Orion 9024 Telescope User Manual
Contents
1. Optical tube Seamless aluminum Objective lens diameter 90mm 3 5 Objective lens glass crown and flint achromat Objective lens coating fully coated with multi coatings Focal length 910mm Focal ratio f 10 Eyepieces 25mm and 10mm Kellner fully coated 1 25 Magnification 36x with 25mm 91x with 10mm Focuser Rack and pinion Diagonal 90 star diagonal mirror type 1 25 Finder scope 6x magnification 30mm aperture achromatic crosshairs Mount German type equatorial Tripod Aluminum Motor drives Optional 11 Figure 2b Telescope is now balanced on the R A axis That is when hands are released counterweight shaft remains horizontal Figure 2a Balancing the telescope with respect to the R A axis by sliding the counterweight along its shaft ee Figure 2c Preparing the telescope to be balanced on the Figure 2d Balancing the telescope with respect to the Dec Dec axis by first releasing the Dec lock knob axis As shown here the telescope is out of balance tilting il i oh Figure 2e Telescope is now balanced on the Dec axis i e it remains horizontal when hands are released 12 Declination Dec setting circle R A lock knob Right ascension Declination Dec R A setting circle slow motion Right ascension control pi R A slow motion control Latitude adjustment t bolt f i Latitude locking t bolt Latitude sc2. That s 5 hours and 35 4 minutes in right ascension and 5 degrees and 27 arc minutes in declination the negative sign denotes south of the celestial equator There are 60 minutes in 1 hour of R A and there are 60 arc minutes in 1 degree of declination The telescope s R A setting circle is scaled in hours from 1 through 24 with small hash marks in between representing 10 minute increments The lower set of numbers closest to the plastic R A gear cover 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 Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects the mount must be polar aligned and the setting circles must be calibrated The declination setting circle was calibrated at the factory and should read 90 when the telescope optical tube is pointing exactly along the polar axis Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle 1 Identify a bright star near the celestial equator and look up its coordinates in a star atlas 2 Loosen the R A and Dec lock knobs on the equatorial mount so the telescope optical tube can move freely 3 Point the telescope at the bright star near the celestial equa tor whose coordinates you know Center the star in the telescope s field of view Lock the R A and Dec lock knobs 4 Rotate the R A setting circle so the pointer indicates the R A listed for the brigh
3. dark adaptation like white light does A flashlight with a red LED light is ideal such as the Orion RedBeam part 5744 or you can cover the front of a regular incan descent flashlight with red cellophane or paper Beware too that nearby porch lights streetlights and car headlights will ruin your night vision Seeing and Transparency Atmospheric conditions vary significantly from night to night Seeing refers to the steadiness of the Earth s atmosphere at a given time In conditions of poor seeing atmospheric turbu lence causes objects viewed through the telescope to boil If the stars are twinkling noticeably when you look up at the sky with just your eyes the seeing is bad and you will be limited to viewing with low powers bad seeing affects images at high powers more severely Planetary observing may also be poor In conditions of good seeing star twinkling is minimal and images appear steady in the eyepiece Seeing is best over head worst at the horizon Also seeing generally gets better after midnight when much of the heat absorbed by the Earth during the day has radiated off into space Avoid looking over buildings pavement or any other source of heat as they will cause heat wave disturbances that will distort the image you see through the telescope Especially important for observing faint objects is good trans parency air free of moisture smoke and dust All tend to scatte
4. Venus Mars Jupiter and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and the Moon Not all four of these planets are normally visi ble at any one time JUPITER The largest planet Jupiter is a great subject to observe You can see the disk of the giant planet and watch the ever changing positions of its four largest moons lo Callisto Europa and Ganymede If atmospheric conditions are good you may be able to resolve thin cloud bands on the planet s disk SATURN The ringed planet is a breathtaking sight when it is well positioned The tilt angle of the rings varies over a period of many years sometimes they are seen edge on while at other times they are broadside and look like giant ears on each side of Saturn s disk A steady atmosphere good see ing is necessary for a good view You may probably see a tiny bright star close by that s Saturn s brightest moon Titan VENUS At its brightest Venus is the most luminous object in the sky excluding the Sun and the Moon It is so bright that sometimes it is visible to the naked eye during full daylight Ironically Venus appears as a thin crescent not a full disk when at its peak brightness Because it is so close to the Sun it never wanders too far from the morning or evening horizon No surface markings can be seen on Venus which is always shrouded in dense clouds MARS If atmospheric conditions are good you may be able to see some subile surfa
5. are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket Place the O ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot in the middle of the finder scope Slide the eyepiece end narrow end of the finder scope into the end of the bracket s cylin der that does not have the adjustment screws Push the finder scope through the bracket until the groove on the eyepiece end of the finder scope lines up with the three adjustment screws The O ring should seat just inside the front opening of the bracket s cylinder Tighten the three alignment screws equally to secure the finder scope in place You may need to first back off the knurled locking nuts on the adjustment screws to do this 13 Insert the base of the finder scope bracket into the dove tail slot on the top of the focuser housing Lock the bracket in position by tightening the knurled setscrew on the dove tail slot 14 Insert the chrome barrel of the star diagonal into the focuser drawtube and secure with the thumbscrew on the drawtube 15 Then insert an eyepiece into the star diagonal and secure it in place with the thumbscrews on the diagonal Always loosen the thumbscrews before rotating or removing the diagonal or an eyepiece 3 Balancing the Telescope To insure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of the equatorial mount it is imperative that the optical tube be properly balanced We will first balance the tele
6. the movement of astronomical objects thereby keeping them from drifting out of the telescope s field of view while you re observing This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its right ascension polar axis using only the R A slow motion cable 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 alignment is achieved by pointing the mount s R A axis at the North Star or Polaris It lies within 1 degree of the north celestial pole NCP which is an extension of the Earth s rota tional axis out into space Stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear to revolve around Polaris To find Polaris in the sky look north and locate the pattern of the Big Dipper Figure 4 The two stars at the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper point right to Polaris Observers in the Southern Hemisphere aren t so fortunate to have a bright star so near the south celestial pole SCP The star Sigma Octantis lies about 1 degree from the SCP but it is barely visible with the naked eye magnitude 5 5 For general visual observation an approximate polar align ment is sufficient 1 Level the equatorial mount by adjusting the length of the three tripod legs 2 Loosen the latitude locking t bolt Turn the latitude adjust ing t bolt and tilt the mount until the pointer on the latitud
7. See eee Se SS SSE ee ee Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars Post Office Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 Customer Support Help Line 800 676 1343 Day or Evening 15 Improved Finder Scope Bracket Addendum to the Instructions 9024 9025 9086 During recent production of our Skywatcher 90 EQ 9024 Explorer 90 AZ 9025 and ShortTube 80 9086 tele scopes we developed an improved design for the finder scope bracket The new design makes aiming the finder scope much easier since it requires adjustment to only two alignment screws instead of three As a result of this improve ment there are some discrepancies with the provided instruction manuals These discrepancies will be clarified in this addendum 9024 Skywatcher 90 EQ In the assembly section of the manual on page 4 line item 12 should now read 12 To place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket first unthread the two adjustment screws until the screw ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket Place the O ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot on the middle of the finder scope Slide the eyepiece end nar row end of the finder scope into the end of the bracket s cylinder that does not have the adjustment screws while pulling the spring loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O ring seats just inside the f
8. a distant subject and center it in the field of view Now slowly rotate the focus knob until the object comes into sharp focus Go a little bit beyond sharp focus until the image just starts to blur again then reverse the rotation of the knob just to make sure you hit the exact focus point The telescope can only focus on objects at least 50 to 100 feet away Do You Wear Eyeglasses If you wear eyeglasses you may be able to keep them on while you observe if your eyepieces have enough eye relief to allow you to see the whole field of view You can try this by looking through the eyepiece first with your glasses on and then with them off and see if the glasses restrict the view to only a portion of the full field If they do you can easily observe with your glasses off by just refocusing the telescope the needed amount Calculating the Magnification lt is desirable to have a range of eyepieces of different focal lengths to allow viewing over a range of magnifications To calculate the magnification or power of a telescope simply divide the focal length of the telescope by the focal length of the eyepiece the number printed on the eyepiece Telescope F L Eyepiece F L Magnification For example the Skywatcher 90 EQ which has a focal length of 910mm used in combination with a 25mm eyepiece yields a power of 910 25 36x Every telescope has a useful limit of power of about 45x 60x per inch of aperture Claim
9. at the Sun Qty Description through your telescope or its finder scope 1 Optical tube assembly even for an instant without a professionally i G i oid i made solar filter that completely covers the SA E E ee front of the instrument or permanent eye 2 Slow motion control cables damage could result Young children should use Counterweight this telescope only with adult supervision 1 Counterweight shaft 3 Tripod legs aia 2 Assembly 1 Accessory tray with mounting hardware Carefully open all of the boxes in the shipping container Make i Ap Iy oe sure all the parts listed in Section 1 are present Save the boxes 2 Optical tube mounting rings located on optical tube and packaging material In the unlikely event that you need to 1 6x30 achromatic crosshair finder scope return the telescope you must use the original packaging 1 Finder scope bracket Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about i iirror star diagonali i 25 20 minutes No tools are needed other than the ones provid MOr Star CAgONAN TAs ed All bolts should be tightened securely to eliminate flexing 1 25mm 36x Kellner eyepiece 1 25 and wobbling but be careful not to over tighten or the threads 1 10mm 91x Kellner eyepiece 1 25 may strip Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process 1 Objective lens dust cap During assembly and anytime for that matter DO NOT touch o l the surfaces of the telescope objective lens or the lenses of the 4 Ass
10. of 10 minutes To hold the camera s shutter open this long you will need a locking shutter release cable part 5231 You will also need to set the camera s shutter to the B bulb setting for the locking shutter release to work properly Depress the release cable and lock it You are now exposing your first deep sky object While exposing through the camera lens you will need to monitor the accuracy of the mounts tracking by looking through the illuminated reticle eyepiece in the main tele scope If the guide star drifts from its initial position then use the hand controller of the motor drive to bump the guide star back to the center of the crosshairs The hand controller only moves the telescope along the R A axis which is where most of the corrections will be made If the guide star appears to be drifting significantly along the Dec axis then the mount s slow motion control cables can be carefully used to move the guide star back onto the crosshairs Any drifting along the Dec axis is due to imprecise polar alignment If the drifting is significant you may need to polar align the mount more accu rately 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 out side resources such as books and magazines for more details about astrophotography Remem
11. shaft will be oriented some where between vertical and horizontal The key things to remember when pointing the telescope is that a you only move it in R A and Dec not in azimuth or latitude altitude and b the counterweight and shaft will not always appear as it does in Figure 1 In fact it almost never will 6 Using Your Telescope Astronomical Observing Choosing an Observing Site When selecting a location for observing get as far away as possible from direct artificial light such as streetlights porch lights and automobile headlights The glare from these lights will greatly impair your dark adapted night vision Set up on a grass or dirt surface not asphalt because asphalt radiates more heat Heat disturbs the surrounding air and degrades the images seen through the telescope Avoid viewing over rooftops and chimneys as they often have warm air currents rising from them Similarly avoid observing from indoors through an open or closed window because the tempera ture difference between the indoor and outdoor air will cause image blurring and distortion If at all possible escape the light polluted city sky and head for darker country skies You ll be amazed at how many more stars and deep sky objects are visible in a dark sky Cooling the Telescope All optical instruments need time to reach thermal equilibri um The bigger the instrument and the larger the temperature change the more time is needed Al
12. the counterweight locking thumbscrew still loose grip the counterweight with one hand and thread the shaft into the equatorial mount at the base of the dec lination axis with the other hand When it is threaded as far in as it will go position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and tighten the counterweight locking thumbscrew 9 Attach the two tube rings to the equatorial head using the bolts that come installed in the bottom of the rings First remove the bolts then push the bolts with the washers still attached up through the holes in the tube ring mount ing plate on the top of the equatorial mount and re thread them into the bottom of the tube rings Tighten the bolts securely with the smaller wrench Open the tube rings by first loosening the knurled ring clamps 10 Lay the telescope optical tube in the tube rings at about the midpoint of the tube s length Rotate the tube in the rings so the focus knobs are on the underside of the telescope Close the rings over the tube and tighten the knurled ring clamps finger tight to secure the telescope in position J o_o Now attach the two slow motion cables to the R A and Dec worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by positioning the setscrew on the end of the cable over the indented slot on the worm gear shaft Then tighten the setscrew 12 Place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket by first backing off all three alignment screws until the screw tips
13. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion Skywatcher 90mm EQ 9024 Equatorial Refracting Telescope Customer Support 800 676 1343 ORIONI E mail support telescope com TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P O Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 IN 112 Rev A 0399 Piggy back camera adapter Tube mounting rings Finder scope bracket Finder scope Alignment screws 3 Eyepiece Star diagonal Focus knob os O Dec slow motion control R A setting circle Tube ring mounting plate Dec lock knob Dec setting circle WT R A lock knob R A slow motion control gt Counterweight locking thumbscrew J Counterweight A Counterweight shaft lt 4 Latitude locking t bolt Lati t t bolt Azimuth adjustment knob atitude adjustment t bo Accessory tray bracket attachment point Tripod leg lock knob Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray Figure 1 Skywatcher 90 EQ Parts Diagram Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope Your new Skywatcher 90mm EQ Refractor is designed for high resolution viewing of astronomical objects With its precision optics and equatorial mount you ll be able to locate and enjoy hundreds of fascinating celestial denizens including the planets Moon and a variety of deep sky galaxies nebulas and star clusters lf you have never owned a telescope befor
14. ach to secure the finder scope in place Pages 4 and 5 explain how to align the finder scope The instructions are still valid but to aim the finder scope only adjustments to the two alignment screws are needed The new finder scope bracket design also eliminates the need for knurled lock nuts on the alignment screws Refer to Figure 1 to identify the parts of the new finder scope bracket 9086 ShortTube 80 The second paragraph in the section of the instructions enti tled Getting Started should now read The optics have been installed and collimated at the factory so you should not have to make any adjustments to them To place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket first unthread the two adjustment screws until the screw ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket Place the O ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot on the middle of the finder scope Slide the eyepiece end narrow end of the find er scope into the end of the bracket s cylinder that does not have the adjustment screws while pulling the spring loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O ring seats just inside the front opening of the bracket s cylinder Now release the tensioner and tighten the adjustment screws a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place Secure the bracket to the dovetail moun
15. ale Azimuth adjustment knob Figure 3 The equatorial mount Little Dipper in Ursa Minor Big Dipper in Ursa Major Polaris Cassiopeia Figure 4 To find Polaris in the night sky look north and find the Big Dipper Extend an imaginary line from the two Pointer Stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper Go about five times the distance between those stars and you ll reach Polaris which lies within 1 of the north celestial pole NCP 13 Figure 5a Telescope pointing south Note that in all these Figure 5b Telescope pointing north illustrations the mount and tripod remain stationary only the R A and Dec axes are moved Figure 5c Telescope pointing east Figure 5d Telescope pointing west 14 aera eee a eV ER I VE BE EE 4 a A Bae fe EV ee Sane ee Ne Been CEOS NGS NGS NUS AD GSN AS A SN ASSES USN TSAI GS AN AS AN SUI ASSEN TS DN SAU OS AU MAS A SE US TRAIT GS ORS AU AS A AS ONE US Ua Ss RST TT AG TY SY At YY a UNC THY AN Oe OT A UH Yn A A it Yn Ui Tn Van ee Seer Te Te ee eee ee Te a ATES HAAN ES A ES MAK Ed HRI ES MT Ea TREAT Ed NUM Es NITES s NEM Ga RiC es E E e fies e ci P ETT Liles a Un oa m _ SY Ss One Year Limited Warran Ses zy a Sei Roe eek EE So NES ee i i i i i Soy a This Orion Skywatcher 90 EQ is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a eg a i ii ESA BS eriod of one year from the date of purchase This warranty i
16. ant to view an object that is directly overhead at the zenith How do you do it One thing you DO NOT do is make any adjustment to the lat itude adjusting t bolt That will undo the mount s polar alignment Remember once the mount is polar aligned the telescope should be moved only on the R A and Dec axes To point the scope overhead first loosen the R A lock knob and rotate the telescope on the R A axis until the counter weight shaft is horizontal parallel to the ground Then loosen the Dec lock knob and rotate the telescope until it is pointing straight overhead The counterweight shaft is still horizontal Then retighten both lock knobs Similarly to point the telescope directly south the counter weight shaft should again be horizontal Then you simply rotate the scope on the Dec axis until it points in the south direction Figure 5a What if you need to aim the telescope directly north but at an object that is nearer to the horizon than Polaris You can t do it with the counterweight down as pictured in Figure 1 Again you have to rotate the scope in R A so the counterweight shaft is positioned horizontally Then rotate the scope in Dec So it points to where you want it near the horizon Figure 5b To point the telescope to the east Figure 5c or west Figure 5d or in other directions rotate the telescope on its R A and Dec axes Depending on the altitude of the object you want to observe the counterweight
17. ber have fun 8 Terrestrial Viewing The Skywatcher 90 may also be used for long distance view ing over land For this application we recommend substitution of an Orion 45 Correct Image Diagonal 8790 for the 90 star diagonal that comes standard with the telescope The cor rect image diagonal will yield an upright non reversed image and also provides a more comfortable viewing angle since the telescope will be aimed more horizontally for terrestrial subjects For terrestrial viewing it s best to stick with low powers of 50x or less At higher powers the image loses sharpness and clar ity Thats because when the scope is pointed near the horizon it is peering through the thickest and most turbulent part of the Earth s atmosphere Remember to aim well clear of the Sun unless the front of the telescope is fitted with a professionally made solar filter and the finder scope is covered with foil or some other complete ly opaque material 9 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 cap on the front of the telescope when it is not in use Your Skywatcher 90 telescope requires very
18. ce detail on the Red Planet possibly even the polar ice cap Mars makes a close approach to Earth every two years during those approaches its disk is larger and thus more favorable for viewing Stars Stars will appear like twinkling points of light in the telescope Even powerful telescopes cannot magnify stars to appear as more than points of light You can however enjoy the differ ent colors of the stars and locate many pretty double and multiple stars The famous Double Double in the constella tion Lyra and the gorgeous two color double star Albireo in Cygnus are favorites Defocusing the image of a star slightly can help bring out its color Deep Sky Objects Under dark skies you can observe a wealth of fascinating deep sky objects including gaseous nebulas open and globu lar star clusters and different types of galaxies Most deep sky objects are very faint so it is important that you find an observ ing site well away from light pollution Take plenty of time to let your eyes adjust to the darkness Don t expect these subjects to appear like the photographs you see in books and maga zines most will look like dim gray smudges Our eyes are not sensitive enough to see color in such faint objects But as you become more experienced and your observing skills get sharper you will be able to discern more subtle details Remember that the higher the magnification you use the dim mer the image will appear So stick wi
19. e scale is set at the latitude of your observing site If you don t know your latitude consult a geographical atlas to find it For example if your latitude is 35 North set the pointer to 35 Then retighten the latitude locking t bolt The latitude setting should not have to be adjusted again unless you move to a different viewing location some dis tance away 3 Loosen the Dec lock knob and rotate the telescope opti cal tube until it is parallel with the R A axis The pointer on the Dec setting circle should read 90 Retighten the Dec lock Knob 4 Loosen the azimuth adjustment knob and rotate the entire equatorial mount left to right so the telescope tube and R A axis points roughly at Polaris If you cannot see Polaris directly from your observing site consult a com pass and rotate the equatorial mount so the telescope points North Retighten the azimuth adjustment knob The equatorial mount is now approximately polar aligned for casual observing More precise polar alignment is required for astrophotography Several methods exist and are described in many amateur astronomy reference books and astronomy magazines Note From this point on in your observing session you should not make any further adjustments in the azimuth or the latitude of the mount nor should you move the tri pod Doing so will undo the polar alignment The telescope should be moved only about its R A and Dec axes Tracking Celestial Objec
20. e we would like to welcome you to amateur astronomy Take some time to familiarize yourself with the night sky Learn to recognize the patterns of stars in the major constellations a star wheel or planisphere available from Orion or from your local telescope shop will greatly help With a little practice a little patience and a reasonably dark sky away from city lights you ll find your telescope to be a never ending source of wonder exploration and relaxation These instructions will help you set up properly use and care for your telescope Please read them over thoroughly before getting started Table of Contents De RN eaten cee es ene eee A EN E TEA cee eden ences O E E T TE 3 2 ASSODAT 3 3 Balancing the TElESCODC vcivestincisorcuvarcnincamimekiundsimaatmesdiataunneraehadnnsobisinieu a cuinceaicekiesdsomisnmandeiia 4 4 Aligning the Finder SCOPE ccccccscccccccsseeceeceeseceeceeeeeeeesseeeeeeseeueeeesseaeeeeesseaeeeeseeseseeseaaeeees 5 5 Setting Up and Using the Equatorial MOU icisausnaveneinncienaierveacasemdeioiermumebieaceaneuans 5 6 Using Your Telescope Astronomical Observing ccccccccessseeecseeeeeeeseeeeeeseeaeeeeeseaeeeesaanes 7 AStrophotogra phy sscissiisrssssisiniso nonoina E Enr REN SEREN Eper iE 9 8 lerestmial VIEWING esdspiran e E E R E 10 9 Gare and GUT CC tasters ice tiia as oe te E ENES eSEE e EEE nEaN 10 MOE E EE n E E T E N A E AE A OSEE A AE 10 1 Parts List WARNING Never look directly
21. embly Tools 2 wrenches Phillips head screwdriver flat head screwdriver key wM 3 finder scope or eyepieces with your fingers The optical sur faces have delicate coatings on them that can easily be damaged if touched inappropriately NEVER remove any lens assembly from its housing for any reason or the product war ranty and return policy will be void 1 Lay the equatorial mount on its side Attach the tripod legs one at a time to the mount by sliding the bolts installed in the tops of the tripod legs into the slots at the base of the mount and tightening the wingnuts finger tight Note that the accessory tray bracket attachment point on each leg should face inward 2 Tighten the leg lock knobs at the base of the tripod legs For now keep the legs at their shortest fully retracted length you can extend them to a more desirable length later after the scope is completely assembled 3 With the tripod legs now attached to the equatorial mount stand the tripod upright be careful and spread the legs apart enough to connect each end of the accessory tray bracket to the attachment point on each leg Use the bolt that comes installed in each attachment point to do this First remove the bolt then line up one of the ends of the bracket with the attachment point and reinstall the bolt Make sure the smooth side of the accessory tray bracket faces upwards 4 Now with the accessory tray bracket attached spread the tripod le
22. f objects such as galaxies open star clusters globular clusters diffuse nebulas and planetary nebulas So for example your atlas might show a globular cluster sitting just above the lid of the Teapot pattern of stars in Sagittarius You then know to point your telescope in that direction to home in on the cluster which happens to be 6 9 magnitude Messier 28 M28 You can see a great number and variety of astronomical objects with your Skywatcher 90 EQ including The Moon With its rocky cratered surface the Moon is one of the easi est and most interesting targets to view with your telescope The best time to observe our one and only natural satellite is during a partial phase that is when the Moon is NOT full During partial phases shadows on the surface reveal more detail especially right along the border between the dark and light portions of the disk called the terminator A full Moon is too bright and devoid of surface shadows to yield a pleas ing view Try using a Moon Filter Orion part 5662 to dim the Moon when it is very bright It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepieces you must first remove the eyepiece from the star diagonal to attach the Moon filter The Planets The planets don t stay put like the stars they don t have fixed R A and Dec coordinates so you ll have to refer to charts published monthly in Astronomy Sky amp Telescope or other astronomy magazines to locate them
23. gs apart as far as they will go until the bracket is taut Attach the accessory tray to the accessory tray bracket with the 3 wingnut head bolts already installed in the tray This is done by pushing the bolts up through the holes in the accessory tray bracket and then threading them into the holes in the accessory tray 5 Next tighten the bolts at the tops of the tripod legs so the legs are securely fastened to the equatorial mount Use the larger wrench and your fingers to do this 6 Orient the equatorial mount as it appears in Figure 1 ata latitude of about 40 i e so the pointer next to the latitude scale located directly above the latitude locking t bolt is pointing to the hash mark at 40 To do this loosen the latitude locking t bolt and turn the latitude adjustment t bolt until the pointer and the 40 line up Then tighten the latitude locking t bolt The declination Dec and right ascension R A axes may need repositioning rotation as well Be sure to loosen the R A and Dec lock knobs before doing this Retighten the R A and Dec lock knobs once the equatorial mount is properly oriented 7 Slide the counterweight onto the counterweight shaft Make sure the counterweight locking thumbscrew is ade quately loosened so the metal pin the thumbscrew pushes against inside the counterweight is recessed enough to allow the counterweight shaft to pass through the hole in the counterweight 8 Now with
24. is method of taking pictures is the same method with which a daytime terrestrial photograph could be taken through the Skywatcher 90 Planetary Photography Once you ve mastered basic Moon photography you re ready to get images of the planets This type of astrophotography also may be used to capture highly magnified shots of the Moon In addition to the adapters already mentioned the sin gle axis motor drive is also required This is because a longer exposure is necessary which would cause the image to blur if no motor drive were used for tracking The equatorial mount must be precisely polar aligned too As before connect the t ring to your camera Before connecting the camera adapter to the t ring an eyepiece must now be inserted and locked into the body of the camera adapter Start by using a medium low power eyepiece about 25mm you can increase the magnification later by using a higher power eye piece Then connect the entire camera adapter with eyepiece inside to the t ring Insert the whole system into the telescope s focuser drawtube and secure firmly with the setscrew Aim the telescope at the planet or Moon you wish to shoot The image will be highly magnified so you may need to use the finder scope to center it within the camera s viewfinder Turn the motor drive on Adjust the telescope s focuser so that the image appears sharp The camera s shutter is now ready to be opened A remote shutter release mus
25. little mechanical maintenance The optical tube is aluminum and has a smooth painted finish that is fairly scratch resistant If a scratch does appear on the tube it will not harm the telescope If you wish you may apply some auto touch up paint to the scratch Smudges on the tube can be wiped off with a soft cloth anda household cleaner such as Windex or Formula 409 Cleaning the Optics A small amount of dust or a few specks on the glass objective main lens will not affect the performance of the telescope If dust builds up however simply blow it off with a blower bulb or lightly brush it off with a soft camel hair brush Avoid touch 10 ing optical surfaces with your fingers as skin oil may etch optical coatings To remove fingerprints or smudges from a lens use photo graphic type lens cleaning fluid and lint free optical lens cleaning tissue Do not use household cleaners or eyeglass type cleaning cloth or wipes as they often contain undesirable additives like silicone which don t work well on precision optics Place a few drops of fluid on the tissue not directly on the lens wipe gently then remove the fluid with a dry tissue or two Do not polish or rub hard when cleaning the lens as this will scratch it The tissue may leave fibers on the lens but this is not a problem they can be blown off with a blower bulb Never disassemble the telescope or eyepieces to clean opti cal surfaces 10 Specifications
26. ll be needed to center it on the crosshairs Otherwise you ll have to make coarser adjust ments to the alignment screws to redirect the aim of the finder scope Make sure the knurled lock nut on each alignment screw is loosened before making any adjustments Once the target object is centered on the crosshairs of the finder scope look again in the main telescope s eyepiece and see if it is still centered there as well If it isn t repeat the entire process making sure not to move the main telescope while adjusting the alignment of the finder scope When the target object is centered on the crosshairs of the finder scope and in the telescope s eyepiece tighten the knurled lock nuts on the alignment screws to lock the finder scope into position The finder scope is now aligned and ready to be used for an observing session The finder scope and bracket can be removed from the dovetail for storage and then re installed without changing the finder scope s alignment Note that the image seen through the finder scope appears upside down This is normal for astronomical finder scopes 5 Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount When you look at the night sky you no doubt have noticed that the stars appear to move slowly from east to west over time That apparent motion is caused by the Earth s rotation from west to east An equatorial mount Figure 3 is designed to compensate for that motion allowing you to eas ily track
27. low at least a half hour for your telescope to cool to the temperature outdoors In very cold climates below freezing it is essential to store the tele scope as cold as possible If it has to adjust to more than a 40 temperature change allow at least one hour Aiming the Telescope To view an object in the main telescope first loosen both the R A and Dec lock knobs Aim the telescope at the object you wish to observe by eyeballing along the length of the tele scope tube or use the setting circles to dial in the object s coordinates Then look through the aligned finder scope and move the telescope tube until the object is generally cen tered on the finder s crosshairs Retighten the R A and Dec lock knobs Then accurately center the object on the finder s crosshairs using the R A and Dec slow motion controls The object should now be visible in the main telescope with a low power long focal length eyepiece If necessary use the R A and Dec slow motion controls to reposition the object within the field of view of the main telescope s eyepiece Focusing the Telescope Practice focusing the telescope in the daytime before using it for the first time at night Start by turning the focus knob until the focuser drawtube is near the center of its adjustment range Insert the star diagonal into the focuser drawtube and an eyepiece into the star diagonal secure with the thumb screws Point the telescope at
28. ould be a 1 4 20 mounting hole in the bottom of the camera s body Thread the protruding shaft of the piggyback adapter into the 1 4 20 hole in the camera a few turns Position the camera so that it is parallel with the telescope tube and turn the knurled black knob of the piggyback adapter counterclockwise until the camera is locked into position Aim the telescope at a deep sky object It should be a fairly large deep sky object as the camera lens will likely have a wide field of view Check to make sure that the object is also centered in the camera s viewfinder Turn the motor drive on Now look into the telescope s eyepiece and center the brightest star within the field of view Remove the eyepiece and insert the illu minated reticle eyepiece into the telescope s star 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 the object to be photographed is still centered with in the camera s field of view If it is not recenter it either by repositioning the camera on the piggyback adapter or by moving the main telescope If you move the main telescope then you will need to recenter another guide star on the eyepiece s crosshairs Once the object is centered in the camera and a guide star is centered in the eyepiece you re ready to shoot Deep sky objects are quite faint and typically require expo sures on the order
29. r light which reduces an objects brightness Transparency is judged by the magnitude of the faintest stars you can see with the unaided eye 6th magnitude or fainter is desirable How to Find Interesting Celestial Objects To locate celestial objects with your telescope you first need to become reasonably familiar with the night sky Unless you know how to recognize the constellation Orion for instance you won t have much luck locating the Orion Nebula unless or course you look up its celestial coordinates and use the telescope s setting circles Even then it would be good to know in advance whether that constellation will be above the horizon at the time you plan to observe A simple planisphere or star wheel can be a valuable tool both for learning the con stellations and for determining which ones are visible on a given night at a given time A good star chart or atlas will come in very handy for helping find objects among the dizzying multitude of stars overhead Except for the Moon and the brighter planets it s pretty time consuming and frustrating to hunt for objects randomly without knowing where to look You should have specific tar gets in mind before you begin observing Start with a basic star atlas one that shows stars no fainter than 5th or 6th magnitude In addition to stars the atlas will show the positions of a number of interesting deep sky objects with different symbols representing the different types o
30. ront opening of the bracket s cylinder Now release the tensioner and tighten the adjustment screws a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place Page 5 explains how to align the finder scope The instruc tions are still valid but to aim the finder scope only adjustments to the two alignment screws are needed The new finder scope bracket design also eliminates the need for knurled lock nuts on the alignment screws Refer to Figure 1 to identify the parts of the new finder scope bracket 9025 Explorer 90 AZ In the assembly section of the manual on page 4 line item 9 should now read 9 To place the finder scope in the finder scope bracket first unthread the two adjustment screws until the screw ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket Place the O ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot on the middle of the finder scope Slide the eyepiece end nar row end of the finder scope into the end of the bracket s cylinder that does not have the adjustment screws while pulling the spring loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O ring seats just inside the front opening of the bracket s cylinder Now release the tensioner and tighten on ORION TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 the adjustment screws a couple of turns e
31. s for the benefit of the original retail E 27 Nites Sse ie purchaser only During this warranty period Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars will repair or IR A ON a a E replace at Orion s option any warranted instrument that proves to be defective provided itis Mos Migs SSN Re j j i j oe es 2 returned postage paid to Orion Warranty Repair 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 If the 2 Kx q Product is not registered proof of purchase such as a copy of the original invoice is required oo l Sy keza This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment the instrument has been abused mis E259 Uras igi se egy a handled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific Ez KM i SSO test 3 legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state For further war E 2z kz z ranty service information contact Customer Service Department Orion Telescopes amp IR sa WS S a Binoculars P O Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 800 676 1343 X E eoo 09 Tee on Ses Say Sa SA Pss cA Pir oa a KAN WN EEN A N A A E A A A E AN N OY N ESAN ae me ta oe BN Vv AR oS i Y v BOR ae Wy yy Os BNR ee AO ae pie ae BOY ee Ze v pA Y ae AY Vv pA R oS W Y v BOR oe me Y v BOR ae Boy sete BNR ee BOY ee AOS v W Y ee mS i Sree ty t X Ve See SSS SS Se eee Se Sa See See SS SS Se SS eee Se SS Se SSS Se SS
32. s of higher power by some tele scope manufacturers are a misleading advertising gimmick and should be dismissed Keep in mind that at higher powers an image will always be dimmer and less sharp this is a fun damental law of optics The steadiness of the air the seeing will limit how much magnification an image can tol erate Always start viewing with your lowest power longest focal length eyepiece in the telescope After you have located and looked at the object with it you can try switching to a higher power eyepiece to ferret out more detail if atmospheric con ditions permit If the image you see is not crisp and steady reduce the magnification by switching to a longer focal length eyepiece As a general rule a small but well resolved image will show more detail and provide a more enjoyable view than a dim and fuzzy over magnified image Let Your Eyes Dark Adapt Don t expect to go from a lighted house into the darkness of the outdoors at night and immediately see faint nebulas galaxies and star clusters or even very many stars for that matter Your eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps 80 of their full dark adapted sensitivity As your eyes become dark adapted more stars will glimmer into view and you ll be able to see fainter details in objects you view in your telescope To see what you re doing in the darkness use a red filtered flashlight rather than a white light Red light does not spoil your eyes
33. scope with respect to the R A axis then the Dec axis 1 Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the R A lock knob Make sure the Dec lock knob is locked for now The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the R A axis Rotate it until the coun terweight shaft is parallel to the ground i e horizontal 2 Now loosen the counterweight locking thumbscrew and slide the weight along the shaft until it exactly counterbal ances the telescope Figure 2a That s the point at which the shaft remains horizontal even when you let go with both hands Figure 2b 3 Retighten the counterweight locking thumbscrew The tel escope is now balanced on the R A axis 4 To balance the telescope on the Dec axis first tighten the R A lock knob with the counterweight shaft still in the hor izontal position 5 With one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the Dec lock knob Figure 2c The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the Dec axis Loosen the tube ring clamps a few turns until you can slide the telescope tube forward and back inside the rings this can be aided by using a slight twisting motion on the optical tube while you push or pull on it Figure 2d 6 Position the telescope in the mounting rings so it remains horizontal when you carefully let go with both hands This is the balance point for the optical tube with respect to the Dec axis Figure 2e 7 Retighten
34. t be used or the image will be blurred beyond recognition Try exposure times between 1 and 10 seconds depending on the brightness of the planet to be photographed and the ISO of the film being used Piggybacking Photography The Moon and planets are interesting targets for the budding astrophotographer but what s next Literally thousands of deep sky objects can be captured on film with a type of astrophotography called piggybacking The basic idea is that a camera with its own camera lens attached rides on top of the main telescope The telescope and camera both move with the rotation of the Earth when the mount is polar aligned and the motor drive is engaged This allows for a long exposure through the camera without blurring of the object or background stars In addition to the motor drive an illuminated reticle eyepiece is also needed Orion part 8481 is recommended The t ring and camera adapter are not needed since the camera is exposing through its own lens Any camera lens with a focal length between 50mm and 400mm is appropriate On the top of one of the tube rings is a piggyback camera adapter This is the black knob with the threaded shaft pro truding through its center The tube ring with the piggyback adapter on it should be closest to the front of the telescope Remove the tube rings from the equatorial mount and swap their positions if necessary Now connect the camera to the pig gyback adapter There sh
35. t on the optical tube with the knurled set screw provided Insert the 45 diagonal into the focuser tube and secure with the knurled set screw Slide an eyepiece into the diagonal and genily tighten the set screw The section in the manual entitled Aligning the Finder Scope is still valid but to aim the finder scope only adjust ments to the two alignment screws are needed Refer to Figure 1 to identify the parts of the finder scope bracket O ring not pictured be Alignment screws he Eyepiece end of finder scope Spring loaded tensioner Dovetail base Figure 1 Customer Support 800 676 1343 E mail support telescope com Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 P O Box 1815 Santa Cruz CA 95061 IN 135 Rev A 1199
36. t star in the star atlas Finding Objects With the Setting Circles Now that both setting circles are calibrated look up in a star atlas the coordinates of an object you wish to view 1 Loosen the Dec lock knob and rotate the telescope until the Dec value from the star atlas matches the reading on the Dec setting circle Retighten the lock knob Note If the telescope is aimed south and the Dec setting circle point er passes the 0 indicator the value on the Dec setting circle becomes a negative number 2 Loosen the R A lock knob and rotate the telescope until the R A value from the star atlas matches the reading on the R A setting circle Retighten the lock knob Most setting circles are not accurate enough to put an object dead center in your finder scope s field of view but they ll get you close assuming the equatorial mount is accurately polar aligned The R A setting circle should be re calibrated every time you wish to locate a new object Do so by calibrating the setting circle for the centered object before moving on to the next one Confused About Pointing the Telescope Beginners occasionally experience some confusion about how to point the telescope overhead or in other directions In Figure 1 the telescope is pointed north as it would be during polar alignment The counterweight shaft is oriented down ward But it will not look like that when the telescope is pointed in other directions Let s say you w
37. th low power when observing deep sky objects because they re already very faint Consult a star atlas or observing guide for information on find ing and identifying deep sky objects A good source to start with is the Orion DeepMap 600 part 4150 7 Astrophotography There are several different types of astrophotography that can be successfully attempted with the Skywatcher 90 Moon Photography This is perhaps the simplest form of astrophotography as no motor drive is required All that is needed is a Universal 1 25 Camera Adapter part 5264 and a t ring for your specific camera Connect the t ring to your camera body and then connect the nosepiece of the camera adapter to the t ring the body of the camera adapter is not needed Insert the camera with the camera adapter attached directly into the telescope s focuser drawtube remove the star diagonal and secure firm ly with the setscrew on the drawtube Make sure the setscrew is tight or your camera may fall to the ground Now you re ready to shoot Point the telescope toward the Moon and center it within the camera s viewfinder Focus the image with the telescope s focuser Try several exposure times all less than 1 second depending on the phase of the Moon and the ISO film speed of the film being used A remote shutter release is recommended part 5232 since touching the camera s shutter release can vibrate the camera enough to ruin the exposure Th
38. the tube ring clamps The telescope is now balanced on both axes Now when you loosen the lock knob on one or both axes and manually point the telescope it should move without resistance and should not drift from where you point it 4 Aligning the Finder Scope A finder scope has a wide field of view to facilitate the loca tion of objects for subsequent viewing through the main telescope which has a much narrower field of view The find er scope and the main telescope must be aligned so they point to exactly the same spot in the sky Alignment is easiest to do in daylight hours First insert the lowest power 25mm eyepiece into the star diagonal Then loosen the R A and Dec lock knobs so the telescope can be moved freely Point the main telescope at a discrete object such as the top of a telephone pole or a street sign that is at least a quarter mile away Move the telescope so the target object appears in the very center of the field of view when you look into the eye piece Now tighten the R A and Dec lock knobs Use the slow motion control knobs to re center the object in the field of view if it moved off center when you tightened the lock knobs Now look through the finder scope Is the object centered in the finder scope s field of view i e at the intersection of the crosshairs If not hopefully it will be visible somewhere in the field of view so that only fine adjustment of the finder scope alignment screws wi
39. ts When you observe a celestial object through the telescope you ll see it drift slowly across the field of view To keep it in the field if your equatorial mount is polar aligned just turn the R A slow motion control The Dec slow motion control is not needed for tracking Objects will appear to move faster at higher magnifications because the field of view is narrower Optional Motor Drives for Automatic Tracking and Astrophotography An optional DC motor drive 7827 can be mounted on the R A axis of the Skywatcher s equatorial mount to provide hands free tracking Objects will then remain stationary in the field of view without any manual adjustment of the R A slow motion control The motor drive is necessary for astrophotography Understanding the Setting Circles The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to locate celestial objects by their celestial coordinates Every astronomical object resides in a specific location on the celestial sohere That location is denoted by two numbers its right ascension R A and declination Dec In the same way every location on Earth can be described by its longitude and latitude R A is similar to longitude on Earth and Dec is similar to latitude The R A and Dec values for celestial objects can be found in any star atlas or star catalog So the coordinates for the Orion Nebula listed in a star atlas will look like this R A 5h 35 4m Dec 5 27
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