User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS SPACEPROBE 3

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion SpaceProbe 3 Altaz ® #9845 and #9841 Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope. com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P. O. A 0801 Finder scope Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Focuser Micro-motion rod attachment post "Yoke" Azimuth lock knob Altitude micro-motion control thumbwheel Yoke knobs Altitude lock knob Tripod leg Altitude micro-motion control rod Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray bracket attachment point Accessory tray Leg lock knob Figure 1. Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy! Your SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth Reflector is a high-quality optical instrument designed for nighttime stargazing. With its precision optics and intuitive altazimuth 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. [. . . ] 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 worse, then back off the magnification a little by using a lower-power eyepiece. 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 few 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 eyepiece is in real-time, and not some conveniently provided image from an expensive space probe. Each time you work with your telescope it will get easier to use, and stellar 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. Objects to Observe Now that you are all set up and ready to go, one critical decision must be made: what to look at?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 ever-changing 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. 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. The Sun You can change your nighttime telescope into a daytime Sun viewer by installing an optional full-aperture solar filter over 7 the front opening of the SpaceProbe 3 Altaz. The primary attraction is sunspots, which change shape, appearance, and location daily. 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. [. . . ] 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. 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. [. . . ]