Balancing the Telescope, Calculating Power

Balancing the Telescope:

Balancing the Mount in R.A.:

To reduce stress on the mount, the telescope should be balanced on the polar axis (See Fig. 2). Instructions on how to do so are as follows:

• Loosen the R.A. lock knob (Fig. 3-22) and position the telescope off to one side of the mount (you may need to remove the R.A. slow motion cable (Fig. 1-8) temporarily). The counterweight bar (Fig. 2-11) should be parallel to the ground.

• Release the telescope gradually and see which side it falls towards. To avoid accidental damage, do not let go of the telescope completely.

• Loosen the counterweight (Fig. 2-12) and position the weight so that the telescope and counterweight remain stationary (parallel to the floor) on their own.

• Tighten the counterweight into place.

Balancing the Mount in Dec.:

To prevent sudden movement when the Dec. lock (Fig. 3-15) is loosened, the telescope must be balanced on the declination axis (See Fig. 2). Instructions on how to do so are as follows:

• Tighten the R.A. lock knob (Fig. 3-22) to hold the telescope in place.

• Loosen the Dec. lock knob (Fig. 3-15) and rotate the telescope until the tube is parallel with the ground.

• Release the telescope gradually and see which way it will rotate. To avoid accidental damage, do not let go of the telescope completely.

• Loosen the cradle rings (Fig. 1-6) and slide the optical tube forward or backward as needed until it remains stationary and parallel to the ground on its own.

• Tighten the cradle rings securely around the optical tube.

• Loosen the R.A. lock knob, return the telescope to its upright position and retighten.

Aligning the Finder Scope:

The low power and wide field of view provided by the 6x30mm finder scope (Fig. 5-1) provides a quick and easy way to sight an object prior to looking through the high-power telescope. The finder scope must first be properly aligned with the telescope in order to work properly. This alignment is best performed during the daylight. Follow the steps below to align your finder scope properly:

• Place the Kellner 20mm eyepiece (Fig. 4-3) into the focuser (Fig. 4-2) of the telescope.

• Loosen both the R.A. lock (Fig. 3-22) and the Dec. lock (Fig. 3-15) so that the telescope swings freely along both axes.

• Point the main telescope at a specific land object 200 yards or more away. Lock down the R.A. and Dec. axes. Turn the slow motion cables (Fig. 1–7,8) until the object is centered in the telescope field.

• Now look through the finder scope and loosen or tighten the finder scope bracket screws (Fig. 5-24) until the crosshairs are centered on the same object. Focus by turning the finder scope focus knob (Fig. 5-25) until the image in the finder scope is sharp and clear.

• Check the alignment at nighttime by repeating this process with a bright star or the moon. Make any necessary adjustments.

Now that your finder scope is properly aligned, any object centered in your finder scope should also be centered in your telescope.

Calculating Power:

The magnification of a telescope depends on both the focal length of your telescope as well as the eyepiece you use. There is a simple formula you can use to determine the magnification you are using at any given time. Simply divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece. For example, if you are using the 20mm eyepiece with your TP-300 telescope the power would be:

Power = 900mm / 20mm = 45x

Using an eyepiece with a smaller focal length will increase the magnification of your telescope. It is always best to start at the lowest magnification con- figuration. The wider field of view makes it easier to spot far away objects. Once an object is centered in your field of view you can switch to the higher power configurations.