User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS 09019

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion EQ-2 Equatorial Mount ® #9019 Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope. com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P. O. slow-motion control Latitude adjustment t-bolt Latitude lock t-bolt Counterweight lock thumbscrew Counterweight Counterweight shaft Azimuth lock knob Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray Leg lock thumbscrew Figure 1. EQ-2 Equatorial Mount parts diagram 2 Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion product. Your new Orion EQ-2 Equatorial Mount was designed to work with many different telescope optical tubes. [. . . ] If you cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site, consult a compass and rotate the equatorial mount so the telescope points North. The equatorial mount is now approximately polaraligned for casual observing. Several methods exist and are described in many amateur astronomy reference books. 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 Earth's rotation (from west to east). An equatorial mount (Figure 3) is designed to compensate for that motion, enabling 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 (polar) axis, using only 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. It lies within 1 degree of the north celestial pole (NCP), which is an extension of the Earth's rotational axis out into space. To find Polaris in the sky, look north and locate the pattern of the Big Dipper (Figure 4). The two stars at the end of the "bowl" of the Big Dipper point right to Polaris, which lies at a distance of about five times the separation of the two bowl stars. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere aren't nate to have a bright star so near the south pole (SCP). The star Sigma Octantis lies degree from the SCP, but it is barely visible naked eye (magnitude 5. 5). so fortucelestial about 1 with the Note: 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. axes. 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 polaraligned, just turn the R. A. Objects will appear to move faster at higher magnifications, because the field of view is narrower. Optional Motor Drives for Automatic Tracking and Astrophotography An optional DC motor drive (EQ-2M, Orion part #7827) can be mounted on the R. A. Objects will then remain stationary in the field of view without any manual adjustment of the R. A. lock knobs on the equatorial mount, so the telescope optical tube can move freely. 3 Point the telescope at the bright star near the celestial equator whose coordinates you know. [. . . ] They are hinged for easy installation of a telescope tube and are lined with felt to prevent scratching. Check the outer diameter of your telescope; if it matches the inner diameter (I. D. ) of the rings, then the rings will fit. If the outer diameter of your telescope is a little smaller than the I. D. of the rings, that is also acceptable; you can "shim" the inside of the rings with extra felt. [. . . ]