Optical finderscope assembly and alignment
Unthread two screws in the back of the telescope tube. Place the finderscope base above the holes on
the tube. Lock the finderscope base into position by tightening the screws. (refractor
, reflector
)
4a
4b
Optical finderscopes are very useful accessories. When they are correctly aligned with the telescope,
objects can be quickly located and brought to the center of the view.
Turn the scope end in and out to adjust focus.
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To align the finderscope, choose a distant object that is at least 300 yards (500 meters) away and point
the telescope at the object. Adjust the telescope so that the object is in the center of the view in
your eyepiece. Check the finderscope to see if the object is also centered on the crosshairs. Use three
adjustment screws to center the finderscope crosshairs on the object.
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Operating the mount
The AZ, AZ1, AZ2 mounts are alt-azimuth mounts that allow you to rotate the telescope about the
vertical and horizontal axes and vary its altitude and azimuth. To adjust the azimuth, loosen the big
locking knob under the mount base and rotate the tube left or right about the axis then retighten it.
To adjust the altitude, loosen the altitude adjustment knob and rotate the tube. For more precise
motions, use the altitude slow-motion control.
Due to Earth's movement, the objects will be constantly shifting out of your view, so you will have to
adjust the altitude and azimuth of your telescope to continue your observations.
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Reference materials usually list declination coordinates in degrees, hours and minutes above or below
the horizon line. Azimuth coordinates may sometimes be listed with the compass points (N, SW, ENE,
etc.), but it is more commonly listed in degrees around the 360-deg plane, where north is 0°, east
is 90°, etc.
Barlow lens
A Barlow lens increases the magnifying power of an eyepiece, while reducing the field of view. It
expands the cone of the focused light before it reaches the focal point, so that the telescope's focal
length appears longer to the eyepiece. In addition to increasing magnification, the benefits of using
a Barlow lens include improved eye relief, and reduced spherical aberration of the eyepiece. For this
reason, a Barlow plus a lens often outperform a single lens producing the same magnification. And the
best advantage is that a Barlow lens can potentially double the number of eyepieces in your collection.
(refractor
, reflector
)
8a
8b
Focusing
Slowly rotate the focus knobs one way or the other until the image in the eyepiece is sharp. The image
usually has to be finely refocused over time due to small variations caused by temperature changes,
flexures, etc. Refocusing is almost always necessary when you change an eyepiece, add or remove a
Barlow lens. (refractor
, reflector
)
9b
9a
Camera adapter
To attach a camera to your telescope you may need an adapter to get the camera focused. Some
refractors are designed to be used with diagonal mirrors and thus need a longer focal length when used
with camera.
To achieve that, simply attach an extender to the focuser of your telescope and then attach the
camera with a T-adapter to the extender.
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