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Orion XT8 manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    IN 226 Re v . C 11/10 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 P .O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion ® SkyQuest ™ IntelliScope ™ XT6, XT8, XT10 #9816, #9918, #9950[...]

  • Page 2

    2 Figure 1. The SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope Secondar y mirror holder with 4-v ane spider (not visible) Finder scope Finder scope brac ket Eyepiece F ocuser Optical tube T ensioning knob IntelliScope Controller P o rt modular jack Primar y mirror cell Left side panel F oot (3) Navigation knob Retaining knob (opposite side) Computerized Object Locator [...]

  • Page 3

    3 Congratulations on y our purchase of an Orion SkyQuest XT IntelliScope Dobsonian . It is a high-per- f ormance astronomical instr ument designed to provide dazzling vie ws of celestial objects and unprecedented ease of use. With the addition of the optional IntelliScope Computer ized Object Locator (Controller), you gain the ability to locate and[...]

  • Page 4

    4 1 Azimuth encoder board 1 Encoder connector board 5 Encoder board mounting wood scre ws 1 Brass b ushing 1 Encoder disk 1 Azimuth axis he x-head screw (length 2.25") 2 F ender washers (diameter 1") 1 He x lock nut 4 Altitude bearing cylinders 4 Altitude bearing cylinder screws (length 1-3/4", bla ck) 1 V er tical stop knob 1 Nylon [...]

  • Page 5

    5 the baseplate. Thread an encoder board mounting screw into the predrilled star ter hole with a Phillips screwdriver and tighten until just tight. 6. Place one T eflon bearing pad (G) into each recessed hole on the ground baseplate (A). The bearing pads will be loose in the recessed hole and should remain that wa y . Do not attempt to permanently [...]

  • Page 6

    by adding or remo ving washers . This is impor tant when using the optional IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator , since the optical tube must be e xactly v er tical during the two-star alignment procedure. Installing the Eyepiece Rack The aluminum e yepiece rac k is a standard accessory on SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonians. It holds three 1.25&[...]

  • Page 7

    7 down much too freely . This causes problems when the observ- er tries to accurately center and track an object f or vie wing, especially at higher powers . Also, the telescope becomes v ery sensitive to balance , requiring additional equipment such as counterweight systems or springs to compensate. SkyQuest Intelliscope Dobsonians emplo y a simpl[...]

  • Page 8

    8 spring-loaded tensioner on the brack et with your fingers (Figure 12b). Push the finder scope through the brack et until the O-ring seats just inside the front opening of the brack et. Now , release the tensioner and tighten the two blac k nylon screws a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place. Inser t the base of the finder scop[...]

  • Page 9

    9 (left/right) (Figure 14). For altitude motion, the altitude bear- ings on the telescope tube glide on pairs of bearing cylinders made from ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) poly eth yl- ene. For azim uth motion, the top baseplate mov es on three T eflon bear ing pads embedded in the ground baseplate. T o move the telescope, simply tak e hold of [...]

  • Page 10

    10 Note: The image in both the finder scope and the main telescope will appear upside-down (r otated 180°). This is normal for finder scopes and reflector telescopes (see Figure 16). Now look through the finder scope . Ideally , the object should be within the field of view . If not then coarse adjustments to the alignment thumbscrews will be need[...]

  • Page 11

    1200 mm = 120x 10 mm The maximum attainab le magnification for a telescope is directly related to how much light its optics can collect. A tele- scope with more light-collecting area, or aper ture, can yield higher magnifications than a smaller-aper ture telescope. The maximum practical magnification f or an y telescope, regard- less of optical des[...]

  • Page 12

    12 rethread the knobs back into the bearings so that you do not lose them. Do not use the navigation knob as a carry handle! It is not designed to suppor t the weight of the telescope tube and could break off or damage the tube. Note: The SkyQuest may be too heavy f or some users to lift and carry as one unit. Do not strain your self! If the load s[...]

  • Page 13

    13 Preparing the T elescope for Collimation Once you get the hang of collimation, y ou will be able to do it quickly e v en in the dark. F or now , it is best to collimate in daylight, pref erab ly in a brightly lit room and aimed at a white wall. It is recommended that the telescope tube be oriented hor izontally . This will pre- vent an y par ts [...]

  • Page 14

    14 Adjusting the Primary Mirror The final adjustment is made to the primar y mirror . It will need adjustment if , as in Figure 18d, the secondar y mirror is cen- tered under the f ocuser and the reflection of the primar y mirror is centered in the secondar y mirror , b ut the small reflection of the secondar y mirror (with the “ dot ” of the c[...]

  • Page 15

    15 Note About the Collimatable 2" Focuser (XT8, XT10 only) The 2" f ocuser of the SkyQuest XT8 and XT10 can be colli- mated using three pairs of push-pull screws located at the base of the f ocuser (Figure 13). The focuser was collimated at the f actory howev er , and should nev er need to be adjusted. F ocuser collimation is only require[...]

  • Page 16

    night vision f or days . So give y ourself at least a little while to get used to the dark before y ou begin obser ving. T o see what you are doing in the darkness, use a red-filtered flashlight rather than a white light. Red light does not spoil your e yes ’ dark adaptation lik e white light does. A flashlight with a red LED light is ideal, or y[...]

  • Page 17

    17 dark patches, and you ma y be ab le to spot a whitish polar ice cap . T o see surface detail on Mars , you will need a high po wer ey epiece and v er y steady air! D. The Stars Stars will appear as tiny points of light. Ev en powerful tele- scopes cannot magnify stars to appear as anything more than pinpoints. Y ou can, howe v er , enjo y the di[...]

  • Page 18

    18 location, the numbers get progressiv ely smaller . When the navigation n umbers reach 0, the telescope will be pointed right at the object! Y ou just look into the eyepiece and enjo y the view! The IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator is a wonderful conv enience f or both the novice and e xperienced observer . It can be added at any time to [...]

  • Page 19

    19 8. Specifications SkyQuest XT6 IntelliScope Primar y mirror :150mm diameter , parabolic , center-marked F ocal length: 1200mm F ocal ratio: f/8.0 F ocuser :Rack-and-pinion. 1.25" eyepieces Altitude bearing diameter : 5.75" Optical tube material: Rolled steel Azimuth pad material: T eflon Altitude bearing mater ial: Ultra-high molecular[...]

  • Page 20

    20 One-Y ear Limited W arranty This Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonian Reflecting T elescope is warranted against def ects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase . This warranty is f or the benefit of the original retail purchaser only . During this warranty period Or ion T elescopes & Binoculars will [...]