Orion PRO 120 EQ manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL IN 189 Rev . B 04/05 Providi ng Exce ptional Consum er Opti cal Pro ducts S ince 19 75 Customer Support (800)-676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831)-763-7000 P .O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 Orion ® SkyV iew ™ Pr o 1 20 EQ #9867 Equatorial Refractor T elescope[...]

2 Figure 1. The SkyView Pro 120 EQ. Declination lock lever (opposite side) Right Ascension lock lever (opposite side) Declination slow-motion control knob Safety thumbscrew Mounting plate securing knob Counterweight shaft Counterweights Counterweight lock knobs Objective lens Optical tube T ube rings Finder scope Finder scope bracket Eyepiece Star [...]

3 T able of Contents 1. Unpacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3. Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4. Balancing the T elescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 5. Using Y our T elescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

1. Stand the tripod legs upright and spread the legs out as far as they will go. Keep the tripod legs at their shortest (fully retracted) length, for now; you can extend them to a more desirable length later , after the scope is fully assembled. 2. Place the base of the equatorial mount onto the tripod head. Orient the equatorial mount so that the [...]

the mounting plate and rethread into the tube rings. Note that the side of the mounting plate with the central “groove” will be facing up. Use the small wrench to secure the tube rings to the mounting plate. 10. Loosen the black mounting plate securing knob as well as the metal safety thumbscrew on the top of the equatorial mount. Place the mou[...]

6 The telescope is now balanced on both axes. When you loos- en the lock lever on one or both axes and manually point the telescope, it should move without resistance and should not drift from where you point it. 5. Using Y our T elescope Focusing the T elescope With the 25mm eyepiece inserted in the diagonal, move the telescope so the front (open)[...]

achieved by focusing the finder scope on a bright star . Once the image appears sharp, retighten the locking ring behind the objective lens cell. The finder scope’s focus should not need to be adjusted again. Magnification & Eyepieces Magn ificati on, or po wer , is determ ined by th e focal l ength of the telescope and the focal length of th[...]

8 knob. But first the R.A. axis of the mount must be aligned with the Earth’ s rotational (polar) axis—a process called polar alignment. Polar Alignment For Northern Hemisphere observers, approximate polar align - ment is achieved by pointing the mount’s right ascension axis at the North Star , or Polaris. It lies within 1° of the north cele[...]

9 directly from your observing site, consult a compass and rotate the tripod so the telescope points north. There is a label bearing a large “N” at the base of the equatorial mount (Figure 8). It should be facing north. The equatorial mount is now polar aligned for casual observ - ing. More precise polar alignment is recommended for astro - pho[...]

2. Loosen the Dec. lock lever and rotate the optical tube on the declination axis so that the tube is at a 90° to the right ascension axis (Figure 10). This is so you can view through the mount with the polar axis finder . T ighten the Dec. lock lever . 3. Remove the cap on the front of the equatorial mount (Figure 6). Focus the polar finder by ro[...]

ments (there are 60 minutes in 1 hour of right ascension). The lower set of numbers apply to viewing in the Northern Hemisphere, while the numbers above them apply to viewing in the Southern Hemisphere. The Dec. setting circle is scaled in degrees, with each mark representing 2° increments. V alues of declination coordinates range from +90° to -9[...]

12 the scope in declination so it points to where you want it near the horizon. T o point the telescope directly south, the counterweight shaft should again be horizontal. Then you simply rotate the scope on the declination axis until it points in the south direction. T o point the telescope to the east or west, or in other direc - tions, you rotat[...]

tion outside to cooler air (or vice-versa), a telescope needs time to cool to the outdoor temperature. The bigger the instru - ment and the larger the temperature change, the more time will be needed. Allow at least 30 minutes for your SkyView Pro 120 EQ to equilibrate. If the scope has more than a 40° temperature adjustment, allow an hour or more[...]

14 Important Note: Do not look at the Sun with any optical instrument without a professionally made solar filter , or permanent eye damage could result. Also, be sure to cover the finder scope, or better yet, remove it altogeth - er . C. The Planets The pla nets don’t st ay put like the s tars, so to fin d them you should refer to Sky Calendar at[...]

15 the stars you are centering in the eyepiece. Remember , the finder scope (and main telescope eyepiece, for that matter) gives an inverted image, so you must keep this in mind when starhopping from star to star . 8. Astrophotography Several dif ferent types of astrophotography can be success- fully attempted with the SkyView Pro 120 EQ. Moon Phot[...]

est star within the field of view. Remove the eyepiece and insert the illuminated reticle eyepiece into the diagonal. Turn the eyepiece’s illuminator on (dimly!). Recenter the bright star (guide star) on the crosshairs of the reticle eyepiece. Check again to make sure that the object to be photographed is still centered within the camera’s fiel[...]

17 es in temperature and humidity . Do not store the 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 dust cover on the front of the telescope when not in use. Y our SkyView Pro 120 EQ requires very little mechanical mai[...]

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20 One-Y ear Limited W arranty This Orion SkyView Pro 120 EQ is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the b enefit of the original retail purchaser only . During this warranty period Orion T elescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option[...]