User manual ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS SVP 6 EQ

[. . . ] INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion® SkyViewTM Pro 6 EQ #9866 Equatorial Reflector Telescope 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 09/02 Finder scope Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Tube rings Declination slow-motion control knob Safety thumbscrew Mounting plate securing knob Counterweight shaft Counterweight lock knobs Counterweights Mirror cell Tube ring mounting plate Right Ascension slow-motion control knob Latitude scale Latitude adjustment L-bolts Center support shaft Tripod support tray Tripod leg Leg lock knobs Figure 1. The SkyView Pro 6 EQ. 2 ® Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion telescope. Your new SkyView Pro 6 EQ is designed for high-resolution viewing and astrophotography of astronomical objects. [. . . ] That might seem counterintuitive, but its true! a. Aligning the Secondary Mirror With the collimation cap in place, look through the hole in the cap at the secondary (diagonal) mirror. The secondary mirror itself should be centered in the focuser drawtube, in the direction parallel to the length of the telescope. It helps to adjust the secondary mirror in a brightly lit room with the telescope pointed towards a bright surface, such as white paper or wall. Also placing a piece of white paper in the telescope tube opposite the focuser (in other words, on the other side of the secondary mirror) will also be helpful in collimating the secondary mirror. Using a 2mm Allen wrench, loosen the three small alignment set screws in the center hub of the 4-vaned spider several turns. Now keep the mirror's holder stationary (be careful not to touch the surface of the mirrors), while turning the center screw with a Phillips head screwdriver (See Figure 14). Turning the screw clockwise will move the secondary mirror toward the front opening of the optical tube, while turning the screw counter-clockwise will move the secondary mirror toward the primary mirror. Note: When making these adjustments, be careful not to stress the spider vanes or they may bend. When the secondary mirror is centered in the focuser drawtube, rotate the secondary mirror holder until the reflection of the primary mirror is as centered in the secondary mirror as possible. Now tighten the three small alignment screws equally to secure the secondary mirror in that position. If the entire primary mirror reflection is not visible in the secondary mirror, as in Figure 13c; you will need to adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror. This is done by alternately loosening one of the three alignment set screws while tightening the other two, as depicted in Figure 15. The goal is to center the primary mirror reflection in the secondary mirror, as in Figure 13d. Don't worry that the reflection of the secondary mirror (the smallest circle, with the collimation cap "dot" in the center) is off-center. You will fix that in the next step. b. c. d. e. Figure 13. (a) When the mirrors are properly aligned, the view down the focuser drawtube should look like this (b) With the collimation cap in place, if the optics are out of alignment, the view might look something like this. (c) Here, the secondary mirror is centered under the focuser, but it needs to be adjusted (tilted) so that the entire primary mirror is visible. (d) The secondary mirror is correctly aligned, but the primary mirror still needs adjustment. When the primary mirror is correctly aligned, the "dot" will be centered, as in (e). The Collimation Cap and Mirror Center Mark Your SkyView Pro 6 EQ comes with a collimation cap. This is a simple cap that fits on the focuser drawtube like a dust cap, but has a hole in the center and a silver bottom. Figures 13b through 13e assume you have the collimation cap in place. 12 Figure 14. To center the secondary mirror under the focuser, hold the secondary mirror holder in place with one hand while adjusting the center bolt with a Phillips screwdriver. [. . . ] Any particles on the surface can be swabbed gently with a series of 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. Cover the mirror surface with Kleenex, and leave the mirror in a warm area until it is completely dry before reassembling the telescope. 10. Care and Maintenance If you give your telescope reasonable care, it will last a lifetime. [. . . ]