through the Star Pointer, merges with the object as seen with your unaided eye. The red dot is produced by a light-emitting diode (LED); it is not a laser beam and will not damage the glass window or your eye. The star pointer is powered by a long life 3-volt lithium battery (#CR2032) located underneath the front portion of the Star Pointer. Like all finderscopes, the Star Pointer must be properly aligned with the main telescope before it can be used. This is a simple process using the azimuth and altitude control knobs located on the side and bottom of the Star Pointer. The alignment procedure is best done at night since the LED dot will be difficult to see during the day. Azimuth Adjustment Screw (Adjustment knob located on opposite side) On / OFF / Brightness Switch Glass Window Battery Compartment Altitude Adjustment Knob Dovetail Mounting Bracket Figure 1 ­ The StarPointer Finderscope with Mounting Bracket To align the Star Pointer finderscope: 1. Before using the StarPointer, you must first remove the protective plastic cover between the battery and the battery clip. 5 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. To turn on the Star Pointer, slide the On/Off switch to the 1 "On" position. To increase the brightness level of the red dot, slide the switch to the 2 "On" position. Locate a bright star or planet and center it in a low power eyepiece in the main telescope. With both eyes open, look through the glass window at the alignment star. If the Star Pointer is perfectly aligned, you will see the red LED dot overlap the alignment star. If the Star Pointer is not aligned, take notice of where the red dot is relative to the bright star. Without moving the main telescope, turn the Star Pointer's azimuth and altitude adjustment knobs until the red dot is directly over the alignment star. The Star Pointer is now ready to be used. Remember to always turn the power off after you have found an object. This will extend the life of both the battery and the LED. Moving Your Telescope: To change the direction your telescope is pointing: 1. To move the telescope in declination (north/south) there are two options. For large and quick movements, loosen the declination knob (see figures 8 & 9) when moving the telescope and then tighten the knob when you are near the position you want. For very small movements and fine adjustments, use the declination cable. The declination cable has a range of about 30° and if you come to the stop at the end of its travel, do not try to force movement when the declination cable has reached the stop. Instead loosen the declination knob and manually move the telescope in declination until you pass the object in the opposite direction. Then tighten the knob and reverse the direction of the declination cable. To move the telescope in right ascension (east/west) there are two options. For large and quick movements, loosen the right ascension knob when moving the telescope and then tighten the knob when you are near the position you want. For very small movements and fine adjustments, turn the right ascension cable. Unlike the declination cable, the right ascension cable has 360° of continuous motion. 2. Balancing the Telescope in Right Ascension (R.A.): The telescope should be properly balanced in order for it to move smoothly in both axes. Proper balance is essential if using an optional motor drive for accurate tracking. 1. To balance the right ascension axis, move the counterweight shaft so it is parallel (horizontal) to the ground. (See figure 2). Slowly release the right ascension knob and see if the optical tube moves. If the optical tube moves, then slide the counterweight up or down the counterweight shaft until the optical tube remains stationary in the parallel position to the ground. When this happens, make sure the counterweight lock is tight. Balancing the Telescope in Declination (DEC): The telescope should also be balanced on the declination axis to prevent any sudden motions when the DEC clamp is released. To balance the telescope in DEC: 1. Release the R.A. clamp and rotate the telescope so that it is on one side of the mount (i.e., as described in the previous section on balancing the telescope in R.A.).Lock the R.A. clamp to hold the telescope in place. Release the DEC clamp and rotate the telescope until the tube is parallel to the ground (see figure 3). Release the tube -- GRADUALLY -- to see which way it rotates around the declination axis. DO NOT LET GO OF THE TELESCOPE TUBE COMPLETELY! Loosen the screws that hold the telescope tube inside the mounting rings and slide the telescope either forwards or backwards until it remains stationary when the DEC clamp is released. Tighten the tube ring screws firmly to hold the telescope in place. 6 Figure 2 - Balancing in R.A. Figure 3 - Balancing in Declination Telescope Basics A telescope is an instrument that collects and focuses light. The nature of the optical design determines how the light is focused. Some telescopes, known as refractors, use lenses. Other telescopes, known as reflectors, use mirrors. Your Firstscope telescope is a refractor telescope that use an objective lens to collect its light. Image Orientation The image orientation of any telescope changes depending on how the eyepiece is inserted into the telescope. When observing through a refractor telescope using the star diagonal, the image will be right side up, but reversed from left to right. However, when observing straight through, with the eyepiece inserted directly into the telescope, the image will be inverted. . Actual image as seen with the unaided eye Inverted image, as viewed with the eyepiece directly in telescope Figure 5 Focusing To focus your telescope, simply turn the focus knob located directly below the eyepiece holder. Turning the knob clockwise allows you to focus on an object that is farther than the one you are currently observing. Turning the knob counterclockwise from you allows you to focus on an object closer than the one you are currently observing. · If you wear corrective lenses (specifically glasses), you may want to remove them when observing with an eyepiece attached to the telescope. However, when using a camera you should always wear corrective lenses to ensure the sharpest possible focus. If you have astigmatism, corrective lenses must be worn at all times. 7 The Celestial Coordinate System To help find objects in the sky, astronomers use a celestial coordinate system that is similar to our geographical coordinate system here on Earth. The celestial coordinate system has poles, lines of longitude and latitude, and an equator. For the most part, these remain fixed against the background stars. The celestial equator runs 360 degrees around the Earth and separates the northern celestial hemisphere from the southern. Like the Earth's equator, it bears a reading of zero degrees. On Earth this would be latitude. However, in the sky this is referred to as declination, or DEC for short. Lines of declination are named for their angular distance above and below the celestial equator. The lines are broken down into degrees, minutes of arc, and seconds of arc. Declination readings south of the equator carry a minus sign (-) in front of the coordinate and those north of the celestial equator are either blank (i.e., no designation) or preceded by a plus sign (+). Figure 6 The celestial sphere seen from the outside showing R.A. and DEC. The celestial equivalent of longitude is called Right Ascension, or R.A. for short. Like the Earth's lines of longitude, they run from pole to pole and are evenly spaced 15 degrees apart. Although the longitude line ...