StarHopper Telescope INSTRUCTION MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 3 GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................................. 5 UNPACKING THE TELESCOPE / BASE................................................................................................ 6 ASSEMBLING THE BASE FOR THE STARHOPPER ........................
INTRODUCTION Congratulations and welcome to the Celestron world of astronomy. If you’re a newcomer to the hobby of astronomy, some of the terms and telescope components described in this instruction manual may be new to you. To assist you in assembling and operating your telescope, the next few pages will explain some commonly used terms and show diagrams of your new telescope and its components.
Finderscope QuickQuick-Release Bracket Eyepiece Focuser Optical Tube Variable Tension Altitude Altitude Clutch and Handle Altazimuth Altazimuth Base Collimation Screws (not shown) StarHopper® Telescope (StarHopper 8” Shown) 4
GLOSSARY Altazimuth mount - the simplest type of mount, with two motions: altitude (up and down) and azimuth (sideto-side). “Mount” refers to the parts of the telescope supporting the tube, which carries all the telescope’s optics. The mount is made up of the ground plate, or base, and the rocker box. ® Altitude bearings - used on the Star Hopper to provide an axis of rotation for altitude adjustments.
UNPACKING THE TELESCOPE / BASE ® The Star Hopper telescope comes in two boxes, one containing the telescope tube and accessories, the other containing the unassembled mount with hardware. ® Star Hopper 6 #10600 ® Star Hopper 8 #10800 ® ® Star Hopper 10 #10110 Star Hopper 12 #10112 Eyepieces 25mm Plossl - 1¼” 25mm Plossl - 1¼” 32mm e-lux - 2" 32mm e-lux - 2" Finderscope 6x30 9x50 9x50 9x50 Focuser 1.
Side Panels Front Panel Handle Eyepiece Accessory Tray Base Plate Azimuth Tension Bolt Tension Spring Washer Metal Sleeve Azimuth Bearing Plates Azimuth Roller Bearing Ground Plate (Triangular on 10” and 12” models) Rubber Feet Figure 1 – Assembling the Base 7
Assembling The Base For The StarHopper 1. Locate the front panel and the two side panels of the base (refer to Figure 1 to identify all the parts referred to in these instructions). 2. Align the predrilled holes of the side panels with the holes on the edge of the front panel and attach using four of the 2” Allen head wood screws. (The StarHopper® logo should be facing the outside of the base). 3.
Now that the base is fully assembled you can attach the eyepiece accessory tray, handle and altitude nylon bearing cylinders: • Align the eyepiece accessory tray with the holes in the side panel and attach with two ½” wood screws. Figure 2 Figure 2 • Align the base handle with the thread holes in the front panel. Insert a bolt through the handle and thread into the front panel. Figure 3 • Align each altitude nylon cylinder with the holes on the inside of the side panels of the base.
The Optical Tube Primary Mirror Cell Focuser Secondary Mirror Primary Mirror Altitude Bearing Secondary Mirror Alignment Screws Alignment Scre Handle Figure 5 – The Optical Tube Assembly Installing the Variable Tension Handles ® The Star Hopper comes with convenient side handles that attach to the altitude bearings on either side of the mount.
Attaching the finderscope to the finder bracket To install the finderscope onto the telescope you must first mount the finderscope through the finder bracket and then attach it to the telescope. Toward the front of the telescope tube, near the focusing assembly, there is a small bracket with a set screw in it. This is where the finderscope bracket will be mounted. To install the finderscope: 1. Slide the rubber O-ring over the eyepiece end of the finderscope and roll it 2/3 of the way up the finderscope. 2.
Installing the Eyepieces The eyepiece, or ocular as it is also called, is an optical element that magnifies the image focused by the telescope. Without the eyepiece it would be impossible to use the telescope visually. The eyepiece fits directly into the eyepiece holder. To attach the eyepiece: 1. Loosen the set screw on the eyepiece holder so that it does not obstruct the inner diameter of the eyepiece holder. 2. Slide the chrome portion of the eyepiece into the eyepiece holder. 3.
Collimation The optical performance of most Newtonian reflecting telescopes can be optimized by collimating (aligning) the telescope's optics, as needed. Poor collimation will result in optical aberrations and distortions. Before collimating your telescope, take time to familiarize yourself with all its components, using the diagram in Figure 5. The primary mirror is the large mirror at the back end of the telescope tube.
Newtonian collimation views as seen through the focuser. Figure A: If you cannot see the entire primary mirror reflected in the secondary mirror, the secondary mirror will need adjustment. To do this, adjust the secondary collimation screws by alternately tightening and loosening them until the outer edge of the primary mirror is reflected in the secondary mirror.
Figure 13 - Even though the star pattern appears the same on both sides of focus, they are asymmetric. The dark obstruction is skewed off to the left side of the diffraction pattern indicating poor collimation. With Polaris or a bright star centered within the field of view, focus with either the standard eyepiece or your highest power eyepiece, i.e. the shortest focal length in mm, such as a 6mm or 4mm. Another option is to use a longer focal length ocular with a Barlow lens.
TELESCOPE BASICS Focusing the Telescope The Star Hopper® telescope is equipped with a rack and pinion focuser. Focusing is accomplished by rotating the focuser knobs until a sharp focus is reached. To focus your telescope, begin by putting the eyepiece in the eyepiece holder of the focuser. When doing astronomical viewing, you’ll find that out of focus star images are very diffuse and difficult to see. Therefore, choose a bright object, like the moon or a planet for your first astronomical target.
CELESTIAL OBSERVING Now that your telescope is set up, you’re ready to use it for observing. This section covers visual observing for both solar system and deep-sky objects. Observing the Moon In the night sky, the moon is a prime target for your first look because it is extremely bright and easy to find. Although the beauty of the full moon may make it seem a perfect viewing object, in fact, the light reflected from its fully illuminated face can be overpowering.
Observing Deep-Sky Objects Deep-sky objects are simply those objects outside the boundaries of our solar system. They include star clusters, planetary nebulae, diffuse nebulae, double stars and other galaxies outside our own Milky Way. Unlike the sun, moon and our five major planets, most deep-sky objects are not visible to the naked eye. Finding them requires a method called star hopping, described below. Celestron Sky Maps (#93722) can help you locate the brightest deep-sky objects.
Figure 15 Star hopping to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is a snap, since all the stars needed to do so are visible to the naked eye. Star hopping may take some getting used to since you can see more stars through a finderscope than you can see with the naked eye. Also, some objects are not visible in a finderscope. One such object is M57, the famed Ring Nebula. Here's how to find it: 1. Find the constellation of Lyra, a small parallelogram visible in the summer and fall months.
Figure 16 Although the Ring Nebula lies between two “naked eye” stars, it may take a little time to locate because it isn’t visible in a finderscope. Note that the scale for this star chart is different from that of the chart on the previous page, which shows several constellations, including Pegasus, Triangulum and Andromeda. “Seeing” Conditions Viewing conditions affect what you can see through your telescope during an observing session. Conditions include transparency, sky illumination and “seeing”.
"Seeing" The terms “seeing conditions” or “seeing” refer to the stability of the atmosphere, which directly effects the amount of fine detail seen in extended objects. Essentially, extended objects are objects other than stars, of some size, such as nebulae and galaxies. The air in our atmosphere acts as a lens, which bends and distorts incoming light rays. The amount of bending depends on air density. Varying temperature layers have different densities and, therefore, bend light differently.
Seeing conditions directly affect image quality. These drawings represent a point source (i.e., star) under bad seeing conditions (left) to excellent conditions (right). Most often, seeing conditions produce images that lie somewhere between these two extremes. CLEANING THE OPTICS ® While your Star Hopper telescope requires little maintenance, there are a few things to remember that will ensure your telescope performs optimally.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ® Aperture ® ® ® Star Hopper 6 #10600 Star Hopper 8 #10800 Star Hopper 10 #10110 Star Hopper 12 #10112 6” 8” 10” 12” Focal Length 48" (1219mm) 48" (1219mm) 50" (1270mm) 60" (1500mm) f/# f/8 f/6 f/5 f/5 Eyepieces 25mm - 1.25” 25mm - 1.25” 32mm - 2" 32mm - 2" Magnification 49x 49x 40x 47x Secondary Size 1.5 “ 1.95” 2.5” 2.75” Obstruction 25% by diameter 6.3% by area 24% by diameter 5.9% by area 25% by diameter 6.3% by area 23% by diameter 5.
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES You will find that additional accessories enhance your viewing pleasure and expand the usefulness of your telescope. For ease of reference, all the accessories are listed in alphabetical order. Barlow Lens - A Barlow lens is a negative lens that increases the focal length of a telescope. Used with any eyepiece, it doubles the magnification of that eyepiece. Celestron offers two Barlow lens in the 1-1/4" size.
Series 3 – #94119-30 Light Red, Blue, Green, ND50% T (#s 23A, 38A, 58, 96ND-50) Series 4 – #94119-40 Yellow, Deep Yellow, Violet, Pale Blue (#s 8, 47, 82A, 96ND-13) Flashlight, Night Vision - (#93588) - Celestron’s premium model for astronomy, using two red LED's to preserve night vision better than red filters or other devices. Brightness is adjustable. Operates on a single 9 volt battery (included).
CELESTRON TWO YEAR WARRANTY A. Celestron warrants this telescope to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for two years. Celestron will repair or replace such product or part thereof which, upon inspection by Celestron, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship. As a condition to the obligation of Celestron to repair or replace such product, the product must be returned to Celestron together with proof-of-purchase satisfactory to Celestron. B.
Celestron 2835 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503 U.S.A. Tel. (310) 328-9560 Fax. (310) 212-5835 Web site at www.celestron.com Copyright 2004 Celestron All rights reserved. (Products or instructions may change without notice or obligation.) Item # 10800-INST $10.
