INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion® SpaceProbe™ 3 EQ #9843 Equatorial Reflector Telescope Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 P.O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 IN 208 Rev.
EZ Finder II EZ Finder II bracket Eyepiece Focuser Optical tube assembly Declination slow-motion control cable Declination lock knob Declination setting circle Right Ascension setting circle Counterweight shaft Counterweight Counterweight lock knob Right Ascension slow-motion control cable Right Ascension lock knob (not shown) Latitude adjustment T-bolt Tripod leg Accessory tray bracket Accessory tray Leg lock knob Figure 1. The SpaceProbe 3 EQ.
® Welcome to the exciting world of amateur astronomy! Your SpaceProbe 3 EQ is a high-quality optical instrument designed for nighttime stargazing. With its precision optics and equatorial mount, you’ll be able to locate and enjoy fascinating denizens of the night sky, including the planets, Moon, and a variety of deep-sky objects. Lightweight and easy to use, this scope will provide many hours of enjoyment for the whole family.
Declination lock knob (not shown) Declination setting circle R.A. lock knob R.A. setting circle Latitude scale Latitude lock T-bolt Latitude adjustment T-bolt Azimuth lock knob Figure 2. The equatorial mount of the SpaceProbe 3 EQ. on the outside of the tripod legs. Secure the wing nuts finger-tight. and tighten the lock knob. Replace the screw and washer on the end of the shaft. 2. Install and tighten the leg lock knobs on the bottom braces of the tripod legs.
® Battery casing Azimuth knob a. Power knob Altitude knob Metal thumbnuts Figure 4. The EZ Finder II. b. Figure 3. Proper operation of the equatorial mount requires balancing the telescope tube on the R.A. axis (a). With the R.A. lock knob released, slide the counterweight along the counterweight shaft until it just counterbalances the tube (b). When you let go with both hands, the tube should not drift up or down. telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the R.A. axis.
With your eyes positioned at a comfortable distance, look through the back of the reflex sight with both eyes open to see the red dot. The intensity of the dot can be adjusted by turning the power knob. For best results when stargazing, use the dimmest possible setting that allows you to see the dot without difficulty. Typically, a dim setting is used under dark skies and a bright setting is used under light-polluted skies or in daylight.
® pass and rotate the mount so the telescope points North. Retighten the azimuth lock knob. The equatorial mount is now polar aligned. 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 tripod. Doing so will undo the polar alignment. The telescope should be moved only about its R.A. and Dec. axes. Use of the R.A. and Dec. Slow-Motion Control Cables The R.A. and Dec.
a b c d Figure 6. This illustration show the telescope pointed in the the four cardinal directions (a) north, (b) south, (c) east, (d) west. Note that the tripod and mount have not been moved; only the telescope tube has been moved on the R.A. and Dec. axes. celestial equator (Dec. = 0°), and negative when the telescope is pointing south of the celestial equator. Retighten the lock knob. Loosen the R.A. lock knob and rotate the telescope until the R.A.
regular incandescent flashlight with red cellophane or paper. Beware, too, that nearby porch and streetlights and car headlights will ruin your night vision. 1.9 4.9 2.4 1.9 1.7 2.4 3.4 2.5 Figure 7. Megrez connects the Big Dipper’s handle to it’s “pan”. It is a good guide to how conditions are. If you can not see Megrez (a 3.4 mag star) then conditions are poor. In conditions of good seeing, star twinkling is minimal and images appear steady in the eyepiece.
eras and have “false color” added. Our eyes are not sensitive enough to see color in deep-sky objects except in a few of the brightest ones. Remember that you are seeing these objects using your own telescope with your own eyes! The object you see in your eyepiece is in real-time, and not some conveniently provided image from an expensive space probe. Each session with your telescope will be a learning experience.
Your SpaceProbe 3 EQ telescope requires very little mechanical maintenance. The optical tube is steel and has a smooth painted finish that is fairly scratch resistant. If a scratch does appear, it will not harm the telescope. Refer to the appendix B at the end of this manual for details of how to clean your telescope’s optics. 8. Specifications Optical tube: Steel Primary mirror diameter: 76mm Primary mirror coating: Aluminum with silicon dioxide (SiO2) overcoat Secondary mirror minor axis: 19.
Appendix A: Collimation— Aligning the Mirrors Collimation is the process of adjusting the mirrors so they are perfectly aligned with one another. Your telescope’s optics were aligned at the factory, and should not need much adjustment unless the telescope is handled roughly. Accurate mirror alignment is important to ensure the peak performance of your telescope, so it should be checked regularly. Collimation is relatively easy to do and can be done in daylight.
Figure 9. To center the secondary mirror under the focuser, hold the secondary in place with your fingers while adjusting the primary screw with a Phillips head screwdriver. Do not touch the mirror’s surface. Figure 10. Adjust the tilt of the secondary mirror by loosening or tightening the three alignment screws with a small Phillips head screwdriver. counter-clockwise will move the secondary mirror toward the primary mirror.
Cleaning Mirrors You should not have to clean the telescope’s mirror very often; normally once every year or so. Covering the telescope with the dust cap when it is not in use will help prevent dust from accumulating on the mirrors. Improper cleaning can scratch mirror coatings, so the fewer times you have to clean the mirrors, the better. Small specks of dust or flecks of paint have virtually no effect on the visual performance of the telescope Out of collimation Collimated Figure 12.
One-Year Limited Warranty This Orion SpaceProbe 3 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 benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076.
