Orion ED EQ instruction manual Care and Maintenance, Specifications, Cleaning Lenses

guide star on the illuminated eyepiece’s crosshairs. Once the object is centered in the camera and a guide star is centered in the reticle eyepiece, you’re ready to shoot.

Deep-sky objects are quite faint, and typically require expo- sures on the order of 10 minutes. To hold the camera’s shutter open this long, you will need a locking shutter release cable. Set the camera’s shutter to the “B” (bulb) setting. Depress the locking shutter release cable and lock it. You are now expos- ing your first deep-sky object.

While exposing through the camera lens, you will need to monitor the accuracy of the mount’s tracking by looking through the illuminated reticle eyepiece in the main telescope. If the guide star drifts from its initial position, then use the hand controller of the motor drive to “move” the guide star back to the center of the crosshairs. Any drifting along the Dec. axis is a result of improper polar alignment, so if the guide star drifts greatly in Dec., the mount may need to be polar aligned more accurately.

When the exposure is complete, unlock the shutter release cable and close the camera’s shutter.

Astrophotography can be enjoyable and rewarding, as well as frustrating and time-consuming. Start slowly and consult outside resources, such as books and magazines, for more details about astrophotography. Remember….have fun!

10. Care and Maintenance

If you give your telescope reasonable care, it will last a life- time. Store it in a clean, dry, dust-free place, safe from rapid changes in temperature and humidity. Do not store the tele- scope 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 dust cover on the front of the telescope when not in use.

Your SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ requires very little mechan- ical maintenance. The optical tube is aluminum 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. Smudges on the tube can be wiped off with a soft cloth and a household surface cleaner.

Cleaning Lenses

Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean- ing fluid specifically designed for multi-coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your telescope’s objec- tive lens, eyepieces, or finder scope. Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses. Before cleaning with fluid and tissue, 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.

11. Specifications

Objective lens: Apochromatic, rear element made of ED glass, air-spaced

Objective lens coating: Fully multi-coated

Objective lens diameter: 100mm (3.9")

Focal Length: 900mm

Focal Ratio: f/9.0

Optical tube: Seamless aluminum

Lens cell: Machined aluminum

Focuser: Crayford, accepts 1.25" or 2" accessories and cam- era T-ring (with adapter)

Eyepieces: 25mm and 10mm Sirius Plössls, fully coated with multi-coatings, 1.25", accept Orion filters

Magnification: 36x (with 25mm) and 90x (with 10mm)

Finder Scope: 8x40 Achromatic, 5.33° field of view, cross- hairs

Mount: SkyView Pro, German equatorial

Counterweight: 7.5 lbs.

Tripod legs: Steel

Tripod support tray: Aluminum, provides additional stability, holds five 1.25" eyepiece and two 2" eyepieces

Weight: 40 lbs. (Mount 30 lbs., optical tube 10 lbs.)

Polar axis latitude adjustment: 8° to 70°

Polar axis finder: Optional

Motor Drives: Optional

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