telescope outdoors, although storage in a garage or shed is OK. Small components like eyepieces and other accessories should be kept in a protective box or storage case. Keep the caps on the front of the telescope and on the focuser draw- tube when it is not in use.
Your SpaceProbe 130ST EQ telescope requires very little mechanical maintenance. The optical tube is steel and has
asmooth painted finish that is fairly scratch-resistant. If a scratch does appear on the tube, it will not harm the tele- scope. If you wish, you may apply some auto touch-up paint to the scratch. Smudges on the tube can be wiped off with a soft cloth and a household cleaner.
Cleaning Lenses
Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens cleaning fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your eyepieces or finder scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, however, blow any loose particles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air. Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue, never directly on the optics. Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion, then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue. Oily fingerprints and smudges may be removed using this method. Use caution; rubbing too hard may scratch the lens. On larger lenses, clean only a small area at a time, using a fresh lens tissue on each area. Never reuse tissues.
Cleaning Mirrors
You should not have to clean your telescope’s mirrors very often; normally once every year or so. Covering your tele- scope when it is not in use will prevent dust from accumu- lating on the mirrors. Improper cleaning can scratch mirror coatings, so the fewer times you have to clean the mirrors, the better. Small specks of dust or flecks of paint have virtu- ally no effect on the visual performance of the telescope.
The large primary mirror and the elliptical secondary mirror of your telescope are front-surface aluminized and over-coat- ed with hard silicon dioxide, which prevents the aluminum from oxidizing. These coatings normally last through many, many years of use before requiring re-coating (which is eas- ily done).
To clean the secondary mirror, remove the mirror in its holder from the 4-vaned spider in the tube. Do this by grasping the secondary mirror holder with your fingertips while turning the central bolt on the spider’s central hub counterclockwise. Handle the mirror holder only; do not touch the mirror sur- face. Then follow the same procedure described below for cleaning the primary mirror. The secondary mirror is glued into its holder, and should not be removed from the holder for cleaning.
To clean the primary mirror, carefully remove the mirror cell from the telescope. Do this by first removing the four screws that connect the mirror cell to the tube. These screws are located on the outside of the tube, just above the mirror cell casting. Next, remove the primary mirror from the mirror cell; you will need to remove the three mirror clips to do this. Completely unthread the two Phillips head screws on each clip, and carefully lift the mirror from its cell. Be careful not to touch the front surface of the mirror with your fingers. Set the mirror with the aluminized face up on a clean, soft towel. Fill a clean sink, free of abrasive cleanser, with room-tempera- ture water, a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent, and if possible, a cap-full of rubbing alcohol. Submerge the mirror (aluminized face up) in the water and let it soak for several minutes (or hours if it’s a very dirty mirror). Wipe the mirror under water with clean cotton balls, using extremely light pressure and stroking in straight lines across the surface. Use one ball for each wipe across the mirror. Then rinse the mirror under a stream of lukewarm water. Any particles on the surface can be swabbed gently with a series of clean cot- ton 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. Water will run off a clean surface. Cover the mirror surface with tissue, and leave the entire assembly in a warm area until it is com- pletely dry before reassembling the telescope.
9. Specifications
Optical tube: Steel
Primary mirror diameter: 130mm
Primary mirror coating: Aluminum with silicon dioxide (SiO2) overcoat
Primary mirror figure: Parabolic
Secondary mirror minor axis: 37mm
Focal length: 650mm
Focal ratio: f/5
Focuser: Rack and pinion, accepts 1.25” eyepieces
Eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm Sirius Plössl, fully coated with multi-coatings, 1.25"
Magnification: 26x (with 25mm), 65x (with 10mm)
Finder scope: 6x magnification, 30mm aperture, achromatic, crosshairs
Mount: German-type equatorial
Tripod: Aluminum
Motor drives: Optional
Weight: 28.4lbs. (tube 6.9lbs., mount 21.5lbs.)
