Bushnell 78993, 789971, 789961, 789946 instruction manual Using your telescope

using your telescope

1.First choose a target to view. Any bright object in the night sky is a good starting point. One of the favorite starting points in astronomy is the moon. This is an object sure to please any budding astronomer or experienced veteran. When you have developed proficiency at this level, other objects become good targets. Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus are good second steps to take.

•The Moon--a wonderful view of our lunar neighbor can be enjoyed with any magnification. Try viewing at different phases of the moon. Lunar highlands, lunar maria (lowlands called “seas” for their dark coloration), craters, ridges and mountains will astound you.

•Saturn--even at the lowest power you should be able to see Saturn’s rings and moons. This is one of the most satisfying objects in the sky to see simply because it looks like it does in pictures. Imagine seeing what you’ve seen in textbooks or NASA images from your backyard!

•Jupiter--the largest planet in our solar system is spectacular. Most noted features are its dark stripes or bands both above and below its equator. These are the north and south equatorial belts. Also interesting are Jupiter’s four major moons. Pay close attention to their positions from night to night. They appear to be lined up on either side of Jupiter.

•Mars--The Great Red Planet appears as a reddish-orange disk. Look at different times of the year and try to catch a glimpse of the white polar ice caps.

•Venus--just like the moon, Venus changed phases from month to month. Some views of brilliant Venus appear as if you were looking at a distant crescent moon.

•Nebulae--The Great Orion Nebula is a very well known night sky object. This and many others are brought to you by this telescope.

•Star Clusters--View millions of stars densely packed in a cluster that resembles a ball.

•Galaxies--One of the greatest and most interesting galaxies is our neighbor the Andromeda Galaxy. Enjoy this and many others.

And much, much, more!

While this manual is intended to assist you in the set-up and basic use of this instrument, it does not cover everything you might like to know about astronomy. For objects other than stars and constellations, a basic guide to astronomy is a must. The telescope instruction manuals page on our website at www.bushnell.com has a list of links to helpful websites that can point you in the right direction.

2.After setting up the telescope and selecting something to view, center the desired object in the finderscope. Provided you did a reasonable job aligning the finderscope, a quick look through the main telescope tube at low power should reveal the same image. With the lowest power eyepiece (the one with the largest number printed on it) you should be able to focus the same image that you saw through the finderscope. Avoid the temptation to move directly to the highest power. The low power eyepiece will give you a wider field of view, and brighter image--thus making it very easy to find your target object. At this point with a focused image in both scopes, you’ve passed the first obstacle. If you don’t see an image after attempting to focus it in, you might consider aligning your finderscope again. Once you pass this step, you’ll will enjoy the time spent ensuring a good alignment. Every object you center in the finderscope will be easily found in the main telescope tube, which is important for continuing your exploration of the night sky.

3.The low power eyepieces are perfect for viewing the full moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and even constellations. These should build your foundation. However, for more detail, try bumping up in magnification to higher power eyepieces on some of these objects. During calm and crisp nights, the light/dark separation line on the moon (called the “Terminator”) is marvelous at high power. You can see mountains, ridges and craters jump out at you due to the highlights. Similarly, you can move up to higher magnifications on the planets and nebulae. Star clusters and stars are best viewed through the low power no matter what.

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