Instruction manual

19
Telescopes with long focal lengths often
have a "blind spot" when pointing near the
zenith, because the eyepiece-end of the
optical tube bumps into the mount's legs
(Fig.i-5a). To adapt for this, the optical
tube can be very carefully slipped up
inside the tube rings (Fig.i-5b). This can
be done safely because the tube is
pointing almost vertically, and therefore
moving it does not cause a Dec-balance
problem. It is very important to move the
tube back to the Dec-balanced position
before observing other sky areas.
Something which can be a problem is that
the optical tube often rotates so that the
eyepiece, finderscope and the focussing
knobs are in less convenient positions.
The diagonal can be rotated to adjust the
eyepiece. However, to adjust the positions
of the finderscope and focussing knobs,
loosen the tube rings holding the optical
tube and gently rotate it. Do this when you
are going to view an area for while, but it
is inconvenient to do every time you
briefly go to a new area.
Finally, there are a few things to consider
to ensure that you are comfortable during
the viewing session. First is setting the
height of the mount above the ground by
adjusting the tripod legs. You must
consider the height that you want your
eyepiece to be, and if possible plan on
sitting on a comfortable chair or stool.
Very long optical tubes need to be
mounted higher or you will end up
crouching or lying on the ground when
looking at objects near the zenith. On the
other hand, a short optical tube can be
mounted lower so that there is less
movement due to vibration sources, such
as wind. This is something that should be
decided before going through the effort of
polar aligning the mount.
a.
Telescope pointing at the Zenith
b.
Fig.i-5